"No matter how many times I tell you she'll break you heart, or how many times she does it, you'll never give up, Why you ask?...because you love her." Broken heart sayings by Josh Hartnett

Jessie sat between Buzz's knees as he picked paint chips out of her hair. After the dumpster incident, the toys had cleaned themselves up the best they could. There were some remnants of tiny paint flakes from the daycare still caught up in Jessie's hair. Buzz would sit her down in his lap and pick out the flakes tangled up in her locks. A pair of tweezers would have been more efficient than Buzz's clunky fingers. Somehow, both of them conveniently forgot that little fact.

They were sitting on the windowsill in Bonnie's Father's home office. The other toys were in Bonnie's room. Buzz had suggested that they come here. Jessie couldn't help but wonder if Buzz kept leaving paint flakes in on purpose just so he would have an excuse to keep running his fingers through her hair.

Jessie chuckled at the thought.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing." She laid her head back into his chest.

"No, it's something. I demand to know right now," he said in a mockingly authoritative tone.

Jessie laughed even harder. Buzz jumped to his feet causing Jessie to fall backwards.

"No one mocks Buzz Lightyear, Temptress! Set laser to lethal." Buzz crouched low and aimed his "laser" arm at her.

Oh, so that's how he wanted to play it! Jessie also jumped to her feet and put her hands on her hips.

"You're bluffing, Space Ranger! You can't attack an unarmed opponent."

"On the contrary. Having looks that kill? You call that unarmed?"

Jessie batted her eyes flirtatiously.

"Star Command, I'm under heavy fire! Do you read? I need reinforcements, over!" Buzz tapped his non-existent wrist com.

Jessie was about to pounce on him when the sound of a familiar truck stopped her dead in her tracks. Without looking out the window she said, "It's here." She stood there as if the world around her disappeared.

With the spell between them now broken, Buzz slowly nodded.

"Jessie." His tone was low and dead serious. It was enough to snap Jessie out of whatever world she was just in.

"Buzz?"

"Come on, Jess, don't do this today. Let's just go back to Bonnie's room," he pleaded.

Jessie had that habit of stroking her braid when she was uncertain or feeling vulnerable. Once she realized that she was doing it right at that moment, she dropped her hands.

"Buzz, I have to."

"No, you don't," he said simply. "We've been through this so many times now." Exasperated, he turned away from her. "I'm leaving!"

Buzz only meant to be harsh to stir up a reaction in her. He wanted to see that fighting spirit that he'd fallen for. Instead, she seemed terrified and sad at the same time. Her pained expression softened him up.

He took her hand and squeezed it gently. "You know where to find me, Jessie."

He didn't just let go of her hand. Their palms slid against each other, then their fingers. When the tips of their fingers lost contact with each other, Jessie gasped at the sudden loss of his warmth. Still, she didn't lower her hand right away.

Buzz turned to leave. His normally pencil-straight posture was now bent as if he just had a physically exhausting battle. His arms just swung limply by his side while as he walked. He paused and looked back. His gaze, sad and pleading, caused Jessie to clench her teeth and curse herself for being the cause of his sadness. She abruptly turned away from him to face the window.

With that, Buzz jumped down off the windowsill and walked toward the door.

"Awww, Buzz. Don't give up on me," she said with a low voice. Jessie dropped her hands when realized that she was stroking her braid again. She walked up to the window.

Buzz actually did hear Jessie's quiet plea. He smiled and responded with an even lower voice, "Not a chance, Cowgirl."

Buzz regained his composure and walked back to Bonnie's room. The scene there reminded him of being in Andy's room back in the day. He looked around. Let's see here. Hamm, Rex, and Trixie playing videogames? Nope! Mrs. Potato Head reading a story to the little green guys and the rest of Bonnie's toys? Nope! Woody, Slinky Dog, and Mr. Potato Head on the bed playing cards? Bingo!

He climbed up the sheets to join them.

"Woody, we need to talk."

"About Jess? I know," Woody said without looking away from his cards.

"That truck is here. We all heard it," said Slinky. He put his cards face down and looked concerned. "Is she okay?"

"Of course she ain't. I bet she's sitting by the window doing that emo thing! Meh. Go fish, Woody!" Mr. Potato Head shuffled his cards.

Mr. Potato Head's crass yet astute observation left Buzz unable to reply.

Woody casually put his cards down.

"Potato Head, Slink, can Buzz and I..."

"Yeah, sure thing, Woody." Slinky jumped down off the bed.

"I'd rather be with the Mrs. anyway." Potato Head got up and jumped off the bed.

Buzz sat down beside Woody.

"I guess it didn't go as planned. I'm sorry, Buzz."

"Don't be. Suggesting Jessie and I spend time alone today was a good idea," Buzz sighed. "We were having such a good time, Woody. That's the first time we'd had so much fun since we first saw that truck."

Buzz shook his head as if he were trying to make sense of the situation. He continued.

"I don't understand why she keeps doing this. She's been acting less and less like herself. She hardly ever smiles." Buzz threw his hands up in the air.

Woody was sighed heavily as he stood up. Moved by the frustration in Buzz's voice, he put a firm hand on Buzz's shoulder.

"Walk with me, Buzz." Woody led Buzz off the bed and across the room. The other toys were busy doing their own thing.

"Look, trust me I never expected this from Jessie of all toys." Woody rubbed his temples. "I was hoping a little alone time would do the trick."

"Jessie," Buzz sighed.

"Don't worry, Partner," Woody patted Buzz's shoulder. "It's time to move to stage 2."

Relief flooded Buzz's features.

"Stage 2? You never told me about a stage 2. So, what's stage 2?" He asked enthusiastically.

"Over there!"

Woody simply gestured in another direction. Buzz followed Woody's gaze to...

"Mr Pricklepants?" Buzz asked incredulously.

The hedgehog smiled as he approached Buzz and Woody.

"Indeed, Space Ranger. Fate can be a cruel thing and often deals us a foul hand. However, we are given a free will to accept the capricious nature of life and act accordingly."

"Huh?" Buzz cocked his head to the side.

Woody chuckled. "Haven't you gotten used to him yet, Buzz? Listen, you want the old Jessie back, right? We all do. This is how we're gonna do it."

Meanwhile, Jessie continued to watch as the truck moved on to the next house. She sat next to the window hugging her knees. It had been 6 weeks since they moved into Bonnie's house. On garbage day, Slinky Dog had been the first to see that truck.

"Hey! Over here, ya'll! Look at this!" Slinky Dog shouted.

Hamm, Buzz, Woody, and Jessie ran to the window. Everyone else stayed on the floor.

"What's going on, Slinky dear?" asked Mrs. Potato Head.

"It's 'him,'" Slinky said begrudgingly.

The toys pressed their foreheads to the window to get a better look. As they looked out, they were all silenced. Hamm was the first to speak up.

"Well, I'll be banked! It really is 'him!'"

"So that's what happened to 'him,'" Buzz said as he rubbed his chin.

"Yeah, serves 'him' right!" exclaimed Hamm.

"You said it!" Slink agreed and high fived Hamm.

"This, I gotta see!" Mr. Potatohead joined the other toys on the windowsill.

Jessie touched the window. Her face fell at the sight. Lotso was tied to the grill of the garbage truck. His head hung low. Even in "toy mode" and having that plastic smile, he seemed more lifeless than usual.

"Look, guys, I know 'he' did some terrible things," she said.

"Now there's an understatement." Mr. Potato Head rolled his eyes.

Hamm cocked his head to the side as he examined Jessie.

"Hey, what's eatin' you?"

"It's my fault 'he' ended up like that, " she responded. Jessie didn't take her eyes off of the stuffed pink bear.

Everyone gasped at this. What made Jessie think that this was her fault? The question hung in the air, but everyone was too stunned to ask. Woody recovered first.

"Jessie, w-what do you mean?"

"It was my idea to go to the daycare in the first place," said Jessie.

"Oh, Jessie. No, no, no." He laid his hands gently on her shoulders and spoke like a person lovingly rebuking a younger sibling. "Listen to me, Jess. Look at me."

She timidly looked up at him. He took a breath in.

"Don't do this to yourself, please. Look at me, now," he said when she lowered her head again. "Don't do this." He stressed each word as his eyes searched hers.

"I-I won't," she said weakly.

Woody sighed. He knew when to pick his battles with Jessie and decided to drop it for now. The whole time Buzz just stood there. He didn't know what to say or how to comfort Jessie. He took a cue from Woody and decided to drop it for now.

Since Andy gave his toys to Bonnie, there was an unspoken rule in Bonnie's house not to utter the stuffed bear's name. Even Chuckles no longer spoke the name of his former friend. They refereed to him as "he," or "him." They refereed to his prison mobile prison as "that truck."

Week after week on every garbage day, Jessie watched that truck. It became her ritual. A heaviness set on everyone near her .

While Trixie gave Rex a lesson in internet lingo, she typed "Emo Jessie = Epic Fail!"

End Flashback

That was 6 weeks ago. Fast-forward to the present.

Jessie put her head on her knees. She thought about being trapped in storage with memories of a life gone forever and no hope for the future. Even after finding friendship with Woody and the others, the memories never died. A nightmare here and a flashback there would remind her of the pain of isolation. She didn't wish that fate on anyone, not even on "him." Rather than a quick death by fire, "his" fate was an ongoing torture that can chip away at one's soul little by little every day. Jessie knew what that felt like.

As Jessie sat there lost in her thoughts, Buzz, Woody, and Mr. Pricklepants watched her from outside the door.

"Buzz, you ready?"

"As ever, Woody! And you, Pricklepants?" Buzz turned to the hedgehog.

"I will not fail you." Mr. Pricklepants paused and corrected himself. "I will not fail Jessie. Let us begin."

"Great! Don't worry, Buzz, it's going to work." Woody gave Buzz a thumbs up.

"I know." Buzz nodded. He turned to look at Jessie.

Awww, Buzz. Don't give up on me.

Replaying her words, Buzz clinched his fist. "I never give up on anything or anyone worth fighting for, especially you. Wait just a little longer, Jessie."

Though Buzz was talking to himself, he spoke loud enough for Woody and Mr. Pricklepants to hear. The two just looked at each other hesitant to say or do anything that would break Buzz's train of thought. They didn't have to wait long. Buzz turned around beaming.

"All right everyone. It's showtime!"

To be concluded...

"It will be a wonder to behold!"

"Gee, I dunno."

Jessie was doing that braid-stroking thing again.

He reached out and took her hands in his.

"Listen to me, Jessie. You broke the cycle of misery, but you still need to forgive."

"I forgave 'him,'" she argued.

"I know. I was not referring to 'him.' I am talking about forgiving yourself."

Jessie's eyes widened. Mr. Pricklepants paused from a moment to let that sink in.

"This would mean so much to me," he continued. "However, it must mean more to you. Do this for yourself, not for me or even for Buzz. You are a most remarkable toy! The bond between you and your friends is unlike anything I have ever witnessed."

Jessie smiled. "Oh, why the heck not? Sounds like fun."

"That's the spirit, Jessie!"

"Yeeehaaaaw! Alright, I'll do it!"

As Jessie's excitement rose, Mr. Pricklepants matched her excitement.

"Splendid! You won't regret it!"

The hedgehog whistled as he walked away. Jessie couldn't help but notice that it was the kind of whistling people do when they are clearly guilty of something but are making a lame attempt to seem innocent.