A/N: I've already had some speculations as to whether or not there might be a romantic possibility to Gordon and Caitlin's friendship. To this I say...I'm as eager as any of you to find out! (No, I have no qualms pairing steam engines) This story is one of those just develops as I write it, so if it makes sense and seems natural for them to evolve into something a bit more than friendship I'm more than willing to have them go in that direction. I love their dynamic as characters and what they bring out in each other.

Following the debacle Gordon returned to the sheds without Caitlin, resolute that his decisions were just. Who knows what might have happened to them if he hadn't acted quickly, if he had chosen to indulge Caitlin's foolish whims? There was nothing natural about that trail, about the sounds and sights that had surrounded them. For Caitlin to have not understood was only evidence to how so much smarter he was than she, that he had no business spending his time with such a silly engine. He told himself as much as he drifted back off to sleep, pushing all thoughts of how fun the nighttime jaunt around the mainline had been prior to the discovery.

The next morning found him as usual, waiting for Percy to fetch his coaches at Knapford. Gordon was in an especially grumpy mood today, however, still indignant about the argument and what Caitlin had said. What sort of fool would take Spencer's word about anything? Why was Caitlin speaking to him of such things in the first place? And how dare she accuse Gordon the Grand of being nothing more than a chunk of metal!

He was fuming and stewing over this just as Percy arrived and decided to make conversation.

"Good morning, Gordon!" he whistled in his expectedly cheery way.

"Is it a good morning? That's certainly news to me."

Accustomed to this sort of response, Percy paid it no mind as he chuffed around to the express coaches.

"I heard Caitlin was on the island last night," he said. "That you and she were out and about for awhile. I'm sorry I missed you both! You must not have been on my route."

"Don't be," Gordon scoffed. "There was nothing to miss. She was bothering us with her incessant, inane chattering. I merely attempted to distract her so that everyone else could sleep, that's all. It was a miserable experience, one I hope not to repeat."

Percy frowned a little as he lined up the express coaches with Gordon's back buffer.

"That's too bad," he lamented. "I thought maybe you and she could be friends? You certainly have a lot in common!"

Gordon balked at this accusation.

"Do we? And what, exactly, do I have in common with that silly streamlined steamie?"

"Well…you both…go very fast...? I don't know…maybe you don't have a lot in common after all. Maybe that's for the best! You and Spencer are very much alike and don't get along at all."

Gordon was further offended by this comparison and made a noise somewhere between a splutter and a gasp. It didn't help that Thomas chuffed in with a laugh just then, carting giggling Annie and Clarabel behind him.

"He has a point, Gordon," Thomas added, which earned him a pointed glare. "You both think you're fastest and best, you both have egos the size of Sodor-"

"I don't remember you being asked anything of it, Thomas!" Gordon spat.

Percy worked to rectify the mess he had made.

"Oh, don't be offended, Gordon!" he said quickly. "I just meant, well-…I know it's kind of hard for you to make friends and Caitlin seems to like you a lot. It's a shame that you both aren't friends, is all."

The things Percy had said so far were warranting of Gordon's shock and horror, but something about the mention of how hard it was for him to make friends prodded at a very deep hurt within him, one that he worked very hard to repress. Logically, he knew Percy didn't mean to say anything so cold, but intent didn't often matter when it came to Gordon's default anger.

Thomas and Percy knew something was wrong when Gordon narrowed his eyes, clenched his jaw and zoomed off down the line at a break-neck speed, without even so much as a last word on the matter. Gordon was not known for leaving a situation without getting in the final bit of witty input.

At that point, his offense was no longer a laughing matter.

"Oh dear, Thomas," Percy said as he chuffed over slowly. "I…I think I hurt Gordon's feelings…"

Thomas frowned. While he would've sugar-coated the truth for his sensitive friend at any other time, he didn't think there was any use to it now.

"I'm sorry, but…I think you might be right, Percy. Don't feel bad, you didn't mean to."

Edward, who had seen the whole thing transpire from where he had been receiving his goods train, added, "You both should know by now that Gordon is a lot more than the walls he puts up. Underneath that hard, stubborn boiler is a very insecure, lonely engine. We might want to remind him that he does have friends after all. I think all of us have had dark moments of our own where Gordon did what he could to support us."

Thomas and Percy could easily remember such times. Gordon had been there to offer his stern words of wisdom when Percy found himself missing Gator. Gordon had defended Thomas' honor when Spencer accused him of being incapable of usefulness on account of his size.

Gordon, for all his pride and gruff, had been a good friend to both of them over the years and it was something they knew they shouldn't so readily forget.

Caitlin was not herself that morning and it must have shown. She was aware of the surprised stares that met her as she angrily thundered down the line from the waste dump (where she had ended up taking refuge the night before, determined not to return to Tidmouth sheds). She had been going too fast for anyone to inquire as to what had caused her bad mood and she was grateful for the fact, not wanting to discuss it. Even Whiff and Scruff had known better than to try to prod her for information when, still in angered tears, she asked them for a shed.

She wouldn't have such luck with Connor, however. They were as close as two engines could be; Caitlin always felt they'd be twin brother and sister, were they human. Their relationship was of that nature and this is why, as Caitlin waited at the bridge to the mainland and Connor steamed over, that he stopped. Late passenger cars or no, the strange look of fury on her face was far more important.

"Caitlin?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "Is-…is everything alright?"

She huffed. "No, it is most certainly not alright, Connor. I've only had the absolute worst night on Sodor imaginable."

Connor seemed surprised to hear this.

"Did you really? I can't imagine why…all our friends are here, didn't you stay with them at Tidmouth sheds?"

"I wouldn't stay at Tidmouth sheds for anything!" Caitlin snapped back. "And they are not all my friends. Gordon made that quite clear!"

Connor's mouth fell open in shock and he made to ask her more about what had happened when Caitlin's passengers started making an impatient ruckus.

"Nevermind," she sighed. "I need to go on. Glad for it, in fact."

And off she went, powering down the tracks with a fury that Connor hadn't seen from her before. He was normally an unbiased engine, always wanting to gather facts before acting on impulse…but it had been a long time since he had seen Caitlin this angry, if indeed he ever had. It also wasn't completely unheard of or out of character for Gordon to say something hurtful for the sake of his pride. As such, Connor found he could only get angry and he took that with him into nightfall when, instead of heading for the bridge to the mainland, he paid Tidmouth Sheds a visit.

It seemed a typical night at the sheds, even if Gordon was still plagued by what Percy had said that morning. As the engines all chattered and gossiped with each other, Gordon found himself questioning things. Did he have any real, mutual friends…? He had never considered it before, perhaps scared to do so. Thomas and Percy were self-proclaimed best friends, everyone loved Emily like a sister, Edward was widely admired for his wisdom, Henry was a worrier but likeable nonetheless and, perhaps worst of all, James was not unlike him but with a pride that was so benign it was accepted anyway.

Did anyone really accept Gordon? Would they have wanted him around if he did not already share shed with them? He knew how he was, after all; boastful, very often rude, standoffish, "an ego the size of Sodor" as Thomas had said. He then recalled Caitlin and how eager she had been to take him with her. No doubt she just needed company and was grateful to have it in an engine that could…somewhat keep up with her, but it was something Gordon hadn't experienced to that point, that genuine enjoyment to have him around.

Then he remembered how cold he had been to her and realized how unlikely it was she would ever want to be in his presence again. It was odd, being so crushed by shame, regret, and his usual anger -his inherent defense mechanism- all at once.

It was just as he was having this solemn realization that Connor thundered in from the mainline. Everyone went silent for a moment, as he was probably the last engine they would've expected to show up at this hour.

"Hello, Connor!" Thomas greeted, his usual chipper self. "What brings you to Tidmouth Sheds?"

"Hello, Thomas," Connor replied, despite his stern expression. "I came to have a word with Gordon. Caitlin was very upset today and it seems to have to do with something he said to her last night."

All the engines were now looking over at Gordon, as eager for an explanation as Connor was.

Gordon balked and stammered, as he usually did when being accused of something he so very clearly did.

"I-I…I haven't a clue what she's talking about!" he lied.

Connor narrowed his eyes, unconvinced. Edward and Emily shared a look of concern before the former advised Gordon in a much wiser path.

"Gordon…if you had said something that upset someone," Edward said, careful in his wording. "Even if you…didn't mean to upset them, you would probably remember it, wouldn't you?"

Emily agreed. "Just tell us what happened last night, maybe we can figure it out. I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding…"

The tone of her voice, however, suggested that she didn't really believe that. She knew Gordon better than to entertain the delusion that he would accidentally hurt someone's feelings rather than with intention.

Realizing he had no other alternative, Gordon sighed and relayed the story.

"She must have been disappointed that I took her with me," he finished. "But that's hardly my fault. If I hadn't acted when I did we both would no doubt still be stuck on that bit of track, out of steam and left to rust, forgotten!"

Of course, Gordon had left out mention of the strange things that had happened along the track, such as the fog, the lamps, the haunting engine whistle, the odd glow…and the fact that he hadn't seen the bit of track before. Caitlin hadn't, however, and Connor pointed out as much.

"I don't remember any such things," Gordon lied again. "It was just a bit of old track, that's all. There's quite a few going through these forests, as we all know. Caitlin can believe whatever she wishes in her games of make believe, but it was just old, dangerous track."

Now, Connor was very, very cross.

"She said there was another engine at the end of the line!" he exclaimed, his voice rising now. "I suppose you're going to say she made that up too?"

Gordon scoffed. "There was no other engine."

"I've had quite enough, Gordon!" Connor exclaimed. "Caitlin has never and would never make anything up. I think you're too afraid of whatever you saw and heard on that track to mention it again, even if it means calling your friend a liar. Some friend you are. You are neither grand nor best, just a self-righteous coward."

A silence so thick it could be cut with a knife fell over the entirety of the group, all of them looking between Gordon and Connor to see what would happen next. No one had ever insulted Gordon like that before, so direct and fearless of how he would react. Sure enough, Gordon was left without response. He glared and he grit his teeth but the Tidmouth engines that looked close enough could see the slightest glimmer of something much weaker, something akin to a sadness none of them had ever known before.

"I think I've gotten my answer," Connor said after a time of very uncomfortable silence. "I don't suppose telling you to apologize to Caitlin would do any good. She deserves better in a friend than what you've given her anyway, Gordon."

Connor was then turned around and he left back out on the mainline. The engines, minus Gordon, didn't take it too personally that he left without a proper goodbye, considering.

The silence lingered until, one by one, the engines fell asleep. Gordon knew the lack of further commentary came from not knowing what to say and shame on their part that he had said and done what he did to Caitlin. Yes, he was known for his lack of tact, for his gruff demeanor and ego and, to some extent, those around him could tolerate it.

This time, however, he had taken it too far.

Connor headed back out on the mainline towards the Vicarstown Bridge. He hadn't known frustration and offense like this in a very long time and he wasn't really sure what he was going to tell Caitlin. He had dared to hope that Gordon was going to see reason, he never thought it possible someone would continue to call their alleged friend a liar even after hurting them the way he had hurt her.

He was so caught up in his anger that he didn't bother to notice the array of stars up above him…or the sound of another steam engine approaching until it was whizzing past him as a dazzling ribbon of gold shimmer, with a whistle that seemed to echo around the entire island and shake the very foundations of the earth.

Connor stopped suddenly with a gasp.

"What was-…?"

He hadn't time to even finish his thought before the ribbon of gold and reverberating whistle shot by him a second time, the force of which almost knocked him off the rails.

"It's-…it's a steam engine?" he guessed, though he wasn't aware they could go so unnaturally fast. "Who's there? Who are you?"

Once more the gold ribbon shot past and he felt a dizziness just before noticing the strange engine on the hill before him. He was a streamlined engine for sure, one Connor had never seen before. He was big and gold, all slopes and curves, and from his entire body emanated a glow that rivaled the sun. Instead of a light embedded in his skirt, however, he had a lamp atop his head. The light inside flickered and flared like fire.

"Evening!" the Engine called. "Don't suppose you would fancy a race?"

Connor was too startled for a moment to answer, not sure what to make of the sight before him. He rarely ever turned down the offer for a race against a qualified opponent, however.

"I would enjoy that," he replied with a careful smile. "Though I think you might have an unfair advantage over me, sir. I may be fast, but I stand no chance against engine that becomes a blur."

The other engine laughed heartily. The very sound had some odd ability to flood Connor with a comforting warmth.

"The appeal to a race isn't in the winning, Connor, it's in the thrill of the chase! Come along. You'll live in regret if you don't!"

It wasn't a threat, Connor could tell as much…somehow. It was a promise that if he didn't take advantage of the opportunity now he would forever wish he had. Living in regret was not something Connor wished to do, so he agreed to the challenge and followed the gold engine –who had been somehow turned around in the blink of an eye- down the mainline, towards an odd split of track that had appeared suddenly in the forest.