Chapter 10 – Where's Buzz?

Where was he?

Woody glanced at the clock on Amanda's nightstand, a sleeping Bullseye sitting beside him, his only company since Buzz had left a few hours earlier. At least he hadn't disappeared immediately after Woody had caught him that morning. He'd stayed for a few hours, knowing that Woody needed him just as much as he needed Jessie.

Besides, if he was going to rescue Jessie, it would be better done under the cover of night time, than in broad daylight, they had agreed.

But now, almost three hours after Buzz had scaled down off the shelf and vanished from sight again, Woody wasn't that worried. But he was fidgeting, a sure sign that he had waited long enough. He linked his fingers together, then unlinked them again. Tapped them together. Waited. Looked at the window, to the clock, to the sleeping Amanda below him, and back to the clock. All this only killed two minutes maximum.

Woody sighed. He couldn't sleep while Buzz was gone, and so he had a feeling this was going to be a extremely long night.

"But we have to, Buzz," Jessie insisted, following Buzz as he walked across the bed.

They had been sitting up with Lizzie for a few hours, discussing how they were going back to get Woody, poring over the antique book at the pictures of the Roundup quartet. But Buzz was having none of a certain part of 'Operation Return To Get Woody' - and it showed.

He had intended to stomp away from Jessie when he got up finally, but mattresses aren't built for stomping; he simply bounced a bit harder as he walked, which didn't really give the desired effect overall.

"I said no, Jessie. We don't have to do anything. You are staying put, where I know you're safe." Buzz turned around at last to face his flame haired girlfriend.

"Since when did I become the fragile little miss you need to look after?" Jessie huffed, folding her arms.

"I don't mean it like that….look. Jessie. I don't want to take you back there and risk you being found. You're better off here. Lizzie will keep you safe. If you get caught by Amanda she's going to know something's up. I need to go back alone."

"But I don't want to leave you," Jessie whispered, stepping closer to Buzz and wrapping her arms around him.

"Hey. None of that," Buzz looked down at Jessie, brushing back a strand of yarn.

There was a wistful sigh from above. Both toys looked up, to see Lizzie watching them, a smile on her face. "Don't mind me. I'm a romantic," she confided, as Jessie and Buzz jumped apart with guilty looks on their faces.

Seriously Buzz?

Woody thought from his place on the shelf. It was dawn, he could see the beginnings of the light filtering through the curtains that obscured the window from view. The clock on the nightstand read 5.11am now.

He was flat out worried now. Buzz only went to get Jessie. All sorts of scenarios raced through his mind.

Maybe a car ran over him, broke his arm like at Sid's.

Maybe he lost his way to Lizzie's house.

Maybe there was a dog or some other creature that had attacked him in a garden.

Maybe he got caught getting into the house.

Maybe he was at the house, and couldn't get out.

Maybe, if Jessie had left to be taken to Lizzie, he had followed the girl who had fixed her and didn't know how to get back.

Woody sighed and glanced back at the clock on the nightstand. 5.13am.

Ugh.

"Here, you guys settle down here." Lizzie offered kindly. "I'm going back to sleep. So feel free to…you know, talk or whatever it is you were doing." She smiled sleepily and padded back quietly, the creak of the bedsprings sounding as she settled back down. "Goodnight," she called in a hushed voice, and then silence settled.

Buzz looked at Jessie, and Jessie looked at Buzz. A soft blush broke over the cowgirls face. "After you," she whispered shyly, gesturing down. In front of them was an old cushion, slightly frilled around the edges. It had a pattern of a little girl with a watering can on it, with a little puppy sitting there watching her tending to a plant.

"I don't know." Buzz rubbed the back of his neck. "I feel uncomfortable lying on something so innocent."

Jessie laughed, reaching down and flipping the cushion over to the other side, which was plain white. "Now?"

"Now," Buzz smiled, sitting down on the edge of the cushion and swinging his legs around. He lay down, and Jessie grabbed the swatch of cotton fabric Lizzie had left nearby, before snuggling down next to him and pulling the cover over them. She laid her head on Buzz's chest, and he wrapped a arm around under her.

"So…Woody?" Jessie murmured sleepily.

"I'll go back for him – alone - tomorrow evening," Buzz mumbled, "There's no way I'm leaving you right now…too comfy…"

There was no more argument from Jessie. Within moments, the two of them were fast asleep.