Disclaimer: I do not own Toy Story or any of the characters.
Forward: This has got to be the most fluffy, cliché, sappy, and corny thing I have ever written in my life. So the characters probably suffered from that. Bo was especially difficult because…well, we don't know really anything about her from the movies. But I tried. Please review, so I know if it's as bad as I think it is!
The story was over and they all lived happily ever after. The journey had been long and hard and at times very painful. But that was all over with for the time being and things were peaceful once more. Until another adventure began, that was. But although everything was so peaceful and nice…something was missing. Something very, very important…
"You okay there, cowboy?" Woody looked up from where he was sitting apart from the other toys to see Dolly walking over to him in concern. Dolly had become a good friend to Woody after they had moved in and she was an incredibly welcoming host. Much more welcoming then Woody had ever been, he had to admit. If she had treated him the way he had treated Buzz…but that was in the past. And the past was best left behind him…wasn't it?
"I'm fine." Woody answered seriously, shooting Dolly a pain-filled smile. Well, no one ever said Woody was a good liar. "Seriously, I…I'm okay." Woody added, trying in vain to convince her. Dolly looked at him in disbelief, clearly not buying it.
"If 'being okay' means sitting by yourself for the entire day, refusing to talk to anyone, and looking as though you're about to cry any moment, then I'll believe you." Dolly retorted. Woody was acting more withdrawn and stoic then he usually was and it worried Dolly. Sure, the other toys were having fun and not noticing anything. Especially since these traits were fairly normal for Woody. But she could tell that this wasn't just any ordinary day for him. Woody chuckled softly.
"Okay, you've got me. It's just…" Woody paused, unsure of how to say what he was thinking. It was such a private matter, something that he wouldn't discuss with anyone, not even Buzz. "…you wouldn't understand." Woody muttered. Because she wouldn't understand, no one could. Alright, maybe Buzz would try for him. But to burden him with his woes wouldn't be fair.
"Try me." Dolly replied, crossing her arms. She was a stubborn toy and was also very patient. Woody knew that Dolly would wait weeks if she had to. Usually she didn't insist on anybody doing something they didn't want to, unless it was absolutely necessary. Evidently, she thought this was a 'special situation'.
"Well…you see….I…" Dolly raised her eyebrow at the cowboy.
"Spit it out, Woody."
"There…there was a girl. And…I….I loved her." Woody replied simply. "For a long time, many years, we were in love. We were happy, Bo and I. Then…then it all changed…" Woody rambled, surprised when Dolly didn't interrupt. "It happened precisely on this day, four years ago…"
It had been an average day, Woody could remember. There was no change in the weather, no atmosphere change, nothing to mark the day different then any other day. But this day was different then any other day. It was 'garage sale' day, which was well known to the toys as the worst day of the year. Andy and Molly's birthday parties had nothing on Garage Sale day. This was the day where toys would be abandoned and would leave forever. On this day, every toy would huddle together and pray that they would last another year with Andy and Molly. Every year some toys would have their wishes fulfilled. Every year some toys were disappointed and they watched their world come crumbling down around them. By the end of the day, nobody was ever happy.
"He's going to abandon me! I'm too young to go! What if I don't get a good new owner? What if he doesn't like me either? I hate Garage Day!" Rex fretted, running around the tense room, not helping in any way to ease the panic in the room.
"Will you get a hold of yourself?" Mr. Potatohead snapped. "You're not doing any good running around like a moron!" He was aggravated, more then usual. Garage Sale Day was not doing any favors on his already short temper and Rex especially was not of any help. Rex managed to quiet himself down, though he still paced around the room in a panic.
"Well, the moron has a point! Nobody would want him around!" Hamm sneered, his mean streak shining more then usual. At the moment he wouldn't mind Rex being thrown out, the dinosaur was that annoying. But Hamm also realized that those thoughts were his mood talking and not what he actually thought. Even so, he was relieved when Rex finally stopped talking.
"Guys, stop! Nobody's going to get thrown out! Just calm down!" Woody ordered. Sure, he knew that he was lying. People would be getting sold or even worse, they might be thrown out. But panicking wasn't going to be of any help, either.
"Woody's right! "Buzz continued, supporting his friend. "We just have to stay strong and we can pull through this together-"
"What do you understand of it?" That was Jessie talking now. Garage Sale Day affected her more then it affected most, being as she could very easily remember being cast away as though she were nothing. Her abandonment issues always came to a front on this day. "You two have never been abandoned! You both are Andy's favorites; you know he's not going to throw you out!"
"Jessie, you know that's not true…" Buzz replied softly, trying to be comforting. "Andy loves all of us equally. He's not going to abandon us. We all just need to calm down and…" The rest of his phrase was cut off as the toys were able to hear Andy running up the stairs. In a panic, they rushed back to their "Sleep Positions" just in time for Andy to open the door.
"Come on, Mom! I don't feel like getting my stuff together yet! Can't I do it tomorrow?" Andy screamed down at his mother, rushing into the room and jumping onto his bed.
"Yeah, mom!" That came from Molly, alerting the toys that they were not the only ones in trouble. Molly's toys were in just as much danger as they were. Of course, they suspected that but it was always nice to hope…
"We're going out to dinner and you'll be tired when you get home! The garage sale is tomorrow morning! If you don't do it now, when will you do it?" The two children sighed, not responding.
"Fine!" Andy screamed, annoyed. He was a fourteen year old boy now and teenage boys did not like wasting their time on stupid stuff like this. It was just so…tedious. They could hear Molly muttering from the other room. As Andy walked around his room, carelessly throwing objects into a wooden box, the toys waited with baited breath. However, it looked as though Andy wasn't going to throw out any toys this year…finally, he stuck the last item (an old football) into the box and finished off his clean-out for the year. Honestly, at this point there weren't many toys left to sell. Most had already left. All that was left were The Army Men, Buzz, Jessie, Bullseye, Hamm, Mr & Mrs. Potatohead, Rex, Bo, Barbie, Slinky and himself. All the other toys were long since gone, Wheezy was the most recent being as he had only been gone a year now. But at least they knew for another year they were safe. "I'm done, mom!"
"Are you sure you did a thorough job?" His mom yelled back.
"Yeah!" Andy screamed, as he ran down the stairs. The toys were instantly back in action once he had left, waiting for Molly to leave as well.
"Molly, what about you?"
"Just a minute, mom!" The toys in Andy's room waited for what seemed like much longer then a minute, to them it seemed like hours. "Done!" Molly finally screamed, running down the stairs. The toys waited another few minutes till they heard the door slam shut before they sent out the army men into the hallway.
"The coast is clear!" Sarge informed them and the toys nodded their understanding and quietly made their way over to Molly's room. The faster they got over there, the better. As long as they knew that Barbie and Bo were safe, then everything could be okay. Once they finally got into Molly's room, it took all their will-power not to start screaming for their two friends. They looked up at the huge cardboard box and gulped.
"Sarge, can you and your men create a rope up to that table?" Woody asked, gesturing to a table that was over-looking the box. Sarge nodded, getting his men into formation immediately. The other toys then climbed up and eventually they all made it up onto the lamppost. It was an uncomfortable and difficult process, but that was nothing compared to what was to come.
"Barbie? Bo?" Jessie called out, before Woody could open his mouth. "Where are you two?" Barbie stood on the ground below them, a frown etched upon her pretty face.
"I'm here! Sorry, I didn't hear you guys come in! Can I come up?" Sarge sighed, but obeyed the girls wishes. How she hadn't heard them come in was a mystery, being as they were being quite loud. But then again, Barbie had never been known to be the most observant toy around. Soon enough, Barbie was up there beside them. But Bo was nowhere to be found.
"Barbie, do you know where Bo is?" Woody asked, trying to keep the desperation in his voice to a minimum. He was the leader of these toys and he couldn't bear to look panicked. It was his responsibility to remain calm under any circumstances. Barbie's frown deepened and Woody felt his heart sink as Barbie gestured to the box before them. No…
"You mean she's being sold?" Hamm asked, bluntly. "Whatever happened to 'no ones going to be sold this year', Woody?" Woody didn't respond, for he was in a state of shock. This wasn't happening, it just was not possible. Bo was his steadying force, the thing that kept him going through tough times. Bo was the most incredible toy he had ever met. He loved her. She couldn't leave…
"Hamm, that's enough." Buzz warned, worried for his friend. "Bo, are you down there?" He added, unable to stretch his neck far enough to see her. He knew Woody had lost the ability to speak at the moment.
"Buzz, is that you? Are you all okay? Are any of you being sold?" Bo asked, immediately concerned for the welfare of 'her men'. That was just like Bo. Here she was, in the worst predicament of her life and she was still worrying about others.
"We're fine, Bo. What about you?" Buzz asked, his voice strictly business. He couldn't allow any emotions to seep in, being as he was now the one in charge. Woody could hardly speak or breathe for that matter.
"Oh, you know me. I'm getting by." Bo said nonchalantly. "Who else is there?"
"The whole gang is here." Buzz replied, "Do you want to see us? We could get come down there or you could come up here?"
"Sure. Why don't you come down here? Is Woody there?"
"I- I'm here." Woody croaked. The toys then made their way down to her level and stood in the box in an uncomfortable silence. No other toys were in the box, besides Bo that would be going to the Garage Sale. That only made it worse.
"Hey, come to see me off then?" Bo asked, smiling as though this were just a usual meeting. "That was very kind of you."
"Of course we would! That's what friends are for, after all!" Jessie said cheerfully, barely holding up the mask. Inside she wanted to warn Bo of how painful this would all be and how she should be strong. But what help would that do? Bo was already strong and warning her would do no help now.
"Jessie…you don't have to worry about me." Bo comforted, knowing Jessie's thoughts before she said them, like she always did. "I can handle this. I'm going to be fine." Jessie nodded, looking away.
"It's hard though, Bo. I mean…it took me years to get over Emily. Hell, I'm still not over her yet!" Bo nodded sadly, putting a hand on Jessie's shoulder.
"I know and I know that it's going to be hard. But I'll just have to be strong, like you are Jessie." Bo paused, smiling. "Now you're gonna be the woman of the room now, you and Mrs. Potatohead. It's up to you to keep those men in line, do you think you can handle it?" Jessie nodded, smiling sadly.
"Who, me? I'm up for anything, you know that!" Jessie assured her, though she wasn't quite so sure about that herself. Bo laughed quietly.
"Speaking of you Mrs. Potatohead, you'll help keep those men in line won't you?" Bo added, addressing Mrs. Potatohead. Mrs. Potatohead nodded, smiling.
"Of course I will, Bo. Those men need us, don't they?" She asked, as though sharing a private joke with her. "I will miss you though, be strong okay? And keep those men straight wherever you go, I know I can trust you with that!" Bo laughed, shaking her head.
"I'm not so sure about that myself, but I'll try!" Bo joked.
"Hey, not that I don't love the girl power thing and all, but us men aren't so 'out of line', you know!" Mr. Potatohead claimed indignantly.
"Of course you aren't Mr. Potatohead, I'm only making sure you don't go off and do anything you regret." Bo replied easily, with a twinkle in her eye. "Besides, don't think that I don't have a job for you too."
"A job? How's the pay?" Mr. Potatohead joked, weakly. "Pretend I never said that." He added, slightly embarrassed. Bo giggled however, to show that she did think the joke was funny…or she was just being polite.
"Hamm, you'd better listen up to this one too. You two are our levelheaded ones in the gang. I need you two to keep the others rooted to the ground like you always do, okay? Promise me you won't let anyone go doing anything stupid that they will regret?" Mr. Potatohead and even Hamm nodded at that, feeling complimented and dutiful all at once. Bo had a way of making people feel that way.
"Oh, this is so sad! Why can't you stay, Bo? I don't want you to go yet! Why couldn't I go, instead?" Rex wailed, always the emotional one. Bo had a hard time keeping herself in control of her emotions now and the smile on her face became even more forced then it was before.
"Rex, calm down. It's alright, really it is. Remember, in this group you are by far the most emotional. That's what I'll miss about you the most. To offset Hamm and Potatohead, I need you to keep the group upbeat, alright? We need your energy and your heart and your pure emotion to keep our group moving. You can't let them turn numb, ever. Have you got that?" Bo instructed and Rex nodded vigorously. That would take no effort from him, the toy dinosaur was an emotional basket case. Rex being numb would only happen when pigs flew. Bullseye then sent a neigh at all the crying going on. It was making him get emotional too.
"Oh, don't think I've forgotten you, Bullseye! I'll miss you, too!" Bo assured the toy horse. "I'm going to need you to do a very important job. I need you to watch after Jesse, you hear? Do you think you can do that for me?" Bullseye nodded rigorously, looking up at Jessie faithfully. Jessie smiled sadly at the horse in return.
"Got any instructions for me, Bo?" Slinky asked jovially. Bo smiled at Slinky, always the faithful dog.
"I have an extremely important job for you, Slinky." Bo responded, all seriousness. "I need you to keep your two leaders in check and make sure their okay. You've always been good for cheering people up Slinky, you always were there for me." Slinky blushed, but nodded.
"Of course I will, Bo." Slinky responded, his face as sad as could be, being as he was unable to cry.
"Got any orders for me, captain?" Sarge asked, saluting her. In turn, each of the army men saluted her and Bo couldn't help but allow a small sob to escape her throat.
"Of course I do, Sarge. Just keep up the good work!" Bo replied, her voice cracking. Sarge nodded.
"Will do! You hear that men?" The men all nodded as one and Bo couldn't help but allow a single tear to fall. This was all turning out to be too much for her. She could hardly breathe. It was taking so much energy to stay calm
"Barbie, I need you to listen carefully now, okay?" Bo then began, addressing Barbie. Barbie nodded, her eyes wide in curiosity. "Your job is one of the most important. I need you to watch after Molly for me, being as you're her only toy now. I know she adores you and…and just…be a good friend, alright? Just…love her back, I know you will." Bo said, feeling a tad bit jealous of Barbie. Barbie nodded seriously, taking in everything that Bo had said carefully.
"Of course I will, Bo. You take care of your next kid too!" Bo nodded, she knew that she would. No matter what, she would always be there for whoever her owner was. That was the purpose of a toy, after all. As Bo turned to look at Buzz, Jessie could feel a spark enter the box and she decided it was time for her to get out of there. After all, Bo had always been the closest with Buzz and Woody.
"Well, I think we're all gonna go now…" Jessie mumbled. "Right guys?" They all looked at her like she was crazy, till Jessie sent them a meaningful look. Then they nodded and began agreeing with her.
"Yeah, totally….see you Bo! We'll all miss you!" The toys all chorused, as they climbed their way out of the box using the army men as a ladder once more. The army men remained at on the table, not listening to the conversation below. After all, an honorable man never listened in on private conversations. The other toys returned to Andy's room, each with their new mission in mind.
"You really like dishing out the jobs before you leave, don't you Bo? Making sure we're all okay while you're gone…you're too kind to us." Buzz complimented her, still astounded by her genuine humility.
"Of course I'm not, I'm only doing what must be done." Bo replied, her face finally breaking out of that pained smile. "I love them all dearly, but you know how they can be." Buzz nodded, that was true.
"That's very true…but you'll make sure to take care of yourself too, won't you?" Bo nodded, as though Buzz's concern was well-meaning but not a concern.
"Of course I will, Buzz. I always have." She smiled, her smile sad but real. "By the way, don't think that you're getting out of a job!"
"I wouldn't dream of it." Buzz replied, smiling. Bo giggled in return.
"Now, you're going to have to take over my position in this group. You've always been the one that keeps us together and calms anyone down when they are panicked. Without you this group will crumble and I just want to trust that you'll be there for them always and never lose sight of what's important. Not that I'm worrying about that happening of course, I'm just making sure." Buzz nodded. That had always been his position in the group and he would be honored to continue observing it.
"Of course I will, Bo. I promise. And you'll keep safe too?" Bo nodded her affirmation and Buzz smiled sadly, embracing Bo in one last hug.
"This isn't the last time I'll see you, Bo." Buzz lied, smiling thinly. Clapping Woody on the shoulder, he left the box by climbing up the soldiers and returning to Andy's room. Finally, Bo and Woody were alone. When they were together it would usually be a comfortable silence but at that moment, the tension was practically palpable. For one of the rare times in his life, Woody had no idea what to say.
"She seems like an incredible girl, Woody." Dolly stated as Woody took a deep breath to pause. "She really had you guys under her wing, didn't she?"
"Yeah…yes she did." Woody answered, sighing wistfully. "She was the most beautiful and amazing woman I have ever met."
"She sounds like it. So what happened next?" Despite herself, Dolly was curious. Woody hardly ever talked about his past life with Andy. He was quite the "aloof cowboy" image, alright.
"So you've been quiet, Woody." Bo stated, trying to relieve the silence. At times the two had been able to stay up late at night together talking until morning. But those talks had been meaningless chatter, while this talk seemed so…important. Woody had no idea what he was supposed to say.
"Well, I've never been very good at goodbyes." Woody admitted truthfully. "You know me, talking through my emotions has always been a struggle." He was suddenly flashed back to the night when he'd first told Bo he loved her. To make it simple, it had been quite the awkward experience. Bo was on her game with her seduction and Woody could hardly get a word out. Even today, nothing had changed.
"That's no excuse, never has been." Bo said quietly. "I know, you've always been one to show your emotions through your actions and not your words. It's one of the many things I love about you." Woody blushed at that, wishing that he knew some sappy compliment to return to her. She was always so good with words while he was so terrible. Why couldn't he just say what he was thinking?
"We're never going to see each other again." Woody stated numbly. On second thought, perhaps saying what he was thinking was not the best idea. God, he sounded like an idiot! "I'm never going to hold you again, or talk to you again. We'll never be there for each other to help each other or make the other laugh. How could this be happening to us?" Woody asked, starting to get angry. Now that was an easy emotion for him to feel. That was one of Woody's main faults. Whenever a situation got to be too much for him to happen he always resorted to getting angry at someone or something.
"It is how it's meant to be, Woody. There's no use crying over spilled milk." Bo replied. "It doesn't matter to me that it's ending today. If this could go on forever, trust me…I would love that. But it won't and it never could. So if it ends tomorrow…so be it. I'm just grateful that it happened at all." Woody nodded at that, it made sense. This was something he would really miss about Bo. She always knew what to say to make everything better to quench his fears and sorrows in an instant. How could he go one without her?
"You right, you're always right." Woody admitted. "I don't know what I'm going to do without you…"
"You'll survive, I know you will. I know you don't believe this, but you're the strongest person I've ever met, Woody." Woody shook his head in disbelief. He appreciated the compliment, but she wasn't right. Bo was always the strong one, not him.
"I'm only strong because of you." He whispered.
"That's not true and you know it. Now Woody…I have one last mission for you." Woody's ears immediately perked up, wondering what sort of a job he could strive for the next few years. "Woody, you are the gang's leader. Everyone else will help you out, but you've always been the strongest one. You've always been the one that the other toys look up to and listen to for guidance. If a decision is made, you will be the one to make it. I just want you to be aware of that. I know you will never abuse that power. But make sure to listen to what the others tell you. But at the same time remain confident in your choices. Just…be the great leader I know you can be." Woody nodded at the speech, knowing that he would try his best. Perhaps he wouldn't be the greatest at this mission but he would try.
"That's all?"
"That's all." The box was silent for a long moment and Woody couldn't stand the thought that in a minute or so he would leave and Bo would be lost forever. On instinct, Woody pulled Bo in for one last kiss. It was long and passionate, sweet and slow, incredibly emotional, and way too short. Finally it was over and Woody could think of nothing more to say. "I love you, Bo." He stated, pulling her into one last hug.
"I love you two, Woody." She murmured into his ear, tears now falling freely. With that said, Woody left Bo alone still without a tear being shed. When he returned to Andy's room that night he was quiet and no one spoke to him. That went on for weeks, until the toys finally managed to snap him out of it. Even so, Woody always remembered the day he had last seen Bo and he swore to himself he would never ever forget her. What he didn't know was that after he left, Bo had finally allowed the tears to fall. She had cried until she fell asleep. The next morning she had been taken home by a little girl named Elizabeth, who happened to be one of the sweetest people she had ever met. She enjoyed her life now but still, ever so often, Bo would remember her last life with Andy. With all her wonderful friends. Buzz and Jessie, Mr & Mrs. Potatohead, Hamm and Rex, Slinky and Bullseye, Barbie and the Army men, Wheezy and Etch-a-Sketch, and all the other toys. Especially Woody, she never forgot him. Every anniversary of their parting, she remembered.
"Wow…that's really tragic, cowboy." Dolly said sympathetically. "I'm really sorry to hear about that." Woody shrugged, as though he had put the past behind him.
"It's not so bad really. I mean, our time was limited and we knew that. I'm fine, now. It's only on this date…"
"I understand." Dolly replied, saving Woody from having to explain himself. "Well, I'm going to get back to the gang and leave you to your solitude, Woody." He nodded.
"Thanks for listening to me." She smiled.
"No problem." After she left, Woody continued to stare off into the distance. Yet somehow he felt as though a weight had been lifted off of him. He had never spoken about that night, not with anyone. Telling Dolly somehow freed him in a manner of speaking. He knew that he had remained strong as Bo had instructed him to, just as everyone else had followed her instructions. Wherever she was, he knew deep down that she was happy and thinking of him. As tragic as it was, he was happy. Finally, Woody was at peace.
Ending Note: I can not believe I actually wrote half of this. Maybe I've been reading too much Nicholas Sparks recently? Ah well, I hope you enjoyed it though it was sort of crushing you with the weight of it's sappiness at the end. I think I got all the side characters pretty decently though, so yay! I love this movie and this couple 3 Please review!