Magic Happens
...
Underneath the largest, softest pillow on Bonnie's bed, Woody sat sadly, hugging his knees. He wasn't going to cry over it, but he could feel a lump in his throat that made it hard to breathe steadily. Buzz joined him under the pillow and sat quietly for a minute, thinking.
"You gonna be okay, cowboy?" he asked gently.
"I'll be alright," Woody replied. "I never expected this to happen." He paused for a minute, unsure of what to say next. "It felt like I was cheating on her, Buzz. Dolly's nice and all... but my heart belongs to Bo- wherever she may be."
Buzz sighed. "You know, Woody..." He fished around for the right words. "Maybe... Maybe it's time to let her go?" His voice was soft, but to Woody it sounded like he was shouting.
"No! I love her!" scolded Woody defensively. "That porcelain doll is my best friend, the love of my life, who means the world to me and more. I will NEVER let her go."
"Woody," he started gently. "I can only imagine what you're going through right now. It has to be hard. Especially after letting go of Andy." Woody's face changed at the mention of his old owner. He had been trying to adjust to his new life, but it was still hard. "Dolly is a good toy," the space ranger continued. "Maybe she can fill the space Bo Peep left behind? At least talk to her, Woody."
Woody's eyes grew dark. His expression changed from hurt and sad to anger. "No Buzz!" he shouted. "I love Bo and no one can change that. How dare you think anyone could ever replace her?"
"I'm not saying anyone can replace her, Woody," Buzz replied calmly. "I'm reminding you that Bo Peep is not coming back. And maybe, if you'd just let someone in, she could be a good friend too." Buzz tried to make sense, but when he thought about it, if it was the other way around, and his Jessie was gone, he would have a hard time too.
Woody remained silent, he was done having this conversation. Buzz sighed. "If you need me, or any of us, you know where we are." The glowing green plastic had begun to fade from sitting in the dark so long. Buzz decided it was best to leave his friend alone for awhile, until he was ready to come out, and went to join the others.
...
Jessie waited for Buzz to walk away before she told Dolly what was going on. She wasn't exactly sure she was the best one to tell her anyways, seeing as how Woody had been in love with Bo Peep long before she was around, even before Buzz was around.
"What did I miss?" asked Dolly. "The mood changed so fast, I couldn't quite keep up."
"It's alright, Dolly," said Jessie. "I apologize for Woody's rudeness. He wasn't ready for that."
"You mean the kiss I take it?" she asked, clarifying that was indeed her fault and not some random accident she'd been oblivious to. Jessie nodded. "Does he have a girl back at Andy's?"
"He used to. Bo Peep was something special." Jessie grinned, thinking of her old friend. "Woody was in love with her. She was a breakable doll, and Andy was told many times not to play with her. She was beautiful, outside and in." Dolly smiled at the thought.
"She sounds like a keeper to me."
"She definitely was. And she meant everything to Woody." Jessie wasn't sure how much detail to give. If it was her story to tell, she'd say everything. But she knew that Woody wasn't going to appreciate how much she'd said already, and decided not to get in too deep. "She was sold at a yard sale a few years back. Andy was at camp with Woody, and while they were gone, his mom cleaned out his room. When Woody got back... well, you can imagine how he felt." Jessie's eyes were starting to water. Bo Peep had been one of her good friends too.
"I'm so sorry," said Dolly, putting an arm around her. "I didn't know. Do you think I should try and talk to Woody about it? Maybe I can help him?" Jessie sighed.
"You can try if you'd like, but I'm not so sure it's such a good idea," said Jessie. "We've all tried to talk with him before. He's not about to change his mind."
Just then, Buzz emerged from under the pillow. His face had a telltale expression, letting his friends know it hadn't gone well.
"I think that with time he'll be alright," said Buzz. "A broken heart is hard to fix." He glanced at Jessie, met her gaze, then quickly looked at the floor.
"So is there something going on between you two?" asked Dolly, changing the subject. "Because it sure seems like it."
Jessie's eyes lit up immediately. Now here was a story she could tell! She gathered a few of her new friends around and proceeded to tell them about how her and Buzz first met and how their relationship grew over the years, playing together with Andy and the years in the toy box, and how it was solidified during a near death experience. Her excitement was enough to catch the attention of everyone in the room.
Buzz sat next to her, smiling, listening to her tell the story. Every time she would say his name he would burn red in the cheeks. He really wished she wouldn't go into so much detail, but everyone was loving it, so he let it go this time.
Towards the end of her story, Buzz noticed a familiar cowboy sitting far back by the pillows, yet he was as intrigued as ever. He usually didn't like to hear Jessie ramble on about Buzz, but this time he was really enjoying it. Jessie was like his little sister, and to see her so happy with one of his best friends was enough for him.
Jessie finished her story and sat down to catch her breath. Woody finally got up and walked over to them, trying to think of something to say that would explain his actions.
But before anything could be said, they heard Bonnie running back, and they instantly dropped to an inanimate state.
"Finally!" she yelled. "I didn't think we were ever gonna get to finish playing! Sorry dinner took so long guys!" She grabbed Mr. Pricklepants and Trixie first and was immediately going to have tea when she saw Woody and Dolly laying near each other on the bed and remembered where she'd left off. "That's right! You guys were just about to kiss!"
Woody didn't know if he could go through with it again. But just before their faces met, Bonnie changed her mind and decided to send them on a 'date' instead.
"Come on guys, I know where you can go!" She took Dolly and Woody in each hand and ran out of the room. "It's the best place for a date, I think," she whispered so Mom wouldn't hear. "But you guys gotta be quiet if I let you in okay?"
She waited for a response, didn't get one, then pulled Woody's string.
"You're my favorite deputy." The mechanical voice was music to Bonnie's ears.
"You hear that, Dolly? You're his favorite!" She laughed with her toys and hugged them both. Upon arriving in the laundry room, she opened the dryer and set them inside. "Now you guys have fun on your date okay? I'll come back later to make sure you're still here."
And before Woody had time to blink, the dryer door was shut, and he was alone in the dark with Dolly.
...
a/n: alright guys I just wanna say thanks so much to my reviewers! I know that sounds really cheesy and every writer says it. But I reeeally mean it! It made my day to wake up and see reviews already and I had 8 by the end of the day. It really made me want to write more. So here you go! I can't wait to start the next chapter! :)
