Chapter 3: "..."

"Really? You would do that...for me?"

"Of course I would!" Spongebob sat across the table from Sandy.

She brushed a tear from her face. "Oh, Spongebob, you're so wonderful!" she exclaimed.

Spongebob had just offered to be Sandy's traveling partner for a visit to Texas, Sandy's place of birth, and where her sick mother now lay in a hospital bed.

"When do we leave?" Spongebob asked.

"Can we go Monday?" Sandy asked. It was Wednesday, so that wouldn't leave much time for preparation, but...it would work.

"Sure!" he replied. "I'll talk to Mr. Krabs at work tomorrow, and Mrs. Puff when I see her Friday!"

Sandy smiled. "Great! Come stay over Sunday night, so that we can get an early start!"

Spongebob smiled as well. "Okay! I'll see you there!" he stood up and made his way toward the door. Sandy followed.

"Oh, and Spongebob?"

Spongebob paused, and faced his friend.

"Thank you." She said, hugging him tightly.

Spongebob's smile grew, and he gave her a gentle pat on the back. "It's nothing." he replied. In his mind, Spongebob knew that he would travel to the ends of the Earth to make Sandy happy.

--

The following morning...

Meg glared in bitter hatred at her alarm clock, dinging in it's own little irritating way. She slapped the snooze button, and rolled over, covering her head with her sheets. Six minutes later, the high-pitched buzzing came back. Meg groaned, but sat up, and hit the off switch.

"Infernal contraption." She mumbled.

Somehow, she managed to pull herself to her feet, yank on a bathrobe, and stumble downstairs to a fresh pot of coffee. The automatic pot had just finished it's first batch, whne a familiar sound rang across the neighborhood.

"Hoooooooooooooooonk!"

Meg smiled. At least she knew someone would be enjoying the morning. She dashed back upstairs and rummaged through the medicine cabinet for her glasses, just as she grabbed them and threw them on, as she heard a joyous

"I'M READY!"

She opened her bedroom window and leaned out.

"Mornin', Spongebob!" she called, cheerfully.

"Good morning, Meg!" he called back, smiling in his usual buck-toothed grin sort of way.

"How ya doin' today?" she asked, before taking a sip of coffee.

"Great! I'm going to Texas next week!"

Meg raised her eyebrows, intrigued. "Oh? What for?"

"Sandy's gonna go visit her family. I'm gonna come with her and meet them!"

A grin played the corner of Meg's mouth. "Sounds like fun! You'd better get, or you'll be late for work."

Spongebob waved. "Okay, bye Meg, see you later!"

Meg waved back. "Bye, Spongebob! Have fun!" She leaned back into her house and shut the window, before letting down her messy braids.

"Alright," she mumbled. "Let's get this day going."

--

"Squidward, have you ever been on land?" Spongebob's fifteenth question rang through the Krusty Krab ordering window. Squidward tried his hardest to ignore the questions, burying his nose deeper into a magazine, but the insistent little fry cook was growing more and more obnoxious.

"I mean, of course you have...because there was that one time that we went up on a bet, but I mean like after that. Because that was the last time I ever did. But now, it looks like..."

Squidward tried to mentally block the chatter, growling as he did so. To answer was So tempting, but it would only encourage him.

"Squidward?"

Squidward felt something touch his shoulder.

"Uh, Squidward,"

Pause.

"Squidward!"

Squidward threw his magazine down. "What!? What is it you want?"

Spongebob leaned backward, and pointed timidly at the cash register.

Squidward spun around, to see a confused-looking lady customer.

He cleared his throat, clearly enough embarrassed. "Welcome to the Krusty Krab, home of the Krabby Patty. Can I take your order?"