So, sorry for the wait, honestly. I've been dealing with...stuff, going on vacation, and writing 3 other stories. *collapses* Yet, thought it was high time I get another chapter up. I want to apologize in advance, there's no action yet. Just more character development and emotion (you can go ahead and run away now). I PROMISE next chapter. This one wound up standing alone well on its own and turning out too long. Didn't want to over stuff it (heh, toy lingo). Anyways, hope you enjoy!
NOTE: Buzz has been to Andersonville before, but briefly. Need to minorly edit some previous chapters based on that fact.
Dreams in the Night
"Ugh, that's it!"
Buzz idly watched as another white dress flew from behind the small privacy screen, only to land across the room on the dresser unceremoniously. He sat tiredly on the bed, staring at his feet, as he heard Jessie's grunts and soft curses while she redressed herself for the tenth time that night. When she finally got herself situated, she came out from behind the screen, her nightclothes on and her hair in a wavy mess about her shoulders. A firm frown set on her face, she marched over to the discarded dress and picked it up.
"There ain't no way I'm wearing this wreck." She spat, glancing over the silky white material again. "I don't care how much Trixie's mother loved it when she wore it to her wedding. She never had that good of taste anyway."
Sighing, the cowgirl placed the dress back onto its hanger and replaced the leather covering around it, readying it so she could return it tomorrow.
"So let's see, Bo's dress is too small, Dolly's mother's is too short, Hamm's mother's is too…large, and Trixie's mother's is just…no." Jessie listed off all the wedding dresses she had tried on that night so she could look somewhat nice to her own ceremony the next morning, but none fit the bill. "Guess I'm just goin' in my usual get-up. I hope you don't plan on getting too dressed up, Buzz."
"You just hate all dresses to begin with." The former ranger raised a brow and smirked.
"Well, yeah, that's true." The cowgirl shrugged, walking to his side of the bed to stand next to him with a hand on her hip. "I have rejected every dress thrown at me. Still, I always pictured myself wearing a white dress on my wedding day, y'know, the day a girl feels like the most beautiful person on the planet. I figured getting all dolled up for just that one day would make it more special, instead of doing all the time. Looking pretty once is just fine for me."
"Once?" Buzz questioned, grabbing Jessie's hand and pulling her onto the bed with him, sitting up so she could rest on his lap and so he could wrap his arms around her. "From what I recall, you have always looked beautiful, even since the day I first laid eyes on you. Your tall, thin form, your bright, green eyes, your–"
"–red hair full of head?" Jessie guessed, pursing her lips together to keep herself from bursting with laughter. "From what I recall, that was the first compliment you ever gave me about my looks."
"I–I was nervous and flustered a-and inexperienced…" Buzz's cheeks flushed deeply with embarrassment, just as he always had whenever his 'compliment' sprang up in conversation. "If Woody didn't keep bringing it up, it wouldn't have had such a…humorous reputation."
The vivacity sparkling in Jessie's emerald eyes faltered before it dulled considerably. She looked down, her smile slowly turning upside-down as her body tensed slightly at whatever thoughts began to roam about her mind.
Buzz cursed himself silently. Why did he say his name, out of all the people he could have mentioned? It slipped, much more easily than he expected, especially considering his continuous grief for the loss of his best friend. During his small banter with Jessie, he felt as if everything had gone back to normal, as if nothing terrible had ever happened. No sorrow, no pain, and no troubles to worry about. Jessie's demeanor slapped him with reality once again, though, and woke him harshly from the relieving little daydream.
"Have they found him yet?" The cowgirl whispered so quietly, Buzz barely heard her.
"Hmm?"
"Have-have they found…Woody yet?" She repeated, wincing slightly at the tabooed name.
The former ranger opened his mouth, but closed it again. He didn't know how exactly to answer since he didn't exactly know the entire truth himself. Sighing slightly, he settled half-lidded eyes on Jessie's fatigued but lovely features, her pale skin illuminated softly by the natural lighting of the oil lamps on the bedside tables. Brushing a few strands of her red hair from her face, Buzz finally spoke.
"The last I heard about the search was the day we left." He began. "They still had not found him by that time. I asked Mira to contact me if anything changed, but she hasn't. I can only assume things have remained the same."
"How could he just disappear though?" Jessie shook her head. "It makes no sense."
"I know, I believed the same thing." Buzz agreed, his hand moving to rub hers. "Yet, I also believe that if Woody was still…around, he would've shown up by now. It's been two and a half weeks."
"You think he might've been kidnapped?" The cowgirl's voice rose with sudden hope. "He might still be alive!"
Buzz pursed his lips, his heart spewing doubt throughout him, knowing well the unfavorable odds of Woody's survival and the possible outcomes that made the cowboy 'disappear' in the end. Yet, Jessie's optimism, a trait of hers he hadn't seen in days and missed terribly, kept him silent.
"He could've been." The former ranger nodded slightly. "If he was, we unfortunately don't know who took him."
"Star Command doesn't know where the robot came from?" Jessie turned, raising a brow. "How could they not know?"
"I don't know." Buzz sighed, recollecting the information reported to him on the subject. "The rangers collecting intel on the attack retrieved every piece of the assassin. They analyzed them for days, hoping to figure out something. Everyone wanted to blame Zurg and be done with it, but his usual marks, the obvious ones like the big "Z" he puts on everything, wasn't present. There was nothing."
"No company name, no miniscule symbol?" Jessie inquired.
"Nothing. It didn't even have memory or built-in software like every other robot should have to function. It just had a mere command programmed into its energy chip, to kill the Raxip king and anyone else in the way. No one, not even the head Star Command engineer, understands its system."
The cowgirl frowned, facing forward again before slumping slightly against Buzz, feeling his hold tighten around her. She remained silent for a long moment, staring at her hands, mulling, worrying. When she leaned back and rested her head on her fiancé's shoulder, she finally turned back to face him, giving a rueful expression.
"You need to go back, Buzz."
It took the former ranger a second to comprehend. He frowned deeply with disagreement.
"Jess, no. I already told you I'm–"
"Star Command needs you, Buzz!" Jessie protested. "Whoever attacked the Raxip king is still out there! Who knows what he could do next, especially with that type of technology! You're the best of them all! You could stop whoever this is and avenge Woody!"
Buzz instantly sat up straighter, impelling Jessie to pull away from him and face him squarely, kneeling stiffly on the bed.
"You know revenge is something we do not promote." Buzz reminded sternly, crossing his arms. "It would do nothing to help them and nothing to help you!"
"They need you more than I do!"
His sudden stunned and pained expression quickly made the cowgirl flustered and incoherent.
"No, I-I didn't mean it…like that…I–"
"Why are you so determined to send me back?" Buzz questioned, his voice deep and barely a whisper.
"I-I…"
Jessie struggled, glancing around the room rapidly as she reached for her hair, beginning to tug against her red locks. She found it harder and harder to breathe and felt like the walls of the room were closing in on her. She couldn't find words, couldn't define feelings. She felt so lost and unsure, guilty and upset that she didn't know how to control herself. Yet, when she finally met Buzz's near distressed and concerned eyes again, everything seemed to fall into place.
"I want everything to be the way it was again!" She cried, tears finally beginning to fall from her glossy eyes. "You a space ranger, Woody a sheriff, and me…a deputy sheriff. I want everythin' to be happy and sunny and bright again, where our problems were nothin' and our time together thrilling! Where we can fight off One-Eyed Bart and Zurg's robots with a flick of the wrist and go home together and enjoy ourselves! Where we can kiss and dance and love each other without a care! Where we can have a wedding we planned ourselves, get all dressed up, have all our family and friends there, and decide where we want it and when we want it! Where I can look at you and know this is something I want to do and not something I'm forced to do!"
After soaking herself with tears, throwing her hands about, and tangling her hair further, the cowgirl finally threw herself down on her side of the bed, sobbing heavily into her pillow. Buzz merely sat against the headrest, staring wide-eyed at the defeated form of his fiancé beside him. He didn't know what to do, fearing his next move would break Jessie further. For a long moment, he just watched her, his heart aching and his mind reeling. It wasn't until her sobs quieted did he dare make a move.
"Jess…" Buzz croaked, his throat dry as he leaned forward to rub Jessie's back gently, trying to calm her. "Just relax."
The cowgirl mumbled something incoherently, but Buzz didn't bother asking her to repeat. He just kept up his light massage, feeling her tense body relax slowly under his fingers. Jessie soon turned her head to the side, breathing in the fresh, cool air around them once again. Even as tear marks still lingered and her eyes remained heavily bloodshot, Buzz finally lied himself down beside her and took her into his arms, pulling her close against him as he continued to rub her back and kissed her on the forehead. It didn't take long for Jessie to nestle closer to him, burying her face in his shirt.
"I'm not ready for this…" She mumbled.
Buzz sighed, embracing her ever closer.
"Neither am I, Jess. Neither am I."
I might as well write televison's next hit drama after this. *sigh* Sometimes I just rely on emotions to make a story. I don't know if that's good or bad. Probably not too interesting, but oh well. I love figuring out how people think and react to certain situations and this story fits the bill. Plus, I love h/c.
Now that we've got the reasons why Buzz and Jessie don't want to get married yet down, time for the actual marriage! :D
