Lost and Found

A/N: Why, yes, I am secretly a hopeless romantic. How could you tell?


It was a lazy day in Bonnie's room. Outside, the temperature had reached a whopping 103 degrees, causing a general lack of energy and an acute sense of overheating among the toys, but inciting an almost hysterical excitement in their young owner, who had joyfully proclaimed it to be "perfect sprinkler weather" before dashing out the door with a neon-pink bathing suit roughly shoved into her backpack. It was now nearing the end of the day, and her toys were enjoying the last few minutes of peace and uninterrupted air conditioning before Bonnie would return and demand her playtime.

On the floor, Buzz and Woody were engaged in a close match of checkers. Most of the other toys lay around them, watching in half-interested spirits as Hamm took bets on the winner of the match. Jessie quietly sat next to Buzz, examining Buzz's every move as he tried to find a sure-fire way to keep from losing to Woody for the eighth time in a row. The only sounds emanated from a disgruntled Mr. Potato Head as he yanked one arm from its socket and held it high above Hamm.

"C'mon, veggie boy, cough it up," Hamm demanded, nodding his snout in the direction of the disembodied arm. "You lost the bet, so hand over the plastic."

"Never! There's no way this game isn't rigged! Buzz has never lost a match yet!" Mr. Potato Head snapped, clumsily hopping away from Hamm on his one remaining foot. Already he had lost his hat, mustache, right eye, both ears, nose and back flap to Buzz's previous losses. Hamm snorted as Mr. Potato Head wobbled violently, struggling to maintain his balance.

"Never lost a match to who? The barrel monkeys?" Hamm snickered. A collective howl emanated from the monkeys in question, startling Mr. Potato Head into dropping his arm into Hamm's open mouth. Hamm chuckled as he quickly marched out of Mr. Potato Head's reach, snickering once again as the now massively crippled toy finally lost his balance and toppled to the floor.

"Will you cut that out!" Buzz called, annoyance high in his voice. "It's bad enough I have only one piece left." Buzz frowned unhappily down at his one remaining piece, surrounded on all sides by Woody's checkers. There was no way out.

"I forfeit. You win." Buzz grumbled, slowly attempting to regain his footing after having been seated for so long. Woody grinned, and then mock-frowned up at Buzz from his seated position on the floor.

"Aww, Buzz. Don't take it personally." Woody cooed, struggling to keep a straight face. "I mean, c'mon... ninth time's the charm?" Hamm and Potato Head snickered as Buzz rounded on Woody, his cheeks bright pink with embarrassment, only to feel Jessie grab his arm.

"Buzz..." Jessie warned, her arms slinking around his waist. "C'mon, it's just a game."

"Or two. Or three." Hamm snickered, failing at turning the sound into a bout of coughing as Buzz glared his way. Jessie leaned her head on Buzz's shoulder and narrow her eyes at Woody.

"Afterall, Woody has to excel at something." Jessie grinned. A general chorus of 'oooh's greeted this statement, as the rest of Bonnie's toys became alert to the fact that their peaceful afternoon had been interrupted. Woody pulled his hat down low over his eyes, standing slowly and placing his hands on his hips as he glared at Jessie from under the brim of his hat.

"Is that so?" Woody murmured, taking a few slow, steady steps towards the red-haired cowgirl. Jessie released her hold on Buzz's waist and sauntered out to meet Woody, pulling her own hat down over her face.

"Aww. Did I hurt the widdle Sheriff's feelings?" Jessie crooned, her smile growing wider. Woody smirked.

"Them's fightin' words, sis." The room had grown completely silent, hanging on the Pride siblings' every word.

"Well, then," Jessie whispered. "I guess that just means..."

Silence.

"TAG! YOU'RE IT!" Jessie screeched, whacking her cowboy sibling in the arm and taking off at a gallop across the room. Woody let out a wild laugh as he took after her, Bonnie's toys cat-calling and hooting as they cheered on their friends. Jessie took a wild leap up and onto Bonnie's bed, sliding slightly as her boot momentarily caught on Bonnie's bed covers. Woody crawled up the covers with almost spider-like movements, snatching at Jessie's foot just as she managed to break free. With a yodel, Jessie dived off the foot of the bed, rolling across the floor and scrambling over to Buzz. Woody caught up to her quickly, sneaking slowly towards her with his arms outstretched in a ghoulish manner.

"C'mon, Jessie, you can't hide behind Buzz forever." Woody teased, following her as she circled around Buzz, one hand on his chestplate as Rex began to count down the number of seconds Jessie could remain at her 'safe' point. Jessie considered Woody for a moment, faking a dart in multiple directions before suddenly turning and kissing Buzz full on the lips. With a laugh, she darted off once again, sliding under the bed as Woody gave chase. Buzz flushed crimson as the rest of Bonnie's toys laughed.

"Hey, hey guys!" Trixie called, rearing up slightly in her attempts to catch her friends' attention from her lookout on the window sill. "Bonnie's home!"

There was general chaos as Bonnie's toys scurried to gather any items they had moved throughout the day and returned them to their places, Jessie still skirting away from Woody.

"Come on, you two! Back in the toy box!" Buzz shouted, waving frantically at Woody and Jessie as the sound of footsteps and Bonnie's laughter began to trickle up the stairs. Jessie did a quick dart around Woody, only to trip on an abandoned jak. Woody reached out and caught her by the arm, grinning.

"Tag!" He cackled. Jessie poked her tongue out at him as Buzz suddenly swept her up and over his shoulder, making a mad dash and dive into their toybox as Bonnie suddenly flung open her door.

"Greetings, my minions!" Bonnie cackled. A bright purple "Z" had been taped to her head, and she cackled gleefully as she stomped around her bedroom in what she apparently interpreted as a commanding manner.

"It is I, the evil Empress... Zurga!" Bonnie laughed, dropping her backpack to the floor with a clunk as she swept open her toybox and yanked out Buzz. "And this is my second-in-command, uh..." Bonnie floundered for a second, scratching idly at a large, flower covered band-aid covering her elbow. After a moment, her face lit up.

"Evil Emperor-in-Training, Buzzooka!" Bonnie cackled as she thrust Buzz into the air and spun around in a circle. She came to a stop and flopped down beside her bed, staring thoughtfully at Buzz.

"So, my henchman, what shall our first order of business be?" Bonnie demanded, holding Buzz at eye-level with herself. After a moment, she held him by her ear, nodding as if receiving top-secret information.

"Excellent idea, Buzzooka!" Bonnie cheered, hopping to her feet. "At last, you shall all prepare for the world's most evilest TEA PARTY!" Buzz was cast onto the bed as Bonnie hauled a child-sized tea-table into the center of the room and began to seat her toys around it.

"Oh no!" Bonnie cried, staring into her flowered teapot. "We're out of evil grape juice!" She dashed to the door, wrenching it open with one hand and fleeing out into the hall. "I'll be right back, you guys!"

There was silence as the toys waited for Bonnie's door to close behind her. When a soft 'click' finally signaled their temporary privacy, each and every one of Bonnie's toys burst into laughter.

"'Buzzooka', huh, Buzz?" Woody laughed, clapping one hand on Buzz's shoulder. "I see you're moving up in the world!"

"Ha ha, Woody. At least I'm not the one in the apron." Buzz chided. Woody stared at him for a moment, then glanced down at himself and gasped.

"Aww, Bonnie! Not again!" Sure enough, Bonnie had managed to slip a flowered Barbie apron over his head before seating him at the table. This declaration was met with renewed bouts of laughter as Woody huffed and slumped gloomily back into his chair, pouting. Buzz looked to Jessie for approval of his teasing, only to find her closely scrutinizing the backpack Bonnie had abandoned next to the door. Softly, Jessie pushed herself away from the tea table and crept towards the bag with evident caution.

"Uh... Jessie?" Buzz called. The other toys fell silent as Jessie reached the backpack, poking gently at its largest compartment.

"Is she feeling okay?" Hamm murmured, earning him a shush from his fellow party-goers as Jessie carefully unzipped Bonnie's bag. There was a pregnant pause as Jessie slipped her head inside the bag, only to let out a massive shriek.

"Jessie, be quiet! Bonnie might hear you!" Buzz hissed, as the rest of Bonnie's toys muttered in concern. Woody cast a nervous glance towards the closed door as he bolted to Jessie's side, hauling the zipper on Bonnie's bag completely open and allowing its contents to spill onto the floor around him.

"Jessie, are you-" Woody felt his breath catch in his throat as Jessie looked up at him with watery eyes. However, his gaze had become focused not on the ecstatic rag doll, but the porcelain one wrapped in her death-grip hug.

"Bo?" Woody whispered. The room had gone silent, the only noise emanating from the kitchen below, where Bonnie continued her search for more grape juice. Woody took a hesitant step forward, one arm outstretched towards the familiar face. "Is it really you?"

With a cry, Bo Peep suddenly wriggled from Jessie's grasp and launched herself into Woody's arms, her porcelain fingers digging almost painfully into Woody's back as she clung to him.

"Oh, Woody!" Bo Peep wept, both her and Woody's knees giving out as they crumpled in a heap to the floor. Woody gently stroked Bo's hair as she wept into his shoulder, his own eyes brimming with tears as he sat in shocked silence. Buzz had risen to join Jessie, taking her hand in his as Jessie wiped tears of joy from her own eyes.

"Where have you been all this time?" Woody whispered, drawing slightly away from Bo in order to look her in the eyes. Bo reluctantly released her death-grip on Woody to wipe at the tears flowing down her face.

"Oh, Woody, it was awful! I spent four years just sitting in a box at an old antique store, hoping someone would come along and take me away!" Bo wept, throwing her arms around Woody's neck. "A few days ago the owner passed away, and we were put out with the trash!" There was a collective shudder as the toys remembered their own garbage adventure less than a year before.

"Luckily, that little girl found me and brought me here," Bo sniffed, drawing her knees to her chest and curling up in Woody's lap. "Oh, Woody!" Bo broke into renewed sobs, burying her face into Woody's chest once more. Jessie carefully knelt beside Woody and Bo, laying a hand gently on Bo's shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"It's good to have you with us, Bo," Jessie whispered, smiling at Woody. "We've missed ya an awful bunch around here."

Slowly, all the toys in Bonnie's room began to crowd around the reunited couple, forming a collective hug that made Bo Peep laugh.

"I'm sorry... Here I am, blubbering away, and I've clearly interrupted something..." Bo sniffed, smiling up at Woody. Woody beamed down at her, offering his hand as they both climbed to their feet.

"Bo, I'd like you to meet the rest of our new gang." Woody gently guided Bo to each of Bonnie's original toys, making introductions to each one, but never releasing his hold on Bo's hand. When Mr. Prickle Pants finished his impromptu recital of a ballad on Bo's beauty - much to everyone's chagrin -, Woody twirled Bo around to face those of them previously belonging to Andy. Bo gasped as she recognized all of the faces around her, her eyes once more filling to the brim with joyful tears.

"We're all here!" She exclaimed, beaming up at Woody in incredulity. Woody kissed her gently on the lips in reply, reluctantly pulling away only when Bonnie's footsteps began to echo on the stairs.

"We're all here." Woody whispered. Stooping, Woody kissed Bo once more on the mouth.

"Guys, Bonnie's coming!" Trixie whispered, motioning for everyone to resume their seats. Woody scooped Bo up, eliciting a giggle from the porcelain doll as he gently placed her back inside Bonnie's backpack. With a final kiss, he dashed back to the table, his features freezing into his natural grin as Bonnie flung open the door.

"Grape juice found!" Bonnie announced, carefully setting the purple liquid down in the center of the table. "Aaaand..." Bonnie bounced over to her backpack, carefully pulling Bo Peep from it's opening. "We have a new playmate!" Carefully, Bonnie placed Bo Peep immediately next to Woody, adjusting the doll's blonde hair and plopping down across the table.

"So!" Bonnie huffed, clearly exhausted from her adventure in the kitchen. "Who's ready for evil scones?"

Across the table, Woody carefully reached over and clasped Bo's hand within his own.

He would never lose her again.


A/N: I know, I should be working on "Prize to Be Won", but I couldn't stand the thought of Woody losing Bo Peep forever! They were the original Toy Story couple!

Thanks for reading!