Author's Note: A big thanks to everyone for the reviews, follows, and favorites. To make it clear, I probably won't be adding anymore Sodor engines other than the main 8 since, this a back story and Erika didn't arrive to the island until decades later, although I may find a way to mention them later. Also, if you're wondering how Erika looks, you can see my portrayal of her on my DA. There's a link on my profile page.


Chapter 3 – Big Boys

'I was so curious; I just had to try it!'


"The next morning, I was bound for Los Angeles. I was so excited since it would be my very first run."

At the platform, Erika waited for her coaches to arrive. She remembered what had happened last night and how Lady was treated. She had to apologize before she left. She saw the little diesel switcher and perked up, "Good morning, Lady!"

The diesel was surprised, "Oh, good morning Erika. Your coaches are ready."

"Thank you for delivering them to me."

She saw a small smile form on Lady's face, "You're welcome, Erika."

Erika smiled back. "Hurry and board now everyone, I don't want to be late!" she said cheerfully to her passengers. As they boarded, her driver approached her.

"Big day's here, you ready, girl?" he asked.

"Of course I can't wait to see the coastline!"

"Well, let's get going." Sam continued forward until he reached her cab and got in. As soon as she heard the conductor's whistle, Erika pulled out of the station.

"Good luck, dear!" she heard Alice shout.

"Have fun, Erika!" Lady exclaimed.

She whistled at her friends as she headed out of the depot and towards San José. When she reached the station, she saw Edith. Erika whistled at her older sister. "Good morning, Edith!"

"Why Erika, I didn't expect to see you pulling coaches so soon." Her sister said.

"Sam said I was doing well, so they're having me pull the morning train… Shouldn't Elena be back by now?"

Edith sighed, "They pushed her to pull next morning train back, so I'm doing the afternoon one."

"So, she's still there then?"

"She should be."

The two talked a little longer before they went their separate ways. After she left Salinas, Erika made her way to the horseshoe curve, a line of track that curved in a way that resembled a horseshoe. Her eyes widened and slowed down a little; she wasn't so sure about this. Sam laughed, "It's ok Erika, you're built for turns like this!" he assured her. He picked up her speed and carefully guided the engine through it. She heard him cheer and shout, "Hah, did you see that, Andrew? She did it like a pro! And this is only her first time!"

"I'm right here, Sam. Of course I saw it. And yes, she's doing well." Andrew said flatly. Erika felt herself becoming more confident, but all that went down the gutter when she went through a tunnel. It was so dark and she couldn't see, then her headlights came on.

"Sorry about that girl," Sam said.

They continued on through hills, fields, and coastline until they finally reached Los Angeles. By the time they got there, it was getting dark but the station was still very busy. She looked around once she pulled into the station. It was bigger than the one in San Francisco and she could see tall palm trees. Even the air was different; it smelled like the ocean mixed in with exhaust smells she didn't recognize. Erika coughed and gagged. She did her best not to breathe too much of it in. After being uncoupled from the coaches, she decided to look for her sister. Edith did say she was here and she hoped she hadn't missed her.

"I'm so glad I got to see you, Glen." That was Elena's voice! Erika turned a corner and saw her sister talking to a large black engine with a silver smoke box. It looked bigger than Alice! It even resembled her but it was so much longer. She could clearly see all the pipes that connected to the boiler and piston rods. She listened closely as the huge engine spoke.

"I'm glad I got to see you before you returned to San Francisco. It's been so long."

"I know, and you never come visit me either."

"Well, it's not like I can control it. They've got me and Aaron running up and down the Midwest… we're heading back there in a few days." The big engine noticed Elena's disappointment, "Don't worry. I'll be back. I promise."

"Ok," Elena managed to form a small smile, "I love you, Glen."

He smiled back at her, "I love you too, Elena."

Erika's eyes widened in shock at what she saw next, the two engines brought themselves closer to each other until their lips touched. They were kissing… two engines kissing. Up until now, Erika had no idea this was possible. Sure, they all had faces but with all the different types and models, she didn't think it could happen. She watched as the two engines were caught up in the moment. She wondered what it felt like, judging from the way her sister was acting, it must be a good feeling. She decided to leave the two be and continue towards the sheds.

"Sam," Erika started.

"Yeah," he answered as he backed her into the shed.

"Why do people kiss?"

"Uh…"

"How does it feel?"

"Well…"

"Can I do it?"

Her driver got out of her cab and faced her, "Why are you asking me this?"

She was about to tell him what she had seen but thought better of it, "I saw a couple do it at the Santa Barbara station," she lied. "It looked like they were enjoying it."

"Well, yeah sure. Kissing can be fun, I guess…"

"But why do they do it?"

"Because they're in love."

"What's love?"

"It's when you really, really like someone. When you want to be with that person forever and spend your life with them."

"What does it feel like? How do you know when you're in love?"

"Um, that's something I really can't explain. You'll know it when it happens." He saw that Erika wasn't happy with the answer he'd given her. "You're such a curious engine. It's almost like you're human."

Later than night, Elena returned to the shed. She sighed happily. "Elena, you look really happy!" Erika's voice startled the other Daylight out of her day dreamy state.

"Little Sister, what are you doing here?!" she exclaimed.

"I just got in from pulling the morning train."

Elena calmed down, "Oh, well then… did you enjoy the trip?"

"Yes! I saw so many things, the ocean, hills, trees, farms. It was amazing!"

"Well I'm glad you liked it because you'll be seeing it pretty much every day." She was about to continue on her way when Erika spoke.

"Um, Elena, who was that engine I saw you with earlier?"

Her sister's face went pale and her amber eyes widened, "You saw us?" she asked worriedly.

"Yes, who was he? He was huge, bigger than Alice even!"

"Forget what you saw."

"What… why?"

"You saw nothing!" Erika said nothing further. She didn't understand what the problem was. Why wouldn't Elena tell her?

The next day, Erika woke up to see a large, black engine to the left of her. It was so long that all she could see was its tender and part of the boiler. Could this be the engine Elena was kissing? She crept forward so she could see its face. Like with Alice, she felt nervous. "Um, excuse me, are you… Glen?" she asked.

The big engine stirred, it slowly opened its eyes. Deep blue eyes met Erika's lighter blue. "Heh, I may look like my brother but, I'm not him." His voice was low, Erika kind of liked it. The engine frowned at her, "Elena, what happened to your eyes?"

Erika smirked, "I may look like my sister, but I'm not her. My name is Erika."

"Erika huh, didn't know Elena had another sister. My name is Aaron."

"…What are you?"

"I'm a steam engine. I work for the Union Pacific railroad, they call us Big Boys."

"Big Boys huh, well the name certainly fits. You're bigger than a Challenger!"

"Pff, Challengers. They may be big but they don't have the type of power we do. People flock to see my brother and I thunder up and down the tracks. We're the largest steam engines in the world."

Erika was impressed; she didn't think they made them any bigger than Alice. "How come I've never seen you before?"

"Because, little engine, we travel all over the US. We're freight engines. You're just a passenger engine; they won't even let you leave the state. It's a shame though; you're missing out on so much. Technically, we shouldn't be here but we were in the area and Glen just had to see your sister. I don't get him."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Engines shouldn't be in relationships. It's conflicting and can get in the way of work. I can't tell you how many times we were late because of his infatuation. I'd leave him behind but they're making us pull larger-than-normal freight trains which require two of us."

"But, what if there is no conflict and everyone remains professional?"

Aaron laughed, "Ha, like that's possible. It's better to keep your feelings at bay and focus on your job. Love doesn't make you a useful engine."

"I listened to Aaron for who knows how long. He went on and on about his travels and how much better he was than other steam engines. Oh how arrogant he was… The whole time he talked, I thought about what I saw Elena and Glen do. I was so curious about it… I just had to find out how it felt."

"Say Aaron, you ever been kissed before?" Erika asked simply.

The big engine stopped his mindless chatter and looked over at the Daylight. "Excuse me?"

"You seem like such a proud engine, I'm sure you've kissed many girls while on your travels."

"Well… I uh - -"

"If don't mind… would you do me the honor of kissing me?" She lowered her voice and closed her eyes halfway. "I mean, we do have faces after all… And lips… Besides, it's just a kiss. Engines shouldn't be in relationships, you said so yourself. So, we shouldn't have to worry about feelings developing, right? It's a onetime thing, I promise."

The black and silver engine had a light blush on his face. He didn't know what to say. Truth be told, he'd never been kissed before himself, but he couldn't let Erika know that. He had a reputation to uphold.

Erika started to become frustrated with his lack of response. She pretended to look surprised, "Don't tell me a Big Boy like yourself hasn't been kissed before?"

"Of course I have! I've kissed so many girls, I've lost count!"

"Then you'll do it?"

Aaron paused; his face was even redder now. After a few seconds passed, he opened his mouth. "Yeah, sure I will. But try not to fall in love."

"I could tell you the same thing, Big Boy."

Aaron watched as Erika left the shed so she could position herself in front of him. Their blue eyes met. He tried to study her, she was up to something but he couldn't figure out what or why. This was all happening so fast. "So," Erika began, "what do I do?"

"Um… well…" Aaron did his best to act like he knew. His arrogance and confidence was quickly fading. "Well first, you need to be closer… a lot… closer." Erika moved in closer. So close, their faces were almost touching. The bigger engine cleared his throat before continuing. "Uh, close your eyes!"

She looked at him for a moment before closing them, "Now what?"

"Now I'll… kiss you." He could have just fallen apart he was so nervous. Aaron looked at Erika; she looked so weird just sitting there with her eyes closed. With a deep sigh, and sudden burst of confidence, he closed his eyes and kissed Erika.

"He was rather… rough. He was so forceful; he managed to push me back a few feet. Maybe it was his way of releasing built up tension. Maybe I underestimated his strength. Maybe I didn't expect him to actually do it. It was obvious he was lying, but the experience was like nothing I had ever felt before. I liked it; I could see why humans, and my sister, did it."

Aaron broke away from Erika slowly, he was still blushing. Erika slowly opened her eyes; her lips were still slightly parted. Neither engine said anything. She looked into his deep, blue eyes. "You… you want to do that again?" she asked.

He waited a moment before responding, "Ok…"

The two engines kissed again only this time, Erika returned the amount of force Aaron had once put on her. She wasn't strong enough to push him, but she did try. As they got into it, their kisses became more rapid and rougher. Every time one would break away, the other would go back in. By the time they finally stopped, both were out of breath and red in the face. Erika grinned, "You're good."

Aaron grinned as well, "You should expect nothing less from the world's largest engine." His deep blue eyes scanned Erika, "You may have just given me a reason to come back here more often."

"Oh, I'll be here."

Unknown to them, they were being watched. Elena had seen everything and she wasn't pleased with what she had witnessed. Later that afternoon, she was scheduled to head back to San Francisco. However, she wasn't about to leave until she confronted her sister. She saw Erika approaching her, she whistled. The younger Daylight came to a stop. The smile on her face only angered Elena further. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked.

Erika slowly looked at her big sister, "Why, whatever do you mean?"

"You know what I mean! What were you doing with Aaron?"

Her smile became a cheeky grin, "You saw that, huh?"

"Yes, I did."

"…Forget what you saw."

Elena was surprised, "How dare you! Do you know how much trouble you could get into?"

"Then why do you do it?" Elena didn't respond so Erika continued, "Besides, it's just a kiss after all."

"Do you even have feelings for him?"

"I could ask you the same about Glen, but you'd rather keep it to yourself. So I hoped you'd do me the favor of minding your own business. Have a safe trip, Big Sister." She stared at her sister a bit more before heading on her way, leaving Elena in a state of shock and pure anger.


Erika paused; she bit her lower lip and looked up at Gordon. She wondered what he was thinking. She really didn't want to tell him about what had happened with Aaron but she said she'd tell him everything. He looked back at her. She couldn't tell if he was mad, hurt, confused, or if he even cared at all. She waited for him to speak before continuing. "Well," he said finally, "did you have feelings for him?"

"At the time… I'm not sure; I mostly just wanted to try kissing. He just happened to be the closest male there."

"Do you now?"

"No, of course not," His unsure expression began to worry Erika. She hoped he wasn't beginning to doubt her affection for him. "I love you, Gordon, don't ever doubt that."

"I know, Erika... What happened next?"

"Well, after Elena left, I had to stay overnight in LA until Edith returned. At least one of us had to stay in one city if the other two were in the other. Sam had introduced me to an old friend of his. She just so happened to be Aaron's driver. I think her name was Vanessa or something… I knew then that I'd be seeing him more often than I had hoped…"


It was a warm evening in the city of angels. Erika and Aaron's drivers decided to stay late at the sheds and play catch-up. Erika studied the female human sitting on Aaron's cowcatcher. She was fairly attractive. Light colored eyes, long black hair, fair skin, curves in all the right places… Erika mentally rolled her eyes. She knew she was prettier, her driver had told her she was the most beautiful engine he had ever seen.

"So, uh, how'd you get a job on the railway?" Sam asked.

"We're at war, if you hadn't noticed." Vanessa said sarcastically, "Everyone needs to do their part and help any and every way they can."

"Most women are working in factories and such."

"I have connections. Besides, my father is the controller, if you have forgotten."

"Controller, what's that?" Erika jumped in.

"The controller is our boss, he runs the railway." She turned her attention back to Sam. "I see your Daylight has taken quite a liking to my Big Boy." Erika was confused, Aaron blushed. Sam looked up at both of them, then back to Vanessa. "But I don't blame her. If I was an engine, I'd be on him in a minute. I mean, who wouldn't want over a million pounds of pure strength? He just screams masculinity!"

"I've never heard of engines being in love before." Sam said, he wasn't quite sure if he believe her or not.

"Well, they do have personalities. They have feelings, I'm sure they can."

"Wouldn't it be conflicting though?"

"Workplace relationships work with humans, why not them?"

Later that evening the two engines were alone in the shed, except for Aaron's bother Glen, who was snoring at the far end. Vanessa's words still rung in Erika's head, 'I see your Daylight has taken quite a liking to my Big Boy.' The Daylight frowned; she didn't like Aaron, well not in the way his driver had meant. It was just a kiss, nothing more, nothing less.

"My brother and I are leaving tomorrow morning."

Erika broke away from her thoughts, "What?"

"Yeah, we're headed for Nebraska. I don't really care for it. There's nothing there but fields and fields of nothing."

"Oh…"

"I don't know how long we'll be gone, but I'm sure you'll manage without me."

"I'm sure I will."

"So… how about another round to remember me by, you know, one of those good-bye kisses."

Erika grinned, "Nah, I think I'll make you wait. That way, you'll come back faster."

"If only I had known what I had gotten myself into…"