6:

--

Buzz lit the match. He threw it in the fireplace above the logs and crumpled newspaper. It flickered and spread.

He closed the screen and walked over to the group. Bo and Woody had covered themselves in blankets. Bo had taken her bonnet off and she was shivering. Instinctively Woody reached over to rub her shoulders and give her some warmth. He saw Jessie and Buzz watching and he stopped. "Sorry."

Buzz took a seat across from them. There was an uncomfortable silence. "So…" he finally said. "Who wants to start?"

"I'm sorry." Bo said, looking down sorrowfully. "We didn't mean to hurt either of you."

Woody nodded in agreement and took her hand. "It's just that…Bo and I have been in love for a long time. We could just never say it. I understand you both probably hate us, but we still care about both of you very much. Just not in a romantic way."

"I don't hate you," said Buzz.

"Neither do I," Jessie added.

Bo looked up. "Are you mad?"

The two looked at each other as if they were communicating telepathically. "Not mad, but a little hurt," Jessie said. "I wish that I could've known."

"I knew," Buzz said quietly. The other three looked at him in surprise. "I knew Bo didn't love me."

"I'm sorry," Bo said. "But I guess everything's out in the open now."

"Uh huh," said Buzz.

Woody looked at Jessie. "What about you, Jess? How are you feeling about all of this?"

Jessie thought for a moment. "You know, I'm not all that upset. It doesn't really feel like we're breakin' up. Like maybe we were never really together in the first place."

"I guess you can't really be together with someone if your heart belongs to someone else," said Woody.

There was another silence. "It's going to feel strange being single," said Buzz.

Bo looked at him. "You don't have to be."

"What do you mean?"

"You two!" she said. "You and Jessie! Why don't you two start dating?"

"Us?" Jessie and Buzz looked at each other.

"Yeah!" agreed Woody. "I mean, you both have a ton of stuff in common! You like the same sports…"

"All of them," said Buzz.

"Exactly! You watch the same movies, play the same video games, you both like Star Trek! You two should be together!"

Jessie looked down for a moment, as if she were thinking about it. Then she smiled at Buzz. "Well, whaddya say? Would you like to be my Partner?"

Buzz got to his feet and pulled her up with him. "Well Ma'am, I'd like to say you're a bright young woman with a beautiful yarn full of hair-hair full of yarn!" He looked embarrassed at his blunder, but Jessie bent down with a grin.

"Well aren't you the sweetest Space Toy I ever met!" She gave him a hug. Buzz looked a little surprised but then he smiled happily as he squeezed back.

"You smell nice," he murmured. "Like freshly cut grass."

Jessie looked embarrassed and a little amused. "I do? Well, I do like playin' outdoors…"

"Me too."

"C'mon Bo," Woody stood up. He put his own blanket around her shoulders. "Let's get closer to the fire." The two found a new spot and Buzz and Jessie joined them.

Bo leaned against Woody and he massaged her shoulder as he placed his chin on her hair. Everything was as it should be. Even as the rain poured on down in buckets, the Cowboy knew his world was now complete.