21:


All was quiet in the Anderson household. Woody held Bo's hand as they walked into the living room together, but his mind was racing and his knees felt even floppier than usual. Okay, deep breath, Woody. Deeeep breath. All you gotta do is say four little words. That's not so hard… Rubbing his hand over his face, he swallowed. It felt like he had a golf ball in his throat.

"Honey?"

His voice cracked as he answered. "Y-yes?"

"What's the matter? You're not talking and your hand is trembling."

"Nothing's the matter! Really!"

She raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Hmmm…"

Bonnie's small table where she colored and played was under the window. Leading her to it, he helped her climb on top and to the sill. "So where we are going?"

"Just to the front window. I…just want to be able to see you as best I can."

She paused in front of the glass. "Moon out tonight?"

"Yeah. It's a quarter moon."

Bo sighed. "I miss the moon. Sometimes like on nights like this I can picture it as clearly as if my eyes were still there." She paused, then began to sing softly, "I see the Moon and the Moon sees me. And the Moon sees the one that I can't see. God Bless the Moon and God Bless me…" She turned, and holding out her hand to him, offered Woody a smile. "And God Bless the one that I can't see."

Woody stared at her for a moment as if he'd been struck, his breath caught in his throat. Then he dropped to his knees.

"Woody?" She reached down and touched his face. "What are you doing? Are you kneeling?"

"Bo, you are…the light of my life…" He knew she couldn't see but he took off his hat anyway and held it to his chest. "I want to spend every day with you beside me."

"What…Oh." Bo put a hand to her mouth. "Oh my…"

"Little Bo Peep, would you do me the great honor of…" Before he could even finish he was being pinned to the sill as he was hugged and kissed.

"Yes!" she cried between each kiss. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

With a huge grin, Woody wrapped his arms around her. "Oh Bo, I swear I'll make you the happiest doll on Earth! We'll have six children!"

"Six? Oh a dozen at least…"

There was a scream and a crash. Bonnie's toys had fallen from behind the archway and were now all tangled up in a heap on the living room floor. Woody looked at them exasperated. "Really, Guys?"

"Woody, what's going on?"

He sat up and grabbed his hat. "We've got company, that's what."

Trixie was upside in the pile and she kicked her legs in the air in excitement. "I knew you two would get married! I knew it I knew it I knew it…"

"Oh come on, we all knew she was gonna say yes…" Potato Head said underneath her.

Woody, now standing, crossed his arms. "And how did you all find out I was proposing, Buzz?"

Buzz smiled sheepishly. "I, uh, may have asked Jessie what the duties of a Best Man entailed and she inferred it from there and…"

Jessie jumped out of the pile. "Inferred inshmered!" she shouted. "Y'all shoulda tied the knot twenty years ago!"

"We haven't even known each other for twenty years."

Jessie was climbing on the table and then onto the sill, Buzz behind her. She shook Woody's hand so hard he thought it might pop off and bear hugged Bo so that her feet left the ledge. Buzz for his part gave Woody a gentler, yet still firm handshake. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, Pal."

"All right," Shakes was standing with Dolly behind the pile of toys. "You've all had your fun. Back to the bedroom."

"She's right," said Dolly. "Let's give them some privacy."

"Privacy…" Hamm said slyly as he rolled to his feet. "Shouldn't they save that for the honeymoon?"

On the windowsill, Jessie whooped. "Too late!"

"OUT!" shouted Woody, pointing to the archway. Jessie grinned and leaped off the sill, not even bothering to land on the table first. Buzz saluted then somersaulted after her.

As Woody watched the toys shuffle out of the room, he felt Bo's arms reach up and encircle his neck. He looked down to where she was now resting her cheek on his shoulder. "Do you…remember how we used to twist the Oreo cookies and make wishes?"

"Yeah," he said, putting his arm around her back and pulling her close. "You would never tell me your wish."

"Well Cowboy, I can tell you now," she whispered. "Because tonight it finally came true."

And in the moonlight, he kissed her.