CHAPTER 11 – Searching

She had to find someone up to the challenge of rescuing Buzz. However with Slinky, Rex, Hamm and Trixie with Bonnie, she was rapidly beginning to run out of options. Buttercup thought it was too dangerous. She glanced around the room. It would be too cliché to run straight to Woody, she decided, even if he was her brother. She couldn't very well go on her own, though.

"Jessie?" There he was now, strolling towards her from under the bed.

"Hi Woody," Jessie managed a smile.

Woody looked at her closely. "Have – have you been crying Jess?" He asked, and Jessie suddenly wondered if Woody had not heard any of the commotion that had gone on that morning.

"Yes." Jessie replied vaguely. She was sure that if she discussed it in any more detail she might start blubbing again.

"God Jessie, what's happened?" Woody saw her face crumple, and put a arm around her shoulders. "You know you can tell me anything at all, anything, right?"

"I know, Woody," Jessie took a deep breath. "Buzz got taken to Mrs Windermere's." 'There, short and to the point', she thought.

"Buzz went to where? How? When?" Woody questioned, looking puzzled.

"It's a long story, Woody. I don't feel like talking about it."

"Ok, Jess, ok." Woody looked around, "When did Bonnie take him?"

"She didn't. Bonnie's mum did."

"What? Why?" Woody was, yet again, full of more questions, but Jessie kept quiet, and Woody gave up with a sigh. "Ok Jessie. I get it, you don't want to talk, but I'm curious as to why that is, given you were so...so...enraptured with Buzz last night."

"Woody, please," Jessie murmured. "I really don't feel like talking about it," She repeated, and shrugged Woody's arm off her shoulders, "I have to go get someone to help me rescue him from Mrs Windermere's. I know she lives a block and a half away, but I'm going to make sure he comes back in one piece."

"Whoa cowgirl. I'm not letting you out of my sight. The only way you leave this playroom is if Bonnie takes you." Woody put his hand on her arm and Jessie shook it off indignantly.

"What, I can't leave just 'cos I'm a girl, is that it?" She glared at him.

"Jess, you're my sister, I'm not going to risk you getting lost as well. If we must save Buzz, let me go, or some other toy."

"Woody, I want to go. It's my fault he got out in the first place!" Jessie argued, but Woody wouldn't relent.

"No Jessie. Let me get Slinky, and we'll go and get him."

"Slinky's outside." Jessie bit her lip. 'Here we go,' she thought.

"What? Bonnie didn't take him." Woody looked confused, "How did he end up outside?"

"He was rescuing me and Buzz when we erm, fell...off the window ledge."

"Jessie!" Woody exclaimed, "You know more than to sit so close to the edge, you could have really gotten hurt!"

"I am hurt!" Jessie cried, "Buzz is gone and it's all my fault! I shouldn't have gotten mad at him in the first place, then he wouldn't have tried to get me off the windowsill."

"You stood on the edge of the window on purpose?" Woody's eyes widened, "What...what for?"

"Because me and Buzz had this stupid argument, I told you Woody, I DON'T FEEL LIKE TALKING ABOUT IT!" Jessie screamed, and stomped off, the tears beginning to run down her face. She felt hopelessly lost, with no one to help her in getting her Buzz back where he should be.

Woody watched the red haired cowgirl run off, and scratched his head. He was sure there was something she wasn't telling him. As he pondered this, he noticed Dolly on the other side of the room, stuffing something into the toy boat there. His curiosity aroused again, he wandered over.

"Hey Dolly," he called, "Whatcha up to?"

"Oh, Woody," Dolly turned, and he could see quite clearly it was a net she had been using. He laughed.

"You thinking about using the net to play Woody's Roundup?" He asked, and Dolly laughed too.

"Not at all, I was assisting Buttercup and Jessie with something earlier after Buzz got carted off."

Woody raised a eyebrow. "I think I'm the only one not in the know about Buzz being carted off, well at least until Jessie told me a few minutes ago."

"Yeah, I only know that Jessie's really sad about it all for some reason, and Buttercup and Bullseye were trying to comfort her. Buttercup was on the computer with her for a little while too." Dolly offered the tidbit of information, and Woody latched onto it.

"The computer?"

"Yeah, they were looking up some address for something. They made me go get The Book from the stand in the hallway." Woody didn't question her about The Book, as he was already wondering what address Jessie had been searching for.

"Thanks Dolly. Seen Buttercup anywhere?"

"Yeah, he's probably still up on the desk," Dolly indicated, and shuffled off, "Catch you later Woody," she called, as the cowboy doll began to make his way up the desk to find Buttercup.

"Buttercup?" He called when he got to the top. He saw him immediately, staring at the computer screen. "Buttercup?" He said, more softly, and he broke out of his reverie.

"Oh, Woody...hi." He said somewhat wistfully.

"You were helping Jessie earlier?" Woody cut straight to the chase, "something about an address?"

"I wish I was braver, Woody. I would do anything to go and find Buzz. But I'm so scared of what might happen," Buttercup said sorrowfully. Woody reached over and petted the unicorn softly, a thought growing in his head.

"Buttercup. You know where Buzz is. I want to help Jessie. I owe her a favour already from the other day. How about we borrow Bullseye's saddle, and I'll ride you to Mrs Windermere's?"

Buttercup's eyes lit up. "You mean it?" He whinnied, and stamped his front hoof excitedly, "Let's do it! I want so much to help Jessie, and it would be so good to have you there Woody, I've heard so much from the others how you helped Jessie and Bullseye out."

"You talked to all the other toys about that already?" Woody looked surprised, and Buttercup laughed.

"I fib so bad." He apologised. "I only spoke to Bullseye. Being the same species, I understand him," he laughed. "He adores you for bringing him and Jessie to safety." He confided, and Woody felt warmth spread through him at the compliment.

"Ok then, it's settled, let's go find Bullseye and get going on this rescue," he said softly, and Buttercup followed him, his tail waving excitedly.

Once they had located Bullseye, who was lying forlornly by the window, they retrieved the saddle – which Bullseye let go of in return for being able to lick Woody a few times on the face – and Woody rode Buttercup out of the room. He noticed Jessie peep out from under the tea party table cloth as they went past, and the last sight he caught of his little sister was the sincere, genuine smile spreading across her face as she realised he was just as true to her in his word as he'd always been.