Chapter 35

Disclaimer: I do not own Toy Story. I would like to thank those that have taken time to read, alert, favourite, or review this story:)

Woody gasped as he staggered backwards, clutching his cheek in pain as his gaze travelled towards the box. A whole mass of Styrofoam peanuts were flooding out of the box, completely burying whoever was in the box in the process.

"Ouch," Woody murmured, unsure of who exactly had hit him. "What did you do that for?"

By now, the Styrofoam peanuts had gathered around the Sheriff's feet and he could almost instantly tell that whoever had been in there was buried within the mass of Styrofoam.

Ignoring the burning pain in his cheeks Woody staggered forward, only to stumble flat on his knees as he longingly gaped at the contents. At this moment his eyes were scanning through every single ruffle and slide of the contents as his mind reeled over every comprehensible thought. Was she there? Or had he just been following a false trail the entire time. Had he ripped himself for no reason at all? Was she still playing tricks on him?

Woody did his best to force these thoughts away as he gazed at the ruffling contents that flooded the area around his feet, his right hand clutched his cheek firmly as his eyebrows arched.

"Jessie?" Woody slowly murmured, unable to keep the clear sense of anxiousness away from the tone in his voice. It took a few moments to absorb the obvious fact: She really could be there. "Jessie!"

Under the rubble, Pete forced a groan away from the back of his throat as he tried to clear the Styrofoam peanuts away from above his head. With another sense of sudden anger overwhelming the Prospector, he wanted nothing more than to just show the deficient Cowboy what he really had in him. Did Woody Pride just so happen to think that he can walk all over Stinky Pete the Prospector like an overused rug? Well, if he did, Pete was going to show him. He was not going to let the Cowboy get away easily after everything he's done to them; everything his actions had forced Jessie through. He was not going to let anyone walk out on them ever again. And the Sheriff was just going to have to learn this the hard way.

"Jessie!" Woody exclaimed, with a deep sense of panic within his voice as he dug through the overriding contents and forced them aside. "Jess! Where are you?"

Jessie, currently trapped under a mass of peanuts near the box, gasped when she heard Woody's anxious calls. She knew that voice. But, nevertheless, it seemed aged and distant, almost as if it was an ominous voice from her past; a past she was unable to decipher in the slightest. At this moment, she could only pick out that this voice belonged to the toy who left them at Al's apartment nine years before, a toy that knew the consequences of his actions very well. He had full knowledge of what Al would do the other collectibles if he left: Al would force them into storage, where they were to spend who knows how long in storage. And, to Pete, it had seemed like Woody didn't have a care in the world for them as he stormed through the vents.

However, the next vision that flashed through her mind, caught Jessie completely off guard.

The air around her sent chills down her spine. It was freezing!

She choked against the restrains as her fragile, pale hands tore at her neck; tearing at the one restraint that blocked her airway completely.

Wait... It wasn't air surrounding her: It was water. And it was beyond freezing.

But she was unable to reach towards the surface, that divided the passage between life and death, as her hands tore at the hollow of her neck. She was unable to breath as the metaphorical vines tightened around her neck and her body. She couldn't surface at all.

But the vines only grew tighter as she struggled, making her eyes bulge as white spots danced around her vision. It was almost as if they were viciously taunting her. The dancing spots were completely free, they had the right of freedom. But she was being restrained within a fate that could only ever lead to death.

Wait, was this what death felt like? The feeling within her was the utmost proof of the fact. Well, she thought it was. Her breath was slowly being torn away from her as she ripped at the vines at her neck, tearing the skin away in the process. If she hadn't been on the verge of death, she may have winced and cringed at the sight of her own blood, of which slowly radiated around the freezing water as she kicked at the darkness. But the water around her restricted her movements, making them slow and clumsy.

This was the end; it had to be.

But life was so close. She was surrounded in nothing but the utter dark, but she could clearly see the light; the surface of the only thing that could keep her alive.

She continued to struggle against the restraints, but they only tightened. She tried to tear them off, but there was nothing there. It was as if an invisible force was strangling her with the utmost ease as she choked on the water, the air bubbles floating up like crazy. The young girl was too desperate to even realize that she was human once more.

And she was drowning as the invisible restraints kept her in place within the depths of the chilling waters.

After a few, long minutes (the longest in her life) the air bubbles began to die down as the pressure in her head increased, her eyes bulging as the spots grew larger.

This was death. The one thing she had been hoping for within the longest moments of her life.

And it had arrived.

Jessie gasped aloud as the vision snapped away from her sight, almost like a TV abruptly turning off in an empty room. She could still feel the pressure of the vines around her neck. And for a good few moments, she thought she had really died as she kicked the Styrofoam peanuts away. The water had been real enough. It had all been too real, almost as if she had really been there; as if she had really been tearing at the restraints around her delicate neck and her body. The feeling of the skin under her fingernails had been real enough and the chills against her body had been real enough also.

The whole vision had been horrifying enough.

But little did she know that this vision was to represent her entire situation all too well.

Perking up at the sound of her anxious gasp, Woody instantly knew who it belonged to and he felt the hopes rise within him to an unbelievable extent. Was it really her? Or were his eyes playing horrible tricks on him?

He shook his head and vigorously pushed these thoughts to the side as he dived in the direction of the voice. This wasn't what mattered now: He had to find her. She had been away from him long enough. Even though in reality it had barely even been a day, but it felt like months to him.

"Jessie!" Woody exclaimed in surprise as he dug through the contents, completely oblivious to the outraged Prospector who was angrily gaping at him.

"W-Woody...?" Jessie asked slowly in shock, the recollection of the vision dying away slightly. She couldn't believe he was really here, after who knows how long.

But then she remembered the vow Pete had made nine years before.

"It's just a matter of time before Andy outgrows him, and when he does come back, I swear I'll make him pay for what he's done."

Her eyes grew wide as those words echoed through her mind. She had absolutely no idea of what Pete would do to him, but she knew it wouldn't be pleasant in the slightest. She knew that the Prospector meant what he said and she was scared. Scared for herself and for the Sheriff. She had no idea of what Pete would do whilst he was in this state, and she didn't want to know.

However, Woody sighed in relief at the sound of her voice.

"Jess." He murmured anxiously, before he eventually came across her. But his face fell almost instantly at the sight of her. She was hugging her legs to her chest as she curled up into a moping ball. Wait? Was it really her? "Jess?" He then slowly asked as he reached out for the Cowgirl, unaware of the current scheme that ran through Pete's head, and completely oblivious to the whimpering horse, of which cowered behind the right flap of the box. He could sense Pete's boiling anger, and he knew this wasn't a good sign in the slightest.

"Get your hands off her!" Pete demanded before darting towards the Cowboy and pinning him to the wall of the cabin.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait." Woody hurriedly murmured, completely caught off guard by Pete's sudden action. The Sheriff couldn't help but rell over the obvious fact: He had been so close to her; so close to getting her back. And, even though he wasn't completely aware of it, there was a part of him that really needed her in this situation. She was the only one who understood what he was going through. Well, at least she thought so. "What are you doing?"

However, Jessie couldn't help but mutter these words as she sat up: "Y-you left us."

"Wait. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. You don't understand - ouch." Woody began quickly, before wincing when Pete tightened his grip around Woody's injured arm, his eyes shooting death glares all around as the cold winds, from the open port hole, blew on his body.

"You left us you jerk!" Pete exclaimed in rage, before smiling devilishly at a crazed thought; almost as if something within him had snapped completely, something long lost behind his eyes. "And ya didn't believe me when I said the stupid brat would outgrow you. Well now look who's crawling back!"

"W-what are you talking about?" Woody asked, with a dreadful feeling that he knew what Pete was insinuating.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about you jerk! Do you have any idea of what you put us through? What you put Jessie through?"

Woody couldn't help but let his eyes widen at this thought. He had been the one that had left them and, because of his actions, Jessie suffered.

"I-I..." Woody began to murmur, clearly not thinking straight. It was as if his rational thoughts were melting away as the ones of doubt flooded in. This was his fault. Jessie had been forced through so much because of his actions.

Wait? What was he thinking? He had to get Jessie out of there.

"Get off me!" Woody ordered as he used all of his strength, mainly from his left arm, to shove Pete away from him. "Jess! We have to get out of here!"

However, Jessie could only let her eyes widen and her jaw drop at Woody's demand.

Pete staggered backwards, almost stumbling in the process, but he was quickly able to regain his balance. No-one did that to him!

But Woody was unable to read Pete's ominous thoughts as he reached out for the Cowgirl. But he was left surprised when Pete threw his fist in the Sheriff's face for the second time that day and he reeled over backwards, currently completely unaware of the fact that the port hole had been eft open.

"Woody!" Jessie yelled in horror and her eyes widened to their extent when she caught a glimpse of the Sheriff stumbling over the metal encasing of the port hole.

Woody Pride could only let his thoughts reel incomprehensibly as he fell towards his uncertain fate: The depths of the icy cold waters.

He shut his eyes tightly as he braced himself for the overwhelming iciness.

But little did he know that it would never come; well, for him at least.

A/N Uh oh, Pete had just punched Woody again (For a second time), and this caused Woody to topple out of the port hole. But what will happen next?

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xxxxxxxxxShannonxxxxxxxxx