Fandom - Toy Story
Length - Oneshot
Characters/Pairing - Andy, Bonnie, Woody, Buzz, Jessie, other toys, JessiexBuzz, possible AndyxBonnie?
Rating - K+
Summary - Andy is aspiring to be a screenwriter. Unfortunately, his first attempt to pitch a script doesn't go so well. Will he be able to find the inspiration to try, try again?
Author Notes - It takes place in July so that's why Andy is 25 and not yet 26 (for all the uber-fans out there that like to keep a mostly accurate time line). Also, I tried to write the Andy and Bonnie relationship so that you could take it as a brother/sister type friendship or an innocent, blossoming May-December romance. I have no problem with either point of view (as long as it's innocent!!), so feel free to interpret and make comment as you wish. Also, this fiction assumes that 9 years in the future, we will still be using cell phones, home phones, answering machines, laptops, etc. Not much imagination on my part, eh?
Screen Play
25 year old Andy Davis was not having a good week. He'd been turned down at least a dozen times as he pitched his script from one local studio to another. He had been raved about in school. His professors told him his writing was top notch and his imagination keen. He had even received a few awards for his contributions to indie short films put together along with his fellow students. Yet, after being told his first full length script was cold, lifeless, bland and other less than encouraging remarks Andy was beginning to feel talentless. He had worked and reworked his script before getting it to a place where he was certainly proud of it. But apparently, the worth of it was in the creator's eyes and nobody else. None of the agents he met were willing to even pass it along.
Frustrated and tired after his final appointment, which had ended in the same result, Andy wanted nothing more than to forget his troubles. After all, it wasn't the end of the world. He could always fall back on other forms of creative writing, he tried to reason positively. And it wasn't like he didn't have a steady job as it was at the Tri-County Herald. Of course, his bruised ego wasn't about to give up so easily and he found himself wallowing in slight self pity as he drove towards his home - or rather his mother's home where he still lived while trying to save up money for his own place.
As he drove by his old middle school, Andy casually wished he was young again without the stress of wanting to make a name for himself. He also suddenly thought of something significantly more important. That night was Bonnie's big dance recital. He'd promised to attend, wanted to attend, and here he had nearly forgotten all about it. Without thinking twice, Andy bypassed Elm Street and drove on to Sycamore.
He had come to know the Anderson house well since the first time he'd visited nearly 9 years prior. Since that day when he'd first donated his toys, the Davis and Anderson families had practically become the best of companions and a lot of it had to do with Andy's frequent visits whenever home from college. He wasn't ashamed to admit (to himself, at least) that it was because Bonnie possessed the one thing he still cherished deeply, missed often and looked to for comfort. As he rang the doorbell, he was suddenly more than ready to see Woody. With the way he currently felt, he could use a good, long look at that ever reassuring smile.
However, the first smile he saw was Bonnie's as she opened the door. "Hi, Andy!" she greeted him enthusiastically and let him in. "Hey, mom," she called loudly, "Andy's here."
"Hi, Andy," Mrs. Anderson smiled warmly, coming into the living room. "How did all of your pitches go? Your mother has been going on all week about how proud she is."
"Oh, uh, she hasn't mentioned…" Andy started to tell her of his lack of success, wondering why his mother already hadn't mentioned any of his failures, but was suddenly embarrassed. He clutched the strap of the bag on his shoulder -which contained his laptop- and decided not to say anything about his problems. "It was a little weird," he answered vaguely.
"Well, new experiences usually are," she tried to sound encouraging. She was about to say something else when her cell phone rang. "It's your mother. I'll let her know you're here," Mrs. Anderson smiled and excused herself so she could take the call.
"So are you nervous about tonight?" Andy asked Bonnie as he followed her to her room.
"A little," she shrugged, not wanting to betray her nerves.
Andy could tell she was only being half honest, but didn't nag her about it. She was still prone to being shy and he knew something like this would be a big test for her. However, one look around the 13 year old's room would make anyone doubt that someone so passionately imaginative could have any room for insecurity. Instead of posters, self-made artwork was displayed on the walls. Bright colors that would seem clashing to most eyes graced the room perfectly. There were books, notebooks, sketchpads and more littered -albeit neatly- here and there. Unlike Andy, who had honed his creativity in on writing, Bonnie had so much creativity that she made use of it in any way she was able to.
So, it was no wonder that she still proudly displayed most of her toys on shelves. They were just another expression of her unique personality. Staring admiringly at the toys that used to be his, Andy actually felt somewhat ashamed for having abandoned them to his chest for so many years. They deserved better and he was grateful that Bonnie realized it where he hadn't. Like clockwork, his attention finally fell on Woody and Woody alone. Andy carefully picked up the cowboy doll and gently handled him as waves of nostalgia washed over him.
"You know, you can have Woody back whenever you want him," Bonnie's voice broke his trance and he placed Woody back on the shelf. He turned and looked at her with a smile, certain she must be annoyed with his constant visits just to relive his childhood for a few precious moments. However, Bonnie's offer hadn't sounded very convincing. Although he'd been tempted to take back his toys from time to time, especially Woody, he could tell that she was just attached to them as he was.
"Maybe someday," he said straightening Woody's hat since it had come a little askew when he'd held him. "But right now he looks too good in your room," he smiled again.
Again Bonnie shrugged, attempting to remain indifferent, but Andy could tell she was relieved by his response. "So what did the studio people really say?" Bonnie suddenly asked.
"What do you mean?" He looked at her and saw the curious gleam in her eyes.
"You didn't seem too thrilled when my mom brought it up," she said, proving she had come to read him just as much as he could read her.
"Well…"Andy considered lying, but relented instead. "They pretty much all hated my script," he confided.
"How is that even possible? You're a great writer," Bonnie was barely a teenager, but she was sure she could do a better job than morons who turned down someone like Andy. "Maybe next time," she wanted to sound helpful.
"There's not going to be a next time, Bonnie," Andy sighed. "At least, not anytime soon."
"You're giving up?" Bonnie couldn't believe her ears. "After all the times you've told me to never quit, you're going to?"
"It's just really complicated." He didn't expect her to understand. Not yet. "Look I…" He stopped when he noticed something from the corner of his eye on her desk. "What's that," he asked as it got his attention.
Immediately Bonnie's eyes widened in panic and she rushed to place herself between him and the items in question. She looked to Andy like a kid caught in the act of some disobedient behavior. "It's nothing really," she seemed to be pleading with him to forget it.
"Since when do you hide things from me?" He said with a chuckle and backed away. He was still more than curious, though, since he was certain he had seen a drawing of Buzz.
"Because you'd laugh at me if I showed you," Bonnie's head drooped as her insecurity gripped her.
"Now you know me better than that." Andy felt just a little offended that she didn't trust him, but knew he couldn't press her any further if it made her feel uncomfortable. He was about to drop the subject entirely when she handed over the sheets of paper on her own. Andy was flabbergasted when he saw a skillfully drawn comic featuring their mutual toys as well as some of her own. "This is really good, Bonnie," he said as he read through the first page. Not only were the drawings great characterizations of the toys, but the story line was decent enough and could be even better with more practice. "Why haven't you shown anyone?" He paused and looked at her.
"Well, you know…" she fumbled a little. "Writing comics about your old toys is a little weird and I…" she let her sentence trail and simply shrugged.
"You have to start somewhere," he smiled, hoping to prove to her that it wasn't weird and she had nothing to be ashamed of. Andy continued to read through the pages of the comic, laughing in amusement at some of the jokes as he did. "You made Buzz and Jessie a couple?" he asked at one point.
"Oh uh…" Bonnie blushed and went shy, as most girls do at that age whenever the topic of romance is even slightly mentioned. "Well, you know. A cowgirl and a space toy. It seemed different."
"Yeah, I can totally see it," Andy nodded approvingly as he finished the comic. "Seriously, Bonnie, this is something else. You're really good at this. Do you have anymore?"
"A few unfinished ones," she answered nervously. "I thought I was just wasting my time, so I didn't finish. I mean, I have dancing and other things so I just figured…"
"You figured you'd quit?" He filled in the blanks. "Even though you're clearly talented?"
"Look who's talking!" Bonnie quickly flipped the table, her tone defiant.
There was silence for a moment as Andy considered the situation. "You're right," he finally nodded in agreement. "If I quit, I have no right telling you not to." Andy paused momentarily, looking at the comics thoughtfully, before adding, "That's why I'm not going to quit. And neither should you."
"Really?" Bonnie's eyes widened.
"Really. I mean, if you love doing this, like I love writing, then you shouldn't give up. We shouldn't give up," Andy smiled as he handed the papers back to her.
"And you really think I'm good?" Bonnie looked at him hopefully.
"I really do," he answered. All of a sudden he felt a wave of inspiration hit him. "So good, in fact, that I just had the craziest idea for a new script! I can't wait to start writing it so you can read it," Andy was more enthusiastic than he had been all week.
"I can't wait to read it! You should start it now," Bonnie's excitement made her impatient, proving she was very much still a child.
"Well, I could," Andy laughed a little. "But I was thinking maybe we could go get some ice cream before you recital. And then maybe we can drop in on Molly at her job."
"And maybe she'll take me to the mall when she gets off!" Bonnie's train of thought changed quickly at the mention of the 21 year old girl who was much like an older sister to her.
"Maybe," Andy laughed again, much louder this time. It amused him how Bonnie could go from being able to inspire him with her unique personality and skills to getting excited over the mall like any other teenage girl. "So you still want me to write instead?"
As if in answer, Bonnie grabbed her purse and dance bag and rushed downstairs to tell her mom what was going on. Andy just shook his head a little, but before following her, he took another glance at his various toys, his eyes resting on Woody at the end. His toys had always been the inspiration behind his creativity and now they were the inspiration behind Bonnie's. "I don't know why I didn't see it sooner," he half-smiled, half-sighed before finally leaving.
3 Weeks Later
"Bonnie looks into the box beside her and is surprised to see her two toys where she was 100 percent certain they hadn't been before. She picks them up and hugs them tightly as the toys share a quick smile unbeknown to everyone, but the audience. The camera fades to black."
Woody finished reading aloud Andy's working script, which he had given a copy of to Bonnie, to the other toys
"Who'd have ever thought it, huh, Woody?" Buzz looked at his friend, both remembering well the similar moment that apparently still stood out in their previous owner's memory.
"Who indeed," Woody nodded, as he put his hand to his face in astonishment. His heart was overwhelmed with the amount of love he felt from Andy's script and Bonnie's comics. Neither humans had any way of knowing their toys were really alive like they imagined them to be, but then again, maybe deep down somewhere they did really know and just didn't realize it.
"He gets us so well," Jessie brought up the characterization in the script. "It's like…he's always known us. It's like he's never really forgotten."
"He hasn't ever forgotten," Woody turned and looked at his friends with a smile bigger than they'd ever seen. There was nothing in the world that could convince him that Andy had forgotten them or ever would.
"Bonnie hasn't either by the looks of it," Dolly said as she looked over the comics. Bonnie's toys were slightly more attached to the comics for obvious reasons. "I mean, I'm still as evil as ever," she laughed a little as she looked at a comic panel that showed Woody fighting Witch Dolly as Buzz attempted to rescue Jessie from Dr. Porkchop.
"Maybe Emily never forgot either," Jessie suddenly thought aloud in a hushed tone, bringing one hand to her chest.
"Maybe," Buzz had heard her comment and took her other hand reassuringly. "I don't see how anyone could forget you." He smiled and gave her a quick kiss.
"Well, Bonnie definitely got that right," Buttercup nudged Hamm, as they looked at the comic panel that showed Buzz and Jessie sharing a reunited kiss and then looked up at Buzz and Jessie kissing right in front of them.
"9 years later and it's still just a bit weird, not gonna lie," Hamm shook his head as Jessie pulled away from Buzz and shot him a glare, albeit harmless.
Suddenly, Bonnie's bedroom phone rang. Her mother wouldn't let her have a cell phone just yet, but she had finally caved and allowed her to have her own home phone line for her 13th birthday. The Anderson family was out for the weekend, taking a mini vacation before school started again, so the toys knew they didn't have to worry about Bonnie rushing to her room to answer the phone. Instead, they continued on in their revelry regarding the script and comics.
That is until Bonnie's answering machine came on and a familiar voice filled the room. "Quiet, quiet, quiet!" Woody hushed them quickly.
"Hey, I got some big news. Visited another agent today and well…" Andy paused. "They're interested!" The announcement caused a riotous cheer amongst the toys listening. "Thanks again for the inspiration. I promise you'll get credits and money out of it," Andy laughed. "Oh wait, you're on vacation aren't you?" he suddenly shouted. "I guess I was so excited I forgot. I guess I'll just call your mom's cell then," he explained needlessly. Mr. Potato Head shook his head a little at this as the machine went silent and they assumed he had hung up. "Oh and hey, Woody," his voice suddenly came back and all of the toys gasped. Woody grabbed his hat and waited with baited breath. "Buzz, and everybody else," he added. "Thanks guys." With that they heard the distinct sound of the phone call ending.
Buzz and Jessie shared a smile, each squeezing the others' hand, the toys all shared emotional glances back and forth with one another and Woody finally brought his hat back to his head. "Anytime, partner. Anytime."
The End