Fluff, nuff said.
Holding On
"Buzz? Buzz where are you? Are you all right?"
Buzz's arm communicator relayed both Booster's worried voice and severe levels of static. Sighing dejectedly, he wrapped an arm tighter around Jessie as he lifted the other toward his mouth.
"Y-yeah, Boost." He tried to keep his voice steady. "We're all right."
"We? Who else is with you?"
Buzz risked a glance at Jessie for a moment.
"Jessie's with me." He answered. "We're on docking strip C. We fell from the second floor."
"You fell?" Booster exclaimed. "No wonder why those rangers are freaking out. Don't you worry, Buzz! We'll be there in a second."
"Thanks, Booster." Buzz replied as the communicator clicked off.
He once again wrapped his arm around Jessie's waist, pulling her closer to him, practically having her sit on his lap. She continued to weep heavily as he gingerly ran his fingers through her knotted hair. He desperately wanted to relieve her pain, but he couldn't help but admit he felt the same. Woody had been his best friend, a brother of sorts. The cowboy had taught him to truly enjoy life instead of dedicating every moment to regulation and duty. He led the ranger to Jessie and even allowed him to court her because he trusted him and only him with her well-being. He had even agreed to be Buzz's best man at their wedding, just as the ranger had been at his.
Buzz sucked in a sharp breath. How was he going to tell Bo? Married only a year, the sheriff and his wife expected to live a long and happy life together. He could only imagine Bo's reaction. Heck, he nearly experienced the same as Jessie fell toward her own death moments ago. Whoever had planned to ruin the excellent day had succeeded greatly.
The captain let out a shuttering sigh, begging every muscle in his face to withhold the tears threatening to fall. Jessie leaned her entire body weight against him, the rest of her energy completely spent. Buzz placed his lips against her temple, hoping the pressure would, not only ease her somewhat, but also discourage the sobs caught in his throat.
He needed to be strong for her. No matter how tough, how lively the cowgirl could get, her emotions would always control her demeanors. They ran so deep inside her heart, making everything more real and meaningful. It was a trait he lacked, but he would forever support it nonetheless. He loved her to his very core and he would never give up on that feeling.
"I can't do this, Buzz."
Jessie's weak whisper actually managed to startle Buzz. He gazed at her face, still hidden somewhat in the crook of his neck.
"Can't do what?"
"I can't keep going like this."
Buzz furrowed his brow nervously.
"Like what?"
"I just can't be a Space Ranger anymore, Buzz." Jessie admitted through a sob.
That time, he leaned away to get a better look at her. His expression filled with confusion and concern.
"What?" He asked with disbelief.
"I can't, not after all of this." She lifted her head to face him fully. "I can't stand to see anyone else…get hurt. There were so many today alone. I'm not made for this…"
Fresh tears once again streaked her dirty features. Buzz couldn't say he didn't feel disappointed at first, but he could understand her limits. She came from a small, isolated town where outlaws were arrested and jailed for trivial offenses. Once in a while, a death would occur, but never at the scale Space Rangers faced almost daily. She loved the life of animals and of the environments surrounding her. She was roped into a lifestyle that ignored such things. An unfortunate incident occurred in her town with an intergalactic criminal that encouraged her to become someone she was not. She had been taken away from all she adored and Buzz could not help but feel she suffered. It wound up killing her brother, after all.
Buzz pressed his lips to hers and enclosed his arms around her, willing to swallow her pain if it meant to end her misery. She slowly responded, kissing back more on impulse than desire. The ranger kept it simple, however, pulling back after a few moments and resting his forehead against hers.
"Jess, you do what you need to do for yourself." He advised. "I will always support your decisions. I won't ever abandon you."
Jessie did not smile, but gratefulness shimmered in her gaze. She whimpered slightly as she enveloped him in another embrace, clinging to him as if she were afraid he would disappear at any moment. Buzz settled easily into her arms, content with just sitting there with her for the rest of their lives.
"Captain Lightyear!"
Buzz slowly craned his head to his left, sighting a small entourage of Space Rangers jogging toward them with Booster and XR leading the pack. He sighed heavily; explanations would need to be made soon.
"Buzz, you're ok!" Booster cheered, obviously missing his captain's distressed expression.
"Look at you, buddy!" XR interjected carelessly. "Not even a 40 foot drop can stop you, huh? Though, personally, I would've used my jet pack for obvious reasons, but man, you like to be the daredevil, dontcha?"
Buzz ignored both of their comments, having neither the patience nor the stomach to address them. He noticed several medics among the rescue group and wished to see them first before leaving to check over the damage done by the explosion. He turned to Jessie, realizing she had not cared to acknowledge the dinosaur and the robot either. He sighed, closing his eyes as he attempted to make his face expressionless.
"We need to assess the damage done to the Senate building." The captain explained in a low, monotone voice. "Then we need to have Star Command send out the investigation teams to gather intel on the situation. But we most definitely need to provide the highest security for the Raxip King until he returns home. Our day just got longer, gentlemen. I suggest we figure this out quickly before something worse occurs."
He did not leave room for any response. Not knowing how much longer he could keep his emotions neutral in front of his two team members, he hastily lifted Jessie as smoothly as he could into his arms and headed straight for the medics. He hated to coldly isolate his friends from the truth, but he knew they would find out eventually. He simply proceeded to task the medics with checking over Jessie's condition before heading back up alone to the Senate floors, reluctantly awaiting the gruesome sights he would see.
No Footnotes
