I do not own the Toy Story franchise or any of the toy brands involved with it.

This one is a bit of a shorter chapter.

Heart to Heart

Molly had been staring at the dark ceiling of her bedroom for hours. The glowing numbers on her alarm clock told her that it was just past midnight, and she had no desire to fall asleep. She was paying close attention to the shadows that flitted across her room, sending her nerves jumping.

She never did quite like the dark. There something about the way the darkness engulfed her that set her heart pounding. But a few years ago she had been determined to sleep without a nightlight-she deemed it too babyish. So she sent it out at her mother's next yard sale.

But that nightlight had been one of her most treasured items. It was her Bo Peep lamp.

That lamp had always lit up her room on the darkest of nights. And it was more than just a lamp-Bo Peep and her sheep had been removable. She could take them off of the ceramic base and play with them before snapping them back onto the lampstand. It had always comforted her to know Bo Peep was there.

Not anymore.

Molly winced as a loud clap of thunder sounded, booming across the landscape. Rain sloshed against the glass of her window. She sat up and pushed her covers aside, frustrated with her current state of insomnia. Her pink wool pajamas offered warmth, but it was not enough to comfort her against the raging storm.

With little else to do, she found herself glancing at the empty shelves. They were similar to the emptiness she felt inside, though she wasn't sure why she felt the way she did.

Walking across the cold hardwood floor, she slipped from her lonely room, went across the hall and entered her brother's bedroom. She didn't have the intention to sleep in his bed-who knew what was hiding under the pillows?

She picked Woody up and after a moment's thought carried him back to her room. She wasn't sure why she wanted Woody with her. She supposed she would feel better by having him with her.

Molly crawled back into bed and glanced again at the empty spot on her dresser. "Andy always got to play with Bo, but I never got to play with you," she mused.

Silence, which was of course what she expected. The blonde knew it was probably silly to talk to a cloth doll, but if Andy could have voiced Woody his problems over the years, why couldn't she?

"I'm not sure why I went to you guys in the first place. I was bored, I suppose. And these empty shelves reminded me of when I used to play with my toys, and how I could never play with Andy's. But he always got to play with Bo. I guess...I guess this is payback or something. Getting to play with his toys when he's away. Pretty dumb, I know."

She stared at the ceiling for a moment before continuing. "But it was fun. Playing with you and Buzz and the others. It made me remember simpler times."

Molly curled under her covers and placed Woody beside her. The words had started and now she couldn't seem to stop. "It always bugged me. Andy could take Bo, but I couldn't take you for a few hours. Bo was always the damsel in distress, wasn't she?

"I miss her, Woody," she sighed glumly. "I was in such a hurry to grow up that I tossed everything away. Even Bo. I regret it. I regretted it the day after Bo had been sold. I regretted it when I came up to my room and saw the empty shelves clearly. It never occurred to me that I could hold on to a piece of my childhood. Like Andy does with you and the others. It never occurred to me that I could still be a kid sometimes."

Molly sniffled and immediately scolded herself for doing so. "I'm not so sure I want to grow up so fast anymore. I had forgotten how fun playing pretend was. But I'm twelve now. Almost a teenager. Is it too late?"

She sighed and sank into her pillows. It felt nice to get it all off her chest, even if it was to just a toy. "Who knows? Maybe one day, that little girl will put Bo up for sale and I can have her again. Maybe I'll see some of Andy's old toys along the way. His remote-control car would have made an awesome getaway vehicle."

Her eyes closed and soon her soft breathing filled the room. Woody gently removed himself from the crook of her arm and leaned back to ponder what she had told him.

Molly missed Bo. She regretted giving her away. She hoped to find her again someday. Woody smiled softly. It may not ever happen, but it lessened the heavy feeling in his gut. At least Molly still thought of Bo and didn't just see her as a piece of porcelain.

Woody mildly noted that the others would start to wonder why Molly had taken him. After some thought, he snuggled under the covers and started to fall asleep.

He'd tell everyone tomorrow.