Jessie sat with her back against one of the legs of Andy's bed frame. Buzz was seated across from her. All the other toys were still celebrating the news and planning a bon voyage party, totally oblivious to their friends.
"Tell me again," Jessie said. "When do you leave?"
"May 31. In three days," Buzz said softly.
"And you get back?"
"October 10, but the shuttle returns to Earth on September 11."
Jessie glanced at the instruction papers that Andy had left in his room. "It says here there's a parade for you in Disney World when you return," she said, a slight smile playing across her lips.
"That sounds fun," Buzz said, watching her.
Jessie looked up at him. "Five months is a long time," she whispered.
Buzz scooted closer to her. "I don't have to go," he said. "I'll… hide, or something. Miss the shuttle launch…I'll just stay here, with you and Becca."
For a moment, an image of Buzz holding her as she held the Itsy Bitsy Baby doll flashed across her mind and a swarm of butterflies took flight inside her stomach. She smiled at the thought, but then she shook her head vigorously. "No. This is the chance of a lifetime," She said quietly. "You'll get to be a real space ranger, Buzz! Besides, you can't do that to Andy. He worked so hard to send you, and he's so proud……. we all are." She glanced at him through her thick eyelashes.
Buzz sighed. "You're right. And I'm really looking forward to it. It's just… I'm going to miss you so much."
"Oh, Buzz." Jessie crawled over to him and embraced him fiercely. "I'll miss you too." She knew she had to be brave, so she didn't say anything else about being apart from him. "It sounds like Woody and the others are working on a huge celebration party," she said instead.
Buzz grinned. "We'll make it the best party ever," he said.
Jessie laughed. "You got it, Partner!" She thought for a moment. "Hey, Buzz. How are you goin to get to the NASA headquarters? Isn't it really far away? Will Andy be leaving too?"
Buzz pondered this for a moment. None of these thoughts had occurred to him yet. He flipped through Andy's papers on the subject. "According to these instructions, Andy is supposed to ship me to NASA. I guess their personnel will take it from there." He looked up at Jessie. "So Andy will stay here, with you guys."
Jessie wrinkled her nose. "Ship? Like a boat?"
Buzz laughed. "No, ship through the mail. Andy is going to send me to NASA by mail," He explained.
Jessie paled. "He's going to seal you up in a box? With packing peanuts?" Her hands began to shake.
"Well, that certainly would make the journey more comfortable," Buzz said lightly as he continued to read the instructions.
"No! You can't!" Jessie shouted.
Buzz looked up and threw the papers aside when he saw the panicked expression on Jessie's face. She was covering her face with her hands, frozen in horror. He reached out and caught her wrists in his hands, but then she was struggling out of his grasp. "Hey… It's okay, Jess," he said soothingly.
"No, no, no, no, no," She repeated over and over.
He took her shoulders in his hands and tried to steady to her.
"You can't do it. You can't get in that box, Buzz," she cried.
Buzz pulled her close and held onto her tightly. "Sssh… sssh, it's okay," He murmured in her ear as he gently stroked her braid. "It's not the same as storage."
"B-but…. The darkness!"
He placed a tender kiss on her forehead. "It's overnight delivery, Jess. It won't be for that long. Just a few hours."
She didn't shout this time, but she still whimpered softly.
"I've been in a box before. Remember my spaceship? It'll be just like that. I'll go into hypersleep and I'll dream of you," he promised.
Jessie's expression softened. "I'm going to dream of you every night while you're away," she whispered.
Buzz smiled. "I hope so."
"Oh, Buzz. There's just so many things that can go wrong. What if they forget to ship you back? Or they send you to the wrong house? Or something else?"
Buzz touched a hand to her cheek. "Andy won't forget about me. Besides, no matter what happens, I will always find my way back to you."
Jessie looked into his eyes and she knew he really believed what he said. That had to be good enough for her. Satisfied, she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder.
He traced the ring at the bottom of her pullstring. "I wish you could come with me," He said after a few quiet moments.
"I know," she whispered. "Me too."
