"Thank you very much, Mr. Briggs." Mitsy smiled as the post master handed her the box which contained the plaque, wrapped in newspaper and bubble wrap.

"You're welcome, Miss Pride. Please congratulate your father for me." Mr. Briggs said.

"Here, let me carry that." Jessie said eagerly, and carefully brought the box to the car. Mitsy opened the trunk and Jessie set the box on the ground. "Shall we take a peek at it real quick?" Jessie grinned.

"Carefully," Mitsy said cautiously. Jessie pulled back the flaps and pulled out the heavy object, while Mitsy opened the paper and wrapping. The plaque was large and shaped like a police officer's badge. It was gold plated with dark brown trim. "It's beautiful!" Mitsy exclaimed.

"It's so much nicer than I expected." Katie agreed. "And it's inscribed." Cali shot out her claws and was about to dig them onto the gold metal, but Katie quickly picked her up. "Cali! No! Don't scratch it. It'll be ruined. Keep your claws to yourself." Cali rolled her eyes and huffed.

"Wooly sheepskins! It's mighty fancy." Jessie blurted out. "Look what it says:

This award goes to Sheriff Woody Pride of Adventure Bay for his outstanding law work and protection of its civilians. Your service is deeply appreciated and does not go unnoticed. Keep up the good work! Presented by Mayor Goodway of Adventure Bay." Jessie frowned.

"What's the problem, Jessie?" Katie asked.

"What about the sheriff's helping hands, huh?" Jessie puffed out her lip. "Ya know, he couldn't do all that neat stuff without his deputies, and Buzz." Mitsy chuckled and shook her head.

"If I know Dad, he'll be sure to give you guys recognition." She grinned.

"Well, I should hope so." Jessie declared, then they wrapped it up and put it back in the box. They closed it safely in the trunk, then everyone clambered into the car. "You want me to drive now?" Jessie teased her niece.

"No!" Mitsy declared. "I want to prove to them I can do it. We should probably call Mom and let her know that we made it." Jessie snatched her iphone out of her pocket and quickly found Bo Peep's ID button.

"Oh, it's Jessie." Bo said in a worried voice, staring at her phone. I knew it! Something happened! She wouldn't call unless Mitsy got hurt, otherwise Mitsy would've called me.

"Hello? Jessie? What's going on?"

Jessie chuckled on her end of the line. "Oh, Bo, just simmer down, will you? Everything's just dandy. We just picked up the plaque, safe and sound, and we're on our way back!"

"Okay," Bo said doubtfully.

"Ah, don't give me that troubled Mother Hen sigh, Bo. All here is A okay. Just trust me, 'kay?"

"All right." Bo sighed. Then Jessie hung up. Slinky came up beside Bo.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

"Sure." Bo said uncertainly. Slinky grinned and patted her leg.

Up in the hills, Buzz was sitting down on the grass while Woody lay on his back with his arms behind his head and his knee perched crossed over his other one. In order to get Woody to agree to come and leave his busy work schedule behind, Buzz had told Woody and that he really needed to talk to him about some problems he was having with Jessie and what to do about it. He'd also insisted that they hadn't had much guy time for a while. So Woody had raced him up to their favorite spot by riding Bullseye while Buzz had ridden the dirt bike he'd bought. So far, Buzz's plan was working perfectly. "So," Woody began, breaking the silence, "Buzz?"

"Yeah?" Buzz replied.

"So, what's the scoop?"

"Huh?"

"So, what's going on between you and Jessie? You said that you needed to talk to me...alone."

Oh, yeah, Buzz thought to himself. What do I say? Should I just make something up? I've got to keep him busy long enough. "Oh, that." Buzz scratched his head, trying to think. "Well, uh...it's not easy to talk about." That got Woody's attention. He bolted upright and stared at Buzz square in the eyes. Blast, Buzz inwardly clenched his teeth. How could I make such a dumb remark? Now what do I do?

"What's the matter, Buzz?" Woody asked, his face full of deep concern for his brother-in-law and his sister. Buzz knew he needed to get Woody calm.

"Okay, Woody. I didn't mean to scare you like that. Honest. I just...nothing horrible is going on between us. It's just...you know I've always had trouble talking about my feelings when it comes to Jessie."

Woody gaped. "Seriously?" He interjected. "Buzz, you're married! You and Jessie have been married for over seven months now. Is the honeymoon stage already over?"

"Oh, no!" Buzz protested. "You can ask Jessie yourself, we're still madly in love with each other."

"Okay," Woody rolled his eyes and raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"It's just..." Buzz stammered. "Well, she has some...unusual habits. And...and I'm not sure what to make of them. This is still all so new to me, Woody."

"Like...what?" Woody asked slyly.

"Well, uh...showers. That's it. Showers." Buzz nodded, happy to find a stray lead in this conversation.

"Excuse me?" Woody stared incredulously.

"Well, Jessie likes to yodel...in the shower! She's really loud. I mean, really loud! The other night, I pulled in our driveway, I could hear her all the way out from the car!" Buzz blurted. Woody smirked and snorted in laughter. "She does it every time she gets in the shower, Woody. I have to wear ear protectors to concentrate on my work. And sometimes it gives me literal headaches. Don't get me wrong, I love her! I love that wild cowgirl with all that I am. But, sometimes she does drive me crazy. Can you imagine?"

Woody burst out laughing and had to hold his stomach. "B-Buzz, I can't imagine it...I've been through it, remember?!" Woody chuckled heartily, slapping his knee. "Where did Jessie live before you two got married, huh?"

"With you, and Bo Peep." Buzz simply answered.

"Uh-huh. And you think we didn't learn all her crazy quirks and bizarre habits?"

"But, why didn't you warn me?" Buzz asked. Woody howled and slapped Buzz playfully on the shoulder. Buzz put up a stern facade, trying to look unamused but secretly he was relieved that this diversion was working in trying surprise Woody for the ceremony tonight.

"Buzz, you've seriously got a lot to learn about married life!" Woody grinned sneakily. "When you decided to become Jessie's husband, you married all of her, Buzz. You married her beauty, her teasing, her temper, her sweetness, her flaws, her energy...you got everything, Bud." Woody smiled, putting his arm around Buzz's shoulder. "Did you realize that when you made that decision?"

"Of course." Buzz answered defensively. "I'm just getting to see it all up close, first hand. And...well, I'm trying to take it in strides."

"I don't think you can take anything with Jessie, in strides!" Woody teased.

"Sure you can. I did." Buzz announced proudly.

"You sure did. And most of the time, she was furious, wondering what was the matter with you." Woody answered smugly. Buzz glared at his friend.

"Yeah, well, you can forget that part. But what about the showers? Should I just sit around and take it, or should I talk to her about it?"

"Well, I'll tell ya, pal. You think of all the reasons you do and don't like that habit of hers," Woody began.

"Uh-huh?" Buzz listened closely.

"Decide whether the pros outweigh the cons. If it's vice versa, think of the most tactful but honest way to express yourself about what her habit does to you..."

"Mmm-hmm? And then what?" Buzz asked curiously.

Woody cleared his throat. "And...stock up on a lot of Aspirin." Buzz's eyes narrowed and he elbowed Woody onto his side, then pounced on him and pulled his arm behind his back. "Hey!" Woody protested, and rolled over onto his other side. "Okay. You want a piece of me, tough guy?" He asked daringly.

"You bet." Buzz smiled dangerously and the two guys shared a friendly scuffle, with Bullseye bobbing up and down, cheering them on. But then, the two went rolling down the hill! They finally came to a halt, both lying around feeling queasy. They sat up dizzily as Bullseye caught up to them wagging his tail.

"Ugh. Well, that was a lot of fun." Woody muttered.

"Ugh, I'm a little out of practice. It's been ages since I played roughhouse with other kids." Buzz groaned.

"Where's my hat?" Woody asked. Bullseye cheerfully set it on his head. "Thanks, pal." Buzz smiled inwardly. Now, if he could just keep getting Woody stirred up, his stalling would work.

Mrs. Phoat walked into the courtyard at City Hall. "Hello, Bo." She smiled. Bo turned and smiled back.

"Oh, hi."

"Oh. Everything is looking so lovely!" Mrs. Phoat gushed.

"Yeah." Bo replied with a sigh. Mayor Goodway walked up to the two ladies.

"Oh, Mrs. Pride, don't you think you should go home and doll yourself up for the festivities?" She asked.

"No. I'm gonna wait 'til Mitsy gets back, and we can do it together." Bo shook her head.

"Oh, I'm sure she'll be along soon." Mayor Goodway chuckled nervously.

"I hope so." Bo said.

"I'll keep an eye out for her, Bo." Slinky piped up.

"No, I'll wait."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Pride." Ryder smiled. "Everything will be all right. And if it isn't, the Paw Patrol and I are on hand to help."

"Sure, nothing's gonna go wrong." Rocky added.

"I don't have much choice, do I?" Bo asked dryly. "All right. But call me the minute they get back!"

"Sure thing." Ryder gave her a thumb's up.

"Come along, Bo. Let me help you get ready. I've got a fantastic new hair mousse you've got to try!" Mrs. Phoat, exclaimed, pulling Bo by the arm. "It's to die for!"

"I can't afford to die today, Mrs. Phoat." Bo remarked.

"Ah, ha, ha, you silly girl." Mrs. Phoat laughed heartily, pinching Bo's cheek. Bo just wished the older lady would leave her be. She hoped and prayed that Mitsy, Jessie, Katie, and Cali were all right. She couldn't shake off the dreaded feeling crawling up her spine. She had a strong hunch that something was going to happen.

Mitsy and her passengers were all singing cheerily together as they drove along, back to Adventure Bay. Things were right on schedule. "I hope Buzz is doing a good job keeping Dad distracted." Mitsy remarked.

"He's really smart. I'm sure he came up with something brilliant." Katie said from the backseat.

"Well, thank you very much." Jessie smiled at her proudly.

"What is that guy doing?" Mitsy asked, staring straight ahead.

"What guy?" Jessie and Katie asked together. Up ahead, a blue car was swaying back and forth on different sections of the road. "He shouldn't be driving at all, like that!" Katie gasped. "He's gonna get somebody hurt!"

"Drunken ruffian." Jessie growled, slipping her hand into her back pocket and retrieving her handcuffs. "Well, he's gonna learn the hard way about driving safety."

"Uh, uh, uh," Mitsy stammered nervously. The car was heading right at them, and just as it was to their left, it swerved directly toward them! "Aahh!" Mitsy screamed.

"For Pete's sake, turn!" Jessie hollered, grabbing the wheel and steering as far as possible to the right. Katie was thrown down on her seat and Cali completely freaked out, jumping from Katie to the roof, to Jessie's hat. Then she jumped on Mitsy's face, clasping it where she couldn't see at all where she was going!

"Cali! Get off me!" Mitsy screeched. "What do I do?!"

"The brakes, girl! The brakes!" Jessie shouted. Mitsy pressed on the brake pedal full force and the car screeched to a halt, with a loud thud that bounced the passengers, and then it was leaning on its side. Cali hopped back into the backseat with Katie, who was raising herself up on her arms from the floor. "Is everyone okay?" Jessie asked.

"I...I think I am." Katie answered, rubbing her head. "Yeah, I'm all right."

"Check." Jessie nodded, then turned towards her niece. "Mitsy, how about you?"

"I...I...I'm okay. I...guess." Mitsy stuttered. She had a very big bruise on her left arm from landing on it so hard, plus she was stunned from what happened.

"You sure? You look a little shaky to me, girl." Jessie frowned, touching her shoulder.

"I...I think so." Mitsy nodded.

"Oh, Cali. I'm glad you're okay too." Katie smiled. The car was titling at almost entirely on its left side, and partly delved into the dirt. Mitsy's door was braced tightly against the bark of a tree, so there was no way she could open it, and the floor where her feet were was sinking down. Jessie's side was up in the air. "Are you sure we're okay?" Katie asked, worried.

"Let me take a look." Jessie said calmly, and unfastened her seat belt and opened her door, but it took effort on her part to keep it open, because she was 3 feet off the ground. "Ggggrrr." Jessie grunted and managed to squeeze and hop out. She walked around the whole car, inspecting the damage done. "Gracious me." She shook her head, then clambered back into the car.

"How does it look, Jessie? Are we stuck?" Katie asked.

"Sure are." Jessie shook her head.

"How stuck?" Mitsy asked anxiously.

"Well, the front left tire is totally out, plus it's embedded in the dirt. And your door is clamped good against the tree." Jessie explained. Mitsy gulped.

"Can anyone here change a tire?" Katie asked.

"You're looking at her." Jessie smiled. "We got a jack in the trunk?"

"I...I don't know." Mitsy shook her head. "I didn't look before we left. I wasn't expecting this."

"Now, Mitsy, don't go getting all hysterical now." Jessie said cheerfully. "We'll prop up this doohickey of an automobile up with the jack, and change the tire, and it'll be good as new. Then we can be on our way."

"But...what about the tree? Did you forget about that?" Mitsy asked dryly.

"Once the new tire's in place, we can back up or drive to the side. It'll be easier than falling off a log." Jessie smiled. "Let's go, girls. How hard can it be?" Jessie smirked, looking back at Mitsy as she opened her card door and not looking at what she was doing. She started to climb out when...BAM! The door slammed shut...on Jessie's thumb! At first she didn't notice, and started to hop away, but realized her finger wasn't following. She looked back and her jaw dropped. "No way!" She scolded herself and opening the door, freed her finger and fell back into her seat, clenching her thumb.

"Jessie, are you all right?" Mitsy asked, concerned.

"S-sure I am." Jessie tried to smile through jittery teeth. "I...I'm great. We just need to..." Suddenly like a dropped bomb, her finger hurt excruciatingly, and she drew in a sharp breath as it hit her.

"No, you're not!" Mitsy declared. "You hurt yourself big time. Your thumb's turning all kinds of colors."

"Looks like you broke it, Jessie!" Katie exclaimed. "You're not changing any tires for us. I'm calling for help!" And she pulled out her phone to call Ryder.

Okay, funny yet not funny. On a side note, Jessie's thumb injury actually happened to one of my family members before!