Hey! Geez, this took me a long time to update. I know it's not Christmas anymore, but I might as well continue this while it's still winter lol. Thanks for reading!

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

Holly Jolly Help

The Treehouse, once as dark as an old cave in Jellyfish Fields, was now matching almost perfectly to the vivaciousness of the beautifully decorated Treedome.

With the creative hands and minds of SpongeBob and Sandy put together, the place was becoming like a vivid work of hand-drawn animation (which it technically was), but the frosty bitterness that had dominated the air still needed help transforming into an environment that was tolerable enough for both, especially for SpongeBob since he didn't have the advantage of a natural fur coat to help keep him warm. Indeed, rodents like Sandy were lucky this time of year.

The leafy walls were mesmerizingly lit with thousands of white lights, the kitchen log-island was set up with baking sheets and a cutting board, while the counters behind it held a variety of cookie cutters. The refrigerator was decorated in colorful magnets, and in the far-left corner stood the perfect tree that Sandy had cut down from the kelp forest.

Up against the wall, in the middle of the room where the fireplace was, SpongeBob stood on his knees and leaned toward the pile of wood on the inside, vigorously twisting a skinny twig between his hands in an attempt to light a fire, which created a burning sensation on his skin.

He panted, he grunted, he smoldered in frustration because he was unable to accomplish this simple task that every man should be able to accomplish. It didn't help that he had already made himself look weak and foolish a few other times that day in front of her, but now this? Luckily this time though, when he turned around to see if she was observing his failings, she seemed to be preoccupied with carefully unloading the remaining Christmas bulbs and other decorations from a box, while sitting in front of the tree, cross-legged.

"Ugh, ugh, come on, magic hands! I know you can do it!" SpongeBob said, seething and squinting until his achievement was reached; a fire had been started!

He smiled with excited satisfaction. "Woo! Yes!" he exclaimed.

"Did ya get the fire goin'?" asked Sandy, greatly interested as she examined each item with narrowed eyes.

SpongeBob nodded, prouder than he'd been of himself in a long while. "Yep! You betcha. A nice warm fire to keep us from freezing our tails off. Well, your tail, anyway. Bahaha!" he laughed.

Sandy smiled; hearing his little giggles always brightened up her mood, even though it wasn't currently in any need of brightening up. Still, he kept any drop in attitude from attacking her with his childlike cheerfulness. "That's great, SpongeBob!" though she was just as proud of him as he was of himself, she was also rather surprised by the fact that he could even start a fire at all; usually, she was the one to do so in many situations where it had been needed. She was more masculine than him in a lot of ways. But he had insisted on doing it until she gave in.

Of course, he couldn't ignite that flame without a single hitch, now could he?

Humming a merry tune, Sandy stood up and brushed her hands together. "This tree's gonna look mighty fine once we're done with— "

"Ahhh," SpongeBob sighed with pleasure at the comforting warmth radiating toward his body… or rather, from his body.

Sandy's eyes were now not only open – they were practically ready to fall right out of her head. "Uh, SpongeBob?"

He looked up at her from across the room, giving her a smile that told of how just how content he was with himself while he sat flat on his square behind. "Oh, hey, Sandy. Don't worry, it'll be piping hot pretty soon," he chuckled.

By "it", she figured he was talking about the air. It was ridiculous just how oblivious the guy could be sometimes. "It looks like it's reached that point already."

"Why do you say that?" he asked, his shoulders bouncing with his continous chuckling.

He turned his attention close to the direction of what she was pointing at. Something was off here; it was clear from the burning smell that something had been set ablaze, but it was nowhere in the fireplace.

His face was taken over by confusion. "Huh? I don't understand… I thought that I— "

"Started a fire?" she interrupted, then shook her head. "Ya did. Look a little further down."

With apprehension, he followed her suggestion.

"AHHHHHHH!" his eyeballs shot out from their sockets at the sight of his hands that resembled mini bonfires. "FIRE, FIRE! I'M ON FIRE!" he sprang from the floor and ran around in circles, panicking. Now, this was an instance in which it made perfect sense for a fire to exist, seeing as how they were no longer underwater.

"Hang on!" said Sandy, doing something in the kitchen that he couldn't hear because he was too busy making noise with his screaming.

She ran to rescue him as he continued his pattern of running, even though it was only making the pain more intense. "Hold still!" she commanded, her eyes following him.

"How can I hold still when I'm on FIRE?! OH, IT BURNS! IT BURNS, IT BURNS, IT BURNS!"

He finally was forced to obey her when a giant splash of ice-cold water fell over him like a tidal wave at Goo Lagoon. He panted, now dripping wet.

"Jeepers! You were burnin' somethin' fierce. You okay?" she asked, looking at him with caution and concern, holding a now-empty green bucket under her arm.

He flashed her a faint smile, then looked down at his hands that were charred. "Yeah, I'm okay. T-thanks." Those blackened hands then crumbled into piles of dust and flew near his mouth, causing him to cough. "It's a good thing these grow back, dahaha!"

An hour later…

After his little blunder, Sandy had decided that it was a better idea if she dealt with the old fireplace, while he fooled around a bit with the Christmas tree. Yes, it was true that the little yellow guy could be nothing but a walking disaster, but his willingness to be there with her and do what he could to help made her overlook his clumsiness. She was grateful to have his assistance, even if he screwed some things up.

He was klutzy and sometimes arrogant, but he made up for it with all the other likable – dare she even say lovable – qualities he possessed.

"Woo-wee!" Sandy wiped a drop of sweat from her brow as she sat in front of the fire that was now burning beautifully, after working to bring it alive for the past hour. "That sure took some doin'; that wood was as stubborn as a bull at a rodeo!" she untied her science apron that she had used to protect her great grandmother's dress from getting stained with soot.

Happy that the room was gradually going to get warmer, Sandy stood and dusted herself off, ready to tackle the final part of getting the place in order. "Okay, SpongeBob, why don't we get started on the tree?"

Her eyes were unprepared for the beauty that met them when she turned around. The tree, covered in layers of fake snow, was gleaming with hundreds of intensely colored lights of dark purple, yellow, red, and green. The fluffy branches were embellished with green and blue bulbs that sparkled with tiny specks of glitter, and gold and red garland had been wrapped effortlessly around every part of it. At the bottom was a navy-blue tree skirt. It was darn near perfect; the only thing missing was the star.

The way she felt looking at the masterpiece must've been the way that SpongeBob felt when they had finished decorating the oak tree. Sandy was blown away by his efforts. "Good Texas tea and cookies, SpongeBob! This looks outstandin'!" her eyes shined against the lights.

"Oh, you mean the tree?" he asked, barely able to contain his building excitement for her reaction.

Her head turned behind her to see him standing at the open window with his back turned, and his arms stretched out to catch the snow flurries that held his youthful interest.

A laugh rolled out from her lips, and she turned fully toward him. "Well, of course, I mean the tree, silly. Ya did such a fantastic job. I love it!"

SpongeBob couldn't hold it in anymore; it was just too much of a temptation to explode. "Ooh, I knew you would!" he swiftly turned, biting his lip and clenching his shaky fists. "At first, I was just gonna play around with the bulbs like you told me to, but I just couldn't stop looking at that big green tree, and how quickly it needed to be jazzed-up all the way! Ooh, I think your nieces and sister are gonna LOVE IT!" he jumped after he had finished speaking fifty miles per hour.

She was stunned as to how she didn't hear him running around and throwing things all over the tree. She chuckled, pushing out her hands as a signal for him to relax. "Okay, okay! Slow down there, Mr. Chatterbox. I know they will, and I appreciate ya takin' the time to do it, but I didn't mean for ya to have to go and bust your butt doin' it all by yourself! Why, I was right here the whole time; ya could've asked for my help," she said, softly.

SpongeBob let go of the breath he was holding through the large, rounded shape he was forming with his mouth. "I know, but I also knew you were busy with making the fire and I didn't want to bug you, so then I figured that that way, I could surprise you! Are you surprised?" he asked with a grin that was rubbing off on Sandy.

"Yes, SpongeBob," she shook her head. "I'm surprised. I can't thank ya enough for doin' it, and for all the other things you've helped me with today. I don't think I could've done it all without ya." She really could have; she was Sandy Cheeks, the squirrel who "flew alone". But perhaps having him over had more than one meaning for her; she didn't want him just to have his help, but also because she enjoyed his company… it might've been that she was starting to enjoy it in a way that she hadn't before.

SpongeBob wasn't sure if she was aware of how sweet the look was that she was throwing his way. It brushed by his heart and tickled it until he noticed that it wanted to jump right out of his chest. He smiled shyly, tapping his fingers together and turning back to the window. "Oh, it's no problem, Sandy. I'm always available when you need me." He shrugged slightly, then started twirling his index finger over the delicate, sparkly snowflakes on the windowsill.

"I know. You're a good friend," she said with sincerity, then scanned the room for several seconds looking for something.

The warmth from his smile grew so much that it was spreading to his cheeks, turning them red. However, it wasn't enough to protect the rest of him from getting cold. "W-well, I… heh." He felt lucky to be facing the window right now. "So are you, Sandy."

"I sure try to be. Oh, and where'd ya put the star, SpongeBob?"

"It should be right underneath the tree."

She bent in half, and lo and behold there it was. It was made of fine glass and painted a brilliant shade of gold, with billions of glitter particles. Sandy pulled a chair from the kitchen and stood on it, leaning toward the tree and angling the ornament just right over the very top.

SpongeBob turned to watch her add the finishing touch. "I wanted to save the best part for you to do; I thought you had a better chance of reaching it than I did since you're the taller one."

Sandy placed her hands on her hips and smiled at the star that was right where it should be. "Well, I surely appreciate that thought, SpongeBob. Now it's as glitzy as a bedazzled leather belt!" she said in a bubbly voice.

"It's beautiful, Sandy! Huh, what do you know? N-now you have a tree within a tree! Dahaha! Brrr…" his teeth chattered.

Sandy's smile fell from her face when she noticed him shivering like he was out in a blizzard with no clothes. The unfortunate happening from earlier came back to her. "Shoot, SpongeBob! Y'all look colder than a toad stuck in a frozen pond. Do ya wanna hang your clothes over the fire to dry?"

He immediately shook his head as he crossed his arms and placed his hands over his shoulders to try and warm himself up, but it was no use with that bone-chilling breeze coming in from behind him. "O-oh, n-no n-n-need for t-that, Sandy, really," he showed a brief smile and turned back towards the window. "T-they're a-actually a-almost dry already." He couldn't stand around in his underwear, even though she had seen him with little to no clothing plenty of times before.

There was also the possibility that she could've let him borrow one of her outfits, but then he would've looked even more ridiculous by dressing up like a girl. Either way, it wouldn't have been a good situation to deal with, so he figured it was best to just suffer through the consequences of his carelessness and conceited attitude from trying to start that fire by himself.

SpongeBob furrowed his brows as he looked out the window. Maybe if you would've just held still like Sandy said, you wouldn't have gotten all soaked; I mean, why didn't you?! It wasn't as if your whole body needed to be put out! Just your hands. Oh, but then again, it was burning real bad… you couldn't have held still, even if you wanted to. Oh, barnacles! Why are you having this conversation with yourself? Sandy must be really annoyed with you—

His thoughts came to a stop when his shoulders and back were covered with a soft yet heavy material, and the cold disappeared instantly. He looked down with bemused eyes at the gray blanket that had been draped over him, lifting his arms and staring at them.

"There ya go, that ought to warm ya up," said Sandy, showing a small smile as he turned to face her.

He looked up at her, his mouth formed into an 'O' shape. "Gee, thanks, Sandy. It does seem to be helping— " he froze when she took hold of his hand that was keeping the blanket closed, making his pulse pound inside his throat. And it only pounded harder when she pulled out a pair of scissors from behind her. "W-w-what are you doing?" maybe she was annoyed about the fire incident after all… a bit too annoyed, it seemed.

Snip went the scissors to the Fancy Pants Emporium tag that hung from his sleeve. "Just doin' your 'homemade' getup a favor," she held up it up and smiled. "Dang thing's been buggin' me all day."

Overwhelmed with relief and more embarrassment, SpongeBob chuckled. "Heh, heh, heh! Y-You and me both." He gulped from the nerves that shook him.

"Let's see what's on TV for a while before we get to bakin'," she said, pulling the green shade over the window to finally block out the cold.

On the bench…

Neither one had said much in the past twenty or so minutes that they had been sitting across from each other. What were they make of this mysterious magic that was flowing through the air like a soft breeze and creating a strange balance of uneasiness and chemistry? Sandy was a scientist, so she knew all about chemistry. But she hadn't spent much time studying the kind of chemical reactions that occurred between two people, such as what was happening now, and had been happening all day.

"Boy, I don't get what the deal is with all these hundreds of soap commercials I've been passin'; they're on every dang channel!" she said, resting her cheek against her left fist that was propped up on the arm of the bench while changing the channels with her other hand.

"Perhaps it's their way of encouraging people to tune into the soap operas, bahahaha!" SpongeBob laughed, throwing his head back.

His humor, though oftentimes cheesy, always amused her. She lifted her head from her fist, shaking it. "Makes pretty good sense, actually. I heard soap operas are dyin' faster than a mouse crossin' a highway at night. They'd most likely do anything to get more viewers.

"Mm, well, I know that Patrick never misses a single show. He watches it every day! He never did find out who Carol's real father was, though," he shook his head. "Tsk-tsk, such a shame."

Making small talk felt like the most comfortable way for them to get through some of the tension, but it wasn't likely to cut through it for the rest of the day that was slowly turning to a cozy evening; at one point or another, things were bound to get tricky.

Sandy's finger hit the plus sign on the channel button once more, landing on the only good station out of dozens. "And now, for the delight of the evening," said the announcer. "Join two best friends on their journey of discovering their true feelings for one another in, 'Fintastic Holiday', a story about the Christmas spirit, the joy of giving, and the most important and heartfelt thing of all, love."

They stared at the acorn-shaped television as if it was smoking. It seemed things were about to take a different turn. But it wasn't anything they couldn't deal with, right?

The trailer for the film ended with a man-fish hugging the love of his life under a tall Christmas tree, which looked a lot like the tree that was sitting directly behind SpongeBob and Sandy.

Their eyes shifted toward each other, wondering if the other was thinking the same things. "Haha," he awkwardly chuckled. "Looks like a really nice movie, right?"

Sandy sat up straighter, trying to relieve her anxiousness. But it still threatened to come out in her voice. "Ha, right! Why, it looks just fine and dandy. I can't wait to watch it."

"Oh, yeah, same here. You know me, I'm a sucker for a good romance," he said, swinging his fist under the blanket with forced confidence.

His statement was true; he did enjoy romantic movies, especially those with comedy added in. And she liked to watch one from time to time, too. But with every minute that passed, it was starting to feel like they were in a romcom themselves, with his frequent jokes, the occasional eye-locking, the jellyfish buzzing in his stomach, and the butterflies flapping in hers – it was all a bit too familiar to them, but there were big differences between what was happening between them, and what happened in a fictional movie.

Their actions and words weren't scripted, and their feelings weren't contrived. Everything that was going on was completely genuine, coming from their hearts.

Something told them it was going to be a long rest of the day.

Two and a half hours later…

After having to shush SpongeBob more than ten times throughout the course of the woman and man rescuing stray snails from cold streets, delivering presents to ill children at a hospital, spending time with long-lost family members, and falling in love while doing so, Sandy was glad that he had finally quieted down during the final few minutes of the movie. She didn't want to miss out on the romantic scene that had been advertised in the trailer, and she was not disappointed when said scene began to play through.

"Oh, Ronny!" said the female fish with bright-blue skin and black hair, clasping her fins together and placing them against her cheek, while standing under the Christmas tree with their family and friends. "This has been the most wonderful Christmas ever! We helped the town, everyone's all here together and happy, and best of all— "

The male fish with dark-brown hair and a gleam in his eyes turned toward her, squeezing her shoulder. "I love you, Marie."

Marie turned to him, her eyes glistening with surprise and affection. "Ronny… do you really mean that?"

"Yes, Marie, I do. You're the love of my life and my best friend; it's taken me years to understand it, but now that I do…" he held her arms, looking into her eyes. "I need you to know it." He pulled her close and kissed her with fervor, while sentimental background music intensified the scene, and the crowd around them cheered.

Sandy smiled, placing her hand on her chest. "Aw, now that's a nice endin', huh, SpongeBob?"

Not one word peeped from him, which was strange considering that he had spoken when he wasn't supposed to. But now that he had been asked to, he kept his piehole shut?

"SpongeBob?" she looked at him just as he fell onto her lap, snoring loudly. It was assumable that he had fallen asleep within the last few minutes.

"Oh," she sighed and looked back at the television. Normally, SpongeBob could stay up all day and night watching these types of movies, but he was simply too exhausted from their work to look at that screen any longer.

The two fishes pulled from their kiss and were hugging under the enchanting Christmas lights. The camera had a filter over it that made the scene appear frosty for added effect.

"Merry Christmas, Ronny."

"Merry Christmas, Marie," he smiled at her.

The end credits rolled by, leaving Sandy with a "business as usual" expression as she put her attention back on the sleeping sponge in her lap. "Okay, SpongeBob. Nap time's over. It's time to get up and help me make them cookies," she rocked him gently.

He responded with a snort, shifting from his side to his back. His face was now pointed up at her, allowing her to see how deep he was in his slumber.

She sighed again, flustered. "Come on, SquarePants! I thought ya wanted to be my bakin' assistant?"

"Eh! Ehhh… mm, cookies," he mumbled. "Y-yes, Grandma, we'd love some more, thank you."

Wha—Grandma?! Just 'cause I'm wearin' an old dress, don't mean I'm a granny! She stared down at him, defeatedly. What am I gonna do with you?

He wiggled, itching the side of his nose like he was a newborn infant. His cheeks had turned a rosy pink from the cold weather, and the way the blanket was wrapped around his tiny frame made him look like the definition of "adorable" itself.

A lopsided smile danced across Sandy's features, and the swarm of butterflies in her stomach grew larger. Why, you're just a silly slip of a critter, ain't ya… little square dude?

She believed in him as man, but the way he looked right then reminded her again of just how childlike he really was. He was as cute as a homemade button, but also handsome in his own way. Even with that being said, there wasn't a good enough reason for her to be looking at him for so long… was there?

Poor thing must be awful tired after all that work. I guess it wouldn't hurt to let him sleep just a little.

"Hmm…" he hummed, followed by a deep yawn. Stretching his limbs, his eyelids began to open. Slowly, they blinked; a groggy smile crossed his lips once the image of what he assumed to be Sandy's fetching face filled his blurry vision. He picked up on the bright yellowish halo of light surrounding her head.

Just waking from his restfulness, the first thing that swirled in his mind, was what a lucky sponge he was to have a friend as special as her.

He draped his arm over his forehead, sighing like he was still in a peaceful dream world. "Mm, hi, pretty squirrel-lady." Did he mean to say that out loud, or was he having another dream?

Sandy's head jerked back at his remark. What did he just say?

Ah, this is the best nap ever! Sandy's lap is so warm and toasty— wait a minute… Sandy's… lap? Am I… in Sandy's—

He rubbed his eyes with his knuckles so that he could see more clearly, and his lids lifted all the way open. The two were in a competition of who could stare with shock the longest.

"Oh, my!" he shot up, scooting away from her. "O-oh, oh… oh, my…" he shook his head, struggling to spit out the words that were clogging up his brain. "Sandy, I'm sorry! I-I— a-and in your lap— I-I wasn't— "

"It's okay, SpongeBob!" she was worried he might start hyperventilating, such as he sometimes did when he didn't know how to handle a scary situation. This situation was scary, but just not in a way he had experienced before.

"I wasn't looking at anything!" he said, after shakily biting his lip.

"Well, neither was I!" she said, throwing her hands up in defense.

"I didn't say you were pretty!"

"A-and I wasn't thinkin' about how cute you looked while you were nappin'!"

"Well, I wasn't having a dream about you feeding me cookies and reading me a story at my grandma's house, while I laid snuggled up in your lap by the fire!"

"Huh?!"

"N-NOTHING!"

Their eyes remained saucer-like. And drops of sweat flew off SpongeBob like he was a sprinkler system with low water pressure.

"I, uh— "

"Ya see— "

"Oh, barnacles!"

"Ugh, never mind!"

They turned their backs; SpongeBob hugging his knees to his chest, while Sandy crossed her arms over hers as if to protect herself from any more slip-ups from either of them.

Since when, in their twenty years of friendship, did things become such an emotional rollercoaster of romantic energy and awkward, jumbled interactions? It was making them dizzy.

Gradual eye contact was made, both turning around to see what the other might be thinking. SpongeBob unbent his legs, speaking first.

"Y-You wanna— "

"Get started on the cookies?" she asked, jumping from her seat. "Why, sure 'nuff."

He did the same, causing the blanket to fall off him. "Indeed, I think that would be splen— "

"…did. Let's go."

A/N: The next chapter will be back on Plankton, Krabs and the others, yay! I hope you had a good Christmas and a happy New Year. Thanks for reading!