Somehow, the walk home wasn't quite so awkward or difficult as Squidward had imagined it would be.

'Squidward, I'm sorry for whatever I said that made you upset. Can I do anything to make it up to you?'

'There is something you can do...'

'What is it?'

'...don't change your mind about Saturday.'

The sponge tackled him, almost throwing him to the ground in his enthusiasm. 'You really mean it, Squidward?'

'I've never meant anything more in my life.'

The octopus smiled for the first time a very long time, even though he felt like Spongebob was squeezing the life out of him. It felt good, in a way he almost could not believe.

Eventually the sponge let him go and they started on their way again.

They didn't speak much on the way home, but that was okay with Squidward; already, a lot of the tension of the past few months had drained out of him. He wasn't magically better - he knew enough to know that, and if he didn't, giving all his kitchen knives to his neighbor for safekeeping would've told him that much. But this was a start.

They reached their homes entirely to soon, and suddenly Squidward couldn't bear to face another night by himself in his empty house. 'Spongebob?'

'Yeah?'

'C-could you do one more thing for me?'

'Sure, what do you need?'

'This is going to sound weird, but...I can't be alone tonight, please...I just can't...'

The sponge agreed to stay over at Squidward's house, but insisted that he needed to feed his pet snail and get some things. He also, for some reason, insisted that the octopus stay outside.

It was a nice night; slightly chilly, but still beautiful out, but even so, Squidward found himself pacing back and forth. It was true; he simply could not bear to be alone tonight. He was afraid of himself.

A tug on his sleeve stopped his pacing short, and the vestiges of panic in his chest dissolved into fragments. 'Do you have what you wanted, Spongebob?'

'Yep! Let's go!'