*Double chapter posting! Also with my last ts3 story, I changed some parts and put my own spin on it. I wanted Woody to meet Bonnie at a later time in that one. With this one I'm keeping some parts, and adding some of my own spins. I won't be adding the part about Buzz being switched to demo. But I may keep the spanish mode part. :)*
Dawn came bringing a restless night for Andy's toys. Their cells were plastic cubby bins on separate shelves. They all wondered what happened to Woody, and grieving over Rosetta. Bullseye was in a bin next to Jessie and began to whine. Jessie patted his head.
"Oh Bullseye, I miss Rosetta too. I really miss her." Jessie said.
"We all do." Buzz said.
"I just can't believe Lotso would hurt a little girl." Potato head sadly.
"I can't even imagine what Woody's feeling right now." Slinky said. Just then they heard a commotion coming from the other side of the door. The Butterfly room toys came in hooting and hollering, riding on the back of the truck. Rex shrank back into his cubby.
"Rise and shine, maggots! It's another glorious day which means another fun-filled playtime for you!" Lotso said laughing.
"Where's my brother? What have you done with him?" Jessie snapped.
"Oh right, almost forgot about him." Lotso tapped his cane and in walked Big Baby. The baby doll tossed Woody into the center of the room. Woody hit the floor, rolling twice before coming to a stop on his stomach.
"Woody!" His friends cried. He moved his head a bit, but made no other movement. His body was sore everywhere that it hurt to even move an inch. Lotso came down to him, eye level, and grabbed his chin, making him gasp.
"We're going to behave today, right sheriff?" Woody glared at him and jerked away from him. Lotso grabbed him by the throat. "Answer me, you stupid ragdoll!"
"Ah! Yes. I'll behave. I swear." Woody said, his voice strained. Lotso threw him back down and got back on the truck.
"Little one's will be here in ninety minutes!" The bear said, cackling as the truck zoomed out of the room. As soon as he was out of sight, Jessie pushed her cubby out and jumped down. She and the others rushed over to Woody, who was coughing and trying to get up. Soon, Buzz was at his side, placing a hand on his back and reaching out with the other hand. Woody took it and was lifted back on his feet.
"Woody." Jessie said, hugging him.
"Are you alright, Woody?" Slinky asked. Woody responded by going into a coughing fit.
"Yeah. He said, once he regained himself. I'm fine guys." His voice was so strained and hoarse that he sounded sick.
"Your voice doesn't sound fine." Potato Head mumbled. His wife elbowed him.
"What happened last night, Woody?" Jessie asked.
"Twitch dragged me into the staff office where he and Chunk proceeded to finish beating me up. Woody explained. I thought they were done. My body was so sore, but it was only the beginning. Lotso came in and began kicking me in the chest. When he was done, he grabbed me by the throat again and..." The cowboy shut his eyes, took a few short, quick breaths, and continued, his voice shaking as he spoke. "He told me that Andy was never going to play with me again. That he is just going to leave me on a shelf, or in a box, alone. He told me I should forget about him...before he forgets about me." The last part came out in a sad whisper, making the others gasp.
"Woody, you know that's not true. Buzz said. You and I both know..."
"Who are we kidding, Buzz? Who am I kidding? I tried for four years to get Andy to notice us, to try and make some sort of playtime happen for us, and I've failed every time! I have failed as a leader!"
"No you didn't. You tried to keep the hope alive that we would be played with again. You believed in Andy, we didn't."
"Yeah, we all just got scared and freaked out." Mrs. Potato Head said.
"That's right, Woody. Jessie said. We shut down the attic idea because we were afraid. We know you've always looked out for us, we just didn't want to accept it. And for that we're sorry."
"We're sorry, Woody!" Rex cried.
"We're sorry, Woodster." Hamm said. Potato Head and Slinky nodded.
"I appreciate that, guys, but I still should've asked what you all wanted. A good leader makes decisions based on advice from his friends. I didn't. If I did that, we wouldn't be in this mess. And, and I would still have Ro, Rosetta." Woody said, his body shaking. He covered his mouth and shut his eyes, sobbing. Jessie held him steady, rubbing his arm and back. Buzz took his niece's ring out of his storage compartment in his belt and held it out to Woody. The cowboy took the tiny ring and closed his hand around it.
"Oh Rose. I made this ring for her a week before I asked Bo to marry me. When I gave it to her, I vowed to protect her, no matter what. I broke my one vow, and now she..." He brought his closed fist to his chest, holding it close. The cowboy sank to his knees, gasping. Jessie got down beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. Buzz placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I hate to disrupt this tender, heartfelt moment, but the kids are arriving." Hamm said quietly. Woody sighed sadly, took Buzz's extended hand, and got back on his feet. Reaching his hands behind him, Woody untied his handkerchief from his neck and pulled Rosetta's ring through it. He then tied it back around his neck, tucked the ring into the folds of the scarf, and then tucked the scarf around the collar of his shirt.
"Let's get this over with." Woody said, sighing.
Over in the butterfly room, Bonnie placed her backpack in her cubby and ran off to play. Rosetta unzipped the bag and climbed out. She climbed to the top, opened one of the ceiling titles and crawled in. Making her way carefully along the boards, she kept her ears open. Suddenly she heard screams. Lifting one of the titles, she found she had made it to the Caterpillar room and the toddlers were already wrecking havoc on the toys. Rosetta climbed down to an empty reading loft and pulled back the drawn curtain. She saw every one of her family members being tortured by the kids. One throws Potato Head on the ground, his pieces scattering everywhere. Two kids stretch Slinky to his max. A girl throws Jessie against a wall, and a boy threw her father into a stacked pile of blocks. She winced, for it looked like it hurt. She as horrified by all of it until a small ringing caught her attention. She turned and saw the chatter phone toss his phone onto the floor and nudged at it. Getting up, she walked over and put the phone to her ear.
"Um, hello?" She said softly.
"Bold choice coming back here, sweetheart. Chatter Phone said. Lotso cracked down hard on security since you disappeared. More patrols, more guards. Any chance you think you have of getting your family out of here, forget about it."
"I have to try something."
"Want my advice? Get out of here while you can before Lotso sees you. Don't be like me, kid. I've been here for many years. They haven't broken me yet. There is only one way out of here." He turned to the window where they saw a janitor tossing a broken toy train into the trash chute. Rosetta slinks back. "Yeah, poor fella. Truck comes at dawn, and then it's off to the dump."
"I appreciate your advice and concern, Mr. Chatter Phone, but I need to save my family, especially my father. We need to go back home, so if you can help me in any way, I'd be ever so grateful." The old timer sighs.
"You got guts, kid, I'll give you that. Okay, here's what you need to know. First thing, the doors, locked every single night, key is hung on a hook in the office. Lotso's patrols are everywhere. Hallways, playground, you name it. And then you have the wall. Eight feet high, no way through, just over it."
"That's all? That doesn't seem complicated."
"It's not. Your real problem is the monkey, Lotso's eyes in the sky. He sees every inch of this daycare and sends out a call if someone tries to escape. Get rid of the monkey first, otherwise it's game over for you and your family!" Just then, the bell rings, signaling the start of recess. Once the kids leave, the bathroom door opens and Lotso steps into the room. "Oh no."
"What, what is it?" Rosetta asked.
"Your father, he's in for another round of Lotso's beatings. I can't watch this again, and I advise you not to either. It ain't pretty. Good luck, sweetheart, you're going to need it." Rosetta placed the phone back on him and he wheeled away, leaving her to watch Lotso walk slowly over to her father and family.
*I'm going to type up chapter ten this weekend! Sorry for keeping you on your toes!*