Pompeii, a thomas the tank engine fanfic

Summary - Short stories from the Island of Sodor. Some are humanized, and this series is rated K for language. I do not own Thomas and Friends or Pompeii by Bastille.

The Caretaker

Summary - After Thomas' parents pass away, he has to quickly grow up to take care of his little sisters. He'd do anything to keep them with him. After all...they were the only family he had left.

I was left to my own devices...

Thomas would never forget that day, as hard as he tried to. The day when he stood in the rain, dressed in all black, holding the hands of his two little sisters, the day that he couldn't tell raindrops from tears.

The day he saw the coffins of his parents being lowered into the ground.

Annie and Clarabel, both being nine at the time, had the idea what was going on, and both cried rivers that day.

"Daddy!" They had both cried, clinging to their brother. "Mummy!"

"Mum…" Thomas had whispered. "Dad…"

Thomas tried so hard not to cry.

He didn't want to.

He couldn't.

He had to be strong for his little sisters.

But the tears that trickled down his face that day were silent, invisible among the drops of rain.

Thomas was sixteen then.

Sixteen and too young to take upon the responsibility of two little girls all by himself.

He had school to attend, and extracurriculars, and now, if allowed, a branch line to run on the railway.

His Dad had left him the branch line in his will.

And the engine.

That small, yet utterly loyal and reliable little E2, the number one engine, was now completely Thomas' own property. And the line that loyal little engine ran on was now under the name of Thomas Billington, too.

Sir Topham, being the good man he was, handed both over without hesitation.

"Your father was a brilliant lad," Sir Topham had said sympathetically. "He worked very hard. I'm...so, so sorry for your loss, Thomas."

Thomas' hands shook as he signed the documents that would certify him as the owner of the branch line and the engine.

Soon, the most successful branch line on the Island of Sodor would be the first to be ran by a sixteen year old. Thomas had handed the documents back to his future controller, who laid a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

"Again, Thomas...I'm truly sorry about your parents."

Thomas felt numb.

This was truly happening.

His parents were dead, and he had just signed a document related to something in his father's will.

A document that he now had sole property on something his father had worked so hard on.

"I am too, sir."

Many days fell away with nothing to show...

Thomas had soon been contacted by child services, saying that considering the circumstances, he, Annie and Clarabel were allowed to stay together, if they behaved.

Their Mother's will came by days later.

For Annie and Clarabel she left all her jewelry, her expensive watches, her doll antique collectibles, perfumes, and all the quilts she had made.

For Thomas she left the car, her life savings, all her model train sets, and a big, beautiful, expensive pin that had been given to her by the mayor of Sodor. The pin was in the shape of a little steam engine, and had the names of every station on his
father's branch line route engraved into it. On the back of the pin it said Billington, signifying the last name of the one it belonged to. Thomas wore that pin every single day, keeping both of his parents as close as he could. The last thing
on his mother's will was something regarding the three of them.

If something should ever happen to Stanley and I, please turn the kids over to Jonathan and Sophie Avonside, our most trusted friends. We trust that they will take good care of Thomas and the girls.

Percy's parents agreed without hesitation, saying that they would happily become the three Billington kids' legal guardians. Not to say that Thomas wasn't happy. He loved Percy like a brother, and he knew Percy felt the same for him. While the Avonsides
got all this worked out, Thomas, Annie and Clarabel were allowed to stay at their own house.

When the little E2 was shown to him for the first time after the death of his parents, Thomas wanted to cry at the sight of it. His parents, leaving their home, their branch line, the railway where they worked so hard...it made him want to sink into a
hole and just die himself.

But he knew his Dad would want him to continue on with the workload he left behind. A shed was built on the tracks near their house so the little engine could be as close to the three remaining family members as possible. After it arrived home, Thomas
had walked out to the shed, and stared at that bright yellow number one, feeling a lump build up in his throat. Thomas leaned his forehead against the boiler, running his hand over the cool steel.

"You were always there for him," Thomas whispered to the engine. "You always made him so proud. He always told me how he couldn't wait to teach me how to drive you someday. How reliable you were. God….he just loved you so much!"

And now Thomas had to love that engine, just like his father did.

Thomas traced the proud number one, shutting his eyes to stop his tears.

"It looks like it's just you and me now, little guy...I may not be my Dad, but I'll do my best. I promise that I'll always take good care of you...like how you cared for him."

But he trailed off.

Thomas looked over at his house, pretending to see the shadowy figure of his Mom in one of the windows.

Thomas had to look after his sisters, just as his mother did.

Thomas was looking forward to being a parent someday, but wasn't expecting to become one so soon. He looked back at the engine, with its beautiful shiny blue paintwork. It gleamed, and Thomas knew that his Dad would've been proud just LOOKING at it.

"I'll take care of you...as long as you take care of me."

And the walls kept tumbling down in the city that we love...

When Thomas went back to school, he hardly talked to anybody. The Avonsides had become his and his sisters' official guardians, but the court had made it clear that the three Billington kids were allowed to stay in their own home, and Thomas was at least
happy for that. He could feel Percy's kind, sympathetic gaze on him from the back of the class, but Thomas never acknowledged him once. Thomas stopped loving band, stopped playing his prized guitar, stopped talking to his friends...he just stopped
being what he was when his Mom and Dad were alive. Thomas didn't want to change, but he couldn't help it. He knew he was spiraling downward, but he had to stay strong.

For those two little girls who needed him, the two little girls he would never leave behind. Annie and Clarabel were slowly healing. They were sad, but not nearly as sad as their brother. Thomas was so sad that he stopped sleeping in his room, in a real
bed. Instead, he slept in the cab of that little blue E2, slumped against the steel walls, with the firebox lit to keep him warm. Percy came to check on him every night while he was asleep, and Thomas knew this because when he would wake up the next
day, Percy's jacket would be draped around him. Thomas would simply wrap himself around the green fabric, pretending that it was actually Percy hugging him. Thomas once left him a note on the floor of the cab with the coal dust left behind from the
firebox,

Please don't tell.

Thomas went back to the engine that night to find a reply.

I won't.

By sleeping in the engine that he now owned, Thomas felt closer to his parents. By sleeping within the steel, blue walls of the passion that both of his parents shared, Thomas felt that they were always with him. He didn't have nightmares when he slept
in the engine.. He only had those in his room.

No one other than Percy knew he slept in the engine, outside, rather than in his room.

He wasn't planning on anyone else finding out, hoping that Percy would keep his promise and would keep quiet.

Which he did.

Great clouds roll over the hills, bringing darkness from above...

Thomas barely spoke to anyone except his sisters, and Percy, his best friend turned brother. Percy was the only one who had seen Thomas go about his everyday life at school and on the rails, and Percy could tell that his best friend was sinking deeper
and deeper into a pool of misery. Thomas only spoke to Percy if Percy made the first move, which usually is what happened. But the two of them talking was something that hardly ever happened anymore, and Thomas didn't care that he was pushing Percy
away. He was pushing all of his friends away, and he'd never felt so alone, but he ignored it. For about a month, the tiniest thing would set Thomas off and when Percy would try and calm him down, Thomas would get even angrier. Lately, Thomas had
been horrible to Percy, and he didn't care. He would shove the other teen away and say the most horrible things until Percy ran off in tears.

And, still, he didn't care.

Percy hadn't spoke to him in weeks, and whenever he even tried to say a single word, Thomas would always make him cry.

And, still, he didn't care.

Thomas took Annie and Clarabel to school everyday, then drove himself to his own school, picked up his sisters when the day was done, took them home, made them dinner, then got in the engine and headed straight to work on the railway. Thomas was struggling
to keep his grades up in school, and that just added more to his stress levels, which were already reaching beyond infinity.

He wasn't sure how much longer he could last.

Percy's parents noticed his anxiety, and both immediately stepped into help. They contacted Sodor Academy, and with a few harsh words, got the superintendent to agree to not let Thomas' grades be a problem with his new life. Any work and tests he did
would get full credit, completed or not, wrong or not. Thomas was grateful for their help, but he felt guilty.

He felt like he was learning and doing nothing.

It was two months after the accident. Thomas was finally having an evening of relaxation in his room. He had his headphones on and was blasting Pompeii by Bastille on full volume. He was interrupted by his phone ringing. Thomas stared at the number
before hesitantly picking it up.

"H-Hello?"

"Hey, Thomas."

Thomas wanted to hang up when he recognized the voice.

"What is it, Percy?" He grit out.

He heard Percy gulp, and he rolled his eyes.

"Uh...d-dinner's ready, so…"

"I don't care. Leave me alone."

"T-Thomas, you need to-"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Thomas yelled, and Percy whimpered.

"O-Okay, okay...s-sorry…"

"Just shut up, Percy."

He heard Percy sigh on the other line.

"Just...come over whenever you're hungry, okay?"

"I can take care of myself," Thomas growled.

"C-Can you, though?"

Thomas froze, eyes narrowed into angry slits.

"WHAT?" He said in a deadly whisper.

"Y-You're pushing everybody away, T-Thomas," Percy squeaked. "Y-You need help, a-and you won't l-let us h-help you. Y-You're really sad, I know, b-but you need to-"

"Don't tell me what I need, you bastard!" Thomas screeched. "You're not me! You don't know what the bloody hell I need! Why can't you just leave me alone?!"

"Thomas, p-please calm-"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Thomas spat again. "Mind your own bloody business, Percy!
"You ARE my business, Thomas!" Percy cried. "P-Please, I'm worried about you! Why-Why won't you talk to me? If-If you stay like this, it's-it's
only going to get worse! H-Hanging on to what happened isn't g-good for you...I'm s-so sorry about your p-parents, b-but...t-this isn't what they would w-want!"

Thomas was dead silent, until he grit his teeth so hard he heard a crack.

"I HATE YOU."

Now, Percy was dead silent.

"I HATE YOU!" Thomas screamed this time. "I HATE YOU SO MUCH! I JUST WISH YOU'D GO AWAY! I WISH YOU WERE DEAD!"

"T-Thomas, p-please-"

"I hate you, so bloody much, Percy," Thomas growled. "I swear to God, if you ever talk to me again, I'll beat you to a bloody pulp."

And he slammed down his phone.

But if you close your eyes...

Percy left him alone for months, and not a single word was heard from him. Thomas didn't care about the cruel things he had said or that he had hurt his best friend. Thomas still hadn't changed a bit since the day his parents died. He was so stressed
and lonely and he missed his parents and friends horribly. And now, knowing he had hurt his best friend's feelings all those months ago, felt like he needed him more than ever.

It was about four months after the accident when there was a knock at the front door. Thomas jumped up to open it. He swung it open and his eyes went round at the sight of-

"Edward?"

Edward smiled giving him a little wave.

"Hey, Thomas. Long time no see."

"W-What are you doing here?"

"What, I can't come visit a friend who's in some very obvious need of support?" Edward said with a small grin.

Thomas looked down at the floor, clenching his fists.

"I'm fine."

Edward stared at him for a minute, twisting the drawstring of his sweater.

"Can I come in?"

Thomas was silent in thought, before slowly nodding his head and stepping aside to let Edward through. Edward followed him into the living room, and they both sat side by side on the couch.

"We miss you at school," Edward said softly. "You haven't talked to us for a long time."

"I miss you guys, too," Thomas whispered.

He snapped his eyes shut, hiding the forming tears in his royal blue eyes.

Edward put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

"Thomas, I don't know what it's like to loose my parents, but I DO know what it's like to miss someone you love. And it's a horrible feeling, isn't it?"

"It's the worst feeling in the world," Thomas said bitterly, the tears blurring his vision. "Why did it have to be my parents, Edward? Out of all the parents in the world, why did mine have to be the ones to die? What did they ever do to deserve it?!"

The tears were about to fall, but Thomas refused to let that happen.

He had to be strong.

He had to be strong for his sisters.

He had to be strong for himself.

Edward wrapped an arm around his shoulders, smiling sympathetically.

"It's okay to cry, Thomas. I know how much you're going through."

"I-I haven't cried since the funeral, and I'm not crying now. I-I can't, Edward. I have to be strong for Annie and Clarabel."

"But they're not here, are they?"

Thomas had just realized that he was right. God, he wanted to cry so bad…

"It's not healthy to hold all those emotions in, you know," Edward said gently. "You'll hurt yourself."

"S-So? It's not like I have any family left to care."

"Don't talk like that! If anything happened to you, we would be devastated. We may not be family, but...God, I love you like a brother! And everybody else would say the same!"

"I-I'm sorry…I-I just...I'm so tired, Edward…"

Edward felt like he would cry himself when he heard how broken Thomas' voice was. Thomas grit his teeth as a few tears spilt over.

"We're alone, Thomas. You can cry. Cry as long as you need to. Cry a bloody river!"

Edward opened his arms for the other teen.

"And if you won't cry for your parents...then cry for me."

Thomas could feel a sob building up in his throat.

"Thomas."

"Y-Yeah."

"...It's okay."

Thomas looked at Edward through his tear filled eyes. Edward slowly grabbed his arms.

"Cry, Thomas...I'm here for you."

Seconds later, Thomas burst into tears and collapsed into Edward's arms, who pulled him close to his chest. Edward wrapped his arms around his back and pulled him closer. Thomas had lost tons of weight within the last few months, and he felt tiny in Edward's
arms.

"Shhh…" Edward soothed, stroking his back. "It's okay…."

"I-I want my Mum, Edward!" Thomas sobbed, tears pouring. "I-I want my Dad, too! I-I-I c-can't do this on my own! I-I'm so b-bloody tired!"

Thomas' chest was heaving as he struggled to breathe between sobs.

"Good god, Thomas, breathe," Edward said, still rubbing his back. "It's okay, I'm here now, we've always been here for you, too….and I can tell that this isn't all you're upset about."

Thomas sighed, wiping his blue eyes of tears. He turned to look up at his bespectacled friend.

"I-I….I-I miss the gang, Edward…." he said softly as his eyes blurred again. "I miss Toby...James...Henry...Emily….I even miss Gordon, and that's saying something!"

Edward gave him a tiny laugh in return.

"I-I was h-horrible to Percy," Thomas choked out. "I-I-I told him I-I hated him...I-I told him t-that I wished he was d-dead….WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS WRONG WITH ME?!"

"Shhh…" Edward soothed.

"A-And….I-I just wish everything could go back to the way it was…." Thomas continued on. "I remember always wanting to drive and own my Dad's engine when I-I was little, b-but….but I-I wasn't planning on doing both so soon!"

More tears came raining down, and Thomas angrily swiped at them.

"You know who else misses you?" Edward asked quietly.

"W-Who?"

"Every single member of The Sodor Academy band," Edward replied with a weak smile. "Different kids keep coming up and asking us when you're coming back to them again. They say the band room is too quiet and...calm without you. It's different now. They
say that the "band family" isn't a family without their guitar player."

Thomas laughed weakly.

It felt good to do that again.

"I-I miss them, too…."

Edward casually swung an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close again.

"Go back to your fellow musicians, Thomas. They need you."

"I need them, too. But...I haven't played my guitar in months."

Edward shrugged.

"You've been playing it since you were six. I can guarantee you'll pick it up again in no time."

"Do you really think so?"

"I KNOW so. Thomas….quitting something you love doing during a time of hardship will only make you feel even worse. If you go back to the band, and to us...you'll start to feel a lot better, because we'll all be there for you, and we'll be cheering you
on as you do the thing that you love."

Thomas smiled for the first time in months.

"Thank you, Edward...so much."

"Anytime."

Does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?

Thomas went to school on Monday with a smile and a fresh start. When he walked into the band room for the first time in four months, he was greeted with a gigantic welcome from his "band family." And when he walked into the cafeteria later, he spotted
his friends all gathered at a table, smiling and laughing. He took a deep breath and walked up to them.

"Hey, guys."

They all looked up at him. James' face lit up in a huge smile, and he jumped up to hug him. Thomas laughed and happily hugged back.

"Thomas Billington, I'll be damned," James laughed as they separated. "I thought you would never talk to me again."

"Well...here I am," Thomas grinned.

He turned to look at his friends.

"Everyone...I'm so sorry for ignoring you for months straight. I was just really upset...I still am."

"There, there, lad," Donald cut in, giving him a friendly punch in the shoulder. "Ye know that we're all here for ye when ye need us...and I'm so sorry aboot yer Mum and Dad. But, ye still got us."

"Aye," Douglas agreed. "Yer friends will always be here for ye, yon Thomas."

Thomas sighed but smiled.

"Yeah….yeah, I know. And again, I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Henry said with a smile. "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry about. We understand."

Thomas cocked his head.

"Where's Percy?"

"Oh...uh," Emily stammered. "Percy hasn't sat with us since you stopped sitting here, too. He hasn't sat here in months.

Thomas' smile fell, guilt flooding him like a river. He hadn't thought of how his behavior was affecting Percy ONCE. He was probably really upset. Thomas had been horrible to him, after all.

"Seriously? Where does he go, then?"

Edward shrugged.

"He'll either hang out in the library with Oliver or go help out in the movie studio or theatre. Gordon's been watching him...he says that Percy's been different. He doesn't smile at all anymore. He...He misses you, Thomas."

Thomas sighed, falling into the bench next to James.

"I miss him, too."

He looked up.

"Do you know where he is?"

"The library, I'm assuming," Edward replied. "There was a fight in the movie studio, and Gordon didn't want Percy in there because of that…"

Thomas' eyes widened.

"There was a fight? Between who?"

"We'll tell you later," Henry muttered. "But, you'll probably want to go talk to Percy."

"Yeah…"

Thomas stood up and put his lunch in his backpack.

"I'm...sorry, we'll be back."

And if you close your eyes….

Thomas looked everywhere for Percy, but didn't see him at all that day. Thomas was worried, not knowing where he was, and he realized how weird it felt to worry about Percy again, which was something he hadn't done in months. At the end of the day, Thomas
put his guitar away in his band room locker and walked out of the school. His car was in the shop, so he had to walk home that day, not that he minded.

It was a pretty nice day.

Thomas shoved his headphones on and selected a song on his phone, turning the volume up full blast. He kept his feet in time with the beat as he walked up to the crosswalk.

Thomas decided that he would walk to Percy's house for the first time in months, and hopefully his friend would be there and they could get things sorted out. Thomas would apologize, and things would go right back to the way they were. They would be friends
again, and Thomas couldn't wait.

Thomas stopped at the crosswalk light and waited for the cars to pass. The light turned red, cars stopped and the crosswalk light turned green, so Thomas started to cross the street.

"I wonder if Percy's even home…" He suddenly said to himself. "Maybe he stayed behind with Duck or something."

He turned his head to look back at the school.

"Maybe I should-"

Suddenly, there was a loud screech, and various car horns.

Thomas looked up, and a blue SUV was racing toward him.

Thomas stood frozen to where he stood in the middle of the street, and the car was getting closer.

Move! His head screamed. You'll get hit!

The car was getting closer.

Move!

And closer…

Get out of the way!

And closer…

Thomas!

And closer…

Watch out!

And closer…

"THOMAS! LOOK OUT!"

Thomas felt himself fall to the ground, but not from the force of the car hitting him.

But the force of Percy pushing him out of the way.

Thomas hit the ground.

The car zoomed forward.

Percy screamed.

There was a resounding crunch.

The brakes screeched.

And Percy hit the ground.

Thomas' eyes went huge and he shoved himself off of the ground. People were beginning to get out of their cars, and Thomas looked up just in time to see the SUV take off down the street. Thomas groaned as pain shot through his arms as he pushed himself
up. But nothing hurt more than what he saw next, as he turned around and his heart froze.

"PERCY!"

Percy was lying there, bloody, bruised and mangled. His head was bleeding and his arms were broken, and, oh, god, Thomas was panicking.

"Oh, God….no...no, please...no! Percy!"

Thomas crawled over to him, eyes already blurry with hot tears. Thomas saw bits of tire tracks littering Percy's jacket, and he looked like he was barely breathing, if at all. The driver had stepped out of the car, and he was looking at the teens in shock.
Many cars had stopped, and many people were looking out of their windows at the bloody scene.

"Don't just stand there!" Thomas screamed at the driver, tears pouring down his cheeks. "Call someone! He's hurt!"

The driver shakily nodded, whipping out his cellphone. Meanwhile, Thomas pulled Percy into his arms and onto his lap, Thomas' shoulders were shaking, and he felt around for one of Percy's mangled hands. He felt the bones shift and crack beneath his fingers,
and Thomas swallowed something that came up in his throat. Thomas slowly bent down so he was pressed right up against Percy's chest, listening, feeling, waiting for something. Thomas felt and heard no heartbeat, and he choked on a sob

Come on, please, wake up in there….please, not yet...not him, too...please….

"Percy," he whispered. "Percy, please. Please don't do this...w-wake up…"

"T….Th…..T...T-T-Thomas?"

Thomas barely heard Percy say his name, but he definitely heard him say it.

"P-Percy!"

Thomas broke into a tearful smile, and he pushed Percy's hair out of his eyes, and blood trickled down the side of his face.

"H-Hurts…." Percy whispered. "M-My head….I-I-I c-can't breathe…"

Thomas felt himself grow desperate as he tore off his blue jacket and tucked it gently under Percy's bleeding head, and then nestled Percy into the crook of his arm.

Tears were trickling down Percy's bruised cheeks, and mixing with the blood that was also trickling down like a red waterfall.

"T-T-Thom...as…." Percy managed to say.

Barely.

"Yeah, Perce?" Thomas replied, and then tensed up.

He hadn't called Percy by his nickname in months. And now…

Thomas felt more tears rain down but he ignored them.

"Yeah, Perce?" He said again.

"...Mmm...s-s-smi…."

Percy groaned in pain and Thomas looked down at him, terrified. Thomas could hear sirens in the distance, and just hoped, prayed that it wouldn't be too late. He waited for his injured friend to continue. Percy took too deep of a breath and finally spoke
clearly.

"S-S-Smile...f-for me?"

Thomas' mind drew a blank.

"S-Smile?" He repeated. "You want me to smile? Why?"

But, Percy's own smile shut him up.

"P-P-P-Please? J-Just...one more t-time? F….F-For me?"

Those words tore Thomas' already torn up heart to shattered remains.

"One last time?!" Thomas cried. "P-Percy, this is NOT the last time, o-okay? L-Listen, help is coming! Y-You're going to be okay, I-I-I promise…"

Percy barely shook his head, but Thomas definitely noticed it, and he definitely felt like he was being swallowed up by a big black hole.

"N-No, T-T-T-Thomas...l-last time...s-smile f-f-for me….please?"

Thomas was full on sobbing as he looked down at his best friend, his brother, the one person who had stood by him for forever, the one person who took him in when he had no one else left, the one person who was there for him through thick and thin, despite
how mean he had been. Even after Thomas had pushed him away, Percy was still there.

Percy wanted a smile?

He was about to get one.

That was the least he deserved.

Thomas smiled down at him. It was a real smile, the first real smile he had smiled in months. And when Percy smiled back up at him, Thomas' smile grew. Percy laughed weakly, and shut his eyes as he nuzzled into Thomas' chest.

"...Th….Th-Thank….y-you…"

Thomas laughed tearfully as he looked down at him.

"Anytime...Anytime, Perce…"

Percy opened his eyes to see his best friend still smiling at him and Percy decided to return the favor one last time.

"N-Now….th-th-there's a smile…"

Thomas' smile disappeared as his eyes went wide with horror.

"W-What?"

Percy took a deep breath...let it out...and was gone.

"W-Wait…" Thomas stammered. "M-My smile, Percy, w-what were you saying about m-my smile?"

But, Percy was gone.

"No…" Thomas whispered. "No, no, no...P-Percy! Percy, wake up! P-Please! Percy! Y-You can't do this...p-please wake u-up!"

He buried his face in his dead best friend's chest and sobbed openly into him.

"O-Oh, god, P-P-Percy, p-please don't do this t-t-to me! Y-You can't d-do this to me! Wake up! Please!"

He shook the other teen roughly, and got no response, and Thomas clutched percy to his chest and cried into his hair.

"P-Percy, p-please...I-I'm sorry! I-I-I'm so, so, so, so sorry! I-I never g-got to tell you t-that...p-please...you can't l-leave me, too...p-please d-don't leave me!"

But, Percy was gone, and Thomas shut his eyes, tears cascading down his face.

The day he saw his best friend's coffin lowered into the ground.

Does it almost feel like you've been here before?