I've had this laying around in my computer for a while now, so I decided I'd go ahead and post it. Just something I did after watching Toy Story 3 awhile back, so spoilers for all three movies! You've been warned. But really, it doesn't delve too much into the plot, just characters.
Disclaimer: While I owned a Woody doll as a child, it has vanished and now I own only the Toy Story 3 DVD, and no actual rights to the royalties.
Every since they'd met, Woody'd had that feeling. It hadn't been instantaneous, it hadn't been some knowledge that had suddenly inserted itself into his mind, no, it had been more of a camaraderie. And slowly he'd come to realize that he had that natural dynamic with her, that being together felt like it was just how it had always been, even though it hadn't. Maybe it was because they had been literally made to be partners, side by side and sharing everything. At least, that's what he gathered from the TV show and all the merchandise. That, and it was just how he felt when they were together. It felt, as corny as it sounded, right.
Not like with Bo Peep, though. It hadn't been that kind of right. He'd never felt for Jessie what he'd felt for Bo. But he'd also never felt for Bo what he felt for Jessie. He loved them both, but in two very different ways. Bo had been his heart. Jessie was like his blood.
So even when Bo was...even once Bo was gone...his feelings for Jessie were still the same. Besides, it was obvious that Buzz had acted like Andy in his teens around girls when he was with Jessie. It lifted Woody's spirits a bit, seeing that. And now that Jessie had finally (finally) clued in (all because of Buzz's Spanish mode, Woody was sure), their romance was blossoming splendidly, as he'd always knew it would. He was happy for them, oh was he ever happy for them.
But he also...it was weird for him to look at them. It wasn't a longing for what he used to have, the pain of loosing Bo creeping back up. It wasn't jealousy that his two best friends were finding happiness together in a way he could never be apart of. It was...it was Andy and Molly. That was it. It was like with Andy and Molly, with Andy leaving for college and Molly pestering him about taking his room. She was loosing her brother, he was loosing his sister, but they were both laughing and joking and aggravating each other about things that didn't matter. Because the bond between them was just like that. That's how siblings are.
That's how Woody felt. He was happy for her, he really was, but he was also loosing his sister. Giving her away, that was it, that's how he felt. Like a pair of siblings with no parents, he was his sister's caretaker, the one who'd saved her, taken her in, made her feel loved and experience family again. And now, she was almost...moving on. Like Andy had grown up, moved on. His feelings hadn't changed, he'd shown that when he'd said his last goodbyes – given them that last playtime in Bonnie's yard – and yet, things were still different, and it tugged at his heart.
It was Buzz, and he knew he could always trust Buzz. With the things most precious in his life, he would always turn to Buzz, his best friend. Jessie couldn't have chosen a better toy to find happiness with. Buzz would always do right by Jessie, and Jessie would always be there for Buzz.
Thinking about it, chuckling a little to himself, Woody really couldn't tell which of the two he loved more. They were both irreplaceable to him, holding an unchanging place in his heart right with Andy and Bo Peep, and that growing spot for Bonnie. Even though he was having this moment to himself to think about Jessie and Buzz, he was also thinking about Buzz and Jessie. And really, when he thought about either, he couldn't help but smile. There was no envy, no jealousy, no resentment, and not even any sadness. But it was, to Woody, a bit bittersweet.
Things were changing. Life was always changing, even for toys, and this was just one more difference in his life, like the new friends, the new home, and catching himself talking about what he was going to do with Andy that day and having his smile hitch just a tad. It was like that feeling. The feeling that, even though he knew it wasn't true, he felt like he was the only one static, unmoving and unchanging. Like, just like with Bo and just like with Andy, he was getting left behind.
It was a feeling he should have been used to by now, but he knew in his heart he never would be. When Bonnie grew up, he'd feel it again. If Rex and Trixie got together (he thought they would, they got along so well, but should he be worried about that "just a dinosaur toy down the street" guy?), he'd feel it again. And every time it happened, he'd do again just what he was doing now, what he'd always done. He would sit alone, take a few minutes, and just take it all in. Just think about it, and sort out his feelings, and treasure them. Each and every one. Every pain, every joy, every piece of loneliness and every bit of friendship, he'd hold it inside him and try to imprint this moment in his mind.
He'd treasure it all, no matter what.
In about ten minutes he'd go and tease Buzz, give Jessie a slap on the back, and go on like always. He was Woody, he was their leader, and he'd never allow anything to come between him and his family again (he'd made that mistake before...maybe even a few times, actually, but he was learning, always learning, and he'd learned better than that now). Jessie really and truly, from the first time he'd met her, had always felt like family. With Buzz, not so much, but he was practically his brother now and that was what mattered. Bullseye, Slink, Ham, Rex, the Potatoheads and their adopted children (a family almost as weird as Woody's own) – they were Woody's family, through and through. And now, the family was growing even larger, with Dolly, Buttercup, Trixie, Mr. Pricklepants, and Totoro expanding on their inner circle.
And he would protect them all. Always.
But then, he'd sworn that with Bo Peep, too, hadn't he? Would he have to go through that again someday? he wondered. Probably. Nothing was ever certain, not really.
But he swore he'd never leave any more regrets, and that he'd always make sure that, whatever happened, no matter where they were or if they were together or apart, his family would be happy.