It was really cramped behind the refrigerator. Some might think he was taking secrecy a bit too far; toys rarely entered the kitchen for late night snacks. They lacked the internal organs for it. But sometimes, Chuckles enjoyed watching the moon at the window above the sink, and Buzz'd rather not risk it.
He lowered the volume of the cordless telephone next to him by half. He had taken great lengths to drag it there, and wasn't taking any chances on being heard. It was incredible enough he succeeded in dragging it from the living room; the phone stood just as tall as he was. Heavy too.
He literally punched in the numbers, leaning the phone on the back of the fridge, and pressed his ear to the earpiece, crossing his fingers. To his relief, it began to ring.
The other line was quick to pick up. "Hello?" grumbled a deep man's voice, groggy and sleep-deprived.
"G-Good evening," Buzz responded semi-anxiously. He never spoke to a real human before. It felt weird. "My name is Bu… Bud Frederickson. I come in peace."
"That's… nice to know, Mr. Frederickson. May I know exactly why you're calling at this time?"
Of course the man would be cranky. It was ten minutes to midnight.
"R-Right… Right. Certainly." Buzz cleared his throat. "I wanted to inquire about your car. What was it again…?" He pretended to think a moment to appear casual, and then easily recited the license plate he memorized earlier that day.
"That's her," confirmed the man, suddenly a great deal more energetic.
Buzz raised an eyebrow. "'Her'?"
"I-I mean, 'it'," he quickly corrected. "I should warn you though. She's… I mean, it's an awfully old model, and secondhand to boot. You sure you want it in your garage, sir?"
Awfully trustworthy, this man is, Buzz thought, impressed.
"If you don't mind..." He spoke delicately. This may be the turning point. "May I have another look at it tonight?"
"Tonight?" the man asked disdainfully.
Buzz did some very fast thinking. "You see, I'm just passing through town to visit some relatives," he lied. "I might – might be able to drive by and have another look at the car before leaving the city."
"Well, it'll do the both of us good if you did have a second look, but…" The man hesitated for a moment. Then his voice lit up again.
"How about this. I'll leave the car parked outside on the driveway, and you can check it out again all you want. But unfortunately…" He became apologetic. "I won't be able to meet you tonight, Mr. Frederickson. I have work in the morning, and there are a couple of things in the house that need straightening out."
Perfect, Buzz thought immediately. He was actually going to suggest that, if the man hadn't thought of it first. Things were playing quite nicely.
"That's perfectly fine with me," Buzz assured. "I'm not even sure I can make it tonight after all, and I wouldn't want to keep you up all night."
"Then thank you very much, Mr. Fredrickson," gushed the man brightly. "I'll have the car put out in a few minutes. You can call me again in the morning if you have any more questions… Ah yes, right. The address of my house is at…"
And that was what Buzz had been waiting for the entire call. He quickly jotted it down on a tiny, tiny piece of paper he prepared: only about a few centimeters big, but just the right size for a toy and a shard of lead from a mechanical pencil.
He finished writing down the address. "Thank you. Until next time, then."
He hung up, and in the next instant guilt began to wash over him. He blatantly lied about wanting to purchase a vehicle. And worse, the seller was genuinely keen to accommodate him. But what other choice did he have? He needed the address of Bo Peep's owner, and that car was going to help him get to her.
"I smell a rat in the kitchen, and it ain't cookin'."
He knocked over the telephone, and lunged before it hit the ground. No doubt it was the one person he had wished (for once) he wouldn't come across the rest of the night.
"No use in tryin' to hide that gizmo behind your back, Buzz," Jessie the cowgirl laughed as she approached the space ranger. "It's as obvious as a bull in the chicken coop from where I'hm standin'."
Buzz attempted to retreat some steps back, but found Bullseye there as well. Oh, the irony. Trapped inside his own hiding place.
"How long have you been eavesdropping, Jessie?" Buzz said sternly.
Jessie chuckled. "Hey now, don't have to go soundin' like that. I ain't one to belly through the bush like some criminal, space toy…" Then slowly, she began to lean forward, a mischievous look in her eye. It was the same glint that would appear whenever she approached Bonnie's CD-Player with a ready-made disc, a certain space ranger always within earshot.
Buzz felt his batteries begin to overheat uncomfortably. Her face neared closer and closer…
Then she snatched the paper out of his hand. "Well, well, well," she exclaimed brightly, pulling away in triumph. "What in the wild, wild west do we have here? ... It's pretty dark in here - mind lending a hand, Buzz?"
Having relatively recovered from the 'temptress's sneak attack, Buzz sighed, defeated, and flashed his laser over the paper.
Jessie recited the address out loud with the help of the red light. "34 Abigail Street…" She turned to him questioningly.
Buzz explained, "There's someone I need to see there. It's actually a very important mission for me, and I hope to meet tonight."
She appeared quite taken aback.
"Oh," Jessie said momentarily. "Is that someone… girl or guy?"
"Female," Buzz replied unthinkingly, occupied by how he watched her grip on the paper relaxing at the corner of his eye.
Jessie's eyes narrowed suspiciously, and she opened her mouth to say something. But not a sound came out. She couldn't find the words to describe the strange hurt feeling inside her, and not even a single insult to strike him with. Her grip relaxed even more.
Buzz then seized the opportunity and swiped the address back into his hands.
"Anyway," he said, turning and carefully circling around Bullseye. "Is Trixie at the computer again?"
"Yeah…"
Buzz nodded, looking in the opposite direction and absolutely oblivious to her pains. "Good. See you later."" He quickly left the scene, thinking how relieved he was that Jessie didn't seem mad about him and Bonnie's show-and-tell after all.
Actually, that had been the reason Jessie set out searching for him in the first place. But now the entire situation had changed – that hardly mattered now that Buzz Lightyear seems to have…
Jessie absently brushed Bullseye's mane, uncertainly staring at the spot Buzz had been standing at just seconds ago. "What… What was that, Bullseye?" she said half-distantly. "Is there some other toy aside from me, or…?" She bit her lip.
Bullseye neighed loudly and nudged the bottom of her chin with his head. It was enough to bring the cowgirl a little bit back to her senses. She gazed at him, and he nudged her again.
Then something clicked. She wasn't going to take this lying down.
"You're right," she declared, gently pushing her comrade away. "I ain't some sorta lass coward enough to let her man get away. C'mon, we're gonna round us up one space ranger."
(&kills herself for inserting obvious Pixar movie references - FREDRICKSON. RAT IN THE KITCHEN. OH MY GAH.&)
I KNOW I PROMISED WOODY AND BO PEEP, BUT I JUST COULDN'T RESIST BESSIE TOO. D: I think the next chapter has a good load of it too… Please bear with me for the meantime.
Oh yeah! I'd really, REALLY, REALLY appreciate some criticisms on my writing style, guys. :) If there's room for improvement, I'm willing to go for it, so criticize all you want! Thanks! :D
AH! AND REVIEWS ARE HUGGED AND STORED IN SECRET BOX FOR FUTURE REMINISCING AS WELL. THANKS SO MUCH!
