Sorry for the delay in updates (about three weeks, my bad!) Have had a very hectic few weeks in my personal life, and what with Xmas & New Year upcoming, things show no signs of slowing down. I will attempt to write and post sporadically over the next few weeks.

In other words, you havent got rid of me that easily! lol.

Love to all.

Chapter 7 – Little Family

Buzz lay in the box on the shelf. His eyes were closed, but he wasn't asleep. In fact he'd woken up some time ago, unable to get comfortable. He'd glanced across to Woody at the point he'd woken up, noticing that both the cowboy and Bullseye were still dreaming.

With a sigh reserved for his own ears, Buzz opened his eyes again at long last, and leaned over the side of the box, noticing that Amanda was just beginning to stir. He ducked back out of view as the young woman sleepily roused herself, and after many long minutes padded out of the bedroom door, heading along the hall.

As he sat, waiting for Amanda to return, Buzz realised the coast was clear. If he so wished to escape, he could. Amanda would never see him. But he couldn't leave Woody.

But what if he was to return to fetch Woody? Where should he go to seek assistance? Everyone else was pretty much separated. Only one person could have the guts to rescue Woody from Amanda's room. Not that they needed rescuing…..but if they were to be together again.

Jessie.

He suddenly knew - as Amanda walked back into the room to get dressed - what he was going to do.

Jessie roused herself sleepily from the position she lay in against the pillow on the bed. It had been many hours she'd spent on the windowsill, before eventually retreating back to the bed again. Once back settled on the soft mattress, she'd fallen fast asleep against the pillow within moments, worn out from her long day.

As she glanced around cautiously at the room, she noticed with relief that the surroundings were free of any human life. Stretching a little, the cowgirl pulled herself to her feet and started to walk across the bed, gazing up at the window in the slanting wall of the room. Above her the blue sky was obscured partly by the blue blind hanging in the window, and a crystal pendant dream-catcher sparkled as the sun caught the prisms in it.

Jessie's eyes followed the rainbow beams that fell on the floor, turning to study the room properly. It seemed to be a normal room, owned by a normal young woman. Everything was in order, save for some clothes strewn on a nearby chair messily, and a few DVDs scattered on the floor by the television. Jessie took a little step forward, glancing back over to the back window, noting that in the daylight she couldn't see the handprint on the glass anymore. She sighed.

She was brought out of her trance by a little nudge on her shoulder, and startled, the cowgirl whipped around. But there was nothing there. Jessie scratched her head in confusion, scanning the area in front of her. All that she could see was a vast expanse of duvet. The tap on her shoulder came again, followed by a whinnying giggle.

Jessie's heart leapt. It sounded just like Bullseye when he laughed at something Woody did. She spun around again, but to her confusion and disappointment, still nothing met her eye.

She was about to lose her mind when something appeared in her peripheral vision. "Hi."

Jessie turned her head and to her surprise found herself eye to eye with a small turquoise horse with wings.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, noticing the horse had little yellow wings sprouting from either side of its flank.

"Who're you?" The horse asked, fluttering it's wings.

"I'm Jessie." Jessie looked up at the flying horse, admiring the horse openly.

"Hey. I'm Firefly. I'm a Little Pony." The horse declared proudly. "Sorry about all that. I just love to play pranks on other toys."

"It's okay. No harm done. You did get me quite confused though," Jessie said with a smile.

"So what are you doing here?" Firefly asked.

"I'm not quite sure," Jessie responded, with a small shrug of her shoulders. "I only know I'm here for a Lizzie."

"You're another of Lizzie's projects, aren't you?" Firefly asked.

"Project? No. I'm here to be given to a Lizzie, but I don't know anything about a project."

"Given to a Lizzie?" Firefly giggled. "You're with Lizzie."

"I cant be. Lizzie's supposed to be a little girl."

"No she isn't." Firefly retorted. "Lizzie is the girl who lives in this room. I watched her fix you up. It's her pastime. She gets the skill from her Dad."

Jessie blinked. "That older girl is my new owner?"

"Yup." Firefly giggled again. "You'll love it here. She looks after all her toys and stuff really well."

"But Lizzie's a young woman! She wont keep me around forever. I'm a toy."

"Oh boy," Firefly murmured, settling on the duvet next to Jessie's feet at long last. "You haven't had a easy time of it, have you?"

"No." Jessie whispered. "All my friends are gone and my old owners didn't want me anymore, in the end."

"Well, I'll be your new friend," Firefly said without a pause, "I miss my friends too. They're in storage in the garage."

Jessie winced at the word 'storage', but Firefly didn't notice.

"I've been with Lizzie ever since her mother brought me for her some fifteen years ago, as well as the Little Pony Beauty Boutique. A lot of the other Little Pony stuff she got rid of with her Barbie's some time ago, but some of us made it through. She only pulled me out of the box about a year ago because she always loved playing with me the most. I've sat on the nightstand since, with the others."

The little horse gestured to the nightstand, where Jessie noticed there were three little bears, one little donkey, and a little plush rabbit sitting there.

"That's Bertie, Keyring, Blush, Lavender and Donkey." Firefly said, and a couple of the little bears waved. "Bertie was a toy in a cracker one year, Keyring was a keyring bear that Lizzie's mom brought for her, Blush is a promotional Children In Need teddy, Lavender is a stuffed perfume bunny, and Donkey is a little something Lizzie picked up in Switzerland on holiday two years ago."

Jessie nodded. Firefly turned back to her with a little nudge to the cowgirls shoulder again. "Welcome to our little family. With emphasis on the little."

"Buzz!"

The spacetoy turned. Woody was standing behind him. Buzz had literally just climbed out of the box, onto the shelf.

"Where the heck are you going?" the cowboy asked, folding his arms.

Buzz sighed. He'd been hoping Woody wouldn't stir, so that he could make his way out of the room quietly and go back to see Jessie.

"I'm going to…..shut the window. It's too cold for me to rest."

Woody pointed at the window. "It's already closed, Buzz. Try again."

Buzz glanced and cursed to himself. The window was indeed, closed.

"You were going to try sneaking out, weren't you? After what I said to you about being seen last night. You're determined to give the game away, aren't you?" Woody chided his friend.

Buzz dropped his head. "I'm sorry Woody. I can't get Jessie out of my head. I have to see her again."

Woody shook his head sadly. "Buzz, believe me, I know what it's like to lose someone. And I'd be wrong to stand in your way."

"You wouldn't stop me?" Buzz said in astonishment.

"No." Woody said softly. "I've always wanted to see Jessie happy, and I noticed over the years that she was never happier than when she was near to you. You two were made for each other."

There was a silence as Buzz digested this.

"So…?" The spacetoy said at long last, with another glance at the window.

Woody sighed. "Go get her, pardner."