Alrighty, my friends. This is where things get intense (intense for me and what I usually write, anyway. Haha). Note that this chapter is long, drawn-out and filled with nothing but mush. If that doesn't sound interesting to you, do not proceed. If it does, then knock yourselves out! Lol.

Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own SpongeBob SquarePants or any of its characters.

Unified Hearts

This night was bound to come about sometime.

While enjoying one of the best and most memorable nights out he had ever had with his beloved wife, good friend, karate and lab partner, SpongeBob had truly been looking forward to spending the rest of the quiet, romantic and starry evening with her in the familiar and welcoming environment of the treehouse.

And what made his heart swell with a bigger dose of gratitude and deeply felt affection was how, thanks to the current frosty weather, he didn't have to soak in a bathtub all night. He would get to lay next to her in (what he imagined) was her cozy, warm bed, and have sweet, pleasant dreams with her, just as when she stayed over at his house.

To make it even nicer (if that was possible), there wouldn't be a single barrier between them this time. No helmets; just them and their bare heads.

He was very happy about it.

Really, he was.

But the sudden change in Sandy's demeanor and her displaying a gentleness that he had never felt from her before was somehow also making him terrified.

He knew she had a softer side that would sometimes show through and overpower her toughness in the right situations, but this? Oh, Dear Neptune above, have mercy.

It was as if the squirrel had gone through another phase, like when she had worked on herself with deep meditation and became "nonviolent" after utterly destroying Jellyfish Fields with her "aggressive ways" and competitiveness. Although it only lasted a short time then, her personality was still unrecognizable.

This time, though, Sandy's version of "meek and mild" was about as unbelievably gentle as a sow laying on the floor of a barn and caring for her young, and she hadn't used meditation or any other methods to become this way.

He was the cause of these sweet, authentic feelings and actions coming to the surface.

The soft and meaningful kiss she had planted on him, the light, smooth touch of her hands cupping his shoulders, the heartfelt way she was leaning into his back and pressing her chubby cheek against the side of his head, staring out at the increasing snowfall with him like she had been swept away by a magical wave of romantic captivation – it was like a whole new Sandy, and she was doing a great job at both pulling him into a misty world of relaxation, comfort, and sincere affection, while also launching his heart and whole system into an endless universe of blood-pumping nervousness and uncertainty.

He had never felt so conflicted.

"G-Gee, Sandy, I… heh…" a low, whispery chuckle escaped him as he continued to stare up ahead through the window, still dealing with those sharp chills shooting their way all over his porous skin while trying to comprehend that her face was right next to his, practically gluing herself to him. "Y-You don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that."

The warmth and fuzziness of her cheek left his head, prompting him to turn marginally and discover the kindest, most earnest expression of lovingness and true devotion, stemming mostly from those mesmerizing pools of brown that she used to see things with.

It seemed, so far, that she had made a choice; a choice to dive into the cold water while standing at the edge of that high cliff, and held her hand for him to take, essentially asking him to learn how to swim across the water with her on a long, treacherous journey.

She was openly presenting him with her heart and soul, silently requesting that he be brave enough to reach down inside himself and bestow his own priceless gifts of that same nature; when received, such offerings would become a combined act of selfless commitment and unfeigned love.

"Why, 'course I do," she smiled meekly, her tone of voice as light as a feather. "I don't doubt how much you value the things that I say to ya. You've always been a great listener, after all."

His saccharine smile returned, bringing more joy to Sandy's spirit. "I have? Really?" he spoke with a barely contained fervid tone.

"Well," she playfully rolled her eyes, "maybe not always. That was a bit of an exaggeration on my part. But y'all are gettin' much better at it over time, along with other things, too."

It was a small relief to SpongeBob to have the heavy mood become a little lighter for a moment; he was encouraged to respond to her teasing in the most adorably mocking way he could think of.

"Well, I'm glad to see you feel that I'm 'improving' upon certain issues, Sandra." He squinted in superiority and turned to look back through the window, unable to hide the goofy smirk that was forming on his lips. "But do remember that no guy out there can be perfect, especially if he's made of sponge, baha!" he lost control and let go of a chuckle as if it were a sneeze, infecting Sandy with its irresistible charm.

"Hm, hm!" she giggled from behind her closed mouth, her smile growing more loving as she returned her cheek to the position that had previously made his heart speed up dangerously and go out of whack, thus weighing down on that 'lighter' mood.

Was she trying to love him or kill him?

As soon as her fur touched his skin, SpongeBob's pulse threatened to send him to the hospital again. But even though the jumpiness inside him was at the highest level imaginable, there was still a hint of his happy and easygoing attitude swirling around somewhere in the pit of his stomach, and it was helping to keep that smile going on his face for the time being.

In fact, his grin couldn't have been any syrupier than it already was; he was appreciative of this new closeness, even though it was difficult for him to get used to, overall.

Sure, they had slept in the same bed before and were close together then, but the difference was that missing barrier of her helmet. This nearness felt much more intimate and, frankly, nerve-wracking.

Again, he was conflicted. He wanted nothing more than to be with her in the way that she wanted to be with him, but he was battling those inner fears of something - anything - going wrong, and just the general overwhelmingness of the experience. It was hard for him to handle.

Sandy was someone who had taught him many important lessons in life – some of which he wouldn't have gotten from anywhere or anybody else in the world. Any time he was ever faced with a difficult challenge and lost some of his bright, powerful enthusiasm, she was there to pick it right back up and kick it back into place (figuratively, of course. She liked to karate kick him quite often, but not usually when he was feeling down).

She was there to remind him that anything was possible and to never give up or give in. She made him feel like the toughest, strongest superhero alive, even though he knew that his physical strength was nothing next to hers. She gave him courage when things looked like they were ready to fall apart, and because of all this and so much more, his love for her grew, and would continue to grow for Neptune knew how long.

Tonight, however, wasn't one of those times that involved her strengthening him or giving him a good helping of courage, even though she was trying to.

Right now, especially, as she quietly uttered another set of touching words and slowly moved her hands further around his shoulders, he was feeling rather weak.

"You are perfect, SpongeBob."

His smile begged to disappear yet again as the vibration of her voice twisted up his stomach like a pretzel and made his knees want to snap in half.

"Thanks, Sandy, but… isn't that contradictory to what we just- "

"I meant in your own little way, silly."

She had pulled away from his head for the last time, but somehow, that only made things worse, when it should've made them better and easier.

Now, she was inches from his face, her eyes admiring every feature it possessed as she pushed down on his long, yellow nose with her index finger and then released it, causing it to shake rapidly like a springy door stopper.

"Ya do get what I mean, don't ya?"

He chuckled awkwardly, losing his confidence again and praying to Neptune that she couldn't feel or hear his pulse thumping like the foot of one of those "jackrabbits" she often mentioned in her long-winded Texas sayings.

"Why, of course, I get what you mean, S-Sandy. I-I always try to… get ya, haha. A-And don't forget you're perfect in your own way, too. You're perfect in a lot of ways, actually, heh, heh— um... Sandy?"

He desperately held off swallowing as her eyes turned into miniature galaxies, glowing with dozens of sparkling, white balls of light.

To finally make him nearly ingest his uvula by gulping the hardest he had in years, she directed her dreamy orbs downward to another area of his face, one that was now quivering as a result of her attention, as well as from the cold air coming in.

"S-S-San-Sandy?"

"Thank you, SpongeBob."

"I— uh, y-you're welcome, I- "

If his heart had feet, then he would've been able to say that it leaped from his chest up to his throat when their lips connected like two magnets, her head concealing the red tint that washed over his yellow flesh.

They had only shared a small handful of kisses throughout their relationship; one when he was about to leave, took off his helmet, tripped, and somehow managed to smash his lips into hers (quite awkwardly), one when she came back from a trip to Texas, took off her helmet, picked him up and planted one on him at the bus stop, and, most notably, one on their wedding day. To some, three kisses was a lot; to others, it wasn't nearly as many as it should have been.

Even though it had been a full month since their lips last met, and SpongeBob got used to the lack of feeling it, he knew that having it happen again shouldn't have been so shocking. But it was.

He didn't remember Sandy's kiss being this tender; nevertheless, it should have made him feel calm, rather than feeling like his body was about to explode into the sky like fireworks.

It only lasted less than two seconds, but it felt like over two minutes to him.

When Sandy opened her eyes to the sight of his reddened cheeks, it almost felt like the coloring was spreading to hers, as well. Everything about him was so contagious, including the pure and childlike reactions that came from him.

She felt like a "young'un" again when she was around this critter. He was a true man-child; he did his best to act grown-up and take care of his responsibilities, but nothing changed the fact that he was a kid at heart.

It often seemed that she was the only adult in the relationship, which was sometimes frustrating, but in the end, she was just fine with it. She wouldn't have it any other way, and she loved him for who he was; childishness, innocence, and all.

Truth be told, they were both innocent in different ways.

But there was one way in which they shared the same innocence, and with the direction that their current situation was going in, tonight was when they were to lose that precious purity to each other.

The thought of it was frightening to both, but Sandy knew it was even scarier for SpongeBob. She was the stronger one—mentally, physically, and for the most part, emotionally—and she wanted to approach this journey with him as sensitively as possible, while also taking the lead and guiding him with all the care she had inside her.

And that was no problem thus far, as he was making it very easy for her to open herself up and wrap him in a blanket made entirely out of her love and passion.

"My, you're shiverin' somethin' awful, darlin'," she half-whispered, feeling the twitches that came from his little body as if he were attached to her. "You want me to close the window?"

SpongeBob's whole frame continued to tremble uncontrollably, but his countenance was beginning to tell a story of sleepy hypnotization and lovestruck enchantment; his eyelids coming halfway down his enlarged pupils that were now as glittery as hers were, no more than a minute ago, and his mouth slightly agape, showing that he was still processing the chest-fluttering kiss she had just given him.

"Oh… no, Sandy, it's okay… y-you can leave it open…" he said in a dreamlike voice and shook his head; his giant, glistening eyes falling to her lips.

Sandy's hands seemed to be on autopilot, gently gripping his shoulders as she twisted him into a slow turn, making him face her.

"Are ya sure?" she asked, taking a step closer and tilting her head to look down at him.

"Y-Yeah, I…" his arms and hands shook more intensely as hers slowly made their way around his back. "I mean, I'm cold, but I think I can… g-get through it if we just…"

He found himself getting sucked into her, the space between them closing when his feet slid forward, and his chest met her stomach.

"I-If we just…" his words were too faint to be heard as the wind inside the Treedome howled and rushed around them, enveloping them like she was now doing to him.

The instant, comforting warmth that she provided him with wiped out his thoughts like an eraser to words on a chalkboard and helped to alleviate the chill in his bones (if he had any).

Sandy's face came to hover over his, and she stared lovingly into his mystified eyes before she closed her own, with him following suit, and their lips melted together.

The walls of hesitation had been broken, and the time for talking was over; at least for now, while they slipped into this moment of beautiful, aching desire, burying one another in the love that flowed straight from their core.

When he wiggled, Sandy loosened her hold on him a bit, understanding his need to return her embrace and allowing his once-trapped arms to move freely and wrap around her waist, squeezing her against him as if she were a cuddly stuffed animal that would aid him in falling asleep.

Sandy could sense that he was still fighting his nerves; his chest puffing against her gut, while the steam from his fast-paced breaths blew out from his nostrils and brushed against the skin between her nose and lips. She took a second to pull away and change the position of their deep, passionate kiss, which also granted him his wish to exhale through his mouth, releasing the air shakily until he was silenced by her again.

SpongeBob's world was both flooded with a blissful wave of attachment and stricken with a lightning bolt of more anxiety and bewilderment while falling into Sandy's overpowering trap of yearning.

He had never imagined that this kind of kiss could feel so marvelous, and he was glad that Sandy seemed to agree with him. But after she gradually pulled back and opened her eyes into his, his magical trance fell to pieces as he read the tender expression on her face, bringing him back to the reality of what this was all leading to.

Sandy saw the mixture of unsureness and fascination on his features and offered a kind, patient, understanding smile, rubbing her hands up and down his back in an attempt to keep him calm and reassure him that things were going to be alright.

"S-Sandy, I…" the words tumbled off his tongue as his mind began to spin with millions of things that he wanted to say to her, but the swelling in his chest and the tingling of his mouth were preventing those things from being communicated. To avoid her gaze, he lowered his head to the floor and shook it until her moist lips landed upon it, shocking his skin and causing him to look back up.

He began to tremble again as he stared at her with frightened, pleading eyes. "S-S-Sandy, please, I-I— "

"Shh," she faintly hushed, "it's okay, SpongeBob." She leaned into him, pressing a soft, slow kiss onto his forehead. "Just relax."

SpongeBob shut his eyes from the tender contact being made, his mouth hanging open, and his shallow breaths following the shakiness of his body as she eventually moved her lips all over his face: lower on his forehead, his eyes, the tip of his nose, both of his cheeks and either side of his mouth, each kiss representing a "thank you" for how much he had been there for her over the years.

It was taking everything inside him to try to "relax", but that increased in difficulty every time she graciously stamped his skin with the mark of her love, making his heart feel like it was turning inside out and dropping into his stomach, only to bounce back and shake up his insides even harder. He wished to stand on his toes and return the sweetness he was receiving, kissing her until his lips would grow numb, but he didn't have the strength in his mouth to talk any more, let alone use it to show how deeply he ached for her. Keeping his arms around her was all he could manage right now.

Another gust of wind blew in from the window and prickled SpongeBob's flesh, now causing him to whimper, and his teeth to chatter loudly.

As if protecting him from harm, Sandy retightened her arms around his back and brought him closer, smushing them deeply together.

SpongeBob opened his eyes and couldn't believe that his face was being pressed up against her bosom. He had never been this close to a woman's figure before (except for his mother when he was a baby and a young child, but that was different). Any time he and Sandy had hugged in the past, she was either always wearing her suit, or one of them would be wearing their helmets, thus no such intimate physical meeting between their bodies had occurred.

They were married; however, he couldn't help but feel awkward and shy about something so private. Sandy letting him get near the delicate, unmentionable area of her chest was quite astonishing in of itself, but what made it even more so that way was that she wasn't just letting him get near it – she was making sure he was pushed into it as closely as possible; so close, he could feel her heart beating against him, which made him wonder if that was what she wanted.

If he were a little taller, this wouldn't be happening. But alas, he was cursed with the lack of height from his parents.

SpongeBob wasn't sure how they ended up there, but as he swiveled his head to look at their surroundings and recognized the nightstand, lamp, and finally the headboard, his eyes widened at the fact that they were now standing at the side of the most personal piece of furniture in the whole treehouse and the air dome itself: Sandy's bed.

He knew that with the snowy climate changing their sleeping arrangements, he was going to end up spending the night on the squishy surface with her anyway.

But as he was still locked in her arms and looked back up at her affectionate stare, he was reminded for the last time that they were going to be doing so much more than just sleeping on that mattress.

Those jumbled thoughts of his continuously requested to be let out verbally, but it remained impossible with Sandy's face now coming towards his, her eyes changing back into the sparkly galaxies from before.

SpongeBob released a slow breath through his nose, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head as his lips were once again met with the pleasant softness of her kiss.

After re-wrapping his still-shaky arms around her waist, his legs were gently pressed against the edge of the bed; slowly, as the low creaking of the springs mixed with the howling wind, his back came down to rest on the brown and pink checkered blanket, and his body was weighed down by Sandy snuggling above him.

His eyes were closed, but he was able to tell that the lamp in the room was shut off just by the click sound of the chain after Sandy had reached over and pulled it before lying down. The Moon was the only source of light left; its dreamy, white glow illuminating the place where they lay as one.

The two breathed heavily into one another, Sandy occasionally pulling away to twist her head in different directions, changing how they kissed.

With their chests heaving against each other, and the song of their hearts beating in rhythm, SpongeBob could no longer hold in the ocean wave of his pent-up sentiments. A puff of air flowed out from his mouth and warmed the fur on Sandy's face after she had removed her lips from his, now pressing them into his cheek.

SpongeBob's eyelids lifted open for his troubled eyes to stare at the dark ceiling, tears streaming all the way down to his shirt collar, staining it. "Oh, Sandy…" he shakily whispered and closed his eyes again, lightly gripping the fabric on the back of her dress.

His breaking of the silence that had lasted for so long caused her ears to flicker. The aching tone in his emotional uttering was strong enough to take another swing at her confidence as the leader. She lifted her head, first taking notice of the dark lines that trailed down his face, then stared deeply into his watery eyes of crystal-blue.

She had a feeling this was coming sooner or later.

"Hey now, don't be startin' with the waterworks," she said, her voice quiet and comforting as she pulled her hand out from underneath his back and wiped away the wetness from his skin.

"I'm s-s-sorry, S-Sandy. It's just that…" his lips quivered, more tears spilling from the rims of his bottom 'lids. "It's just… well… I'm just…"

"Come on, just let it out."

Even though she spoke in a tone that was similar to that of a pet owner trying to get their pet to take a bite of food – sweet and encouraging – he still struggled hard to spit the words out, his mouth shaking with small bits of his voice squeaking through.

"I…I… I-I'm…"

Sandy curled her lips into a sympathetic smile when he shook his head rapidly in frustration. "Y'all are… scared?"

"O-Oh, yes," the truth came out in a heavy breath, closing his eyes tightly and nodding, feeling that he had disappointed someone he loved.

"I can't help it. I-I want to be brave for you and do this… m-more than anything in the whole world, Sandy, but… b-but I— "

"SpongeBob…"

He closed his mouth and managed to look her in the eyes, waiting for her response as if hearing her speak was his last dying wish.

"I know, and I understand."

"Y-Ya… do?"

"Of course." She smoothed her thumb along his cheek. "I'm scared, too."

Was this really happening, or was he in a dream? The words that came from her were too unreal for him to comprehend. "Y-You are?" he inhaled sharply and exhaled with relief as she leaned towards the side of his head, kissing it tenderly. "You haven't really been… acting like it."

She pulled away again to look at him. "That's because I knew that you'd be more terrified than anything, so I decided I should be what I've always been for ya, SpongeBob, and that's the lasso that keeps you tied together in situations of uncertainty."

There were countless times when the two were faced with alarming, dangerous circumstances, and, whether one could believe it or not, Sandy was just as scared as he was at those times. But because of how much she cared for him, and her tough, strong attitude being the main part of who she was, she was able to put her own fear behind her and keep him from going under.

SpongeBob was still brave on his own in many ways, but with her by his side, that bravery expanded to the size of the sky itself and could never be shattered.

"And this time ain't no different. I'm gonna be strong for you, SpongeBob; I'm gonna be strong and I'm gonna be here for you, just like you've always been here for me. Remember…" her hand cupped the side of his face. "We're in this together, and…"

Somehow, the thoughtful expression she gave brought an old, familiar and true phrase back to his mind; perhaps it was their telepathy working again. "…We're tighter than…"

"Bark on a tree."

She smiled when that sad, unsure look of his began to disappear, being replaced with hope and trust. And just when she thought the "waterworks" was over and done with, his eyes overflowed with tears and he sniffled, squeezing her in his arms as tightly as he could.

"Oh, Sandy, I love you..." he wept into her ear, choking back a sob as his heart thumped with genuine, passionate joy.

Sandy bit her lip and blinked back the moisture in her eyes, trying desperately not to let her own emotions burst through, which became harder the moment he gifted her cheek with soft, tear-soaked kisses and slid his left hand up her back until he reached her head, gently ruffling the fur on it with his little fingers.

"I know, SpongeBob…" she hugged him tightly, nuzzling the side of his head. "I love you, too… with everything in me."

The moisture from the weather outside continued to pour in and kept SpongeBob from drying out, which was going to be necessary for the rest of the night as the two put their faith into each other and never looked back.

A/N: Wow, that was… loaded with sappiness, wasn't it? Lol. That excessiveness might have annoyed some people, and if it did… well, I apologize. This was just the way that I envisioned this sort of thing going for these two characters. I may write dirty jokes in my stories sometimes, but when it comes to a topic like this, I tend to take it more seriously and make it a bit heavy, haha. Anyways, thanks for reading through this train wreck of a mush fest, people! There will be a little epilogue coming shortly. Stay tuned.