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Jessie giggled to herself as she scrambled up to her favorite hiding spot, the one that never failed: up on top of the bookshelf, where Buster and Slinky couldn't find her because they couldn't reach her. She also had the advantage of being silent; Buster's claws clicked on the floor as he trotted along and Slinky couldn't help but clink as he scurried to his spot. She was in such a hurry to get to her spot that she didn't notice her hat soaring off her head as she climbed.
"Come and get us, boy! It's seeking time!" Slinky barked in dog-speak from his spot. Buster arfed merrily as he wandered around, tail wagging as he nosed through the pillows on Andy's bed, his nose sniffing for any sign of cold metal or antique stuffing. The other toys were too engrossed in Etch's latest drawing demo to pay any attention to the game of hide-and-seek unfolding in front of them.
***
"Where's Jessie?" Woody said, his eyebrows furrowed as best as a plastic doll's eyebrows can furrow.
"I dunno," Rex said, knocking down a few soldiers as he lumbered by.
"Buster! Where's Jessie?" Woody called.
Buster ran over excitedly, his barking muffled through the hat in his mouth.
"Jessie's hat?! Buster, what happened? Why isn't she wearing her hat?" Woody said.
Buster dropped the hat and barked frantically.
"Is Jessie in trouble, boy? Huh? Is she?"
Buster ran around in circles, attempting to pantomime seeking. Woody was puzzled. "What are you trying to tell me?" He called out, "Buzz, I think Jessie's in trouble! She's missing and Buster has her hat! She always wears her hat!"
Buzz unfurled his wings. "There's only one thing we can do, Woody. To infinity..."
"...And beyond! Come on! Let's go before Andy gets back from school!"
Mrs. Potato Head, watching the rescue plan in motion, yelled, "Watch out for Molly! She's playing downstairs!" But, Buzz and Woody had already left and couldn't hear her.
***
They crept over to the stairs. Woody whispered, "Let's take turns sliding down the banister. It'll be faster that way." Buzz boosted him up and he slid down, only to find Buzz waiting at the bottom, hands on his hips.
"How did you do that? I thought we were sliding down the banister?" Woody whispered, exasperation creeping into his voice as usual.
"Woody, my wings help me glide. I was fine. I even beat you."
"I noticed."
Then, they heard a dreaded sound as they inched their way into the living room: the vacuum. "Dive, dive, dive!" Buzz whispered frantically. They scrambled under the couch as the vacuum whirred by, sucking up the dust bunnies and loose change just inches away from them.
"What do we do now?!" Woody said, panic rising in his eyes.
"Calm down. I've got this." Buzz crawled out—and straight into the arms of a rather precocious baby.
"Ba! Ba ba ba! Dolls! Mama, dolls!" Molly crowed as she scooped up Buzz and Woody and toddled off.
"Molly! What do you have! Oh, you're not really supposed to have those! How did they get down here?" Andy's mom said. "Well, I suppose if I take and put you in your crib with them, you can play gently with them and I'll finish up the vacuuming, okay?"
"'Kay!" Molly grinned widely as she started chewing on Buzz's arm.
Woody shot Buzz a Look. How are we ever going to find Jessie now?
***
The game of hide-and-seek was over. Jessie, of course, had won. "Buster, where's my hat? Buster?" she called as she climbed down from the shelf.
"Jessie! We thought you were dead!" Rex gave Jessie a crushing hug.
"How could you scare us like that?" Mrs. Potato Head said, her angry eyes in place.
"Oh, y'all, it was just a little old game of hide-and-seek, right, Slinky?"
"Yeah, we thought you saw us playing!"
"Well, we didn't, and now Buzz and Woody have gone off to find you too, and they haven't come back, and Molly was playing downstairs, and oh! I hear her in her room now and I bet she has them!" Mrs. Potato Head said as she took off her angry eyes and put on her worried eyes.
"Well, then, I guess we're just going to have to rescue them instead! Come on, Bullseye! Sarge, we're going to need backup! Where's the screwdriver so we can unlatch the crib?" Jessie said.
"Got it!" Mr. Potato Head said, producing it from his back pouch.
"All right, troops, let's head out! Yeeeeee-haw! Away!" Jessie yelled.
***
Sarge and Slinky led the group. Slinky peered around the corner. "Yep! They're in her crib!"
Lenny focused his eyes. "Oh, it's bad. Woody's covered in drool and Buzz has tooth marks on his arm! And I can see out the window, and the school bus is just around the corner! Quick!"
The entire group galloped into the room. Jessie and Bullseye ran ahead with the screwdriver. "Soldiers! We need you to help boost us up so we can get to the latches!"
Sarge yelled, "Atten-TION!" The dozen soldiers on the rescue mission sprang to attention. "Follow the little lady's orders!"
"Little lady?!" Jessie narrowed her lips, but there wasn't too much time left to save Buzz and Woody and get back to Andy's room, and there would be plenty of time for a reminder about chivalry and demeaning language (or the desired lack thereof) later. She accepted the boost from the soldier pyramid and set to work at the latches.
"Hurry! Hurry!" Lenny yelled.
"JESSIE!" Buzz and Woody cried in unison.
"Well, partners, who the heck else did ya think would come to rescue y'all?"
"But... we were going to rescue you! That's how we ended up in here!" Woody said, arms crossed.
Then, it was all a blur. The crib latches were freed, the gate slammed down, Buzz and Woody hopped out, and they all scurried as fast as possible back to Andy's room.
The doorbell rang downstairs. "Mom! Hi!"
"Oh, sweetie, how was your day?"
"Great!"
Andy ran upstairs.
"MOM! Did you let Molly play with Woody and Buzz again! She drooled all over them! Gross!"
"You have to learn how to share, honey!"
As Andy ran next door to lecture Molly, Jessie fixed her eyes on Buzz and Woody. "Look, I appreciate the gesture, but don't ever try to rescue me again, okay? I'm not the one who needs rescuing, apparently."