Chapter Two - Brains and Brawn

"She's quite something, isn't she," Buzz remarked to Jessie. They were sitting on the desk playing with Bonnie's magnetic fish game.

Jessie turned her attention to Buzz for a moment. "Er, yeah." She said vaguely, and paused. "Who?"

"That new toy."

"Oh, yeah, she is." Jessie agreed halfheartedly.

"She's got some style too," Buzz went on, "You don't see that on many toys these days."

Jessie remained silent and Buzz took it as a sign to carry on his rambling.

"I mean, seriously, she is a cool toy, almost as cool as me with my buttons and lasers and wings and stuff." He glanced at Jessie. "Don't you think so?"

"Yeah, she's...fun," Jessie said lamely, snaring a yellow fish on the end of her magnetic fishing rod.

"We should invite her to spend some time with us," Buzz said, the idea popping into his head.

Jessie gave him a sidelong glance. "Buzz, what have you eaten today?"

Buzz regarded her look for a moment, and then said, "Nothing. Toys don't eat, Jessie."

"Funny that," Jessie snapped. "You seem to be devouring her with your eyes!" She threw down her fishing rod in a temper, and Buzz recoiled from the simmering cowgirl.

"Jess, I was only being friendly towards her." He managed, before Jessie rose to her feet.

"Friendly? Friendly consists of her being 'something', does it?" Jessie hissed.

"Aw come on Jess, you know what I mean." Buzz stumbled to his feet too, but Jessie was already walking off.

"I'm pretty sure I do know what you mean Buzz, thing is, I think I'd rather –not- know," she called back over her shoulder.

Buzz sighed, and his shoulders slumped as he watched his girlfriend climb the shelves on the wall and sit down behind a stack of books so he couldn't see her.

"What was Jessie's problem?" he wondered. She should know all about being a toy in a difficult situation. Buzz himself knew what it was like not to feel entirely welcome. He sighed and started to put away the fishing game, wondering how he could make it up to her. Okay so maybe he wasn't the most tactful toy ever, but he was Buzz Lightyear, for goodness sake, he should be able to...-

He was interrupted from his reverie by a tap on his shoulder. He spun around.

"Hi," the pretty blonde doll greeted him. "It's Buzz, isnt it?"

"Oh, uh, hi, yeah," Buzz stuttered. He felt like he was meeting Jessie all over again, except for the obvious differences in appearances.

"I was thinking I might need a big strong athletic toy to help me out with something," she cooed, and Buzz stared at her. He was unused to such forwardness in the opposite gender. Jessie had probably only been that way with him a handful of times, or less.

"Uh, what would that be," he asked, trying to calm his nerves. "She's only a new toy," he told himself. "She's just trying to be friendly."

"Well, see, I was looking for a stereo or something. See, I seem to have these with me," the doll said, holding up a CD in one hand, and a small mic with a wire attached to it in the other. "Now I know," she continued, shaking the CD, "that this goes in the stereo. However, I don't have a earthly clue where this goes," she held the microphone a little higher in the air. "So I guess I'm looking for a toy with brawn and brains. Thats where you come in," she said sweetly.

"Uh...okay, but I kind of don't do deals with strangers," Buzz said, more confidently than he felt.

"Oh, silly me!" The blonde laughed, and extended the hand with the CD in it. "Oh." She extended the other hand with the mic instead, and glanced down. "Oh." She blushed a bit. "I seem to have my hands full. We'll have to settle for a names only introduction. Rochelle." She grinned, pressing the mic to her chest to indicate herself.

'Rochelle,' Buzz thought, and glanced her over again before subsiding with a nervous cough. "So, I think I might be able to do that favour for you," he uttered slowly,

"Great! But before you do, could you help me figure out where this thing goes? I kind of don't have anything to go with it...I'm kind of jack-lead...less," Rochelle giggled.

"Uh, sure, I think," Buzz managed to say. He picked up the end of the cord and looked at it. It seemed to be a ordinary black, small two pin plug. "Uh, maybe in the back of the stereo."

"Nope, I'm pretty sure it doesn't..." Rochelle said flatly, waving her arms around, and her waving caused her to drop the CD on the floor. "Oops. Silly me," she squeaked, and bent over to retrieve it. Buzz couldn't help thinking what a well formed, perfectly moulded-wait what was that? He wondered, seeing something under her shirt as it rode up her back.

"Hold it right there," he commanded, and Rochelle, doubled over, glanced back at him.

"This doing something for ya, spaceman?" She asked with a sly wink.

"No...I mean yes...oh just hang on," Buzz grabbed her shirt and lifted up the back, to an indignant cry from the blonde doll – until he pushed the plug into the small holes on her back.

"Ouch," came the elicited cry from the doll, and she stood up. She turned and tapped the mic on Buzz's plastic chest, "Now whats the meaning of-" she started, as the mic screeched and gave feedback in protest at the tapping. "Hey...!" She exclaimed, breathing into the microphone, which immediately lifted her voice. "You fixed it," she breathed, dropping the microphone to her side and tucking it into her belt. "Thanks, Buzz." She grinned at him and handed him the tape. "I guess we can get going with the whole original favour thing, right?" She passed the tape to the spaceranger, and he took it from her.

"Now, make sure its on side A. I'll give you the thumbs up when I'm ready to start, ok?" She pinched his cheek and waltzed off.

Buzz watched her in awe, rubbing his cheek. He was right, she really was something else, he thought, as he hopped down off the desk and started to make his way over to the nightstand, where the stereo stood.