Hi all, here is the next chapter for "Not Like You". I hope if you are following the story that you are enjoying it but also review!


"James... James are you awake?" without opening his eyes he placed the spanish accented voice as Victor. Ignoring him he tried to settle back to sleep, he was still in the steam works waiting for parts to fix his side rods. The dents made by the the horrid men that night had been smoothed out much to James' discomfort.

"Come on James, your parts have come in, soon you will be ready to get back to work!" To this James cracked his eyes open giving him a sleepy glare. "Victor what time is it? Can't this wait till later I'm still a bit achy to be honest." The hammering out process of the dents truly wasn't pleasent. John and Sean had sat with him that day to take his mind off of the pain.

"Ah I understand James but I need this bay for someone else later, Harvey has broken the gears that operate his hook." Victor replied. Yawning "oh alright then, lets get this over with". Atleast this way he could get back to work.

...

Sometime later he was fixed and ready to go by inspection of Victor, James wonder absentmindedly when Jim and Burl would show up. Despite their constant bickering he had to admit he missed the two men. The two of which had been pulled into service on Bill and Ben while the twins drivers went on holiday.

"Well theres our boy! Looks better than before eh Burl?" Jim walked in with his morning coffee and donut. "Ay Jim although they could have done something with his face!" The two men burst out laughing. James would be retort changed into a deep laugh that startled the two. They were expecting the usual snide comment, "Uh... are you alright James? Too many days in the shed get to you?"

"No, no just missed you guys is all, after you two were subjected to Bill and Ben I was beginning to wonder about your sanity". James countered. Jim and Burl and climbed up into his cab and began to get his fire going. The heat from his flame felt insanely good to him. "Oh God, those little asshats? I honestly thought about driving them into the sea with their constant bickering" Burl called back. "Yes, it was like watching toddlers, if one wasn't screaming where his trucks were the other was screaming he hadn't seen them before the other asked!" Jim said agreeing with Burl. "We are both estatic to be back with you James." Both agreed.

For the first time in a week James was fired up and ready to go, slowly his wheels began to turn. Still a bit sore from the work and nonuse he found he needed a little extra effort to get himself rolling. After a few creaky chuffs he got going, calling back to his driver. "Jim what are we doing today?" curious at what his first task would be.

"Today we are just letting you stretch your wheels old boy, if you feel up to it we can take some quarry trucks this evening." Jim called back. Even though he wasn't a fan of pulling trucks he did agree it would be best to cool it for today until he got back to his old self.

"Alright then Jim, say have you seen the boys? They came the day i was being hammered out but that was last wednesday." James has become quite fond of the boys. As well he should, he did get the coal kicked out of him for them. "Ay they have been working out ways to help you with your request". Burl said with a smirk. James had forgotten about that, he felt a little nervous at the proposition."Ahhh...you don't know if they actually spoke to Henry do you?"

"Now what exactly do you take us for dear James?" He hadn't even noticed he had rolled into Kelsthorp station. Low and behold on the platform there stood John and Sean. "Given that when I mentioned it you two looked at me like a cat looks at a well done mouse I wasn't so sure." James remarked.

"Who us? Never! We have just been monitering Henry a bit to see if there is any chance that the old gaydar goes off." Sean says with a smile. "Ill take it by your smile that I either am fucked or have some hope? And gaydar, really?" James was not amused with the cliche term.

"Well we think you have some chance, hes definitly out there but we're not sure just how much." John answered truthfully. "We think you should try to request your jobs near to where he works and see if any chemistry builds up. If not I am 99% sure that Spencer chap is." Sean added in. Shuddering at the thought of Spencer he quickly shook it off.

"Before I do this, what signs did you see that made you come to this conclusion?" James asked warily.

"His mannarisms mostly, that and he kept defending you in the shed when the others brought up your accident." John mentioned with a smile. "Wait he had to defend me? Against who?" The thought had his famous temper flaring as well as his firebox. "Simmer down James, Id rather not be fried to a crisp back here!" Burl called. The two older men had been eavesdropping on the convo while waiting on orders from Sir Topham Hatt.

"That big blue fellow kept poking fun at you for always getting yourself too worked up and causing crashes." Said Sean. "Gordon, I might have known, anyone else?" James murmured still seething. That little green fellow and his little blue friend said it just served you right for being a bossy boiler." John finished, wondering if they had just given their friend a hit list. "Those little bastages Thomas and Percy would do well to keep their mouthes shut." James growled out.

"Easy there big fellow, I think we have strayed away from the point. Henry defended you very firmly and was extremely upset with the talk." John said trying to calm down the red engine. "True, I will give your plan a try guys, Ill be seeing you around." With that resigned himself to his thoughts. Jim called out to the boys "We appreciate what you did for our guy here but you do not know the hell gates you opened up for those engines. We pilot one of, if not the most vindictive engines around." "Thats right, hell hath no fury like a pissed off emotionally charged James."

Just then the station master gave orders to Jim to go pick up a load of stone at the quarry to take to Brendam docks. "You're not going to do anything to the other engines are you James? John called to him a bit worried. James just looked at him and gave a dark chuckle and started to move out. Sean called to his drivers "Hey, you can keep him out of trouble right?" All he heard was the sound of laughter from the two older men.


James arrived at the quarry and picked up his cars without incident,(Other than his drivers hiding from Bill and Ben.) on the way to Brendam he spotted a familer green train on the next track over, deciding he would start working on John and Seans plan he pulled along side. Henry who has seen him coming whistled a friendly welcome.

"Hey! Glad you are feeling better James, I well that is to say we were worried about you. We had just heard you had an accident, nothing that would take a whole week to fix. Complications or something like that?" Henry chatted happily. The green engine had spent more than his fair share of time in the works and knew how the red engine must feel.

James, taken aback at how chatty the usually quiet big green engine was. "Yeah, complications, you could say that. How was everything while I was away?" curious if Henry would mention what the other engines had said. "Oh, normal I suppose, I took your jobs as Gordon, Thomas, and Percy were being unsuferable assholes about it."

"Thanks Henry, why? What was said?" James said, already dark thoughts of payback on his mind. "Well Gordon was being his useful asshat self boasting about how he would have never broken down helping push a train..." "Oh like he ever would have attempted it in the first bloody damn place." James cut in irritated at the thought. "Thomas and Percy were just being their usual irritating selves saying that it had derved the bossy boiler right. Then Gordon remarked that you had been acting rather queer lately and the other two joined in".

"He said WHAT?! James said seeing red quite literally. Ohhh that blue sausage would fry if it killed him to do so. Henry continued to tell him what he had said, the more he heard the less angry and more hurt he became.

Seeing this Henry stopped, "Im sorry, i didn't mean to upset you James, if it helps any I am really glad you're back." hoping to get his friends spirits up. "Thank you Henry, that means a lot. Deciding to take this in his own buffers "Henry, would you mind meeting me in your forest this evening. I have a lot on my mind and you seem like the perfect person to listen. "Of course James, Ill be there right after my last job." The green engine smiled kindly toward the smaller red engine.

"Thanks Henry" He smiled back. With that their tracks arched away from each other and James was speding his way to the docks eyes locked for three unfortunate engines.


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