Sorry it's taken so long to get this fic updated! Between a busy life and getting used to a new laptop, I haven't had much of a chance to write. I've had this chapter almost finished for a while, though, so I figured it was about time I polished it up and got it posted. :)
This chapter is mine (jessiejane10), but Toy Story doesn't belong to me. Enjoy, and please leave a review! :D
Chapter 10 - Year Nine
"Ugh! It's so stiflin' in here! I can't take it anymore!"
Jessie yanked her hat off her head and threw it down next to her for emphasis. The half-asleep toys occupying Andy's toy box stirred at the sound of her outburst. None of them had been able to leave the cramped space for two days straight, and it was wearing badly on the claustrophobic cowgirl. If the truth was to be told, it was wearing on everyone.
Endless hours in the toy box were becoming the norm for Andy's toys, as their 16-year-old owner was now spending more of his time at home in his room on his computer. Usually they could get out during the day for a little while, when the house was empty, or possibly at night, but this time was different. A friend whose parents were out of town had come home with Andy for the weekend, and with the unpredictability of a stranger in the house, the toys had to stay put.
Bullseye scooted closer to Jessie and nuzzled her elbow, his eyes wide with concern.
The cowgirl patted her horse on the head, then stretched to reach the lid of the toy box, pushing it up slightly and peeking outside. Woody saw what she was doing and immediately called out to her.
"Jessie! You can't open the box! What if someone sees you?"
"I don't care, Woody," she snapped, grabbing her hat and setting it back on her head at a defiant angle. "I gotta get some air."
Fortunately for Jessie, the room was dark and still. Squinting her eyes to adjust to even a little more illumination than what she was accustomed to inside the toy box – Buzz's glow having faded somewhat after so many days without a light source to recharge it – she noticed that Andy's alarm clock said 2:30 a.m. and both teenagers were fast asleep. She raised the lid just high enough to hoist herself out, and dropped silently to the floor below.
Buzz watched her pensively, his protective instincts regarding the cowgirl in full effect, and his need to know that she wasn't in distress overpowering any nervousness he might have felt. The space ranger stood and faced his friend. "I'll go after her, Woody."
The cowboy nodded his thanks. "Just keep her out of trouble, okay?"
Moving cautiously – careful not to step on any of the other toys, who were drifting back to sleep – the space ranger stealthily followed the cowgirl out of the toy box. Scanning the room, it didn't take him long to find her. Jessie sat on the windowsill behind Andy's desk, lost in thought. Knowing what that usually meant, and worried she was more upset than anyone realized, he decided that he had to check on her. But speaking up to get her attention would take all the courage he had in him.
Buzz cleared his throat, trying to get her attention. She didn't hear him. 'Blast,' he thought. Now he had to speak.
"J-J-Jessie?"
This time the cowgirl responded. She turned and looked down from the windowsill with a smile.
"Hey Buzz."
"Is everything o-o-okay?"
"Oh yeah, I'm fine." He knew by the tone of her voice she wasn't being completely honest. "Jus' couldn't sleep is all. I'm sick an' tired of being cooped up. I hardly know if it's day or night."
Buzz exhaled a sigh of relief, glad she seemed better than he expected at least, away from the confines of the box. "I know what you mean," he agreed. "My joints have been locking up from a lack of activity." Almost immediately he regretted what he had just said. 'Blast, Lightyear, why did you have to say that? She'll think you're old and weak.'
"C'mon up here and join me." Jessie patted the empty space next to her. "Maybe we can find somethin' to do on the computer."
The space ranger grinned at the invitation, and eagerly climbed and flipped his way up the chair and front of the desk, showing off just a little. Jessie couldn't help but smirk at his no-so-subtle attempt to impress her.
The two toys came together in front of the open laptop. Buzz turned the computer to angle its light source away from the sleeping boys, while Jessie rearranged the desk's clutter into a makeshift barricade. Satisfied that their activities were sufficiently concealed, Buzz knelt and swept his hand across the laptop's mouse pad, bringing the screen to life.
"What did you have in m-m-mind?" he asked, flinching as he found the cowgirl suddenly sitting very close to him.
"I dunno," she shrugged, resting a hand on his arm, as if she needed to lean in for a better view of the screen. "Maybe a game or somethin'? Or some silly videos? Oh!" Jessie leapt up without warning, then plopped back down beside Buzz before he knew what had happened. "Let's wear these so nobody hears us."
The cowgirl stretched Andy's headphones to reach across both of their heads, each getting one side. The large, cushioned headphones pushed them even tighter together, and Buzz caught his breath at the feeling of her face so near to his.
Needing to find a distraction from the feelings aroused by Jessie's close proximity, Buzz activated the touchpad once again, using it to click on the icon for the web browser. However, as soon as the internet opened, the pair was greeted with explicit images the curious teenage boys had failed to close before turning in for the night. Their eyes widened and jaws dropped in horrified embarrassment, as the two friends suddenly became very self-conscious, and the space ranger slammed the laptop shut in a panic.
"W-w-why don't we get out of here for a w-w-while," he bravely suggested, trying to regain his composure.
"Good idea," Jessie quickly agreed, lifting the headphones off of their heads and setting them on the desk. "How 'bout a movie in the living room?"
Buzz leapt down to the floor first, then stood guard as Jessie straightened her hat and descended herself. The two toys eased Andy's bedroom door open and crept quietly down the stairs and into the living room, where the space ranger retrieved the remote from the coffee table before they clambered up onto the sofa.
Jessie took her hat off and set it to the side. "Find somethin' funny. It's been too long since I really laughed." The cowgirl sidled up to the visibly anxious space ranger and let herself sink into the soft cushions.
Being so early in the morning, the pair had little luck finding anything besides infomercials or movies of an equally-questionable nature to what they had seen on Andy's computer. Finally, as they flipped through the channels, they stumbled upon something they could both agree on and be comfortable with: a marathon of the sitcom Friends.
Soon they were chuckling at the misadventures of the six friends, who they had to admit made them think of the rag-tag family of toys they were a part of.
"Who d'ya think is most like who?" Jessie asked. "I s'pose since Ross and Monica are brother and sister, that would hafta be Woody'n me. Woody's neurotic enough, but I hope I'm not as crazy as her – okay, maybe I am a little – don't answer that."
Buzz just smiled at her remark; he thought the cowgirl's so-called craziness was cute. "I can see Bo as Rachel," he contributed to the discussion.
Jessie nodded. "Yup. But what about you?" she pondered. "You're definitely not Joey, so I guess that makes you Chandler – 'cause he's Ross's best friend, of course," she added, with feigned innocence.
Being familiar with the series, the space ranger knew of the connection between Chandler and Monica, and couldn't help but wonder at her implications. "Y-y-yeah, I guess it does," he concurred.
Jessie continued, having fun with this game. "Who are Phoebe and Joey, then?"
The two toys stared contemplatively at the television screen, puzzling over the question.
"Mrs. Potato Head."
"No. Barbie?"
"Maybe."
"Hamm?"
"Uhhh…"
Before long they found themselves laughing hysterically at the comparisons, and resolved that those two characters were just impossible to cast from amongst their friends.
As the pair settled back into watching the show, Buzz realized the opportunity he had. 'She just compared us to a couple in a show. That's a good sign, right?' he questioned. It didn't hurt that they were watching episodes from the very season where Monica and Chandler were attempting to hide their blossoming relationship, either.
The space ranger looked askance at the cowgirl doll sitting next to him. It was wonderful to see her smiling again, her green eyes shining in a way they hadn't for weeks. His heart swelled, and as he stared down at her hand, resting idly next to her on the sofa as if begging him to reach out for it, Buzz felt as if he was going to break out in a cold sweat. 'You can do this, Lightyear,' he tried in vain to convince himself. 'It's just her hand.' Nevertheless, the space ranger found himself fretting about the angle of their hands, and whether he should attempt to entwine his fingers in hers or simply rest his hand on top. Just as he took a deep breath and began to lower his hand over hers, the cowgirl shifted, and the moment had passed. 'Blast,' he cursed inwardly, 'I am such an idiot.'
Jessie, however, was not oblivious to what Buzz was trying to do. No sooner had he set his hand back down on the sofa where hers had been, than she placed her hand alongside his, their pinkies touching, hers resting ever so slightly on top. Both toys' hearts were pounding, exhilarated by even this tiny bit of contact ; and neither was willing to move. After a while, though, disappointed that Buzz hadn't tried to make any further advances, Jessie heaved a sigh, moved her hand away, and placed it on her lap.
Once again, the space ranger reprimanded himself. 'You're ruining this,' he thought. 'Do something. Now or never.' Trying yet again to muster up some courage, he dared glance at the cowgirl leaning ever so slightly forward as she focused on the television. Recalling something he'd seen in a movie – and that he'd seen Woody pull on Bo – he took a deep, fortifying breath and stretched his arms upward, resolving to try and wrap one around her, despite the feeling in the pit of his stomach that he would be sick from his nerves.
Little did he know that Jessie was one step ahead of him, and wasn't going to fall for the oldest trick in the book. Before Buzz could lower his arm across her shoulder, she dove at him instead, snuggling into the crook of his arm and nuzzling her head into his chest. Stunned, he froze momentarily, his arm still stiffly extended, not sure how to proceed under these unexpected circumstances. But looking down at her, her soft form cuddled against him, he knew he couldn't let this chance pass him by. Slowly, but deliberately, he laid his hand gently on her shoulder.
Butterflies fluttered wildly in Jessie's stomach at the sensation of Buzz touching her in such an unexpectedly affectionate manner. 'Could this finally be it?' she wished. They had come so far together in the past nine years, and yet there seemed so far still to go.
The pair sat cuddled together for what felt like an eternity, neither wanting to ruin the moment. After some time – and assuming from Jessie's stillness that the cowgirl had fallen asleep – Buzz was uncharacteristically emboldened by the night's turn of events. He rested his cheek against the top of her head, savoring her closeness, then dared to plant a chaste kiss on her yarn hair. Still very much awake, a look of utter contentment spread across Jessie' face, and she turned to look up at him.
Buzz was shocked, but somewhat relieved to see that his actions were met by a warm smile from Jessie. Both toys sat in silence, hearts pounding, staring at each other, each wondering what the other was thinking and what they might do next, but it was Jessie who chose to throw all caution to the wind. The cowgirl leaned in and kissed Buzz softly on the lips, and the space ranger was surprised to find himself easily returning the kiss – the first shared between them. They quickly became lost in each other, savoring the sensations of something both had dreamt of for a very long time; and Buzz's hand traveled up Jessie's neck to grasp the back of her head, his fingers embedded in her yarn hair. He felt a warmth and pressure rising in his jetpack as their kiss intensified, but held it in with all his might. Jessie was here, with him, things were finally happening between them, and nothing was going to spoil it.
Just as Buzz felt Jessie's hand slide slowly up his thigh, however, Ross Geller's voice bellowed ominously from the television's speakers.
'Get off my sister!'
Instantly Buzz pulled away and sat up with a start. He knew how easily they could get carried away, and he cared about Jessie – no, loved her, if he was honest – too much to let it happen. And Woody – if he found out – he just couldn't compromise his best friend's sister.
"W-w-we shouldn't – n-n-not that I don't want to – blast, do I want to – b-but – it's just – I m-must go."
The space ranger made a frantic leap off of the couch, and the cowgirl watched forlornly as his green glowing form raced up the steps.
"Buzz! Wait!"
Had she been able to see around the corner, just upstairs, she would have seen her almost-more-than-friend leaning against the wall, breath heavy, head hung in despair, retracting his wings.
Jessie slumped on the couch and reached for her hat. "Well, I guess it's progress," she sighed, before turning off the TV and sliding to the floor. The cowgirl tugged at the end of her braid as she slowly climbed the stairs, wondering what had just conspired with the space ranger she had such strong feelings for. "I hope."
Yeah, I took a chance with Buzz and Jessie kissing prior to Toy Story 3, but this chapter was inspired by two things. First, my husband has always seen Buzz's "W-why would I mind squeezing next to y-you?" line more as him trying to cover what was going on between them than purely nerves. And second, I decided to explore that thought further, based on a line I put in the most recent chapter of my 'Life with the Lightyears' fic, where Jessie admits to Dolly that she and Buzz had a moment of weakness before they were officially together. It's probably not likely, but it's not impossible… and it's fun to ponder. ;)