Summary: There are two engines on the island that have loved each other for a long time, even if they don't know the other one does! They've been dancing around each other for years. Maybe they'll get together this Valentines Day?
Note: This was written for the Sodor's Engines RP Writing Challenge. This is the original prompt:
"Scanerio: Love is in the air! Valentine's Day is fast approaching, and an engine is thinking of romantic ideas ( for example a date or something) to do with their loved one. For Valentine's Day, but they can't decide.
Restrictions: Cannot be any longer than 5 chapters. Pairings are highly recommended (e.g HenryxEmily) but not required, however, if you do choose to do a pairing, one canon character must be in it. No humanxengine relationships except for a friendly, non romantic one, however, there must be some sort of romantic feel to the story. No humans may speak except your pairings driver, or sir topham. One canon carector must make a cameo appearance Even if it's just passing by. You are highly welcome to use any of your OC's."
Disclaimer: I only own the plot and Shaina. Saberius is Saber the F4U Corsair's.
It was a warm February on the island. Spring hadn't come just yet, but there were flowers almost everywhere you looked. Valentines Day was just around the corner and the inhabitants of the island, engine and human, were excited. Couples were planning what they would do and those without a partner were either looking for one or figuring on staying home.
At the moment, Thomas was pulling a passenger train on his branch line, daydreaming. He had doing this ever since New Years and it was starting to get on his driver's nerves.
"Thomas! Snap out of it! There's a station ahead!"
Shaken out of his fantasy, Thomas screeched to a stop, just missing overshooting the platform. The passengers gave him dirty looks, but thankfully didn't complain. At least, not this time. As he waited, he glanced around at the couples that dotted the station.
Even if they didn't have a date, the engines tended to gossip about other couples, be they engine or human. One such couple was Shaina McKin and Saberius Winters, both of whom worked on the railway. Shaina was a driver, who was well loved despite the fact that she hadn't worked there for long, and Saberius was a brakeman. They hadn't been together too long, but the engines had taken notice and teased them occasionally, which annoyed Shaina and Saberius to no end.
It was probably pure chance, then, that Shaina and Saberius were waiting at the platform. But, then again, it probably wasn't, considering Shaina's brother, Joel, had gotten on his train a couple of stations back. Joel ran up to them and the three started up an energetic conversation. Thomas smirked.
"Hello, lovebirds!"
Shaina and Saberius shot Thomas nasty glares, though Shaina's seemed to be harder. Thomas' driver lightly smacked his engine's side.
"That's enough out of you. Come on. We need to get going."
Meanwhile, far away from Sodor, Thomas wasn't the only one whose imagination was running away from them. In the cave she called home, another engine was staring off into space. This engine was female and her golden accents stood out strongly from her red-purple paint. She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear her driver and owner come up.
"Lady?"
Lady didn't answer, as she was getting to one of the best parts of her daydream.
"Lady?"
He was just about to do it. He was just about to say those words...
"Lady!"
Lady jumped, her whistle going off as she was rudely forced back to the real world. Burnett glared at her, slightly annoyed.
"Daydreaming again?"
Lady blushed, looking down to the tracks in front of her.
"...Yes."
Burnett sighed.
"Come on. We have to get our coal supplies restocked."
As they made their way through the Magic Railroad, Lady happily watched around her at the beautiful open field.
"Lady, who is it?"
"Who is what?"
"I can tell you're daydreaming about someone. Who is it?"
"No one! Absolutely no one!"
Of course, Burnett knew better. But, he didn't press. Yet.
After what seemed like forever to the engine, they went through the buffers and were on the island. Lady smiled as they traveled down the track.
"It's a beautiful day, isn't it, Burnett?"
Burnett glanced up at the sky. The clouds were dark and signaled a coming storm.
"...If you say so, Lady..."
By the time Lady had collected the coal, the rain was started to come down hard and it was projected to get much worse. No one wanted to risk anything in weather like that, so it was arranged for Lady to spend the night at Tidmouth, which was the closest sheds. It was a very awkward night for everyone, to say the least.
The rain had slowed to a drizzle by the time the sun rose the next morning. Burnett had deemed it safe enough to head back to Muffle Mountain and Lady was reluctantly going down the main line. What they didn't know was that the heavy rain had washed out a section of track on Gordon's Hill, leaving only one line that was safe to travel on. Lady carefully started up the hill, not really seeing where she was going. She barely registered her wheels swerving onto the safe line.
Meanwhile, Gordon, who had to stay the night on the other side of the island, was speeding back to Tidmouth for his first Express run. He and his crew had overslept a little and they were racing to make up time. Suddenly, Gordon saw a sight that turned the water in his boiler to ice.
There was Lady, cresting the hill and getting ready to come down the other side. Gordon blew his whistle loudly.
"LADY!"
Lady seemed to snap out of a trance as she quickly braked. Gordon did the same, though it was too late. He hit Lady, not enough to wreck her but enough to send her rolling back down the hill. Gordon could only watch as Lady was diverted into a siding, where she hit the buffers hard enough to black out for a moment.
As soon as the news was heard, an engine was sent to rescue Lady. Thomas volunteered. As they headed to the Steamworks, he kept looking at Lady with the saddest expression anyone had ever seen, though Lady was facing the wrong way to see it. At the Steamworks, it was decided that she was going to need to stay for a little while. Thomas was crestfallen.
A day or two later, just before Lady was due to be released from the Steamworks, the engines all had a meeting. The way Thomas and Lady had been dancing around each other was long past starting to get on everyone's nerves.
"Something has to be done!"
"We know that, James."
"Shut up, Gordon! We're all still mad at you."
Gordon paled a bit and backed a little further into the shed. Burnett cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.
"The point is that it's a danger for Lady to continue to be distracted like this. She barely knew what line she was on until she heard Gordon. What if Diesel 10 went after her again while she was like that?"
The engines froze. None of them wanted to picture that outcome.
"We need to get Lady and Thomas together," Henry put forward.
The other engines instantly agreed. Burnett thought for a moment.
"She'll still be distracted, but she might be more willing to pay attention. It might work."
"But, how do we do that?" Percy asked.
"I'll talk with Thomas' driver," Burnett said. "Maybe I can get some ideas from him."
It wasn't long before a plan was made and put into motion. Even some of the diesels were talked into helping. The plan? Get Thomas and Lady together by almost any means necessary.
A couple of weeks later, when Lady returned for a few days, Percy carefully watched as Thomas stood at a platform waiting for his passengers. Suddenly, he brought five more coaches to be added onto Thomas' normal train.
"Here's your extra coaches!"
"Extra coaches?" Thomas asked. "Why do I need extra coaches?"
"Didn't you know?" James asked, pulling up. "You'll be making a special run today. You're going all over the island!"
"I can't pull these coaches all that distance!" Thomas cried.
"What if I helped?" asked Lady's voice.
Thomas froze.
"I-I-I...I-It would be a b-b-big help..."
Lady smiled kindly, starting to blush.
"I wouldn't mind the opportunity..."
Burnett was starting to regret his decision as Lady waited for a reply. Thomas' driver answered for the flustered engine.
"That sounds great."
It only took a minute for Lady to get turned around. Thomas looked more red than blue as she backed down and was coupled to his front. Burnett watched Lady's pressure gauge closely. This wouldn't work at all if Lady broke down again.
Luck seemed to be on Burnett's side, as Lady was fine for the whole trip. However, neither engine spoke, except to reply to their crews, passengers, and stationmasters. By the end of the trip, both drivers were very frustrated. That is, until a young girl from the village showed up. She glanced between Thomas and Lady before turning to the former. They held a whispered conversation with each other until she heard Thomas speak up.
"What Lady and I are doing for Valentine's Day is a surprise."
The girl smiled and ran off as Lady was quickly disconnected from Thomas.
"Lady, meet me at Tidmouth station tomorrow at 4:30?"
Lady was barely able to stutter out a 'yes' before she raced off.
Burnett held on for dear life as Lady sped through the buffers, then suddenly stopped just before they got to Muffle Mountain.
"Burnett?"
"Yes, Lady?"
"I... A date with Thomas?"
"That's what I heard, my Lady."
Lady relaxed slightly at the familiar term. Burnett smiled slightly, rubbing her side.
"I'll get Lily and some paint cans. Tomorrow, we'll make you look so pretty that Thomas will forget his name."
The next day was Valentine's Day. The stations were crowded with couples hoping to go on a romantic train ride. Though, not matter what station the engines looked in, Shaina and Saberius had disappeared. Most engines speculated that they went on a vacation, though Sir Topham Hatt hadn't said anything.
It was a very nervous Thomas that was waiting at Tidmouth. If he could've, he would've been running himself up and down the platform, but his driver held him back.
"What's taking her so long?"
"Thomas, if you don't calm down, we're going to have to go back to the sheds."
"No! I won't be here and Lady will be disappointed!"
"Then take a deep breath! Your plan won't get off the ground if one of your parts pops off because of you practically bursting with impatience!"
Finally, as the clock struck 4:30, Lady's whistle was heard. Thomas glanced up to see what he swore was an angel. Lady had gotten a new coat of paint, which shone beautifully in the light of the setting sun. Lily had even added some makeup to her face. Golden eyeshadow graced her eyelids and her lips were glossed the same color as her paint.
Thomas couldn't speak. It finally took his driver blowing his own whistle to snap his mind back to the present.
"I...You...Lady, you..."
Lady blushed.
"Thank you. You look handsome yourself."
Thomas' mind blanked out again before his driver had to blow his whistle again. Lady giggled. Burnett had certainly lived up to his promise.
"Where are we going?"
Thomas had to stop and think for a moment.
"We...I don't think I've shown you my branch line yet, have I?"
Lady thought for a moment.
"I don't think you have, no."
Thomas smiled.
"Follow me, then!"
The engines couldn't get much out of the pair the next morning, only that they toured Thomas' branch line and did a bit of stargazing on Gordon's Hill. Only Thomas and Lady know that they spent the time after that with kisses and whispered promises of love and devotion.