A fic for my good friend, Johnny Cdaman! It's a sequel to 'Blackmail'. I hope you all enjoy reading!
...
Luke was allowed to talk to Millie briefly before he headed back to the Blue Mountain Quarry- but he was silent as they sat together in the castle courtyard, as he was still thinking about Duncan and Sir Handel- and how they had blackmailed him before.
"What's wrong, Luke, mon amour? You've been rather quiet." Millie commented in concern. Luke started, before he smiled at her sheepishly.
"It's nothing, Millie...I was just thinking about the other engines at the quarry," He said. It wasn't a complete lie- but he was reluctant to mention Sir Handel and Duncan specifically. But he knew at once his girlfriend was not convinced.
"Luke..." Millie said warningly. "I can tell you're hiding something."
The Irish engine sighed. "You know, considering I've hidden myself in the tunnels of the quarry for years, you're really good at knowing when I'm hiding something." He complimented.
"Call it a lover's intuition." The little blue engine smiled. "You can tell me, Luke." She added warmly. "You and I...we do not keep secrets from each other."
Luke knew she was right, and so, he confided in her. "I said I was thinking about the other engines at the quarry...but actually, I was only thinking about Sir Handel and Duncan."
Millie frowned-she was aware that they had a tendency to stir up trouble and be rude to other engines, and was therefore concerned and curious all at once.
"What did they do?" She asked him.
"Alright...they found out that about us, and they...wait, maybe that's not the way to explain it-, forgive me, Millie. I'm just really nervous." He took a deep breath and tried again. "Okay, I was teasing them for being lazy, and they didn't like it, so"-
"-so they found out about our relationship, and blackmailed you into leaving them alone." Millie finished, with astonishment and anger in her tone at the actions of the two engines. She knew they could do some awful things at times...but blackmail?
"...pretty much, yes..." Luke confirmed. "I'm sorry, Millie- it's all my fault," He sighed, his usually cheerful Irish accent full of despair and sadness. "I'd like for them to learn their lesson- but if I hadn't teased them..."
"Don't despair, Luke- we'll turn the tables on them!" Millie interrupted her boyfriend's self-deprecation with a cunning smirk.
"How?" Luke asked, suddenly interested as to what his true love had in mind.
"Well, we just..." and Millie whispered her plan to Luke, ignoring the niggling sensation that she would get into trouble- Duncan and Sir Handel had no right to blackmail her love and get away with it!
...
Meanwhile, back at the Blue Mountain Quarry, Sir Handel and Duncan were celebrating their victory over Luke's teasing. They were fond of him- but they didn't appreciate being teased so.
"Well, we did it, Sir Handel!" Duncan chuckled. "Luke will nae dare bother us noo!"
"You said it!" Sir Handel agreed. "It's just a pity we're at the Quarry, and not on the Skarloey Railway. If we were there, this would have been perfect!"
"Aye," Agreed Duncan. "The dust here does nae agree wi' ma paintwork!"
"Not to mention the trucks- positively boorish!" Sir Handel added in a disgruntled manner- but both engines smirked as they heard a familiar whistle echo round the quarry.
...
"Hello, everyone! I'm back!" Luke called cheerfully.
"Ah, welcome back, Luke! How did your run go?" Skarloey asked warmly, chuffing up to the little green engine.
"Very well, thank you, Skarloey- and I got to talk to Millie for a little while." Luke replied, hoping in his smokebox that Skarloey wouldn't pick up on his meaning.
"Well, that's alright then- you don't see her much, do you boyo? You must miss her a lot." Skarloey observed.
Luke jolted, and in his panic over his colleague's innocent comment, nearly said something he would regret- but he held back at the last minute. Unfortunately, due to his high state of nervous tension, he froze up completely, causing the older engine to frown.
"Luke? Are you alright?" Skarloey questioned. "You know you haven't a reason to be frightened, right?"
Luke snapped out of his panic induced daze, and blinked at his friend owlishly.
Skarloey frowned- his young friend was pale and wide eyed. "Luke...Are you feeling well?" He questioned.
"I...I'm fine, Skarloey- I just need to get back to work!" Luke said nervously, hoping Skarloey would just let him be- he didn't want to explain to the older engine about Duncan and Sir Handel, and he was already nervous enough about his new secret being discovered.
"If you say so, Luke," Relented Old Faithful. "I'll let you be on your way, Luke- but if there's something bothering you, you can tell us,"
"Thanks, Skarloey," Smiled Luke- and he puffed away before the old engine could say anything else.
...
Soon, the plucky little engine found Sir Handel and Duncan, talking and laughing. 'Well, here goes nothing,' he thought.
"Ah, hello, Luke!" Sir Handel greeted "How was your...trip to the castle?"
"It was very good, thank you," Luke replied, trying not to let on to the two engines his plan, for fear of ruining it.
"Did ye hae a rendezvous wi' a certain blue engine?" Duncan asked cheekily, winking at Sir Handel, who sniggered.
"Oh, yes I did," Luke answered, smiling. "She told me something very interesting."
"What might that be?" Sir Handel asked curiously.
"Well..." Luke smirked "She told me that you were once taken apart on television."
Sir Handel spluttered indignantly. "What?! How could she possibly know that?!"
"You forget who she works for!" Luke reminded him, laughing. Duncan began laughing as well as being reminded of Sir Handel's dismantling on live television many years ago- the blue saddle tank did not appreciate that being brought up again.
"And she also told me that, according to her source, Duncan's afraid of Vikings!" Luke laughed.
Sir Handel eyed Duncan with a queer look. "Really, Duncan? Why are you afraid of Vikings? They're not even around anymore!"
"Fit? They've big beards, and wear coo horns on their heids!" Duncan replied. "They ride roond on fire breathing dragons! Hoo can ye nae be terrified oot o' your chassis, man?"
"...and here I thought Skarloey had the strangest phobias," Muttered Sir Handel. "That's it, Duncan- your driver needs to stop reading 'How to Train Your Dragon' to you!"
"Well, it looks like no one knows about Duncan's phobia...and perhaps a little reminder of Sir Handel's unusual way to fame couldn't hurt," Smirked the little engine.
"Okay, okay! We're sorry!" The engines chorused frantically.
"We didnae mean any real harm- honest! We were jist annoyed ye wouldn't stop teasing us! Hae mercy, laddie!" Duncan pleaded.
Luke softened at their apology. He was too kind hearted to actually say anything, and he smiled warmly at them.
"I accept your apology," he told them, kindly. "And I'm sorry for teasing you both."
"...we accept your apology." Sir Handel said. "You know, neither of us anticipated you would actually pull something off like that!"
Then, Duncan realised something, and he felt sick to his smokebox. Millie somehow knew about his fear...oh dear Proteus, what would become of his dignity?
"Don't worry, Duncan- I told Millie we weren't going to disclose your secret. We just wanted to get revenge." The little green engine assured. "Your secret's safe with both of us."
"Thanks, Luke." Duncan said gratefully, relaxing his frames at this news.
Luke smiled at him. "So, are we still friends?" He asked hopefully.
"Yeah," Said Sir Handel.
"Aye, agreed." Duncan added.
...
Now, the three engines are firm friends again- but Sir Handel and Duncan both decide to stay on their guard, for they never know when they have the tables turned on them- especially when Luke and Millie are concerned.
But Sir Handel still wondered why Duncan was so afraid of Vikings.
...
Opinions on Vikings are entirely Duncan's and not of Goldsaddletank. With thanks and apologies to my imaginary friend, Malthe, for inspiring Duncan's bizarre phobia!