Chapter 105

Disclaimer: I do not own Toy Story.

A/N I would like to thank those that have taken time to read, alert, favourite, or review this story so far. It means a lot :)

To get in the same mood as I had been whilst writing this chapter (hopefully), I suggest you listen to 'War' by 'Poets of the Fall'. A/N

The Sheriff doll was beyond speechless at the moment - he was utterly terrified.

With his eyes wide in pure horror and with the bonds as firm as ever around his body, he could only gape in Jessie's direction with a sense of terror etched across his face like chalk as his heart shattered into a million pieces. It was all still clear within his mind: The look on her face as she lifted the blade above her head; the way she had mouthed the words 'I'm sorry' before adding 'I don't want to go', a few moments before remained fresh within his mind (even if he had the slight feeling that Jessie maybe didn't have the original intention to mouth off these words as the looks within her eyes intensified into something darker); the look perched upon her features as the task became clear; and the screams which had escaped the burrows of her lungs as the blade of the dagger broke through her chest and led her towards a Fate she'd never be able to avoid - Death itself…

This all rolled, fresh, within his mind and it unnerved him to an extent he could barely even bring himself to manage; he could barely even understand why this had happened in the slightest. From everything he could pick out, Jessie had been fighting her off but… Well, one thing led to another and Jessie did this to herself.

If Woody hadn't seen her murmur those words, then he wouldn't have believed it all with his own eyes and he knew he wouldn't have. Nonetheless, Woody had barely been able to notice the ring on the ground a few meters away from his body until the steel ring began to glow an unnatural shade of green and this was what caught his attention in the end. The first thought to strike him was whether the ring should appear like that - shouldn't it be a different colour? - nevertheless, as his eyebrows began to arch for those few moments (seemingly forgetting about Jessie for that spilt second as he gazed towards the prison which contained two of the only souls whom could help him at the moment) as the glow grew more intense. Soon enough, a shadowy mist began to surround the silver jewel like a weightless anchor and the world of Sheriff Woody went blank for a few moments as the mist suddenly expanded in an abrupt explosion. This had all taken place only a few seconds after the blade tore through her chest, sending off the few first droplets of blood down the blade and onto her hands in the process as she dropped to her knees with a painful wince and, as the spirits (which had once been within her only a few seconds before) were sent away, the recently escaped souls had been quick to surround the parasite in the way an angry pack of wolves would stalk their afternoon meal.

If the natural power of the prison hadn't had its impact upon the souls of Peter and Pertranda Mason after the years they spent locked up, then they wouldn't have stood a chance against Katrielle Hay as they forced her into the steely barriers of the prison. Nevertheless, they had been trapped for long enough, gaining the power of perseverance along the way, to be able to (together) out power a soul who was weaker than ever if they had to. And they had to now. If they had to use her own tricks against her, then so be it.

As Jessie's hands began to shake vigorously, she was in as much pain as she had ever felt in her life. If she had thought the Fates were painful enough, or the mental strain she had felt when her own voice tried to speak up, then she was horribly mistaken. The sacred blade in her chest was far more painful than any of these - one pain that she should never have to face - put together. It almost felt like her soul was ripping itself apart as she knelt there, with her hands trembling like crazy as the cold air forced her lips into a drumming motion, with the blade within her chest, scalding her inner strength like a brander as she felt her senses fade away. The pain had been sudden, but it was intoxicating without the shadow of a doubt and it was one pain she really couldn't handle anymore. If she had once thought that the years of her life had given her a sense of inner power, then she was highly mistaken. There was no such thing as a sense of 'Inner Power' in the situation she was facing and, if she had ever possessed the smallest urge within her life, then it surely must have been obliterated into nothing more than ashes by this point - just like the featureless body which had once belonged to Woodrow Pride only moments before.

As the souls began to lock the parasite up within the prison however, she could only look up towards the Sheriff doll before her (who, at the moment, seemed as big as the speck of dust against a mountain) and murmur these words:

"I'm sorry." She stammered, her voice coming out as no more than a mere whimper as her eyes caught his. She wondered whether his bonds had been broken yet as she placed one hand on the hilt of the dagger.

With his eyes widening, he could only shift his gaze from the ring and towards her before gaping at her in a sense of pure horror. He knew what she was about to do and he knew she didn't want to go; but her next action could kill her and, having a weak soul as she did, it did.

"Jessie! No!" Woody exclaimed as loud as his voice box could as he tore through the weak bonds around his body. She couldn't be doing this! Not after everything they had been forced through,
Nevertheless, Jessie only closed her eyes softly as she did her best to block his voice from reaching her comprehension. She knew why this had to happen now: They both knew things they shouldn't and, together, the scent was strong enough to get themselves hurt. But, if there was only one of them, then the chances were likely that the Fates would just overlook them completely.

The last words to ring through her mind were these:

'Only the bond between you both will be able to keep it that way.'

As Jessica Jane braced herself, she could only wonder whether she had been able to hide quickly enough and could only hope that she had.

The Sheriff could only watch in absolute horror as Jessica Jane withdrew the knife from her upper chest, gasping in pain as she did so, and, quickly enough, the pain began to overtake her nerves as her world became black.

With the dagger falling, limp, upon the ground below, Woody's fears were portrayed right before him as her body dropped to the ground slowly with her senses dead as the pain fluttered away; her own soul drifting away towards the inevitable Fate in the process.

"Jessie!" Woody screamed as he tore himself free from the bonds and rushed towards her limb body. The wound in her chest was far more than soaked with blood by now, and her hands were stained with the nectar of Satan, but Woody ignored this as he came to a halt directly before her body. The proportions were uneven and, given the fact that a human was almost six times the height of a rag doll, there wasn't much Woody could do at all as he dropped to his knees in despair. His jaw was open and his eyes were wide in horror as he gaped at the sight before him. She was on her side and the dirt stained her skin in an unnatural manner, with the blood oozing out of the wound like a simmer as the body lay, lifeless, on the ground.

There was no question over the matter - there was no way she could've survived that. And this very thought attacked Woody's nerves like a bullet to the heart as he reeled over in absolute distraught. No! This couldn't be happening! Not now.

'Oh God, please! No!' Woody mentally yelled towards the heavens as he buried his head in his hands. If it had been possible, then the fluid within his eyes would have been draining out by the second as the realization began to kick in like a brander through ice.

"Jessie, no!" He exclaimed as the spirits of the children drifted towards the only available host - the one that the Sheriff had just so happened been able to ignore for the time being - they came across, his hands sliding down his face as his jaw trembled vigorously. "N-no!"

It took no genius to come across the final conclusion - the one which Woody had 'NEVER' wanted to meet. It was all too clear to him; all too freakin' clear. And the obvious fact shattered his heart into even smaller pieces.

"J-Jessie…" He murmured sadly as the full realization settled upon his soul like the very dagger Jessie had used to pierce her chest. Upon first instinct, Woody would have found himself trying to shake away any life Jessie had left within her body in a desperate attempt to finally conclude his suspicions. Nonetheless, in his position as a toy and due to the fact that Woody knew the answer was definite, this was not something he did.

Feeling his eyes heating up unnaturally, it was one of those moments where Woody wished toys had the ability to cry - one ability Jessie had wished she could've had within the body of a toy only a week or so before - and there was still nothing he could do to produce real tears as he felt the sense of despair overwhelm his nerves like a tornado. She was gone; and Woody knew this fully well as he knelt there, barely able to do anything other than stare at the body before him in a sense of pure horror as his nerves froze over. The shock of the situation was almost too much for him to bear - she couldn't really be gone, could she?

And for those few moments - just for a few moments - the confusion slipped into his comprehensible thoughts and he found his mind reeling. Nevertheless, his fears were concluded as the words from the visions ran through his head:

'She'll eventually kill herself because of it.'

And this confirmed everything as his world shattered around him, the very words drawing him away from his brief sense of withdrawal like a magnet as he sensed the atoms of her soul drifting away like the wind itself, dragging along a part of his soul with it as the vigorous force tore his soul up into a thousand pieces. No - there was no way this could be happening.

Nevertheless, he could only gape at her in pure horror as his heart sunk within his chest. There was no question against the fact - she was gone… And she wasn't coming back.

"Jessie…" He murmured uselessly as his hands plopped half-heartedly onto the forest floor below. He couldn't believe any of this. How did he lose everything so quickly? She had been right there a few moments before - too far from his reach, yes; but she had still been there - and now she was just…gone. She had been taken away within a matter of seconds and there was no denying this fact. If the Sheriff had been a little more positive about this situation, then he may have convinced himself (due to the benefit of the doubt) that Jessie had been transferred into a new host again. But he couldn't bring himself to do so when the overlying truth was just so obvious.

She was Dead. And he had lost everything.

Feeling the memories of every strong moment between them both rush through his mind at a speed he had hardly been able to comprehend, Woody's whole body reeled forward as he cupped his hands over his eyes and he literally felt as though a part of him had been ripped out of him as he tried to force himself not to choke on the sobs which he knew would never arrive.

He had been unable to notice any difference in the atmosphere as the form perched itself beside him. And it continued in this way until the souls spoke up.

"There's no point living in the past Woody." The voice, definitely too high for an adult, began. "It's not going to help either of you."

If Woody hadn't been lost in his own sense of utter distraught, then he may have been shocked to hear these words. Nonetheless, he only turned his head to the side in order to face the host beside him.

And he was faced with the face he hadn't seen for nine years. But it was different, almost as though the features upon it were halfway morphed between the one of a young boy and the one of a young girl; this struck Woody as odd. He knew who the souls had belonged to almost instantly as the recollection came streaming back. Nonetheless, he ignored the deformation of the host beside him as he brought himself to ask this question:

"I-is she…" He began to murmur, before finding himself unable to complete his sentence.

However, they seemed to know what he would say next.

"Yes." They clarified, and Woody's head sunk lower towards the ground - how did his whole world turn upside down in the matter of a few seconds? "But you have to understand why she did this."

"I understand." Woody told them simply, and he did. Nonetheless, they were looking for more than this.

"You don't." They spoke up, before sighing and continuing. "The Fates are after you all. And you both already know too much for Nature's liking."

Woody believed he understood what they were talking about but, to be frank, it was hard to understand with the world rushing around him.

"And they will never give up until they have eliminated the problems." They told him. "And, together, your scent is stronger than ever. Woody… She did this to herself to weaken the scent and she did it for the both of you."

"Wait?" Woody suddenly interrupted. "What do you mean by 'both'?"

Woody looked into them for an answer. However, they only directed their gaze towards the ground and kept silent. Woody tried not to ponder over this thought as he sighed sadly, the whole within his heart as strong as ever as his thoughts drifted uselessly.

"She didn't want to go…" Woody murmured slowly as his gaze drifted back towards her lifeless body. Barely able to stand the sight of her anymore, his gaze dropped. But this was when a sudden idea occurred. He was in the body of a toy; and Jessie was in the one of a human. Where was her other body? "Can we bring her back?"

Woody knew the idea was certainly out of reach; but he was willing to do anything to bring her back.

"It could happen. The power of the ring could be taken advantage of to bring the atoms of her soul back. But the power can destroy your mind and, even if you do come out of it alive, the chances are likely that your mind will be wiped clean."

Woody sighed again, before the ring came into his line of vision. Suddenly knowing what to do, he scrambled over to it.

The eyebrows of the form beside him arched.

"But the scent will be stronger." They told him simply.

But the Sheriff was far too determined.

"Not if we can't remember anything." Woody answered, knowing that he had the chance of bringing them back as well - the both of them.

"But-"

"Look." He began firmly, his voice on the verge of breaking. "She didn't want to go."

Both Peter and Pertranda knew he had a chance.

So there was nothing they could do as Woody took the ring in both hands and allowed his inner power to flow.

'Only the bond between you both can keep it that way…'

A/N The end is very near (the next chapter actually). And now we have Woody trying to bring her back. But will it work? And, if it does, will they even remember each other?

The next chapter may take me a few days to pull off. So be warned!

Feel free to send a review or a suggestion if you want!

xxxxxxxxShannonxxxxxxxx