AN: I really love writing this fic so of course, had to give you guys another chapter to read.

Chapter Four

The pain was real. The doctors were scared that it was a bad reaction to the new drug and the doctor had apologized multiple times and explained that he hadn't seen it before. The only reports were that a hallucination had gotten out of control but usually the patient had returned home and was in a dangerous situation after having been left alone. Andy had been in intensive care for about two days with an oxygen mask and IV drip.

Woody felt that he had learned his lesson. He wasn't ready for Andy to go into that kind of situation again and he should most definitely avoid talking to him or attempting to interact. It wasn't worth it. Woody wondered how Bo was all alone but then she had lived alone before. He hoped she would still be there when he came back.

Claire hadn't known about the panic that Andy had gone through or what had triggered the hallucinations so she had placed Woody beside him and tucked the blanket around him. His mother and Molly had even come to make sure that he was okay. When they had found out that he had been infected with HIV, his mother had tried to get him to stop college until he felt better but Andy had decided to fight. Everyone hoped that he still had that fight in him.

Woody still hoped that he had that fight in him. He had chosen Andy over Bo before and that was because he was his favorite. Andy would be devastated without him. Hopefully if he ever did learn the truth, it wouldn't kill him.

Suddenly, Woody heard Claire gasp and he subtly looked across to see Andy having slight movement. Okay. So he wasn't dead. Although, Woody did feel that he had experienced death before but he didn't know, his mind was a blank when it came to that, just the odd feel of deja vu.

Woody heard Andy's mother choke on her tears as she approached her son. "Sweetie?" she asked and Andy rolled over, still with the oxygen mask on and smiled to her. Claire hugged him lightly, respectful of the weakness he was experiencing. "Oh my god. I am so glad that you're alive."

Andy smiled before taking some deep breaths. He wasn't going to try that drug again. It wasn't worth it, he'd stick with the treatment that he was used to.

…

…

One day later, Andy was able to stop using the oxygen mask but until his vitals had stabilized to as normal as possible given his condition, he was to stay in the hospital for observation. He had asked both Claire and his mother and sister to give him space and was just putting down the book having finished it despite the multiple naps he had taken.

He took a deep breath in and turned to the doll. As Andy lifted him up, Woody made sure to remain incredibly still. Andy propped him up on his lap and stared at him.

"I didn't imagine it, did I?" he asked and Woody remained still afraid that any action on his part would be enough to set Andy off again. "You can tell me. You're….you're somehow…real aren't you?" he asked nervously and Woody felt his heart pound in his chest as he wrestled with that question. "Look, I made sure that everyone left. I just need to know whether I was hallucinating or not."

Woody slowly nodded his head, he looked up at Andy who had gone a little pale.

"I never meant to scare you," Woody said as he bowed his head and Andy grabbed to his wrist, he didn't want to be scared of the toy. The toy wasn't going to manipulate him, was it? It wasn't an evil doll. Just because it was alive didn't mean that it was possessed by someone with the intentions of murdering him.

"Okay," Andy said slowly as he tried to steady himself. "You're…" he said weakly knowing that the toy had a chance of lying about this. "You're not going to try to kill me, right?" he laughed and Woody lifted his head and looked at him. "You're not like…some actual cowboy who uh…wants revenge," he said slowly.

"No," Woody replied slowly. "I'm your toy. I've been…well…I was Bonnie's toy for a while but I think I always belonged to you. You're the one who gave me a reason to live."

Andy bowed his head and closed his eyes. He hoped that he hadn't lost his mind and this was real. Still, maybe if this was a result of the drugs then he wasn't in any real danger. He saw Woody move with more human emotions on his face onto his knee, still maintaining that distance.

"You're the same Woody that I gave away?" he said as he tried to count his breaths. He was nervous. He was actually having a discussion with a doll and the doll was speaking to him too. He had lost his mind, he would have had to for this to be real. "I'm sorry. I wanted to take you with me but…but I couldn't say…"

"I understand, partner," Woody said and Andy was coming to the realization that this Woody really didn't want to take revenge on him. "You're a nice kid, you've always been a sweet kid. There was no chance of you breaking a little girl's heart. I wish we'd stayed together though."

"You're really not here to kill me," Andy asked slowly. He put a hand to his heart and tried to steady himself. "I mean. I…I did terrible things to you. I left you out in the rain. I ripped your arm. I…I trapped you in a chest for years….I…I must seem like an asshole."

Woody turned to him and heard Andy inhale quickly, he was still trying to come to terms with all of this and Woody was scared of his condition getting worse from this new information. "Andy, that's what a good kid does when he has a toy. When you left me out in the rain you were devastated, and you and your mother searched for me. When you ripped my arm during playtime, you sewed it on again. As for trapping me in a chest, you didn't throw me in the trash and you didn't give me away to a bad home. I was safe in there. I don't want to hurt you. I want you to be safe."

"You want me to be safe?" Andy asked and Woody nodded before looking away. "Is it just you or is it all toys," he said trying hard not to feel afraid.

"All toys are alive," Woody admitted and Andy took slow breaths as he thought about all the toys that he had owned and whether any of those toys would be plotting revenge on them. He had treated them all as toys, inanimate objects without feelings. He hadn't treated them as equals or even as pets. Yes, he had good memories of them but he hadn't known that they were actually experiencing those moments too.

"Let me guess, this is a secret," Andy asked with wide eyes and Woody nodded. "I don't…I don't know how to apologize…I…"

"You have nothing to apologize for," Woody told him and Andy nodded, trying to stop himself from going into a life threatening panic attack. "I'm here for you, partner."

"Okay." Andy continued to stare at the doll with wide eyes but his face turned a little gentler and he carefully picked Woody up and sat him down on the table near him. He saw the cowboy stand before turning to watch over him and he closed his eyes. "I…I need some time…" he told him and Woody nodded. He was very lucky that Andy had this kind of a reaction to him. He looked at his boot which had Bonnie's name on it hoping that Andy would put his name on his boot again. Andy had always been the kid who was meant to own him.

As Claire entered the room, Woody pretended to just be a toy and Claire rushed to Andy's side. She put a cold compress to his forehead. "You look like you've just seen a ghost," she told her boyfriend and he slowly turned to Woody who was acting as if he really wasn't alive. "Are you okay?"

"I'm feeling a bit better," Andy said before coughing again, his gaze going back to the cowboy who had been so important to him his entire life. "I just need to rest," he said and Woody listened to him. Somehow he had taken this information and this realization about the world much better than Woody expected any person ever had.

…

…

Over the next few days, Andy had had different conversations with Woody in private. They had talked about the past and about how Bonnie had grown bored of him and he hadn't had a place with her. It made Andy feel both guilty and frustrated. He had never wanted to let Woody go. He would have taken him to college with him, explained that he was a good luck charm and an important part of his childhood. He would have taken better care of him than Bonnie. He really shouldn't have let him go.

However, it was secret and Andy still assumed that he had gone crazy from stress or the illness but even if he had, he was ready to embrace the story about toys being alive. As long as they weren't trying to murder him, he'd try to treat them with a bit more respect.

Andy wheeled himself to his bedroom, followed by his mother and Molly and set Woody down next to Bo. "I need a couple of large boxes," he said and Claire nodded. "There's something that I feel I need to…make," he tried to explain and his mother nodded.

"Can we help you with that?" she asked her son as she put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm great at arts and crafts," Molly announced and Andy shook his head. It was something that he had to build by himself. He wanted to create a Western style house that Woody could be in. He owed the toy that much.

"I want to do it myself, I just need a few boxes," he said before looking at the bed. "I think I just need to rest," he told them and his mother nodded, helping him to the bed and tucking him in. As she stepped away, Molly knelt opposite him.

"You really had me scared," she told him, her eyes still wet with tears. "You can have your room back if you need to come home. It's okay." Andy shook his head trying to tell her it was all right and he didn't need for her to do that. Molly tried to hold back her tears and stood slowly. "I'm really glad you're okay," she said and Andy reached out to squeeze her hand.

"Moll, I'll be okay," he smiled to her and Claire made sure he was comfortable before kissing his lips gently and moved away from him. She walked out of the bedroom with an 'I love you' before gently closing the door.

"You don't need to build me a house. I'm fine this way," Woody said as he started moving in front of Andy and Bo looked at him as if he were crazy. Andy though just closed his eyes and fell asleep. Woody smiled to him. "Have a good rest, cowboy," he said and Bo grabbed him. She pulled him onto the ground.

"Are you crazy?" she asked him. "Can you even imagine what would happen to us if he had heard you," she whispered as her eyes widened. She hadn't expected him to be that stupid. Humans shouldn't know the secrets of the toys.

"He knows, Bo. Trust me. He knows and though I can't say he's okay with it, he's acceptant," Woody tried to reason with her. Woody sighed as he looked out the window. "Since he knows though. I have to stay here. I don't want to lose you, I love you, but…"

Bo grabbed his collar and pulled him in for a kiss. As she pulled back she looked into his eyes. "Of course you need to stay here. I need to stay here too."

Woody looked at her before turning to the window again, "You love being a lost toy," he tried to remind her. "You love helping other toys, travelling, not being tied down to one kid," he said and Bo pulled him closer again. She wrapped her arms around him in an embrace and let her head rest on his shoulder.

"I know," she told him, "but I love you more. I just wish that I had -"

Before she could finish her sentence she heard the sound of her friends and saw the three girls enter the bedroom through the crack in the door. This was all that she needed. She turned to her sheep and pet them lovingly. Maybe she would have a chance to talk to Andy too but for now she was happy to watch. The boy and the cowboy had been inseparable when Andy was younger and Bo was anxious to see how they would react now that Andy was an adult who had his eyes open to some of the secrets in the world.

End of Chapter Four

Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated

Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Three

Alai, Fangirl001, Holypride, Impressionsguy, SailorSedna052