So lately I've been ridiculously amused by angsty country songs and the thought of Woody listening to them, brooding over Bo. I don't know why I find it so funny – I do feel bad for him, and wish she was still around. But anyway, inspiration for this fic came from the song 'Neon Light' by Blake Shelton… and somehow in my twisted mind, the "blonde at the bar" turned into Dolly. XD I'm not really a Woody/Dolly shipper – I'm Buzz/Jessie and Woody/Bo canon all the way – but for the purposes of this story idea, there's no one else who would work. So, if you don't like Woody/Dolly, don't read and please don't hate; it's not something you're gonna see often from me at all. Also, be advised the subject matter might be questionable to some – but I have my own opinions of what toys are capable of. ;) Try not to take any of it too seriously, it was just written for fun. :)

Unfortunately, Toy Story isn't mine. If it was, they would find Bo in Toy Story 4. ;) Enjoy, and please leave a review! :)


Woody was not over Bo.

Sure, most of the time he put on a good front, laughing and joking with the other toys; he even spent countless hours with Buzz and Jessie, paying no mind to their cuddling and couple-y closeness. But every so often, it hit him, and this was one of those nights. With Bonnie and her parents away for the weekend at a family wedding, the toys had some freedom; and Woody had wandered off into the living room, where he sat in the dark, alone, listening to mournful country songs on the stereo.

Buzz and Jessie knew where the cowboy was going before he even left. They had seen it on his face, and couldn't help but remember the dark day it was the anniversary of: the yard sale that had taken Bo away. As much as they were concerned about their hurting friend, the couple was conflicted, hoping to steal away to the master bedroom – with its television and plush bed – for their own little stay-cation.

Nearby, Dolly stood observant, both of Buzz and Jessie's dilemma and Woody's anguish. Being close friends with Jessie, she knew how the cowgirl and space ranger relished their rare chances to be completely alone together. As she watched the pair talking, trying to decide what to do, she approached them.

"Go, you two, don't ruin your night. You don't get many like this. I'll go talk to Woody, see if I can help."

Jessie clasped her hands anxiously. "You sure? We can check on him, and maybe still have some time to ourselves."

"Yes. GO," Dolly insisted. "I've lived under the same roof with you for two years now; I've seen how he gets in these moods. He'll be rehashing everything to you all night if you open up that can of worms. Enjoy yourselves," she added with a wink.

"Thanks, Dolly!" the cowgirl hugged her friend. "We owe ya."

As Buzz and Jessie proceeded down the hall to Bonnie's parents' room, Dolly headed to the living room to try and console Woody. She had gotten to know the cowboy fairly well over the past couple years, sharing leadership duties with him and just generally spending time together as friends. The ragdoll had only ever admitted to Jessie that she might have a crush on him, but she didn't let it consume her thoughts. She knew he was still pining for a lost love, which she assumed was the issue tonight.

"Hey, cowboy," she called out, as she walked toward the sofa where Woody sat – knees drawn to his chest, much like his sister did in times of despair – staring blankly ahead.

"Hey," he acknowledged his friend's greeting weakly, forcing a half-hearted smile.

With some effort, Dolly scaled the front of the sofa and sat down beside him. "You wanna talk about it?" There was no answer. "About her?"

Woody turned his head sharply at the word 'her,' surprised by ragdoll's boldness. "Not really."

"It might help."

The cowboy sat quietly for a moment, before his emotions came spilling out. Buzz and Jessie had listened to his woes many times in the past three years, but he'd only made passing remarks about Bo to Dolly; now he talked more openly and frankly to her about his feelings. The ragdoll listened patiently, waiting for a break in his monologue to speak.

"It's been a long time, Woody. Don't you think it's time you put this behind you? Move forward?"

He laughed bitterly. "Now you sound like Buzz and Jessie."

"Are you ever going to listen to any of us?"

"Might as well. Someone like her, she has to have found someone else by now. She probably doesn't even remember me."

"I'm sure she remembers you, cowboy." Dolly steeled her nerves before she continued. "How could she not? You're a real catch." Woody cracked a faint smile at the compliment, and Dolly rested her hand on his in a gesture of comfort. "Look, shutting down like this doesn't accomplish anything. You've gotta open your heart up for someone else to come into your life."

The cowboy exhaled heavily, then met his friend's earnest gaze. "I know I do. But how?"


Buzz and Jessie returned to Bonnie's room the following morning, and noticed immediately that Woody and Dolly were nowhere to be seen. They looked at each other, puzzled.

"Maybe I should go find Woody, and see if he's doing any better," Buzz suggested.

"Good idea," concurred Jessie. "I wanna track down Dolly, and see how she managed, too."

With a quick kiss the couple went their separate ways, back out into the hallway and in search of their friends.

When Jessie found Dolly huddled on the sofa, she couldn't quite read the expression on the ragdoll's face. Nevertheless, she hopped up to join her friend.

"Thanks again for coverin' for us last night! Didja get him to snap out of it?"

"Sorta," Dolly replied flatly.

"Oh, good." Jessie was confused by the change in her friend's demeanor; usually she was cheerful and quick to tease the cowgirl after a date night. "So, whatcha still doin' out here?"

The ragdoll was silent for a moment, then responded timidly. "We – uh – spent the night together."

"Oh, so you sat up with him? That was sweet of ya."

"No, not really."

Dolly stared intently at the cowgirl, willing her to figure out what she was hinting at without being forced to spell it out. Finally, Jessie's eyes widened as she realized what her friend was implying.

"You DIDN'T! Dolly! You – and Woody – b-but how – "

"Shhhhhh!" the ragdoll lunged at Jessie, covering her mouth with her little felt hand. "You think I want everyone to find out?"

Jessie yanked Dolly's hand from her face and spoke as softly as she could in her agitated state. "But he's still hung up on Bo!"

"Yeahhh, I gathered."

"And you still – "

"It just sort of happened, okay?" she interrupted. "We were… lonely."

"Is that whatcha call it these days?" the cowgirl snapped sarcastically.

"Come on, Jessie, didn't you and Buzz ever have a moment of weakness, in all those years?"

"Yeah, but – not quite that far – well, Buzz is a gentleman – hold on, this ain't about Buzz'n me!"

Dolly slumped and sighed deeply. "I feel so stupid."

Jessie slid closer to her friend and gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't judge. I know you like Woody, and things are complicated – heck, he's complicated. Didja talk to him about it… after?"

"No, he ran off. And there's no point. It was a mistake, plain and simple."

The cowgirl's face twisted in anger. "He ran off? Ohhh I'm gonna tan his hide!" Before Dolly could stop her, Jessie leapt from the sofa and darted out of the living room, on a mission to hunt down her brother.

"Jessie, wait! Stop!" Dolly cried desperately, following as quickly as her little legs would allow. "Ohhh, this is bad."


It took Buzz a while to locate Woody, but his search eventually led him to the back porch, where he finally discovered his friend sitting on the steps leading down to the yard. The space ranger slipped through the pet door and sat down next to him.

"You gotta snap out of this, sheriff. The other toys depend on you. Didn't Dolly help at all?"

"Funny you should mention Dolly," Woody muttered.

"Why?"

"Well, she came to try to comfort me last night, and one thing led to another, and…"

Buzz looked at his friend, perplexed. "Led where?"

"We slept together."

"You fell asleep on the couch? Were you watching a movie?"

"No. We didn't actually… sleep."

Buzz paused. "Then I don't understand – "

"Are you serious, Buzz?" he cut his friend off impatiently. "Sex. SEX! You know, that thing you and Jessie do all the time?" After his outburst, Woody buried his face in his hands, humiliated.

"Oh boy," Buzz took a deep breath in an attempt to process what he had just heard. "Blast, Woody! You're not even dating her! You're just friends! That's not like you at all."

"I know, I know. I made a mess of things. I don't have feelings for her – not like that. And to make matters worse, I just ran off."

Before the two men could further their discussion, a blur of red and denim and cowhide came flying through the pet door, hitting its mark. Jessie and Woody tumbled down the porch stairs, and the cowgirl landed on top of her brother and pinned him to the ground.

"Woody, what were you thinking?" she shouted. "You weren't thinking, that's the problem!" Dolly's wide face peered through the pet door as Jessie released Woody from her grasp. "You're both gonna sit down and talk this out right now."

"No, that's okay," the ragdoll quickly protested. She tried to duck back into the house while Woody attempted to bolt in the opposite direction.

"NO." Jessie threw her friend a stern glare and seized her retreating brother by the belt loop. "Take it from folks who dragged relationship stuff out for way too long… you're discussing this NOW. I know Buzz and I must've been a pain in the rear all those years, and I'm not puttin' up with it from you two!"

With a defeated sigh, Dolly hoisted herself through the pet door and Woody shuffled back up the stairs. Jessie motioned for them to sit on the top step, side by side, and they obeyed. The cowgirl then stood facing them, her arms folded defiantly, with Buzz next to her as backup.

"Do either of ya have anything to say for yourselves?"

The interrogated toys studied their feet nervously and said nothing.

"Speak up."

Still, Jessie's demands were met with silence.

The cowgirl groaned, exasperated. "Woody, are you still in love with Bo?"

Her brother mumbled a weak "yes."

"So then what in tarnation were you thinking?"

Woody shrugged.

"Do you really wanna mess with a good friend's feelings? C'mon Woody, you're better than that!" Jessie then shifted her focus to her friend. "And Dolly, you're not off the hook either, you coulda slapped him!"

As the cowgirl's arms flailed wildly in her aggravation, Buzz stood sentry, calm and strong, yet secretly admiring his girl's ability to lay down the law.

"Now, you two are in charge around here, and you hafta figure out how to get past this and work together. I won't be havin' you all awkward and weird all the time. And if you can't work this out, Buzz'n I are takin' over leadership!"

Woody and Dolly raised their heads and gaped at Jessie, shocked by her threat, and the cowgirl resumed her lecture.

"Woody, I know how much you loved Bo, and still do. Heck, we all miss her – she was my best friend. But I'm sure she's moved on, and it's time you did, too. Dolly, I know you like him – right now I have NO idea why – but jus' give him some time, 'k? Jus' get back to being friends."

Dolly's jaw dropped in horror as Jessie exposed the ragdoll's crush on Woody, and the cowgirl rolled her eyes. "Well, don'tcha think it's a little too late to hide that now? I think he knows."

Seeing the traumatized countenances of her friend and brother, Jessie softened. "Look, y'all are important to me." She nodded to Buzz. "To both of us. We just want ya to be happy. Talk things out. We'll go in the kitchen and give ya some privacy."

Buzz held the pet door open while Jessie crawled back inside, then followed behind her. After what seemed like an eternity to the waiting couple, Woody and Dolly peeked in the pet door.

The cowboy cleared his throat. "Can we come in?"

Jessie lifted the rubber flap, while Buzz offered their friends assistance. "You guys good?" the cowgirl questioned cautiously, once they were all standing on the tile floor.

"Yeah, we'll be okay." Dolly turned to Woody, and they both smiled.

"That's more like it!" Jessie exclaimed, squeezing them both in a tight embrace. "And I promise, this'll stay between us. None'a the others will ever know a thing."

The moment the four toys entered Bonnie's room, everybody took notice. The group's authority figures had been missing for hours, and the remaining toys were gathered in front of the closet.

"There you are!" Mr. Potato Head yelled, as soon as they crossed the threshold. "The peas stole my hat and won't come out! Where have you been?!"

Jessie glanced at her three companions, then spoke. "Well, uh, Buzz 'n I had a fight – it was silly, really – and Woody 'n Dolly were helpin' us work things out. Everythin's great now, though," she said, wrapping her arms around Buzz's neck affectionately. The space ranger willingly played along, resting his hands on her waist and giving her a quick kiss.

"Ugh, we don't need a show, we'll take your word for it," Potato Head grumbled. "Just help me get my hat back from those little hooligans!"

Dolly grinned at her friend with gratitude, and Jessie winked. All was back to normal amongst Bonnie's toys – well, as normal as it ever could be.


Later that night, Buzz and Jessie lay snuggled on Bonnie's parents' spacious bed, watching television. The space ranger flipped channels, looking for a new program, until his cowgirl broke their relaxed silence.

"All that craziness today, with Woody and Dolly – d'ya think that's what Woody and Bo felt like dealing with us, back at Andy's?"

"I'm afraid we were much worse," Buzz chuckled. "We dragged things out for ten years. At least their drama only lasted for one day – I hope."

"Now we're the ones who hafta fix everyone's romantic problems," Jessie giggled. "Who made us the experts, anyway? I reckon we must look like we know what we're doin'."

Buzz set down the remote, unable to find any worthwhile shows or movies. He rolled to his side, drew his girl towards him, and brought her lips to his in a slow, sensual kiss. "Oh, I think we do," he breathed, when they finally pulled apart.

Jessie smirked. "But it don't hurt to practice," she purred, as he closed the distance between them once again.