First Impressions

I was watching some snippets of Toy Story 2 online the other day, just to feed my addiction until the DVD of TS3 comes out here later this month, and whilst doing so, I made the little discovery that the meeting between Buzz and Jessie on the bed with the wing popping incident, isn't actually the first time they see each other...in fact they're both made aware of the other LONG before that...so I decided to explore the surrounding detail a little more. Enjoy.

"Watch it, wait a minute, I'm ticklish, okay?"

"Oh you are?" Jessie grinned, pouncing on Woody and beginning to tickle him.

The next thing she knew there was an almighty crash from across the room and she turned to see a heap of toys lying on the floor. As Woody got to his feet and started towards them, she stepped across to Bullseye's side, noticing one of the toys – a rather heavily built space ranger – knock Woody back down to the floor to protect him. As she watched the goings on in bemusement, she turned back to see a springy dog growling at her beloved Bullseye.

"Hey, you leave him alone, springy dog," she shouted at the dog, who wrapped them up in his coils without a pause. As the toys started to run off, the space toy with Woody over his shoulder, panic set into the little cowgirl.

"They're stealing Woody!" She gasped, righting the Prospectus in his box, while Bullseye ambled to her side to watch the toys leaving. All she could think of was that they were taking the one toy who was their salvation – but right in the middle of this thought, Jessie noticed there was another space toy in the room, and despite herself she felt a little smile creep over her face. Woody wasn't gone yet, they still had a chance to go to Japan after all.

As the toys by the vent started to argue, Jessie began to notice more and more about them. First, the little springy dog, the toy potato with detachable limbs, the big green dinosaur, the china piggy bank, and of course, the two identical space toys. As she watched, one of the space toys held up his foot, and the others welcomed him immediately.

She couldn't move from the spot, watching the scene curiously. There appeared to have been a mix up between the two space toys, and Woody appeared to know the real one quite well from the way he was talking to him, shaking his hand and then resting a arm over the space toy's shoulder. Almost as if they were best friends.

Her panic started to set in again as the toys began to lead Woody away again, but to her surprise Woody pulled away from the space toy, and started to step backwards. He was introducing them as his 'Round Up Gang', and Jessie tried to catch the space ranger's eye at this point - but he didn't seem to be paying the slightest attention to anything - he was more concerned with trying to talk some sense into Woody.

"Buzz, it was a national phenomenon," Woody was saying, and Jessie computed this information eagerly.

'Buzz.' So that was his name.

She glanced again at the space ranger, who didn't seem too impressed with what Woody had to say about the Woody's Round Up merchandise – in fact he seemed more insistent than ever about spiriting Woody away from them, and Jessie felt a familiar frown cloud her features.

Stupid space toys. The whole deal with space flight had been the reason that Woody's Roundup had been taken off the air in the first place. And now here was another one, trying to take away her only chance of happiness. It wasn't fair.

However, she admitted to herself as she watched the scene unfold, that space ranger, whatever the situation, was mighty cute. Just a shame she wouldn't ever really know him.

He was so glad to be rid of that annoying little fat dude that Woody had called Prospector. He wasn't a mean toy, but it felt good to get rid of someone who had socked him in the jaw and re-ripped Woody's arm seam.

As Buzz had stood there holding the fat little man aloft, who rabbited on about them all being worthless – but what he'd yelled about exactly, he couldn't say – Buzz turned his thoughts to happier ones, of getting Woody home again, and being able to nurse his aching jawbone.

After disposing of the toy miner into the Barbie backpack, Buzz dusting off his hands and smirked at Woody's farewell to the Prospector. At the sound of Slinky's cry from just down the belt, the space ranger turned at the same time as Woody to realise they needed to rescue the other two toys from the Round Up Gang that Woody had been so intent on accompanying to Japan.

"Oh no," he heard Woody exclaim, "Jessie!"

Buzz noticed, as he ran towards the green box, that a little rodeo horse had managed to scramble free, but the cowgirl – a cute little thing in a red hat - had gotten stuck and couldn't free herself. However their mini mission was foiled as the green box slid over the top of the belt. He joined the others, leaping onto the side ledge at the last moment to avoid being seen by the humans at the bottom of the ramp,

Buzz crept into view as soon as it was safe, watching the human tuck the doll back into the green box before snapping the lid shut, feeling powerless to help the poor thing. He turned at Woody's whistle and as Woody shouted to him from the back of the horse, the space ranger knew exactly what he was going to do.

He was going to help Woody save the cowgirl.

As they gambled along besides the luggage truck, even as he gave Woody a boost up, even as the cowboy disappeared from view, Buzz never lost sight of their mission. The horse under him was a steady runner, and seemed to be fond of him already, he hadn't bucked him off, and that was probably a good start.

The space ranger made the horse follow the truck all the way to the aircraft that sat on the tarmac being loaded. His breath caught in his throat seeing the luggage compartment door of the plane slam shut. Woody and Jessie – if that was her name - were inside, he knew it, but knowing that the his cowboy friend would ultimately find a way out of the plane, Buzz guided the horse round as the plane detached from the luggage conveyor and began to taxi down the runway.

True to his thought, as the horse started to run alongside the jumbo, Buzz saw two familiar figures on the landing gear of the plane. He squinted, even though he knew there were no other toys going to be making such a daring escape.

Buzz steered the steed after the plane rapidly, just in time to see one of the two toys slip off the landing gear. The horse kicked up its heels in urgency and dashed around the side of the wheel rolling along the tarmac; and Buzz saw something blow through the air towards him. Catching it, he recognised it as Woody's hat, and he looked up, shouting at Woody, who was hanging in the cowgirl's grasp from above.

"Whats a cowboy without his hat?"

"Buzz!" Woody exclaimed, and he saw the little cowgirl give a smile.

It couldn't be him, could it? Jessie grinned happily as she recognised the space ranger – Buzz – below them on Bullseye. As the plane taxied around the corner of the runway and started to pick up speed, Jessie clutched at Woody with all her strength.

"Buzz, get behind the wheel," she heard Woody shout. She watched Bullseye slow slightly as the two toys disappeared behind the rubber tyre. She wondered what on earth was going to happen, how they were going to get out of this situation. Fortunately, Woody wasn't as worried as her, he was busy lassoing a bolt on the wheel of the plane. He upturned his face to hers.

"Jessie, let go of the plane!"

He couldn't be serious. "What, are you crazy?"

"Just pretend it's the last episode of Woody's Roundup!"

"But it was cancelled, we never saw if he made it!"

"Then let's find out together!"

She stared at Woody for a long moment. If it was a choice between going to Japan and meeting that cute space toy...she knew what she'd pick.

Gritting her teeth, and closing her eyes for a moment, she let go, clutching onto Woody as they sailed through the air. She screamed as they swung between the landing gear wheels, attached to the plane only by the thin pullstring.

She felt the ring pop off the bolt as they landed on the back of her trusty steed, and in order to steady herself, Jessie grabbed onto the first thing she made contact with, which just so happened to be Buzz's waist. She blushed for a moment as she held onto her hat, removing a hand from Buzz's waist in order to do so. As the plane took off, she forgot everything as she whooped for joy, jumping off Bullseye.

Buzz was intensely aware of her grip on his waist as they sat on the back of the little brown horse, watching the plane depart. The cowgirl's other hand slipped off him as he heard her holler in glee.

Under him, the steed drooped its head, worn out from all the running, as he felt both Woody and the cowgirl dismount behind him. When he turned to dismount himself, he caught sight of the enthusiastic cowgirl jumping around. She was cheering, but he didn't know what she was saying. He was almost immediately taken with her.

Holding out Woody's hat, he felt he had to say something to make himself known, but Woody was busy spinning the little cowgirl on his back.

"Your hat, pard'ner."

He flashed the cowgirl – Jessie, if that really was her name – a look, and he saw her glance across at him. His heart hammered suddenly, but the thought was overtaken by the plane coming in to land behind them, which scared them all to death.

"Let's go home," Woody suggested, and Buzz couldn't have agreed more.

Only it was going to be one long night getting back home.

They were part of a family again and Jessie was over the moon. Andy had scratched his name onto her boot just after he'd renamed her Bazooka Jane, and then he'd tipped Bullseye upside down and done exactly the same – except he'd scratched one letter onto each hoof.

It still gave Jessie the giggles to see Bullseye looking at each little hoof in wonder, even now they were comparing their new trademarks on the bed. She grinned at him, just as a voice met her ears.

"Uh, Ma'am?"

She turned to the left but there was no one there. Turning to look behind her, she caught a glimpse of white and purple walking around to her right side to flank her there. Turning to her right now, she realised it was the space toy.

She regarded him as he started to speak – no, wait, stammer, that was more the correct term. Her eyes widened as he eventually got the sentence out of his mouth, and then blinked in realisation. Was he actually attempting to compliment her hair?

A smirk played on her mouth as she rested her hands on her hips. This was too cute, honestly, she thought, giving him a knowing look as he messed up and attempted to remove himself from her side.

'Not so fast,' she thought to herself, grabbing at his neck to pull him back to her as Bullseye looked on.

"Well aren't you the sweetest space toy I ever met?"

She thought he was sweet, and he could have melted right about then. Her hands were grasping the top of his spacesuit, but not tightly. She was just so pretty, with her flame red hair and her big green eyes. No wonder the words wouldn't come out properly. He had been nervous about approaching her anyway, they hadn't spoken since the time on the airfield the night before.

She looked even better in the light – he'd only seen brief glimpses of her in the dark before now. Tearing his eyes away from her at Buster's yapping on the floor, Buzz heard Slinky calling about the dog needing some private time.

"That critter needs help," he heard Jessie say, and he shot her a look which she didn't see.

'What on earth could a cowgirl do about a shut door?' He wondered, watching her run to the nightstand and pick up the toy car sitting there.

To his surprise, the cowgirl used the car on the racetrack loop in exactly the same way he did when he needed to get to Woody's side in urgency. He watched her sail around the loop with no fear, spring up, and grab the doorknob in both hands.

Sproing.

He glanced around and noticed his wings had popped out. Jessie, however, hadn't noticed – she was too busy walking across the floor to join the other toys who were gathering there. Buzz just watched, wondering if this was how it was going to be from now on – with him being all stupid and shy around her, and her being too nonchalant and cool to notice him anymore.

He noticed Woody on the desk, and decided to shrug off the situation and go over to check he was recovered, pressing the red button on his chest panel to retract his wings before climbing down off the bed. Woody was on the window by the time Buzz joined him.

"You still worried?" The space ranger asked the cowboy, as he approached him from behind.

"About Andy? Nah, it'll be fun while it lasts."

"I'm proud of you, cowboy."

"Besides, when it all ends, I'll have ol' Buzz Lightyear to keep me company, for infinity and beyond." Woody responded, shaking Buzz gently by the shoulder.

They turned back to walk across the desk, where Jessie had joined Bo in watching Wheezy sing. Woody walked to the shepherdess' side, giving her a little kiss on the cheek. Buzz noticed that by default he'd ended up next to Jessie, who for no apparent reason nonchalantly leaned her elbow on his shoulder as she continued to be entertained by Wheezy. Attempting to look cool in front of her, and also to hide his nervousness, Buzz snapped his fingers to the beat, one hand on his hip as he glanced across at Woody. The two exchanged a look for a moment, which rendered everything as back to normal. As Wheezy finished his song, Jessie removed her arm from Buzz's shoulder and grinned broadly.

"So, you're Buzz, right?"

She knew his name. 'How was that even possible?' He wondered, glancing at her for a moment, taken in again by her pretty eyes. "Ye-yeah..." He was stuttering again. "An-and you're...Je-Jessie?"

"Yep." She beamed at him, and his stomach tied in knots. "Do you always talk like that?"

"Lik-like what?"

"Lik-like that."

"Uh..." He was mesmerised. At that precise moment in time, it was just the two of them in the room, or that's how it seemed. "I don't me-mean to."

She giggled. "i'm just teasing, Buzz. You can talk any ol' way you want to."

He let out the breath he didn't realise he'd been holding, feeling his stomach flipping over as she continued to gaze at him with the smile still on her face. Who knew that a sassy little cowgirl doll would have such a good first impression on him? Try as he might to discern it, Buzz knew this was just the beginning of a myriad of confusion concerning a pretty little cowgirl and the fluttering of his heart...