Your Side of the Bed

The Old West, just before the turn of the century.

The sweltering sun shined in the cloudless sky over the red desert. A hawk circled above four men-two of them on horses, and one man injured on the dirty ground. Buzz Lightyear's head spun from the oppressive heat. His lips were chapped, his throat raw. Buzz panted, longing for water. Sweat rolled down his thick, ripped chest. His right leg throbbed, broken with pain and cut in blood. This was the worst kind of situation a trained space ranger could find himself. He was alone, and surrounded by enemies.

Buzz took a punch to the face. The tall, thin man in black crouched down in front of him. The two men on horses laughed. "Get 'im, Sid!" Buzz heard one of them say. Sid bared his nasty teeth close to Buzz's face.

"You see that hawk, stranger? It's suppah time for an empty belly!" Sid chortled. "Now I'm not gonna ask but once more...Where did you get them fancy pants an' boots?"

A shot rang out, clear as day. The bandit on the right clutched his arm in shock. He slid off the horse with a shout. A shot rang out again. The second bandit grabbed his leg, and fell off the horse, just the same. Buzz and Sid whipped their heads toward the source.

Around the edge of a high rock, a young woman with long, red, braided hair appeared. She lifted her gaze from under a wide, leather hat. She held out a smoking pistol with a triumphant smile on her face. She wore a loose, dusty shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. On her hips she ha gun-slingin' belt over a thick wrap skirt. The skirt had a colorful pattern on the bottom. The slender woman wore tight pants underneath and high leather boots. Buzz had never seen a woman so brazenly boyish and beautiful in all his travels.

"Those were warnin' shots, Sid," she called out. The young woman took a few measured steps closer to the men.

"Shit Boss it's Sheriff Jessie!" one of the fallen bandits yelped.

"That's right boys! I'm takin' ya'll under arrest, so just toss your guns nice and easy!" Jessie said.

Sid growled but stood up. All three bandits obeyed the order. They put their hands up, and reached for the sky.

"Good, now back away from the injured," Jessie warned.

Sid stepped back until he was next to a patch of dry weed. Jessie stepped closer. She looked down at Buzz. To Jessie the injured man looked completely unfit to be in such a helpless position. She could see that he was tall, broad-chested, and built like a buffalo. His skin was sun-burnt dark and cut from fighting for his life. He sat half-naked in a pair of the most unusual trousers and boots Jessie had ever seen in her life. The pants were dark purple, tight, and textured like gator skin. Along the sides of his pants, she could see a thick line of silver. The injured man's boots were shiny, black, and dusty at the bottom.

Jessie look at his face. The man had a clean-shaven and angular face. His hair was dark brown and thick with sweat. He looked like he'd been through hell. He looked like he could take on hell single-handedly. But the man's eyes disarmed Jessie the most. His eyes were ocean blue and full of wonder. He was dear, for such a lost soul. Her heart pulled toward him with a strange mix of longing and protection when she looked at the man. Jessie couldn't help but give him a sweet smile.

"Be with you in a minute, Sugar," Jessie said. Buzz blinked at Jessie. He tried to clear his head. From this close he could see all of her better than at a distance. The gold badge on her shirt gleamed. Her long red-haired braid shimmered in the sunlight with gold and sunset-red hues. Her fair skin was flecked with tiny freckles on her cheeks and nose. She had kind, emerald-colored eyes and soft, pink lips. Buzz's heart thump-thumped. He thought that if Summer had a maiden's form, it'd be Jessie.

He gazed at her as she passed him. He couldn't stop looking at her. Jessie stowed Sid's gun in her belt, her own gun casually aimed at Sid's temple. She tied up Sid's wrists in knots with long twine from her hip-pouch. She approached the other two bandits just the same, humming a happy jig with the swing of her hips. Buzz saw a flicker of movement from Sid's left foot; but it was too late.

Sid kicked a rattlesnake from the dry weed right into Jessie's back. Jessie let out an alarmed cry. Sid rushed at Jessie, murder in his eyes. Jessie heard a strange sound, like a high-pitched locust.

FWEEEEEZZZ!

Sid gasped, and slumped to his knees. He fell face forward in the dirt, ass up in the air. His black coat had a small, burned hole in his back, with a thin trail of smoke. The two bandits stared at their leader in fear. "BOSS!" they screamed.

Jessie looked at Buzz in shock. Buzz had the look of a trained soldier hell-bent on protecting his woman. One arm stretched out, fist down. Jessie saw a funny-looking gadget strapped to his wrist. His other arm let go of a button on top of the magic-wrist thing. As soon as it was there, it was gone—the thing on his wrist faded away like dust in the air. Both of the injured man's arms were nothing but plain skin, dry as day. Buzz looked at Jessie, exhausted.

"I set it to stun, not kill," Buzz said in a calm, baritone voice. Buzz dropped his arms. He slumped over to the side, and closed his eyes. He heard Jessie call out him, and nothing else.

The four members of the old round-up gang waited and waited at the entrance of the town for Jessie to return. A short, stocky man shaped like a potato paced with a deep frown under his big mustache. A tall man with a big head and skinny arms fidgeted nonstop. An even-tempered man leaned against the town sign. A short, old man stood rigid. He watched the horizon like a sentry. The man against the post scratched behind his ear like a dog.

"You keep pacin' like that Potato, and pretty soon we'll have a trench."

The potato-bodied man bristled his impressive mustache. "It's hot as the Devil's kitchen out here, Slinky, and that blasted girl is late! What else do you expect me do while I wait?" Potato said.

The fidgety man cried out in a mess of pent up nerves, "Oh, I hope she hasn't been eaten by coyotes! Or killed by bandits! What if she ran into Sid? I'll never be able to face Woody—or...or live with myself if anything happened to her!" he ranted.

"...Calm down, Rex," Slinky said coolly, his face touched with a pain he could not hide. Rex shut his lips and averted his eyes. Potato cleared his throat and wiped his forehead under his bowler cap.

The old man called out suddenly. "Look there, gentlemen! The Sheriff returns, 12 o'clock sharp!"

The round-up men saw Jessie approach at last, and she arrived with quite an entourage. In front of the group, Jessie rode on her horse Bulls-Eye. Behind her there was a strange, wounded man holding on to her, covered with a tarp over his head. A wooden carriage manned by a horse-rider followed behind Jessie. The carriage was stocked with cargo goods. A hired Mexican sat on the edge of the carriage in the back. And behind all of that, were two horses and three other injured men. The three injured, were bounded up like felons.

"What the—is that Sid's gang tied up back there?!" Potato started. Slinky whistled and smiled.

"Gotta hand it to Jessie. Always an adventure with her," he said proudly.

"Jessie! Jessie!" Rex called out, waving his skinny arms.

The four round-up men ran to Jessie. Before anyone could ask what took her so long, she fired commands as quick as a draw.

"I ain't got time for questions, so listen up! Rex, I need you to get me Dr. Shark. Tell him we got four injured men. But take him to my place first to take care of the worst wounded."

"Right!" Rex bounced away as fast as his long legs could carry him. Jessie looked at Slinky next.

"Slink, take these two men and the cargo to Sketch. They've had a long ride and could use a rest."

Slinky nodded and hopped onto the carriage. The rider thanked Jessie for her protection before leaving. Jessie smiled. She looked at the old man.

"You think you can lock Sid's gang up for me, Soldier?" Jessie said. "I need the doctor for a bit, so bring out those old war skills and patch 'em up as best you can in the meantime."

The old man saluted, proud. "At your command, Miss!" Soldier replied in a loud voice. He grabbed the reins of the horses, and started off. The two bandits groaned. Potato rounded on Jessie. She stopped him before he could start.

"Potato, I need you to help me carry this fella to my place for treatment. Got a stranger on my hands, and he's a mighty heavy one." She added after a thought, "After that I'll need you to pen and water Bulls-Eye here."

Jessie patted Bulls-Eye's neck. Potato groaned at the sky and rubbed his big palm down his face. He trotted to keep up with Jessie's horse on foot.

It took both of them to lift Buzz into Jessie's bed in her small place. Jessie lifted Buzz's head to put a better pillow under him. Potato reluctantly left to take care of her horse. Rex and Dr. Shark came by moments later. The doctor looked over Buzz's injuries and tended to him. Rex and Jessie watched, both feeling the same unease, but each for different reasons. Dr. Shark rubbed his glasses and looked at Jessie with his beady eyes.

"He's dehydrated something fierce, got a cut leg and lotta other scratches and sunburns on him. There's also something funny about his right forearm, but I can't figure out what it is. I keep hitting something solid but nothin's there Sheriff," Dr. Shark said. Jessie knew the doctor wouldn't believe her if she told him what saw on that arm. That wasn't important to her right now.

"Will he make it, doc?" Jessie asked. Dr. Shark put his glasses back on.

"Oh, he'll be alright in a few weeks, definitely," he said. "He just needs the right care," Dr. Shark added.

Jessie sighed. "Good. I'll keep an eye on him then," Jessie said. Rex looked at her, alarmed.

"B-But Jessie-" Rex started. Jessie put her hands on her hips, defiant.

"Look, there ain't nothin' I can do about it, Rex. This town's almost packed with everyone from all over the county lookin' to start a new life here and work. There's no bed at Dr. Shark's, Bo's, or any other inn. Besides," Jessie looked at Buzz asleep in her bed. "He saved my life. I gotta pay him back."

Rex saw the determination on her face as she looked at the stranger in her bed. The scenario worried him sick.

"But...But...There's a strange man in your bed!" Rex panicked. He covered his big mouth, eyes wide.

Jessie blushed a deep shade of pink. She hadn't even had time to think about that. A young, unmarried woman suddenly shacked up and saddled with a strange man. The town Sheriff gone wayward against unwritten laws while upholding the written laws of justice. Oh the field day the town gossips would have with that. Dr. Shark laughed, revealing all of his tiny and sharp teeth.

"Well I'll just haveta deal with that too!" Jessie remarked. She crossed her arms and that was the end of that.

When Buzz Lightyear opened his eyes, he found himself in a small room with a cloth over his head. He felt a slight breeze through the curtain from the window next to him. Judging by the lack of light in the room, it was night. On a small nightstand next to him lay a basin of water, cloths, and what appeared to be some kind of medicine. Buzz propped himself up on his elbow. Pain shot through his leg. Yup, I remember how I got that, he thought. Buzz tried to shift position.

The bed made a loud squeaking noise. Loud enough to cause the person cuddled up in a chair next to his bed to stir. Buzz froze. It was her, the young woman from before. Jessie had her thick wrap skirt over her small shoulders while she slept in a hard wooden chair. The moonlight in the room cast a gentle glow on her. Jessie's long braid was entwined with several cloth ribbons. She wore a white cotton underdress that looked to Buzz like a top and short pant bottoms. Her body hardly fit in the chair. She looked uncomfortable. Buzz felt a pang of guilt for having taken over the bed. Jessie looked up at Buzz. She rubbed her eyes, and then realized that he stared at her. She tossed the wrap skirt and went to his bedside.

"Hey there, sleepy. You feelin' alright? You need anything?" Jessie said. Jessie's shoulder strap fell on one side. She fixed it, a little embarrassed.

Buzz averted his eyes, polite. He cleared his throat. "I'm alright, miss..."

"Jessie J. McKenzie," she stuck out her hand, "Howdy," she said.

Buzz shook her hand. "I'm Buzz Lightyear. Where exactly am I Miss Jessie?"

"Call me Jessie, Buzz. Until you get better we'll be livin' together for a while, so might as well drop the formal talk. You're in my home, in my town."

Jessie removed the cloth from his forehead. She wrung it out in the basin next to him. "This town's named Fe, in California," Jessie said. She watched his response.

Buzz's head swam. He had absolutely no idea where he was on the Star Map. Was California the name of a planet or localization? Could anyone from Star Command reach him out here? And what would he tell Jessie, a citizen on this rock, without breaking the Underdeveloped Planet Preservation Policy (the UPPP)? Ihadanaccidentthankyouforhealingmywoundspleaseignoremeforever?

"Oh," Buzz said.

Jessie laughed, "You're a long way from home, aren't you?"

Buzz smirked, sad. "Yes."

Jessie frowned. "Well, you just get some sleep, heal up, and I'm sure you'll be back home in no time."

Buzz watched Jessie rub her sore neck. She turned away. He grabbed her wrist.

"Why am I sleeping in this bed? This is your home, you should take it," Buzz said.

Jessie removed his hand. "You probably can't tell Buzz, but this is a little shack I live in. It's all I got, even if I am the Sheriff of this town. I'm still set on makin' sure you get back to bein' fit as a strong horse."

Buzz shook his head. "This still isn't right, you're a lady and I'm a guest!"

He tried to get up some more. Jessie grabbed his muscled shoulders and tried to push him down. She pinned his abdomen with her knee. He struggled back.

"Oh no you don't! Don't you try to—OH!" Jessie grunted.

Jessie toppled over, half on top of Buzz in the bed. The two of them froze at the compromising position. Jessie shuffled over to the side, but the bed was small, and Buzz caught her before she fell off. Buzz and Jessie were now side by side in bed, looking into each other's eyes, speechless.

"Well...I suppose this arrangement could work too," Buzz said. Jessie chuckled nervously at the idea.

On the promise of no funny business-and sworn secrecy not to tell ANYONE else, ever-Buzz and Jessie agreed on sleeping together in the one small bed in her place. Even side by side, backs to one another, the big guy and the little woman lay close enough to touch. They each kept very still. Jessie couldn't sleep like this. She was on top of the covers with her wrap skirt over her shoulders, but her legs were still bare. She knew that the two of them couldn't stay stiff all night long. Jessie decided it was best to try and talk to Buzz, to help her relax.

"So...where are you from, Buzz?" Jessie asked.

Buzz cleared his throat. "I'm from far, far away," he answered.

"Virginia?" She asked.

"...Yes," Buzz said. For some reason, he didn't like to be dishonest to her.

Jessie caught it. "You're a bad liar, Buzz."

"I am?" He said, confused.

Jessie chuckled. He was awful cute. "Next time you lie, try to put some backbone in your voice."

"Right. I'm sorry."

Jessie turned over and looked at his big, muscled back. "So where are you really from?"

Buzz kept quiet. If I can't lie, I'll say nothing, he thought.

Jessie thought about something. She nudged him with her finger. "Does it have anything to do with that funny magic gun on your wrist?"

Buzz stiffened even more. Finally, he sighed, and turned to face Jessie. His eyes were determined, and his messy hair was just the right kind of bed-head sexy. Her eyes wandered down to his ripped, bare chest. Jessie's breath caught. They were inches apart. A stranger in your bed, on the devil's path you tread, Jessie thought. But holy babe in the manger, if this ain't a fine man...

Buzz showed Jessie his bare arm and pressed a button just above his wrist, but to her it looked as if he just pressed air. The white, silver, and purple doo-hickey appeared before her again. He twisted his wrist around so she could see it better from all sides.

"This is my specialized wrist band, and yes, what you saw is something called a Phaser. It's a kind of weapon, like your pistol. It's only commissioned to certified space rangers, like myself."

Jessie inched her hand toward it, then stopped. Buzz nodded his consent. She touched the wrist band. To her surprise it was made of some smooth, shiny, and cold metal. So this is magic gun that saved my life from Sid's attack today, Jessie thought.

Buzz continued. "I am Buzz Lightyear, from Star Command. That's my home. It's in the night sky, Jessie. Far, far above your world."

Buzz carefully measured her reaction. Jessie's eyes went wide, then confused. Her mind processed the information piece by piece. What would she, a beautiful stranger he just met, think of him? Will you nullify me in a primitive manner while I'm at your mercy? Buzz thought. Finally, she nodded.

"Well alright then," Jessie said.

Buzz blinked. "That's it? That's all you have to say?"

Jessie smiled. "You saved my life, sugar. You don't look or sound like you're from around here. And that magic thing just proves that you're somethin' special."

Buzz returned her smile, relieved. He had the urge to reach out to her. He wanted to feel her soft skin, and touch her pink lips. He banished the disorderly thoughts from his mind. The short distance between them didn't help suppress his hidden desires. He could feel her warmth just inches away. He could see in her eyes that she was kind and sincere. Buzz felt himself relax. He was safe. She was near.

The days and nights went on in amiable agreement between Jessie and Buzz. Jessie tended to his wounds until she had to leave for Sheriff duty. Rex came by with sets of clothes that just fit Buzz so he could get up and move around Jessie's place for exercise. Buzz tried to put into practice the names and functions of important things around the house: electric lights, running water, clothes, basin, pot, and stove. He spent time watching passerby outside the bedroom window. The busy streets were full of "automobiles", "carriages", and "horses". He picked up on the languages and words of the Mexicanos, Mulattos, Chinese, Whites, and Negro citizens. Buzz thought everything was fascinating in the town of Fe. He would have to get the name of this planet for remembrance.

During the evenings Jessie would come home to find a hot meal waiting for her. Buzz insisted on doing even a little bit of his part, bad leg or not. Jessie had never known any man to cook, clean, or stay at home. That was ladyfolk work, but he didn't mind it. Buzz was truly a different sort. A good kind of different, she decided. He wasn't boozin' and sleepin' in the saloon. He wasn't putting her down or huntin' for glory. He even put up a "privacy sheet" in the bedroom for when Jessie got dressed in the morning. It was just an old sheet on a clothesline halfway across the room. She thought that was hilarious, but sweet. Buzz was eager, smart, and gracious. She liked having him around. And secretly, she liked having to share her bed with him as well.

At night Jessie and Buzz go through a routine. Jessie would do her hair in the small water closet by her hand mirror. Buzz would get in bed first. He liked to sleep without a shirt on, as he found the cotton shirts on this planet too itchy for his taste. After her bath Jessie would get under the covers in her underdress. The two of them would talk about his space adventures and her Wild West adventures. They'd laugh, and they shared secrets. Unconsciously, the two of them were closing the gap between them on the bed.

Buzz looked at the far closet door late one night. "Jessie, that door appears to be jammed. Would you like me to fix it?"

Jessie gave the door a pained look. "No, sugar. That door's fine how it is," she said.

Buzz lowered his voice. "Is something wrong?"

Jessie curled into a ball, arms tight around her shoulders, as if to protect herself. "I jammed that closet on purpose, Buzz. There ain't nothin' back there worth bringin' out…It's all Woody's stuff."

"Woody?" Buzzed asked. He'd heard of the name from Rex in passing, but it was never elaborated.

Jessie nodded. "He's my brother. Was my brother. He died two years ago in bandit gunfight, tryin' to protect the town. And I…I wasn't there to protect him. I should have been-"

Jessie covered her face with her hands. Her shoulders shook. Tears fell on the pillow. Buzz leaned over and gently rubbed Jessie's back with one hand.

Jessie whispered. "He was the real Sheriff, but he ran the town like a mayor too. Everybody loved Woody."

Jessie looked into Buzz's eyes. "We came here from Tennessee, just to start over. Because of me. Because I was the bandit gun with no future, and he was the good-lawman brother. He thought I could change if I started fresh! But I abandoned him when needed me because I'm so, so stupid, Buzz!"

"Jessie, no!" Buzz pulled Jessie into a fierce hug, closing the gap between them in bed. Jessie gasped. A rush of solid warmth enveloped her. His hug was strong and gentle. His face pressed against her tear-soaked cheek.

"You are not stupid," Buzz said, determined. "You're the most amazing woman I've ever met."

Jessie hugged Buzz back and sobbed in his arms. She murmured her worries and sorrow. He soothed her broken heart. He rubbed her back, ran a finger over her hair. Jessie sighed. Buzz and Jessie fell asleep in each other's embrace. When morning light came through the window, Jessie was curled on top of Buzz's bare chest with dried tears on her cheeks. Buzz's arm lay wrapped around her protectively. The two of them had one of their hands interlocked all night long.

Buzz's leg was healed at last. He looked out the window in his borrowed clothes. He was sad, and conflicted. Ever since the night Jessie had opened up to him, something deep in his heart had changed. He longed for something he could not have, and this upset him greatly. With a fresh resolve, Buzz turned away from the window. He grabbed a hat from the chair and left the house, on his own for the first time.

It was high noon when Jessie decided to head home and have lunch with Buzz as a surprise. Ever since that night she felt a release more than she'd ever known before. In her heart a joyful fiddle played. She felt lightness, a freedom to love. But when Jessie opened the door to their shared house, it was empty and quiet. She called out to him and wandered the small space. Jessie was confused, until she realized that he never belonged here in the first place. Her world was never his.

"Buzz?" fear seeped into her voice. There was no answer. He was gone.

Jessie tried not to panic. She asked around town. She got the round-up men to help, but very little turned up. A Mexican man, the same from the day Jessie and Buzz first met, had seen him. The man let Buzz borrow a horse and a few supplies. He directed Buzz to the path they traveled before. Jessie's panic intensified. He wouldn't leave without saying goodbye. Not Buzz. Not him, she thought to herself.

Jessie determined to set out after him, but Potato and the other round-up men stood in her way.

"I'm sure he'll be back soon, Jessie. Don't you fret now. It's unlike you," Slinky said. He kept a tight grip on the reins of Bulls-Eye.

"You've got matters to attend to Sheriff! Can't have you skippin' off after a shadow, now!" the old soldier commanded.

"I can keep a look out for him, if you want!" Rex offered.

Potato stood his ground in front of the horse and bristled his brow. He was suspicious that she'd take off if given an inch. Jessie looked at each man. She sighed and slipped off Bulls-Eye.

"You're right," she said, defeated. That wasn't the sound of your heart breakin,' Jessie. Let it go… Let him go, she thought.

That night, Jessie sat alone by the window in her wooden chair. She didn't feel up to eating much, or getting ready for bed. She looked at the stars and wondered which one he was on. There was a knock on the door. Confused, Jessie opened it. There stood the wandering space ranger, drenched in sweat and dirt. He stepped inside and removed his hat. He gave her a half-hearted smile.

"Howdy. I'm home," Buzz said.

Jessie snapped. "Where in the blazes have you been, Buzz?!"

"Ugh!" Buzz stepped back and rubbed his ears. He looked at her, completely confused.

Jessie couldn't stay still. She looked for something to hit him with. "You've been gone for hours in the blazin' sun not knowin' where you really are, and you don't tell anyone about it! I've been worried sick! I almost hung up my badge and hauled after your sorry space-ranger ass!"

Jessie stomped into the next room. Buzz followed her, worried. Buzz could dismantle explosive bombs in the vast blackness of space, but he didn't have any training regarding emotional explosions like this. He was completely clueless and terrified of Jessie.

Jessie stood in front of the bed, her hands balled into fists. The bed lay empty, yet completely and perfectly tucked, as he always had left it for both of them every night. She wanted to rip the sheets off. She wanted to cry into the pillow. Then she realized she could just hit him with the pillow.

"…Jessie?" Buzz said, apprehensive, but in a calm voice.

Jessie turned around and swung at him, pillow in hand. Buzz caught her wrist, alarmed. He tossed the pillow back on the bed. She struggled, but he held her firm. Jessie yelled at him.

"I know! You've got to back! No matter what I say that won't change. But…Did you really think it was fine to leave without saying goodbye?!" she cried.

Understanding dawned on Buzz's face. He pulled Jessie close to him, desperate.

"I don't want to leave you!" Buzz shouted.

Jessie gasped. Buzz averted his gaze, frustrated. "I don't ever want to leave you, Jessie. You'll have to trust me when I say that. When I left town today, I went back to my ship. And I burned it."

Jessie covered her mouth. "Oh, Buzz…"

Buzz let go of her. He pressed a button on his wrist band and it appeared before her. He looked at it with disdain. "Safety protocol zero-one-point-seven-eight-point-C-nine. In the event of a marooned space ranger and the loss of a certified spacecraft, all wrist bands are locked in with a tracking device and cannot be removed until successful extraction by Star Command rescue forces," Buzz recited.

Buzz turned the wrist band invisible again. He sighed. "This activated the moment the ship burned, and I couldn't stop it. There's no way to remove or damage this band without killing me, Jessie. I was too stupid to remember that this would happen."

Buzz looked into Jessie's beautiful green eyes. "I'm so, so sorry Jessie. You mean everything to me. I meant to stay…but now I really can't. I should have left it alone. This is all my fault!"

Jessie couldn't stand to see him in sorrow for another moment. Too many emotions flooded her heart—relief that he was back, shock in what he did, and overwhelming love burned inside her. She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately, tears in her eyes. Buzz was caught off guard. He wrapped his arms around her back and waist. Buzz deepened the kiss, desperate for her. They fell onto the bed together, Buzz half on top of Jessie. Buzz kissed her forehead, the freckles on her cheeks and her nose, and then caressed her lips with his. Jessie bit his lip and moaned. Buzz slid down to her neck as Jessie gasped for breath and pleasure. He sucked nape of her neck. Jessie undid Buzz's vest and pulled off his shirt. She ran her fingers over his solid abdomen and torso. She felt around the shape and softness of his nipples. Buzz shivered with delight. He yearned for her already. He knew he'd never stop yearning for her.

"Jessie," he whispered in his smooth voice. Buzz peppered her shoulder and collar with kisses. He moved a shoulder strap out of his way. Jessie wrapped her legs around his waist. She pulled him further into bed and closer to her body. Buzz felt the warmth and softness of her skin through her thin underdress. He ran a hand over her thigh and in between her legs where she was wet with pleasure. Jessie arched her back and moaned. Buzz looked into Jessie's eyes.

"Jessie, you're the love of my life. I swear I'll make this up to you," he said.

Jessie smiled and placed her hands on his face. "You already are, sugar."

With a shy smile Jessie slowly pulled off her underdress for him. Buzz sighed at the sight of her exposed beauty in the moonlight. Their lips met in another long, deep kiss. Their arms intertwined around one another. The bed they shared became their place of refuge and consummation, where no power on earth or in the stars could shake them apart tonight.

Buzz and Jessie spent the next few days at one another's side. With Buzz recovered, he could stand-in as a lawman with the rest of the round-up gang. Buzz proved to be to be quite an asset on the field. He was diplomatic in civil disputes, he improved team morale, and he was hell-to-pay in a fight against desert bandits. Each day brought Jessie and Buzz adventure, laughter, love, and joy. But each day Buzz and Jessie were on edge. Just how long did they have left together?

One night Buzz and the round-up men all arrived at the largest saloon in Fe without Jessie. The doors opened to a huge festival going on. The smell of delicious flat breads, sauces, spices, drink, and meats wafted through the air. People chatted, smoked, and laughed. Lively music filled the saloon. The band was made up of Spanish instruments and players. Couples paraded in circles on the dance floor to the rhythm. Mrs. Potato grabbed Mr. Potato to sit and eat with her. Buzz saw children playing in between the tables. He looked over to the bar counter. Bo, the tall, blonde, and stunning proprietress of the saloon rubbed some food off her young son Andy's cheek. The toddler had dark brown hair under a red cowboy hat. Buzz smiled at them, sad. Jessie had told him what Woody left behind when he passed. Slinky and Rex ordered drinks from the bar tender, a portly man with pink skin named Hamm. Slinky suddenly stopped drinking. He tapped Buzz's arm and pointed across the room.

At the bottom of the stairwell of the saloon stood the most stunning version of his beloved. Jessie's red-sunset hair fell around her body in soft waves instead of being pulled back into it's usual braid. Two wavy locks framed Jessie's face. The top-most portion of her hair was tucked in by a jeweled pin. She wore earrings to match. Jessie wore makeup befitting a young lady. She had on a rose-red dress with a black corset over it. Jessie smiled at him, shy. She's a perfect, desert rose, Buzz thought. Mesmerized, Buzz went up to Jessie and took her hand like a gentleman.

"May I have this dance, my lady?" Buzz asked. His lips brushed her nails.

Jessie flushed pink. "Of course, sugar," she said.

Buzz lead Jessie into the center of the dance floor. The band members looked at one another. They started to play a smooth, Spanish rhythm to a romantic song. Buzz and Jessie danced, lost in a world of their own...

Para cuando regrese,
tengo el amor en vela
Y corazón guardado,
hastíado por la espera
Tengo un millión de besos
y un huracán dormido
Para cuando tu vuelvas,
a quedarte conmigo

Vuelve,
que estoy contando las horas,
no puedo vivir tan solo
ni tú tan sola,
Ay amor
del beso que tu me diste,
la marquita que me hiciste
no se me borra

Para cuando vuelvas
tengo la tarde y la mañana
Tengo la noche, su madrugada,
tengo guardado su lado de cama

(( For when you return,
I have my love protectively wrapped
My heart saved,
weary of the wait
I have a million kisses,
a sleeping hurricane
For when you return,
to stay with me

Come back
I am counting the hours
I can't live so alone
nor you so alone as well
My love,
from the kiss that you gave me
the mark that you made
cannot be erased

For when you return
I have the afternoon and the morning
I have the night and its dawn
I have kept your side of the bed ))

…It was a private world full of love, soul, and longing for one other. Buzz placed his hand on Jessie's hip and she swayed in time to his lead. Their footwork matched to near perfection on the dance floor. He turned her, and she smiled. They turned and rocked together. Their faces were nearly cheek to cheek. Their hips and legs rocked together to each beat. Jessie and Buzz felt at peace…

De aquella despedida,
tengo el sabor de un beso
Un beso no es todo,
castígo de la ausencia
Cuando recuerdo todo,
se hace la noche larga
Como la dulce herida,
cabada en la memoria

From that farewell
I have the taste of a kiss
a kiss is not the only
penalty of your absence
when I remember everything
it makes the night last long
like a sweet hurt
nailed into my memory

…On and on the music played their song without end.

The stars outside shined like a hundred million diamonds against a bed of purple and black satin. Buzz and Jessie sat next to one another on a high rock in the desert. Jessie lay her head on Buzz's shoulder. Buzz lay his head on top of hers. Their hands were still interlocked from the dancing. Buzz saw a green light blink steadily on his wrist out of nowhere. He pressed a button. The wrist band appeared with the blinking green light. Jessie covered the light with her hand. The green light still blinked through her flesh. Buzz took her hand. He gazed at her.

"Come with me, Jessie," He said. Jessie looked deep in his eyes. A bright star in the sky grew larger and more focused above them. The wind picked up around them.

"I can't leave the town, Buzz. Who'd keep everyone safe?" she asked, sadness in her voice.

"Then I promise I will come back for you," he said.

"Oh, Buzz..." Jessie murmured.

Jessie and Buzz gripped each others' hand. The white starlight enveloped both of them.

"I'm sorry, Jessie," Buzz squeezed her hand.

"I know, I-!" Jessie called out to him.

Buzz's hand, arm, and body faded away like dust in the wind. Buzz's gaze stayed locked on hers, full of regret and sorrow. But he smiled at her. Jessie longed to kiss his lips again. She wanted to feel his solid chest, his warmth. She wanted his arms around her, just one more time…

The white light faded, leaving her alone. The bright star in the night sky returned to normal. Jessie's hand still felt his grip, his lost warmth. Tears swelled in her eyes.

"...I still love you," she whispered to the empty desert.

Jessie lay on her side of the bed in still in her desert-rose dress. She didn't think about it. She didn't need to. Jessie made room for him. She placed her hand on his side of the bed, and closed her eyes. She waited for Buzz to return.

The end

Notes -

Song: "Su Lado de Cama" by Joan Soriano, the inspiration for this story.