A/N: Enjoy the conclusion of my little story. Thanks for reviewing!
Jessie sighed and flipped her braid over her shoulder, fixing her companion with a stern look.
"We have to do something."
Buzz frowned. "Jessie, we are doing something. Uno," he said triumphantly, placing a card onto the small pile before him. Bullseye let out what might have been a sigh and morosely examined the ever-growing collection balanced between his front hooves.
Jessie glared at the space ranger and grabbed his arm, pointing to the windowsill.
"We have to do something about that."
Buzz's eyes followed his own finger to a familiar sight - Woody, curled up next to the window, gazing sadly outside. He sighed and shook his head.
"It's only been a week. He needs time."
The cowgirl disagreed. "Look, I know Bo Peep was special to him, but letting him mope alone like that isn't going to make things better. Now, I don't know if intervention is really gonna help, either, but I intend to try. Are you with me, Buzz?"
Buzz sighed again and threw his last card down, patting Bullseye's head as the horse slipped off the bed and went to find some more exciting entertainment. He stood.
"Of course I'm with you. And of course I want to help Woody. I've never...I've never seen him like this."
"Me neither. He...well, he reminds me of me. Back when I thought my destiny was either storage or Japan. It's like a piece of him is missing."
"Maybe you should talk to him," Buzz suggested. "You seem to have an adequate grasp on the situation." When Jessie shot him a suspicious look, he raised his hands defensively. "I'm serious. I wouldn't know what to say, Jessie. It'd be awkward. But you're a..."
"A girl," Jessie stated smoothly. "Fine." She turned away and began climbing up to the sill.
"That's not what I meant!" Buzz protested, starting after her.
His friend turned and her eyes softened. "I know, Buzz. But this is Woody we're talking about. He's your best friend, and he needs you. Awkward moments aside."
Buzz nodded. "I know. I'm sorry. What do you want me to do?"
Her face lit up. "Okay, listen closely..."
/
Woody didn't look up when Jessie seated herself next to him.
"Hi," he said softly.
"Hi, Woody," Jessie replied casually, peering out the window.
Woody blew out a breath. "Look, I know what you're trying to do, and I appreciate it, but-"
"I just wanted to look out the window," she protested. "It's a beautiful day."
A sharp nod in agreement with that comment, and then the following few minutes were spent in silence.
"I miss her," Woody finally murmured. Jessie nodded but didn't interrupt, so he went on slowly. "It wasn't even...unexpected. She warned me."
It was wintertime. There was snow on the ground, but nobody wanted to be cooped up inside, so the Davises had gone out Christmas shopping. The toys were relaxed - caught between autumn yard sales and those in the spring, they had a few comfortable months ahead of them; even the fear of newer, cooler toys was a thing of the past, since both Andy and Molly were too old for those kinds of gifts.
Woody and Bo had staked out a somewhat secluded corner in Andy's room and were taking the opportunity to talk. Bo was kept in Molly's room these days, so the two did not see each other as often. It was taking a toll on them both; then again, a lot of things were.
"Woody," Bo said softly. "I think...I think this Christmas might be my last in this house."
His response had been immediate and angry. "Why would you say something like that? You're not going anywhere, Bo!"
She laughed gently. "Woody, Molly just turned ten. Andy will be fifteen before too long. He doesn't play with us anymore, and he never will. It's time to accept that. You might be safe because you were a favorite. But I'm from an old, unused lamp. I belong in a nursery, not in the room of a budding preteen. Molly already knows this, and it won't be long before she decides to let me go. And then I must move on."
"But it isn't fair," Woody protested. "I'll save you, Bo. I promise I won't let them separate us."
"We're here as long as our owners need us, and then when it's time to leave, it's time," she said calmly. "I love you, Woody, but what I need from you is a promise that you won't put yourself in harm's way to help me. And," she said, raising a hand as Woody began to speak, "a promise that when I'm gone, you will let me go. The other toys need you, Woody. You're our leader."
"I haven't been a very good one lately," Woody mumbled.
"There are some things that are beyond even your very capable hands, Sheriff," she said, smiling fondly and pecking her beau on the cheek. "You're doing the best you can. Not even Potato Head could argue that. Now, promise."
"Bo, I-"
"For me?"
He fell silent. Then he dragged his gaze up to meet hers. "I promise."
"That must have been a difficult promise to make," Jessie said quietly.
"It was. And I've...I've broken it, haven't I?"
Jessie chose her words carefully. She'd never seen her friend so defeated before, and was suddenly glad she'd asked Buzz to help her out. Woody didn't think he was a good leader, but he was. He'd kept them all together, kept them sane...things could always be a lot worse.
"You haven't, Woody. Because the rest of us won't let you. It's all right to be sad. You were close to Bo. This isn't the same, but when I lost Emily..." she shook her head. Emily was not someone she spoke about often, and hardly ever to anyone but Woody. "Well, it was really hard to move on. In fact, I couldn't. Until you showed up. But you have friends. Plenty of friends, who are all here for you. Who rely on you."
He laughed without humor. "How can I be good for any of you anymore, when I've let so many bad things happen to our family? How can you possibly still trust me, after all the broken promises?"
Jessie couldn't believe she was hearing this from the usually-optimistic cowboy doll. He was the one who was supposed to be comforting her as she flipped out. A small spark of anger lit inside her, and she wondered if maybe it would help.
"I'm disappointed, Woody. I expected better from someone who always expects the rest of us to keep our heads up. Just when we need you the most, you throw in the towel. Figures." She stood and turned to walk away.
"Wait."
She turned to see Woody standing now, defiance in his eyes.
"For what? For you to fail us again? You're right, we'd all be better off without you."
"Wait just a minute." Woody's voice had turned angry, and his eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for me. You and Bullseye would be back in storage, maybe forever. Buzz wouldn't be here, either. He'd have become Scud-fodder or road-kill or rocket debris years ago. Wheezy would have left us years earlier. Things'd be different around here, and it wouldn't be for the better."
Jessie gave him an incredulous look. "Are you saying we do need you, Woody?"
He was so riled up he didn't recognize he had been trapped. "Yes, I am. You'd all be lost without me."
You're absolutely right, she thought, beaming on the inside. With that, she stepped up to the edge of the ledge and looked down at the other toys calmly playing a board game. She nodded at Buzz. He saluted...and everything exploded.
"You cheated!" Hamm yelled.
"Did not!" Rex shouted back.
"Did too!" Slinky said, growling. "I saw it!"
"Why, of all the lousy things to do..." Mrs. Potato Head said angrily as her husband located his "angry eyes."
A second later, the Monopoly board became a battlefield, paper money flying into the air as the toys wrestled amongst themselves. Bullseye and the green aliens joined the fray, and squeaking and whinnying soon joined the angry shouts.
Woody's mouth dropped open as he joined Jessie and looked over the chaos.
"What the-"
"Woody, little help down here!" Buzz shouted from the sidelines.
Woody's face tightened resolutely and he leapt onto the desk and then to the ground, Jessie at his heels.
"Hey!" he shouted, waving his arms. No one paid any attention. "HEY!" Putting his fingers in his mouth, he blew a long, clear whistle.
Instantly, the fighting ceased.
"What in tarnation is going on here?" Woody demanded, hands on his hips and a stern look on his face.
Nobody replied right away.
Then Rex spoke up hesitantly.
"He started it..."
"I don't care who started it, I just finished it! What could possess you all to act like that to each other; to your friends? A tussle now and then is one thing, but an all-out war? That's something completely unacceptable. We stick together, so if you have an argument, you work it out peacefully or bring it to me. Understand?"
The toys nodded meekly. Woody nodded, satisfied. When he wasn't looking, Buzz gave the pile a thumbs-up and they all grinned back at him.
Woody turned to Jessie.
"You're back!" she said happily, throwing her arms around her best friend. He smiled and gently detached himself from her grip, grasping her hands.
"Thanks, Jess," he said sincerely. "Thanks for not giving up on me."
"I never will, cowboy. That's a promise."
Buzz approached them. Woody held out his hand, and the two shook, smiling.
"And thank you, Buzz. For showing me that I'm still needed. And wanted."
"You are a necessary component of our system, Woody," his friend responded. "Do you know how many games of checkers I've been forced to play with Slinky in the past seven days?"
Woody laughed and looked beyond to where the dog was setting up a fresh board. "You are relieved of your duties, ranger." He tipped his hat.
Buzz snapped to a mock salute. "Sir!" Then he relaxed and put an arm around Jessie as they watched Woody and Slink bicker goodnaturedly about who got to be red.
"He's back to normal," Jessie said in satisfaction.
"As much as possible, for now," Buzz agreed. "We're all much obliged to you, ma'am - it was your idea."
"And everyone helped." She laced her fingers through the space ranger's. "So, what now? Back to Uno?"
He grinned at her. "Why don't we take a walk instead?"
/
Woody watched his friends retire to what was formerly his and Bo's corner and felt a small pang of pain before it was replaced by joy. He really did have the best friends imaginable.
"Aha! King me!" Slinky exclaimed triumphantly.
Shaking himself from his thoughts, Woody returned his attention to the board and to just how, exactly, he was getting beaten soundly by a puppy.