A/N This chapter will feature FanFicAddict02's idea. :D I know I told some of you that the next chapter would combine two ideas that I received, but...I lied. :S I realized after being almost finished that it didn't flow very well and was very rushed because I was trying to cram so much in one chapter. After re-writing the chapter many, many times, I finally just cleared my head, came up with a new plot, and went with it. A/N

They both held their guns with steady hands and anxious sweat wetting their palms. Two targets, (one for each), looked as though they were miles away, but in reality had been placed only a short distance away. The murmurs through the crowd stopped suddenly as the two prepared for battle.

He dare not blink, despite of the grime and dirt that polluted his vision and burned his eyes. He felt his clammy hand slipping and shifted it with a jerky motion. This was the moment when his confidence melted away. This was anybody's to take.

Her toes quivered nervously inside her boots. She dug her heels into the dirt, which was quite mushy from a recent snowfall. It made a soft squish just as she blew a strand of fiery red hair from her eyes. This was the moment when her confidence melted away. This was anybody's to take.

Much earlier...

Jessie sighed as she dug her numb hands into her coat pockets. It was a new coat; a light brown leather coat that cut off slightly above her waist. She didn't enjoy wearing coats for many reasons. (A) They were most often made out of animal hides, which was obviously against her morals, and (B) She despised being seen as one who was not the toughest. If you were to ask the cowgirl, her list of reasons would go on and on for a long while.

Woody walked alongside her, just as cold but not wearing a coat or jacket. (This only added to Jessie's list of current frustrations.) He had been talking about the most recent laws that had just been passed. He knew this topic was not extremely interesting to his friend, so at first he wasn't surprised when Jessie didn't respond. But after a few moments of utterly awkward silence, he began to worry.

Their feet padded on the ground in harmony, making the sound that was so unique to snow. It was a squishy yet dry sound that made young children excited during days off of school. Since they were walking in the forest, trees made a tunnel over their heads, each covered with a thick layer of the fluffy white stuff. A few ice sickles hung on bony brown fingers.

Despite this natural beauty, the forest was somewhat desolate. All the animals were stowed away underground, dozing off to the silence of winter. A single cardinal blazed like a fire as it shot above their heads. A pop of color like this would show up every now and then, but the extremely harsh winter had definitely affected everything.

"Winter is so...boring." Jessie said with a frown upon her face that proved her distaste in the season.

"What do you mean? There's a bunch of holidays, snow, and hot chocolate. What's not to like?"

"I'm afraid that Bullseye is lonely. All he ever does is sleep and eat nowadays." She grumbled. "All of his friends are sleeping!"

"I'm sure he's fine," Woody began. He bent down to pick up a small piece of paper that was skipping along the ground with the winter breeze. Before he could continue, an icy shock hit his neck. Woody brushed the ball of snow off his neck.

"What was that for?" the sheriff cried.

"Have you not seen how weird he's been lately? I thought you were different!" Jessie said quite loudly as hot tears filled her eyes. She walked away, escaping the tension that had suddenly arisen. Woody could almost feel Jessie's forceful footsteps shake the ground as he stood up slowly.

He almost called out her name, but decided otherwise. Her explosion somewhat startled him, but Woody was pretty sure he had women figured out- if they got mad, it was usually just hormones. As he started walking down the icy path again, he figured Jessie would come crawling back the next morning. And after a few minutes had passed, the sheriff was positive that was what would happen.

~()~

Jessie was laying on a soft pink sheet, her skinny limbs tangled in a strange position. She had positioned herself so that she could see the stars peeking out through a tiny window on the roof of the barn. Every once in a while she would glance at her beloved horse, who was covered with hay in the corner.

She sat up suddenly and brought her knees to her chest. There was something obviously wrong with Bullseye; how could Woodyhave been so clueless? The entire day had been dedicated to asking this question.

Jessie was true to her word; she did think Woody was different from everyone else. He had than unique connection with animals, and had always been so caring towards them. Jessie knew the sheriff had seen Bullseye every single day. Was he really like every other man? Clueless, naive, and sometimes just plain stupid? At the moment, Jessie was convinced. But perhaps very deep down, she knew sometimes people said things they didn't really mean.

Bullseye shifted in his sleep, shaking Jessie out of her deep thought. She went to his pen and leaned against the creaky wooden railing. She smiled slightly and stared at him for a moment. Some people may call her crazy for it, but Jessie truly loved Bullseye. And if it was ethical during the time, she might even marry him. There was such a strong bond that had been built so long ago that it was extremely hard to break.

And Jessie was worried a sudden case of the blues had done it.

~()~

Woody sunk into his old, brown plush chair. Tonight his infamous chair had been deemed "the thinking chair" by the sheriff. He listened to the crackling of the fire going as he tried to figure things out. Woody sighed and closed his eyes.

Why were women so darn complicated? For as long as Woody could remember, they confused men. Even his own father had told him once to steer clear of a hormonal lady. Woody wondered if there was a way to see a hormonal day for a woman, so he could prevent this from happening.

It was a terrible feeling, one that made his stomach turn and mind dizzy. On one hand, he really wanted to apologize. But on the other hand, he hadn't a clue what he had done wrong.

Jessie had been his best friend as long as he could remember. He had had many "pals" over the years, but none of them could ever amount to the cowgirl. Woody could remember all of the fights they had had, for he could count all of them on one hand. They always made up in the end, and this was the only way the sheriff knew how to judge true friendship. That was all he had ever known.

When Woody had first heard about the birds and the bees, he was too curious for his own good. He had plain out asked Jessie if she had gotten her "thing" yet. And she had only laughed and winked.

That was the Jessie Woody knew. The girl with the fiery personality that matched her bright red hair. The one with the life-loving, daredevil personality. Who was the Jessie he had seen today?

"Women." Woody sighed.

~()~

"There's something wrong with him," Woody pleaded to the vet, "You have to come see him." The stubby doctor rushed down the street, huffing.

"I'm sorry sheriff, but there's more important things I have to do than treat a horse that's just a little down in the dumps!" he exclaimed, patting his bald head with a dirty rag from his pocket.

"You don't understand; he's more than just a little sad," he continued to plead, then said in a hushed whisper, "And Jessie's all worked up about it."

The man sighed and nodded his head. There were two lines the townspeople knew never to cross- the sheriff's and Jessie's. If one wrong button was pushed, then it was possible for the entire town to explode. The pair seemed to hold everything together rather nicely.

"I'll try to make it over there soon." he decided after a moment. The man nodded, and then was off to his next appointment. The sheriff grinned in victory.

Woody walked down the street, breathing in the winter air. After a snowfall the air wasn't as bitter as winter air usually would be; it had almost a sweetness to it that made anyone crack a slight smile.

His stride faltered a bit when he spotted Jessie on the other side of the street. Woody considered hiding behind a tree or building, but eventually decided otherwise. Now the only thing to consider was whether or not to go over there. If he did, then there was always a risk of getting slapped. But if he didn't, there still was a risk of getting slapped later on. Might as well get it over with, he thought.

Surprisingly, Jessie didn't even stop walking. She didn't glance at him, or greet the sheriff.

"Hey," Woody mumbled, intentionally bumping her elbow slightly, "How was your day?" He asked this in a sing-song voice. When she didn't reply, he tried again. "I convinced the vet to come see Bullseye later."

Woody shifted his head a little, trying to see her reaction. He could tell she was trying her very hardest not to smile; there was a slight shimmer to her eyes. Just this made his heart sing.

"You're not off the hook yet," Jessie mumbled. Woody's shoulders sagged a bit. "Should we settle this the usual way?"

He grinned mischievously. "You bet. Friday, 3:00?"

"I'll be there."

~()~

They both held their guns with steady hands and anxious sweat wetting their palms. Two targets, (one for each), looked as though they were miles away, but in reality had been placed only a short distance away. The murmurs through the crowd stopped suddenly as the two prepared for battle.

He dare not blink, despite of the grime and dirt that polluted his vision and burned his eyes. He felt his clammy hand slipping and shifted it with a jerky motion. This was the moment when his confidence melted away. This was anybody's to take.

Her toes quivered nervously inside her boots. She dug her heels into the dirt, which was quite mushy from a recent snowfall. It made a soft squish just as she blew a strand of fiery red hair from her eyes. This was the moment when her confidence melted away. This was anybody's to take.

Bam.

The shot rang through the town. In unison, Jessie and Woody walked up towards their targets. Jessie threw a fist in the air.

Sweet victory.

A/N Did that make sense? I just thought it would be cute if a shooting contest is the way Jessie and Woody put arguments to rest. I thought giving both of their mindsets would be a good idea because I didn't want to come off as hating all men. (And some more length is always a bonus, right?) And of course I had to let Jessie win!

If you like sly advertisements, go ahead and read this: You can visit my blog by clicking on the link located on my profile. I don't really have a "niche"; most of the stuff I post is quite ramble-y. But check it out if you'd like! A/N