Author Note - Another oneshot already? This thing seriously assaulted me not 5 minutes after I finished the other one. And while writing, I kept thinking, is this thing ever going to end? But I hope you guys don't think that too haha. I think this idea was somewhat tackled by Cerulean Pen's Buttons, which is a great story btw, as it came to mind a few times when I was writing this. Speaking, of stories, I just realized I have several Woody/Dolly stories I need to read and catch up on! So I hope to do that soon since I want to appreciate the amazing writers who also love this ship :) Okay enough rambling now.

Disclaimer - I don't own Toy Story 3, but honestly you should know that by now. Plus, I haven't read a lot of stories in this section, so any similarities I assure you are coincidental.

I've Been There Before

2. In My Arms

"Face it, Sheriff Woody!" Bonnie held Dolly in one hand and Woody in the other. "You've finally lost! Hahahaha!" Bonnie moved her hand to simulate Dolly flying on her witch broom.

"I never lose!" Bonnie declared as she imagined Woody jumping to rip Dolly's wand from her hand. Bonnie placed Woody's toy hand on Dolly's arm, her own fingers wrapped around the arm as well, and pulled. However, the little girl unintentionally pulled much harder than she realized and there was a sudden sound of ripping. "OH NO!" Before any of the other toys could sneak a glimpse, Bonnie had dropped Woody to the floor and run from the room crying, "Mom!"

"What just happened?" Several of the toys asked as they gathered around Woody. Only a few of Andy's toys realized what it possibly could have been from a previous experience.

Woody looked down at his own arm, inspecting the stitching before giving a slight sigh of relief, feeling a little selfish for worrying about his own arm first. "Dolly's arm ripped," Woody said before quickly moving out into the hall and as carefully as he could towards where he heard Bonnie practically in tears as she spoke to her mother.

"Bonnie, there's nothing I can do about it right now, sweetie. We have to leave soon for SunnySide." Mrs. Anderson then looked her daughter over before adding in a chastising tone, "And you really should have been getting read instead of playing anyways, young lady."

This caused Bonnie's lip to quiver uncontrollably until at last she gave into her tears. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to. It's my fault Dolly's arm is broke. And now she's ruined!" The words came through sobs and snivels.

As Woody watched, his heart ached for his owner as she blamed herself for what happened. Well don't just stand there and let her cry, he thought and as if listening, Bonnie's mother knelt down and took Bonnie into her arms. "I'm sorry, Bonnie. It's not your fault. Not really." Teaching the consequences of disobedience was a fine line to walk for any parent and Mrs. Anderson decided Bonnie had learned her lesson well enough for one day. "Let me see Dolly," the woman gently took the doll handed to her by her daughter and began to inspect the damage. "Oh it's not so bad."

"Yes it is! She's ruined!" Bonnie sobbed once more.

Mrs. Anderson stood back up and sat Dolly on the kitchen table. "Listen, Bonnie. I know you don't want to, but go get ready now and I promise after daycare, I'll do my best to fix Dolly okay?"

Woody didn't wait to hear the little girl's response, but instead hurried back to her room before she could come and notice him missing. Sure enough, it wasn't long after that Bonnie returned and began getting ready for SunnySide, albeit slowly as she still seemed sullen from the morning's event. Mrs. Anderson called for her to hurry up and Bonnie grabbed her backpack. However, before leaving, she grabbed Woody from off the floor and gave him a hug. "Don't worry, Woody. It's not your fault," she said lovingly before laying him on her bed and scurrying out of the room.

"Poor, Dolly," Jessie was the first to speak as the toys came to life once more.

Woody dropped to the floor as the toys huddled together. "What's going to happen?" the peas asked in childlike confusion as Mrs. Potato Head did her best to comfort them.

"Oh that the best of toys should perish first," Mr. Pricklepants declared melodramatically, sorrow in his voice.

"Perish?" Trixie felt suddenly worried for her friend. "This can't happen!"

"Guys, wait, you guys," Woody tried to calm everyone down.

"Yeah, we have to do something!" Rex immediately went along with Trixie even if he had no real reason to.

"Rex," Woody shot him a threatening glance as Bonnie's original toys chattered in a state of panic and confusion. "YOU GUYS!" Woody finally shouted, bringing them to silence. "Listen. Nobody's going to perish, especially not Dolly. She'll be fine, I promise."

"How do you know?" Buttercup asked curiously.

"Yes, what mystical bond of love gives you such certainty?" Mr. Pricklepants chimed in.

"Mystical bond of lo…what are you talking about?" Woody looked at the hedgehog in confusion as he heard Jesse snicker a little. "Oh for crying out loud," he finally became impatient. "I'm telling you, she'll be okay and you're just going to have to take my word for it," he declared and turned to walk away so they would know that it was the final word he would say on the matter.

"Don't worry everybody," Buzz intervened after the fact. "You can trust him. He knows what he's talking about," he assured them calmly and they finally seemed to listen.

"Hey, Woody," Jessie followed after the exasperated cowboy. She placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Just because we know she'll be okay, doesn't mean she does. Remember how you felt?"

Woody bit his lip a little and then nodded. "Yeah, I do. I better go talk to her," he said and then turned towards the door.

"You do that, Sheriff," she teased slightly before returning to the others.

Woody quickly reached the kitchen. His eyes scanned the room and he saw Dolly was still sitting on the table where Mrs. Anderson had left her. Her legs dangled slightly off the side, her eyes closed in noticeable despair. He carefully climbed up onto one of the far chairs and then onto the table. He walked over and stood behind her for a moment, trying not to stare at her damaged arm.

"Hey howdy hey there little missy," he said quietly enough as not to startle her, even though he was sure she probably already knew he was there.

She gave a heavy sigh, opening her eyes a little. "Oh, Woody, what am I going to do?" She rolled her eyes to examine her arm before sighing once more. "Bonnie was right. I'm ruined," Dolly said, taking for granted whether or not Woody had overheard Bonnie's scene with her mother. "She's never going to play with me again. I'm going to be…I'm…oh," she didn't finish as she brought the hand on her okay arm up to her face. She wasn't actually crying, but she shook her head in distress just the same.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Woody carefully sat down on the table beside her. "You heard Bonnie's mom right? She's going to try to fix you."

"She was just saying that to calm Bonnie down. I'm not an old toy, Woody, but I'm not dumb. I know that's just what parents do in situations like this," Dolly dropped her hand from her face in defeat. She was trying hard to be brave, levelheaded, and everything else she was known for, but it seemed rather pointless at a time like this.

"Well, yeah, they do sometimes I guess," Woody thought for a moment as he recalled how Wheezy had been shelved with the promise of being fixed and how Ms. Davis hadn't followed through. "Here, let me see your arm," he decided to take a closer look at it, if only to calm his own sudden bout of uncertainty.

She moved it closer to him carefully and he took it into his hands. However, their eyes locked the moment they touched, as if the shock of it forced them to look at one another. Time seemed to freeze momentarily as Woody held on gently, forgetting what it was he was doing in the first place.

Woody suddenly felt an irrational urge to apologize. "I'm sorry," his voice was low, not a whisper, but still just so she could hear.

"It's not your fault," Dolly responded much more rationally. She didn't blame him, or even Bonnie for that matter, for what had happened. It wouldn't make sense to. After all, they had been inanimate when it happened. It had been Bonnie's imagination that caused the sheriff to pull on the witch's arm.

"I know, but…" his sentence trailed as he inwardly debated with himself over what it was exactly he wanted to say. And why did he find himself struggling to keep from leaning closer and closer to her? "Dolly, I don't know –" he was on the verge of admitting something, maybe something he would regret or maybe something he wasn't quite sure of just yet, when suddenly the grandfather clock in the nearby living room chimed loudly, sending them both apart. Once he was able to think clearly again, Woody looked at Dolly's arm and realized what very well could have happened in his state of panic. "It's a good thing I let go of your arm instead of ripping it more," he said with a genuine sigh of relief.

"I'll say," she tried to smile as her mind raced with thoughts of what seemed to have been transpiring between them prior to their scare. However, another look at her arm brought her attention back to the very serious problem at hand. How Woody had somehow made her forget about the looming disaster was beyond her comprehension at the moment. Right now, she was once again beginning to feel anxious over what her ripped arm meant for her future. Or maybe she was even more anxious now as she suddenly thought about how that future probably wouldn't include Woody.

As if reading her worried mind, Woody tried to inspect Dolly's damaged arm once more in order to positively reassure her. This time, however, he didn't grab her arm like before. Instead he moved as close as he could and attempted to inspect it with his eyes. He noticed very quickly that the tear seemed slightly different than his own previous tear. Then again her arm wasn't exactly the same, even if very similar as far as material went. Finally, he had no choice. He carefully lifted her arm with one hand and used his free hand to run his fingers gently across the seam.

Dolly tried her best, but couldn't hold back a fit of giggles. "I'm sorry," she said in between the little laughs. "I'm just sort of ticklish," she explained.

He nodded in understanding and let go of her arm. Moving away, he gave her a smile. "It's just like I thought. Everything's going to be okay," Woody said confidently.

"I don't understand," Dolly wanted to believe him. In fact, just hearing him say so did make her feel more at ease, but looking at her arm it seemed helpless.

"It's just a popped seam," Woody responded. "It seems bad, but it's nothing a little needle and thread can't fix. I'm sure Mrs. Anderson will realize that when they get home. You'll see." He then tapped his chin a little. Not all humans were clever. "But if for some reason she doesn't, then we'll just do it ourselves later."

Dolly felt her fears dissipate. He seemed to know what he was talking about. A needle and thread did seem more than logical and she wondered why she hadn't considered it before. "Thanks, Woody. I'm glad you know what you're talking about."

"I ought to," he gave a small laugh. "I had my own arm rip during playtime once. I got shelved," he heard her gasp a little. "Then I ended up in a yard sale, was stolen, met Jessie and Bullseye, had my arm fall off entirely, had it fixed, managed to get found by Buzz, had my arm ripped again, and eventually made it back home where Andy fixed me himself," Woody said in one long breath as Dolly's head bobbled back and forth with each different thing he explained that happened to him.

"Oh is that all?" she asked with a chuckle. "Wow, cowboy, you sure get out of the room a lot don'tcha?"

"I guess you could say that," he nodded. "But my point is, you don't have to worry. It feels like the end, believe you me, but our kids usually love us enough to make sure we're fixed. And when they don't, that's what friends are for," he smiled and patted her on the back in a friendly sort of way, although it felt slightly awkward after what had happened only moments before.

"So your entire arm really came off?" Dolly asked, having a hard time picturing Woody as a one armed cowboy doll.

"Yeah, it really did," Woody was glad he could laugh about it in retrospect. "And here's the stitching from where Andy fixed me the second time it was ripped," he scooted closer and twisted so she could see his right arm, since she was sitting on his left side.

"Andy sure was the resourceful one wasn't he," Dolly commented in admiration. Without thinking to even ask, she touched the stitching with her left hand and once again the two found themselves noticing just how close they were. "I feel like this is getting to be a habit," Dolly spoke even more freely than she was already known for as she locked eyes with him.

Woody blushed, still being on the nervous side when it came to any sort of intimacy. "Well, I, uh…" This time it could have been just his imagination, but he was sure he was leaning in closer. Maybe this was what he wanted after all.

"Hey, Woody!" Jessie came bounding into the kitchen.

"What now?" Woody groaned as he screwed his eyes shut in annoyance, although inwardly his emotions warred back and forth over whether or not they were grateful for another interruption. He looked down at the cowgirl as she neared the table.

"Sorry to interrupt you two from, well, from whatever that was," she gave a slight wink at Dolly and the rag doll blushed and looked away. "But things are getting antsy again in Bonnie's room. They all wanna know where you've gone, Woody and they still wanna know how come you're sure Dolly'll be okay."

"What…but I…ugh," Woody fumbled and mumbled in exasperation. "Seriously?" Dolly laughed a little. She had quickly figured out Woody had a short fuse at times, even if he never meant any real harm by it. She had to admit even she could get easily annoyed with her companions. "Why didn't Buzz just explain to them about my arm? Honestly, it's like he…" he saw Jessie shoot him a stern glare and he let his sentence trail. "Just tell them the story, Jess," he shook his head.

"Alright, alright," the cowgirl rolled her eyes and left.

"Look, you better go," Dolly said once they were alone again. "You know how they can get. You can't leave Jessie and Buzz to fend for themselves," she teased.

"Right now you're more important to me than them," Woody admitted with surprising ease.

"Don't worry. I'm fine now," she smiled. "If you say everything's going to be okay then I believe you. The others need you right now." Woody smiled. She certainly cared about the wellbeing of her fellow toys, much like a quiet leader.

"If you're sure," he gave her one last chance to change her mind.

"I'm sure," she nodded. "See you again in no time, right?"

He glanced at her arm and then looked at her with a smile. "Right," he answered before leaving her alone on the table.

"What are you?" Bonnie said as she held Trixie in one hand.

"I'm a dinosaur!" She said as she held Rex in the other.

"But I thought I was the only dinosaur left in the whooooole wide world," Bonnie said excitedly for Trixie.

"Well…" Bonnie began to speak for Rex again when she heard her mom's voice behind her.

"Bonnie," Mrs. Anderson stood at the door holding Dolly out in front of her. Bonnie turned and saw her beloved rag doll and immediately stopped what she was doing. She hurried over to her mother and carefully took Dolly into her hands.

Bonnie carefully inspected the doll's arm and saw a line of stitching where Mrs. Anderson had sewed the fabric back together. "You fixed it!" Bonnie squealed in delight as she then hugged Dolly to her closely, but cautiously as the worry of her arm ripping again entered the little girl's mind.

"She's as good as new now," Bonnie's mother reassured her. "But remember to be careful, sweetie," she added and Bonnie nodded emphatically. "Now, we need to pick up something at the store so be ready in a few minutes," Mrs. Anderson said as she left the room.

"Okay," Bonnie nodded. "But first the patient needs her rest," she said before using her step stairs to place Dolly on her highest shelf. "Sorry for what happened, Dolly." she apologized before hopping down and leaving her room.

"See, what'd I tell you?" Woody asked smugly as the toys sprung to life. "She's perfectly fine."

"But she's been shelved," Trixie pointed out worriedly.

"No, no, it's not like that. I'm sure Bonnie just wanted to make sure she was some place safe for awhile. She probably doesn't want to take any chances," Woody tried to explain.

There was a round of "oh's" and eventually the toys set about doing various things as though nothing had happened. Woody waited to be sure everything was finally settled down before looking up at the top shelf. He had assumed Dolly would join them, but after a few moments of not even seeing her feet dangled over the edge, he wondered if anything was wrong.

Woody climbed up the top shelf and as he peaked over the edge he saw Dolly studying her arm. "You were right, cowboy," she said when he finally climbed onto the shelf itself.

"Wow and she used purple thread," Woody came closer to look at the stitching. "That is a nice touch."

"I thought so too," Dolly said with an eager smile.

"So, are you going to join us? I'm sure the others would love to see your arm," Woody looked at her curiously as she suddenly looked uncertain.

"Well, I'd like to, but," Dolly hesitated. "Wow, this is really embarrassing, but I was a little afraid of climbing down with my arm. Just don't want it to rip again."

"Here," Woody carefully felt the stitching. Dolly looked away as he did, hoping to maintain composure this time around. "Why that's some quality work. Nothing to be afraid of," he assured her, even if he really wasn't that much of an expert. She gave him a trusting smile. "But, uh," he gulped, a chivalrous notion having entered his mind. "I could help you, if you're still not up to it just yet."

"Oh, wow!" Dolly blurted out much to her embarrassment. "I mean, yeah, if you don't mind and, hahahaha," Dolly rambled and laughed nervously at the gesture, her thoughts a jumbled mess.

"It's no problem," Woody responded as calmly as possible. He held out his hand and she took it. They walked towards the edge of the shelf and just before they reached it, Woody pulled her close to him. He wrapped one arm around her torso, lifting her into the air just a little. "Alright, hang on," he instructed and she obeyed. Woody closed his eyes for a moment, a wonderful feeling pulsing through him as they clung tightly to one another. Finally, he gathered himself and with one arm, began a cautious trek back down to the floor, where the other toys were watching the performance.

Once they reached the floor, Bonnie's original toys swarmed around them – praising Woody's heroics and inspecting Dolly's arm. She then proceeded to tell them what it was like to be sewn back together, nobody noticing that Woody and Dolly were still holding hands.

Nobody that is except for Buzz and Jessie who stood a little ways off. "Did I miss something?" Buzz finally asked the cowgirl in confusion.

"Oh, Buzz," Jessie rolled her eyes, but smiled at him just the same. "Let's just say I have a feeling things are definitely going to be different around here after this."

A/N (cont.) While writing this, I swear I kept thinking, "It's so fluffy I'm going to die!" because I felt like I kept piling it on and on. Hope you guys enjoy it and that it's not too much cheese and fluff for you to stomach and it's not annoying or anything. Also, I feel like in my past few stories, I keep teasing with almost Woody/Dolly kisses but not actually delivering. Sorry if anyone thinks I'm being too cruel...