Bossy Boilers- Turning The Tables

by Wahtiff

Emily's downward spiral, from the sisterly engine that Thomas had met at Knapford to the big bossy buffers she currently was, has left all of the other engines dismayed- so much so that a few have given up hope that she'll change. During a passenger run, however, Toby convinces Thomas that there is one last method he could try to start bringing the old Emily back...

4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Table #2- Where She'll Stop...Nobody Knows

Thomas was used to lectures when it came to his cheekiness, but not in a dismissive sort of way. He couldn't deny that he learned a lesson every time he ended up in the Steamworks after something went wrong, but to the dismay of everyone- especially Sir Topham Hatt- that wasn't about to stop him from having fun in the first place- except in cases where he forgot himself and was much more rude and insulting than he originally planned, causing him to rethink how he would next speak to a particular friend of his, such as when he insulted Gordon far too much for the express engine's constant napping. As a result, knowing that they could not stop the tank engine no matter what, Thomas received a lot of lectures from a lot of different sources. These sources were mainly from Sir Topham Hatt about proper behavior for a really useful engine, Victor on safety, managers on the business aspect of the railway and the damage that even accidental confusion can do it, and so on.

"...and what if the turntable was damaged beyond any sort of repair, you dolt!? How much more confusion and delay would that cause?"

At the moment, Thomas would've taken any of those normal talks over the lecture Emily had decided to stop by and unleash on him. There were no formalities, just a quick look to see how he was doing before she opened her mouth and started scolding him like he was nothing more than a child.

As if she has the right…. He rolled his eyes as she kept talking.

"Just think about it for a second: What if they have to fill it in, remove it entirely." Emily scolded, "That could take weeks, and work waits for no engine! What if ROSIE couldn't even get us our coaches? Would everyone have laughed at your 'joke' th-"

"I'm telling you, Emily, it was an ACCIDENT." He finally interrupted, though inside he knew she actually had a point- not that he would admit he had done it deliberately in the first place, "I wasn't even trying to ruin the turntable, just a surprise round of hide and seek with everyone's freight cars- nothing too serious, and not too much confusion caused."

"So...what? Were you going to hide all of them in the COACH SHED?" In front of his berth, the Stirling looked dumbfounded as well as irritated with that explanation, "No one would think to look there!"

"At first, you mean: Your coaches are in there, and you have one of the earliest runs along with me and Gordon, so you would've probably been the first to find them. Besides, hiding them in one place is better than scattering them around the yard like Easter eggs." Thomas defended. "I decided to be a bit more considerate of everyone else's schedule this time around."

"'A bit more considerate', huh?" The look on her face told him that she didn't believe it for a second.

"Seriously, Emily, I knew what I was doing. I had it all planned out, in fact," He sighed, "but then my brakes went and failed at the last minute."

"I find that hard to believe, because they definitely seemed to be working perfectly LAST NIGHT." Emily huffed, angrily glaring at him, "You know, when I just barely convinced you to stop after you decided to nearly leave your passengers? And after all the work I put in to bring them to you, you ungrateful tank engine!"

Ungrateful is actually right, to a point. Thomas internally admitted, BUT you can't tell her that.

"Ugh, are you REALLY still sore over that? Listen, Emily, I set a deadline, and you said you could do it." Thomas glared back, dismissive, "It's not MY fault you were delayed and nearly ruined it for the passengers."

"It wasn't MY fault, either! Besides, you set an impossible deadline for me!"

"Things like that happen all the time on Sodor, so get used to it AND the verbal abuse from passengers that is sometimes included. Trust me, you have NO idea how often Sir Topham Hatt does the same thing to me, Gordon, James, and Edward, especially during inspections and the tourist season. It was bound to happen to even you eventually, especially with how long you like to make your runs." He smirked, "A 'wise' engine once told me, 'There's always a first time.'"

"I was practically stopped right next to you when you took off!" She grit her teeth, "And stop using my words against me like that!"

"I'm just stating the same facts you are. It doesn't matter, anyway. My point still stands: You arrived severely behind schedule, Miss The-Children-Will-Make-You-Late."

Emily's face flushed red with fury, "Was THAT your problem? SERIOUSLY!?"

"...Yeah, yeah, you've got me all figured out. Okay, I CONFESS," Thomas growled, "I was tired of certain engines NAGGING me on how I do my passenger trains when I've been on Sodor for longer and have been doing passenger trains here for around the same amount of time."

"..."

Thomas could safely say that the look he was given in response was the first real death-stare that he had ever received from another steam engine, but he was not about to even joke about how Emily had earned a place next to several particularly-devious diesels for being that sort of first. He also had a feeling that if he had any sort of neck at that moment, and Emily had been gifted hands, her first use of them would be to strangle him.

"Listen, you," She said with flames in her eyes, "it's not MY fault that you like to spend hours talking when you should be working." She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying not to erupt like a volcano, "But...Okay, look, maybe I get carried away sometimes, because you're right: You've been doing this for longer than I have. Maybe I AM just too punctual for my own good, and I take it out on you, but it's only because I don't want you to get into trouble- I've DEFINITELY been here long enough to have some experience with outraged people. THAT, though? Last night?" She leveled a cold look at him, "That was uncalled for, Thomas."

She was right, despite the irony of her having done almost the same thing at times, but Thomas knew he couldn't admit it, not to her face. Instead, he just matched her expression again, "Well, I can handle my trains just fine. I don't need your help with them, so mind your own business, Emily."

"You know what? I think I will, actually." She huffed, backing onto the Steamworks turntable and spinning around, "After all, it wouldn't be ME who's getting in trouble with the passengers then, would it?"

"Whatever." Thomas growled.

"Oh, you little…!" She bit her lip, "Just be glad that I at least cared enough to come and visit you."

"I doubt you were the only one." Thomas retorted, knowing full-well that even DIESEL would sometimes cave in (he always denied it, of course) and check up on him, Duck or Percy if the tank engines' stay was a long one. Of course, his excuse with each engine would always be 'to see and hope that he was bad enough for scrap,' but Thomas would still see the concern in their arch-rival's eyes.

"I was the only one who cared AND had the time. Percy, Edward, and Henry were all concerned too, but they're probably back to work right now and will probably be busy doing what they're SUPPOSED to." She glanced back at him, matter-of-factly, "We ALL have our own work to do, and Sodor's railway doesn't need a tank engine with too much time on his buffers to make even more for us, accident or not."

That one hurt. Aside from when he and Percy had forgotten themselves as they teased Salty, Emily NEVER used to view Thomas's cheeky nature like that. In fact, not even GORDON viewed Thomas's behavior like that, even laughing on many occasions. Yes, everyone else could get annoyed by Thomas, but they at least knew it was all a sign of friendship from him. Never once did they actually view it as if it as an actual threat to the survival of Sodor's railway, and even if they did, they never said it outright to his face.

But even more than that….

"Funny." He frowned at her as she started to puff away, bringing up a memory, "I pulled the same trick once before, but that time I actually scattered the cars around the yard and you even had to pull one of the trains I took from." His gaze never wavered, "It was worse than what I planned today, and you laughed then. You even had FUN helping Edward look for the three or four freight cars I hid."

Emily stopped.

"I pulled that same trick TWICE, actually, three months apart from one another. Both times, you had fun and you laughed." He closed his eyes, "And more than that, even: You had a fun with some of my other tricks too, and we all laughed even after something went wrong and I ended up here. Tell me, Emily: What's so different about this prank and accident that you suddenly treat it like a bane on your existence?"

She glanced back at him. Her was glare ice-cold, and even if it wasn't directly pointed at him, Thomas still shivered, "We don't age like people, Thomas, but we still have to grow up at some point. Life isn't all fun and games, you know. Things aren't just going to be handed to you on a silver platter. Here on Sodor, I learned that you make your mark by doing hard work and doing it WELL- You have to EARN your place, your status, everything. None of us are special cases," She paused, looking away, "and some of us can even be less…."

Thomas blinked, both stunned and confused by her words, "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that going about and playing games like you do doesn't help with anything, doesn't earn you anything but a bad name and reputation. I'm honestly surprised that Sir Topham Hatt hasn't started punishing you in the worst ways imaginable by now, or at least given you more day-to-day jobs to lessen the chances of you causing confusion like you did today. Maybe it all CAN be fun in the beginning, but it gets old really fast. There are rules to follow, and there is always a lot of work to be done." She glared back at him again, "It would probably get done a lot faster if we also SHARED some of the privileges we have with one another, wouldn't it?"

Ouch. It was a direct punch right in the smokebox for Thomas, reminding him of how he'd behaved when Emily accidentally took his coaches- his own sign of the promotion he underwent from a station pilot to a passenger engine. The rest of what she said made that punch ache badly. For a moment, he struggled to hold his firm expression in place as Emily finally puffed away, knowing he couldn't show weakness while she was around.

Regardless, it faltered because he knew that- real Emily or not- it all had to have been the most hurtful thing she had ever said to him.

She accepted my apology at the time, too, after she accidentally took Annie and Clarabel, but now it's like I never apologized at all to her. He clenched his teeth, Don't let it get you down. Just stay strong. 'Sticks and stones', remember? Sticks and stones….

Victor, who had been silently observing from a safe distance away, puffed up next to Thomas and observed his face, "Are you alright, Thomas?"

"What she said...She just called me immature, a troublemaker who doesn't do much work. If I wasn't mature," The tank engine answered at a whisper, more to himself than the Steamworks engine, "I wouldn't have apologized for how I acted when I DIDN'T want to share something of mine. And I DO work hard. I DO follow the rules most of the time..."

"She did appear to be making quite a few...personal comments at the end there, yet when she arrived, it seemed to just start out like a particularly bad scolding on her part." Victor hummed in thought, "Is there...something going on between you two?"

"You could say that." Thomas answered, his voice nothing but a murmur.

"I am always willing to listen, if you'd like to tell me."

"Thanks, Victor, but...this is for me to deal with."

"I see." Victor nodded, "Well...your brakes looked fine after we checked them, but I will admit that looks can be deceiving. The crew says that you'll have your new ones this evening, and you'll be clear to leave by nighttime." He looked out to where Emily had gone, "Or...would you rather prefer to spend the night?"

"No, I have to go home eventually." Thomas sighed, "Besides, I...actually kinda want to see Percy and the others right about now. I haven't seen them since yesterday morning…."

"I understand, Thomas." Victor made to back away, but stopped, "Forgive me if this is pushing it, but...did your brakes REALLY fail? Or...was this all to get away from Emily for...whatever reason you and her are angry with one another?"

It's actually FOR Emily. Thomas sighed, "If I tell you outright, you'd have to report it to the work crew, wouldn't you? Then that goes straight to Sir Topham Hatt, and...believe it or not, I want to keep this as between me and Emily as possible."

"Then I suppose giving me deniability is the best course, if that's truly what you want." Victor started to reverse, "In any case, I'll leave you be for a minute, my friend."

"Thanks, Victor."

…..

The cleanup at Knapford hadn't taken very long, and Rosie was out of there quickly after working to haul away both flatbeds bearing the freight cars that could be salvaged and trucks of debris from the cars that couldn't be saved at all. Once she was done, and after confirming with her own eyes that the turntable was truly unusable for tender engines as Sir Topham Hatt had said was reported, she quickly made her way out of Knapford and towards the Steamworks. As she went, she prayed that Emily hadn't just stopped by for a quick hello and had actually stayed long enough so that Rosie could find her easily.

Luckily, just as Rosie was approaching the main building, Emily emerged from within. The Stirling was deep in thought, and her expression look irritated. That was obviously from her talk with Thomas, but that was to be expected, especially considering the last time the two had spoken had been the previous night's incident.

Rosie carefully approached and put on a cheerful smile, "Oh! Hi again, Emily!"

"Hm?" Emily looked up, surprised, "Rosie? What are you doing here?"

"The cleanup's all finished. I'm here to visit Thomas, see how he's doing since I left him here."

Emily huffed, rolling her eyes, "He looks fine to me. He definitely hasn't seemed to learn his lesson, as always. I wouldn't be surprised if he had to come back here tomorrow for another crazy stunt of his."

'Crazy stunt?' And yet, Thomas told me that she always seemed to ENJOY his jokes. Rosie thought, "Let me guess: You gave him a lecture and it didn't work?"

"That about sums it up, yes." As she spoke, though, Rosie noticed something briefly flash in her eyes, What was that?

Sadly, Rosie was better at feeling emotion than visibly spotting it, especially if it was there and gone so quickly that she was prevented from knowing for sure. However, she still made a mental note to tell Thomas about it sometime in the future.

"Oh, wait, I should ask…" Emily suddenly looked at Rosie, very attentive, "You helped clean up that mess he made, didn't you? How bad is it?"

Here we go!

Rosie smiled, "The track and mechanism on the table are in pretty bad shape, but it should seem fine for certain engines to work on, so long as they're careful. Sir Topham Hatt told me that Thomas and I should get your coaches, though, because tender engines like you tend to upset the table."

"Hmph, I think I'll take my chances. You bump them too hard," Emily glanced back at the Steamworks, "and I don't think I want Thomas messing with them. Thanks for the info, though, Rosie. Take care." With a farewell whistle, Emily puffed past Rosie and steamed off. Rosie watched after her for a moment.

"I feel bad for Thomas." Her driver said, "Rosie, are you sure you really want someone like HER as a real friend? She even insulted your shunting skills just now."

"No, I don't want Emily the Bossy Boiler," Rosie answered, "but, like I said, if it's true that's not the real her."

"Thomas's idea from last night didn't seem to work too well. It might've actually made things worse between them. I'm still having my doubts that the real Emily isn't that one after all." Her fireman pressed a finger to his temple.

"I'm not too sure about that." Rosie thought back to that flash of emotion she had seen in Emily's eyes, I wonder…

Shaking the thought aside for the moment, Rosie puffed into the Steamworks and quickly searched around for Thomas. Sure enough, she found him off to the side, on the tracks for the time being but unable to safely go anywhere without his brakes.

Rosie faltered a bit at how...distressed he now looked, his sad eyes focused on the ground, Oh boy, Emily must've said something REALLY bad to him if he's like this. She shivered, I don't think I want to know what.

"Thomas?" She asked, puffing up to him, "You...Are you okay?"

He looked up at her, slowly, "I'm honestly not sure."

"I don't really wanna know, but," She looked at him, concerned, "what did she say to you?"

"A few things the old Emily wouldn't have said. Let's keep it at that." He sighed, composing himself, "Is...everything ready?"

"Yeah, it's all set." She looked him up and down, "It's not too late to stop this, and she's not too far away for me to give her the right message. If you can't bear to let it-"

"No." Thomas cast her a stern glare, "What she said hit me a bit hard, but I can still go through with the plan. I HAVE to."

"If you're sure…." Rosie raised an eyebrow.

"You're the one who wanted in." He forced a grin, "I can't let yours truly- one of the main architects of this whole thing- be upstaged by you, can I?"

"That's the spirit- I guess" Rosie smiled, then frowned again, "But Thomas, I want you to promise me something like you told me you promised Mavis: If you want the plan to stop, we'll all put on the brakes and let things go back to normal."

"After last night and the conversation I had with Emily today, I don't think there's any way to go but forward with this." He said, completely serious.

Then Thomas suddenly grinned, "Wait…'put on the brakes? Was that a PUN? I'm here in pain, and all you can do is make puns about my poor brakes to help pass the time?"

"Oh, quiet!" Rosie laughed, despite herself.

"Ah, I see Rosie here's somehow able to brighten your spirits a bit." Both tank engines looked to see Victor approaching. He stopped next to Thomas with a smile, "That's very good to see, actually."

"She's annoying-" Thomas answered.

Rosie scowled.

"-BUT she's still like a sister to me, in her own way." He finished, "Annoying, yet somehow fun to be around."

"What can I say?" Rosie beamed with pride, "I just have that effect on some engines."

"Which effect is larger? The annoying effect or the-?"

"That depends: Would you rather stay here and have li'l ole' me visit you for hours on end until I decide to leave- and ONLY when I decide to leave?" She challenged, smirking, "Or would you rather have the chance to run away and tell me to get lost- with a seventy-percent chance that I will keep following you around everywhere anyway?"

Thomas was so horrified, he couldn't even answer at first, "Th-THAT'S NOT A REAL CHOICE!"

"Yes, it is! It's a Hobson's choice!" Rosie giggled, reciting, "'Either take the horse closest to the stable door, or no horse at all.'"

Victor chuckled, "Well, it's good to know that the crew won't have to deal with you being in too much of a sour mood when your new brakes are installed, Thomas. They'll on their way over to work on you soon, once they manage to finally locate them in that mess they call a storage shed." He glanced to the open door, looking at the sky outside, "On a positive note, maybe it was good for you to get them replaced today, however unexpectedly."

"Oh?" Rosie raised an eyebrow, "Why's that?"

"I usually take weather forecasts with a grain of salt, but the manager says that we're expected to get a storm in a few days, roughly a week." The dark-red engine rolled his eyes, "It's supposed to be a gradual buildup, starting with a particularly strong breeze tomorrow."

"A particularly strong breeze, huh?" Rosie asked, though inside, she was delighted, "That doesn't sound so bad."

"To you, maybe, but I heard that our friend James always seems cautious if not terrified of even those little winds."

Rosie smiled. She already knew the answer to her next question, and she knew that Thomas did as well, but she still wanted to hear it out loud, "Oh really? Why's that?"

Victor laughed, "To be fair, I don't really know. He never trusted me and my reputation for gossip enough to tell anyone here, that's for sure. He only said that it was embarrassing."

Next to Rosie, though, Thomas's eyes suddenly widened.

"Something the matter, Thomas?" Victor asked.

"No, nothing, Victor." As he spoke, though, his shocked gaze turned on Rosie, "Nothing at all…"

Victor looked unconvinced, but before he could say anything else, a workman suddenly called him over to the other side of the building. With a mumbled goodbye, he quickly made his way over to the man.

The second he was gone, Thomas exploded on Rosie, "THAT'S THE PLAN!?"

"Yes." She raises an eyebrow, still smiling, "Wasn't it obvious?"

"No, it wasn't obvious!" Thomas cried, "You actually neglected to tell me ANYTHING about why I damaged that turntable. Did you really expect me to put it together myself?"

"Um, yes? Thomas, you're a smart engine," Rosie seemed surprised, "you seriously went along with something DIFFERENT in mind? Actually, check that, you actually went along with something I- me, myself, and your biggest and most annoying follower- suggested AT ALL without knowing entirely what it is?"

That was obviously a mistake, I'm seeing. Thomas thought as he scowled, "Oh, I'm sorry. Don't worry, if this makes the history books, I'll quote myself as saying, 'I apologize for what I did, the people and engines I've hurt, and I also apologize for forgetting that it was ROSIE THE TANK ENGINE who I was listening to when I agreed to commit the crime.'"

"Oh shut up! You know you love me." She grinned.

"That is now debatable."

"ANYWAY," She got their conversation back on track, "what DID you think the plan was going to be?"

"I thought we were going to do something like convince Sir Topham Hatt to schedule a surprise run for her, but with the turntable broken, we were going to have her be stuck waiting for her coaches while we do 'more important work.' You know, deal with her impatient side?" Thomas explained, "I was NOT expecting….this!"

"Is it a good way to turn the tables?"

"Well, it's DEFINITELY humiliating and it WILL get her into trouble, but-" Thomas looked away.

"Does it classify as either being bossy or a bully?"

"Yes, but-"

"Do you think we'd get one step further towards our goal this way?" Rosie came closer and stared at him, point-blank, "Is it a GOOD plan?"

"..."

She raised an eyebrow.

"You…" He looked back at her, "Forget what Mavis said this morning, about you being bubbly and chipper. You are VICIOUS when it comes to this sort of thing."

"I know. So...are we still a go? If we are, then there's a few cue-cards I need to give you."

"Will Emily be seriously hurt? Physically, I mean?"

"Not that I know of. The only thing hurt," Rosie grinned, wickedly, "will be her pride."

"...Let's do it."

….

After he was cleared to return home that evening, Thomas puffed back to Tidmouth Sheds and settled into his berth on the far left. It was quiet, and the doors to everyone else's berths were shut tight, the only sound being that of light snoring coming from within. Not even the crickets sounded too loud or close that night.

As he got comfortable, his eyes wandered over to the line of other engines next to him. Sure enough, not a single member of the Steam Team was absent on that night. Even Gordon was already there, his nightly express run over and done with, and sleeping like a log.

Eventually, Thomas's gaze landed on Emily at the far right end. Her eyes were closed, and a frown had settled on her face, No doubt from our conversation earlier.

He sighed, continuing to look over at his friends. Eventually, he started to look up the entire row, Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Per-

Percy was wide awake, staring at him.

"Ah-!" Thomas bit his lower lip, painfully stifling his scream before speaking in a harsh whisper, "Percy, what are you doing!?"

"Oh, me? Nothing." Percy dismissed, still staring, eyes wide and unblinking.

Thomas scowled, "You KNOW I hate it when you just sit there and stare at me like that!"

"It's the only way I figured I could get your attention without making too much noise." Percy chuckled, then frowned, "I wanted to wait up for you, see when you came back."

"Yeah, and scare me off of my own wheels in the process." Thomas smiled, "Anyway, it's good to hear that someone stayed up, Percy, but you didn't really need to do-" His friend's inquisitive tone suddenly clicked at that moment, and his smile fell, "My brakes really DID fail, okay? I'm not lying."

"Thomas, I saw you PLENTY of times yesterday and I know the signs of brakes that are about to fail on another engine." Percy raised an eyebrow, "You had NONE of them."

Thomas gulped.

"BUT I'll take it with a grain of salt, because that's not important right now." The green engine sighed, "I was actually gonna ask you something else: What...happened last night? Did something happen with Emily?"

"What makes you think I know?" Thomas questioned, realizing that Emily had most likely not said anything to the others, after all.

"She's been in a bad mood with us ever since around the time of your night train. She refuses to talk about it, she snaps at everyone who mentions it, and while a few of us are thinking that she's just overreacting to being late," Percy glanced over at the sleeping Stirling, "I actually think she seems more mad at YOU than the fact that she was behind schedule."

Good observation. Thomas looked away, uneasy, realizing where this was going, "I'm not sure I should-"

"Please, Thomas. Look, I know she's...different than she used to be," Percy grimaced, "but you guys are still family. I still get concerned for her."

For a long moment, Thomas could only look Percy up and down in consideration.

He's my best friend, family, a brother in the way that Emily was, and Rosie is, a sister. But Toby was right- we can't let too many engines know. Very few might be willing to either support it or stand aside and let it happen. He thought, conflicted, But now PERCY wants to know. What can I even say to him?

For a moment, he flashed back to the first day that he had met the small green tank engine, as well as all the adventures and misadventures that they had been on in the many years since. As he did this, his mind also answered with two words: The truth.

Yeah, Thomas sighed, he deserves to know.

If he was honest, while Rosie was a unexpected change of plans, he had actually expected that Percy would have to be told what they were up to at some point- if not for any practical role, then to at least be someone Thomas could open up to about it. He was the one engine that he trusted the most to find out, and had actually started thinking about him as well as Rosie when he had mentioned to Toby that they could use a bit more help. The only issue was that, while Rosie was a confirmed yes, Percy was among the most sympathetic and sensitive towards others' feelings and would like the sound of the plan even LESS than everyone else- including Mavis- did.

Thomas knew that he was risking his closest friendship both ways, with Percy looking at him as either a bully or as if he was keeping too many secrets from him, and he also knew he was going to get an earful from Toby for pretty much driving himself into the bind of having to tell ANOTHER engine, but…

He looked over at his friend with a deadly-serious expression, making his decision, "Percy, I need you to promise that, no matter what, you will NOT speak a word to ANYONE- especially not Emily- whether you are for it or not. Can I trust you to do that- keep quiet on it, I mean?"

"I guess." Percy nodded, "But the question is: What am I agreeing to be either for or not for?"

"I can't say it here." Thomas paused, looking cautiously at the rest of the Steam Team before whispering, "Emily's first passenger run is at ten in the morning. Meet me at Knapford, the sidings nearest to the coach sheds. Before she left, I asked Rosie to set up Annie and Clarabel for my ten-thirty passenger run, just so I could have a chance to watch what happens from the sidelines."

"Watch what?" Percy asked, now even more suspicious, "What are you up to, Thomas?"

"You'll see, and once it's over…" He took a deep breath, "head to the quarry as soon as you have a break in work. Even if me and Rosie aren't there, Mavis and Toby will be. They'll explain everything."

"...Okay. I'll be in the yards after my mail run and slow freight train are both over with- nine-twenty or maybe a few minutes later." Percy answered, hesitation in his voice, "Thomas… I'm not gonna like this, am I?"

"No," Thomas looked away, "you're not."

…..

The sidings that Thomas mentioned to Percy were two of three that were largely hidden from view behind some of the buildings, and normally home to a few extra freight cars. However, both lines of empty cars had been pulled out for use as per the yard manager's orders after Thomas's stunt the previous day, leaving two of them empty.

Beyond the buffers, there was a narrow- but clear- view of the turntable and the door to the coach sheds between the buildings.

Thomas was waiting by the points to the first siding when Percy finally arrived at nine-twenty-five, as instructed. Thomas silently gestured with his eyes, and Percy nodded before puffing into the siding. Once his friend was at the buffers, looking quietly out at the staging area, Thomas puffed forward and headed over to the second siding. A few workmen in the area glanced at him with caution, to make sure he wasn't up to anything else with the surrounding trains, but they looked away when they saw him puff into the empty siding. They didn't know what he was up to, but so long as it didn't involve another trick with cars and another mess to clean up, they were willing to look the other way.

Now in place, the two friends made themselves comfortable and waited. Thomas, of course, knew it wouldn't be a very long wait. Overhead, Thomas felt a low and strong breeze blow past his funnel, the weather that day exactly (and luckily) as Victor said had been predicted.

Before them, the damaged turntable didn't appear too bad to the naked eye. In fact, if he didn't know any better, Thomas would've thought it was already fixed- there were even plenty of workmen around that gave the impression that all was well- but he knew from experience that looks alone could be deceiving.

In fact, if he looked closely, he swore he could see the table shift….

Five minutes later, right on schedule, he heard the shrill tone of Rosie's whistle coming closer to the shed. The pink engine soon came into view, slowing down as she approached the turntable. Gently, she rolled over it and proceeded to the coach shed where Annie and Clarabel were waiting. The three of them greeted each other before Rosie buffered up to Annie and drew the two sisters out together.

"Careful, Rosie." One of the workmen warned, going to the turntable crank to steady it for her, "Thomas's coaches add quite a bit of weight to this thing."

"Are you calling us fat!?" Both ladies snapped, indignant. The workman recoiled from their angry gazes.

Thomas snickered.

"Of course he isn't, girls." Rosie said, sweetly, "You both look as lovely as ever, not a pound gained."

The coaches smiled, "Why thank you, Rosie."

"You know, I don't think I will ever understand females of any sort when it comes to how they view their weight..." Thomas's driver whispered, shaking his head in disbelief, "...and how the blazes a coach or an engine could think they can gain much weight at all."

"I think it's best not to even ask." His fireman answered. Thomas nodded, rolling his eyes.

Rosie brought the two coaches over the turntable, then switched to another line to place them a siding for Thomas. As she worked, Thomas easily noticed the discomfort on her face, "This would be so much easier if I wasn't pulling these two backwards."

"I wouldn't doubt it, but you heard the manager during the cleanup yesterday." The workman at the crank shrugged, quickly recovered from his experience with the coaches, and walked back over to a group of his coworkers, "We can't risk turning the table, not even for you, or else we might have to spend hours just to get it steady and re-aligned again. Speaking of which, I hope word got out to the tender engines at Tidmouth. James, Gordon, and Emily all have their coaches here."

"Don't worry. They know." Luckily, from where her face was hidden by Annie, none of the workmen saw Rosie's mischievous smirk as she looked at the shed. Thomas followed her gaze, his eyes landing on Emily's prized green coaches which sat there, waiting for their owner to come and get them.

Thomas gulped at the implication, Rosie's DEFINITELY more devious than I once took her for. I should be careful not to EVER get on her bad side, because who knows what she does when she's actually ANGRY. He was actually starting to feel a bit more sorry for Emily, Forget the other night. I pray that THIS one is the one that works, because if it doesn't….

Thomas honestly didn't want to know what other sorts of tricks Rosie could think of to pull on the Stirling.

FWEET! FWEET!

Speaking of Emily… Thomas looked over to his right, wishing he could see how Percy was reacting so far as another familiar yet much more melodic whistle sounded near the entrance to the yards.

Sure enough, with his driver's watch reading nine-thirty-eight, Emily herself slowly steamed into view and stopped next to Rosie. Thomas couldn't see her face from where he was, her tender and tail-light facing him, but he could conclude from the cheerful greeting she gave Rosie that she was smiling, "Good morning, Rosie!"

"Morning, Emily." Rosie responded, equally cheerful, "I was just getting Annie and Clarabel here ready for Thomas. Yours are in the shed."

"Perfect." With that, Emily moved towards the turntable.

"Uh, Emily, wait a sec." Rosie stopped her, leaving the sisters in the siding and coming up next to her, "What are you doing?"

"Getting my coaches?"

"But don't you remember what I said yesterday? Wait here, and I'll get your coaches for you."

"I can get them just fine, Rosie.'" Emily answered, sounding a little miffed by the comment, "Are you saying I'm not careful."

"Huh? No, nono, I'm not saying THAT, but-"

"Look, Rosie, I told you yesterday: I got this."

"Hmm…" Rosie seemed to study her.

"What?"

"...You really don't like anyone touching your coaches either, do you?" Thomas could FEEL Rosie's eye-roll in the tone of her sentence, "Geez, you and Thomas aren't that much different."

"What are you saying?" Emily demanded.

"I mean...Think about it: You guys may act like you hate each other right now, but from my experience, you guys sound like you're so much alike," The pink engine suddenly laughed, "it sounds like the start of something MORE~!"

"Huh!? Buh-...I-...WHAT!?" Emily cried, caught off-guard.

Nearby, Thomas's driver and fireman were trying their hardest not to give their position away with laughter. The fact that Thomas stood frozen, eyes wide and mouth open in complete shock, did not help matters, his mind running on broken and wayward rails inside his smokebox, D-Did Rosie just-? Where did that-? I don't-!

"You heard me." Rosie teased, "You and Thomas might actually be made for each other!"

I-I mean...Emily IS quite beautiful, and before she changed, she DID have quite an attractive personality. Thomas continued to struggle with his train of thought, blushing furiously, B-but she was a SISTER to me. I...I never once… He sighed, trying to calm himself and praying that Percy wouldn't tease him about that one later, That's NOT what I wanted him to hear, anyway, and we're here for something...serious, so...so FOCUS!

"Um, Thomas?" His driver chortled, "You okay?"

Thomas glared back at him, silent.

"Okay, I'll take that as a 'maybe.'"

Emily, on the other hand, didn't hesitate even SLIGHTLY when voicing her opinion.

"Are-Are you INSANE!?" She growled, her face no doubt red from a serious blush as well as indignation, "Me and Thomas? LIKE EACH OTHER? Rosie, no offense, but I think you need to get out of the yards more and actually see more of the island from somewhere beyond them instead of just staying and listening to empty rumors."

"I've been outside the yards PLENTY of times!" Rosie retorted, and Thomas knew that she was legitimately offended by that remark, "I think I know at least as much as you do! And besides, that was wasn't a rumor- it was my own observation."

"Then you probably need a pair of glasses- Thomas is a FRIEND of mine, nothing more." The Stirling's voice lowered a bit, "Besides, he and I really aren't even on friendly relations right now, either."

It hurt to hear her call him 'friend' and 'nothing more' in contrast to when she once declared both him and Percy to be like brothers to her, but Thomas couldn't argue with her overall logic. In fact, considering how he had acted the other night towards her…., It's all part of the plan, though.

"Oh yeah, I...remember James mentioned that? What happened back then, anyway?" Rosie asked, though she already knew, "Whatever it was, it seemed to really make you upset."

Emily seemed to hesitate before dismissing the question entirely, "Look, I...Rosie, I don't really want to talk about it. Besides, my passenger train starts off in a few minutes. I really need to get my coaches and head over to the station."

"Emily, wait, I'm drop-dead serious this time." Rosie insisted, stopping her again, "You shouldn't risk that turntable."

"And why not?"

"Haven't you noticed the wind?" As she spoke, the wind seemed to noticeably pick up a bit as if to introduce itself, "Let me get your coaches."

"Rosie-"

"I INSIST that you let me get them for you."

"And I insist that they're my coaches and my responsibility, Rosie. I really don't know what the wind has to do with it, but I'm going to be really careful either way anyway." Emily said, getting even more irritated, "It's a small turntable, anyway, so it's not like it'll collapse beneath me before I can even get close to the other side."

"But it's-!"

"It's FINE, Rosie." Emily interrupted, "Now, if you'll excuse me…"

Putting a rude end to the conversation, the Stirling puffed as slowly as possible towards the damaged table, gently easing herself onto it with as much care as she could muster, considering her schedule. Seeing what she was doing, several of the workmen immediately cut their conversation short and rushed over, waving their arms.

Several of them also started shouting.

"Emily, hold it!"

"You can't go on that! Get off!"

"Don't use the turntable!"

"Why no-Ah!?" Emily's question was cut short as the turntable suddenly moved. With her whole frame completely settled on it, tender and all, and the broken turn mechanism failing to anchor it in any way, she gave a loud cry of surprise as the table drifted over to the right and completely cut her off from the rest of the tracks. With no way to go forward or backward without derailing, Emily was left stranded.

"What the-?" Now having turned enough to be facing more towards his position, Thomas could see Emily's wide eyes darting back and forth with deep concern, "I thought I was car-"

"Hey! What's all the yelling about?" The yard manager came around the side of the coach shed, looking very displeased with all the noise. When he saw Emily on the turntable, he gawked, "Emily, what are you DOING!?"

"I was trying to get my coaches, sir, but-" Emily tried to explain.

"You foolish engine!" The manager groaned, bitterly, "Did you not hear the news? No tender engines are to be on that turntable AT ALL until it's fixed."

"At all? B-but…" Emily looked over at Rosie, "Rosie, you told me that I just had to be careful!"

"I said that CERTAIN engines could work on it if they were careful. 'Certain' as in TANK ENGINES." Rosie retorted, exasperated, "I forgot to clarify that yesterday, but when I tried to do that just now, you weren't listening!"

"You could've just said it outright! Maybe an 'Emily, I forgot to mention that no tender engines are supposed to be on that?'"

"I didn't want you to worry about your coaches getting damaged, so I was trying to...lead into it nicely!" Rosie seemed to falter, but she quickly regained herself, staring hard at Emily, "I know Thomas would FLIP OUT if I just bluntly told him, 'Hey, Thomas, the turntable's broken and Annie and Clarabel might get hurt.' How would YOU respond to that about your coaches or even yourself?"

"Quite right!" The nearby orange coaches concurred, "She's quite right."

Actually, I would've preferred to a blunt explanation, myself. Thomas thought, though he had to wonder if he really WAS so possessive of the sisters that Rosie's point was actually valid from her point of view, I hope not. She DOES know I trust her with them more than that, right….?

Emily glared at them sisters, still speaking to Rosie, "Well, I'm not Thomas- and I would LOVE it if you could stop comparing me to him!"

"Can you blame me?" Rosie grumbled, "I'm serious: Sometimes, I really can't tell you two apart…"

"I'm still NOT HIM!" Emily retorted, "You could've just told me-!"

"Okay, that's enough!" Both female engines jumped at the yard manager's voice, watching the as the man stepped between them, "We'll deal with this word game later. Right now, we need to get Emily off of that table, quickly."

"Quickly?" The Stirling asked, nervously, "Why quickly? What's going to happen if I don't?"

The manager opened his mouth to answer, but it was at that moment the answer came.

The wind picked up even more.

To the horror of everyone, especially Emily, the turntable slowly began to rotate on its own, picking up speed.

"Both of you!" The yard manager cried to the Stirling's driver and fireman, "Get clear! Now!"

The two men did that, clumsily getting down from Emily's cab and jumping off the end of the spinning table just as it began to increase speed. With the emerald engine acting as a center of gravity and no way to anchor it, it began to spin like a carousel.

Its speed then increased until it was as fast as an engine's wheel during a passenger run.

"H-hey, what-? S-someone stop this thing!" Emily stammered, sounding very frightened indeed.

The workmen could do nothing. They could only watch, helpless, as the table's rotation increased to that of a slow-spinning top. On it, the Stirling was beginning to turn into nothing more than a dark-green blur.

"Oh my goodness!" Annie cried as she and Clarabel watched from the siding, "This isn't good!"

The wind picked up even more, and Thomas began to feel dizzy himself as the turntable made like a helicopter's rotors and the poor engine trapped on it became a complete and shapeless blur.

"He-e-eelp me!" Emily cried, her voice sounding strained, "Ple-e-ase!"

"Just hang in there, Emily!" Rosie yelled to her.

Thomas gulped. Even though they had known it was going to happen like this, it was still a nightmare to watch this happen to any engine- even if that engine was a bossy boiler. When James had told him of his own, similar incident, it had been pretty scary to even hear. He wouldn't have wished it on anyone, and he had no doubt that Percy was more than horrified as well with what was happening, Just wait until he pieces it all together, and figures out….

"We can't do SOMETHING, at least!?" Emily's driver looked at the yard manager in desperation.

Her fireman shared the sentiment, "We can't just stand here and let the poor girl get motion sickness on that thing! Worse, she might get derailed and hurt!"

"We can't do ANYTHING until the wind dies down!" The manager told them, "It's spinning too fast for an engine to stop it, and I am NOT about to just place any of my crew in there to try to push against it when it's this much of a death-trap!"

"He-eelp!" Emily screamed, her voice weaker, "I'm….ge-etting….di-izzy….!"

"Just...just hang on, Emily!" Her driver tried to encourage her, "It'll slow down soon enough...I hope…."

So do I. Thomas agreed, and as if they could read his thoughts, his own crew nodded in agreement.

….

It took about an hour, maybe an hour and a half that left Thomas feeling dizzy himself either way, but soon as the wind had died down enough to let the turntable slow considerably, the yard manager ordered a chain attached to Rosie. Bracing herself, the pink engine waited as one of the workmen tossed the hook over on the side of the turntable near Emily's front wheels. Reversing so as to secure it tightly, Rosie grunted as the spinning table yanked her forward.

"Careful, Rosie…." Still watching from the siding, Thomas kept a close eye on the process with bated breath.

With sparks flying from her wheels, Rosie eventually managed to gained traction on the rails and pull back in order to the stop the table's rotation entirely. Once that was done, the yard manager ordered a group of men down into the well to line the table with the tracks. With Emily's weight on it, it was difficult, but the addition of Rosie pulling back with the chain provided them with a lot of help as they thankfully lined the table up with the tracks on either side.

"Get some scrap-wood planks to brace and secure it." The manager ordered his crew, "Make sure they're made of the really strong stuff."

"You couldn't have done that BEFORE this mess?" Emily's fireman asked, an unamused expression on his face as the workmen left to fetch what was needed.

"Well, BEFORE, we thought we could trust the engines to receive instructions clearly." The manager glared at Emily.

Emily, on the other hand, didn't even seem to notice the man's glare. In fact, she hardly seemed to even be entirely there with herself. Having been spun to face away from the shed now, Thomas could see the result of her impromptu session of Roundabouts: Her eyes were slowly spinning in a dizzied motion, and her face was such a sickly shade of green that it almost seemed like the color itself was painted on her normally-grey cheeks.

She looked tired, embarrassed, and more than even that, she looked absolutely miserable. Her driver and fireman rushed over to check on her, but while she managed to get her eyes to stop spinning enough to look at them, she couldn't seem to muster the energy to speak just yet.

The worst was yet to come.

Everyone froze as the sound of a car's horn echoed throughout the area, and a moment later, Sir Topham Hatt marched into Thomas's view with a most disappointed and cross look adorning his face, Uh-oh…

"Emily, what in the BLAZES happened here!?" The controller demanded, going over to the two female engines and crossing his arms, "I have so many angry passengers in the station, waiting at platforms two and four for both you AND Thomas. And now, not ONLY can I not find that cheeky tank engine anywhere, I'm ALSO hearing that you violated a direct order to stay off this turntable!"

"R-Rosie told me that it was fine for some engines to use it if I was careful!" Emily defended.

"No, you said that I told you that YOU could use the table if you were careful." Rosie argued, "I actually said only CERTAIN engines could use it, meaning tank engines like me, Thomas, or Percy."

"What? Rosie, that is NOT the exact message I told you to give Emily." Sir Topham Hatt spun to face the station pilot, "I told you to specifically say that no tender engines were allowed on the table at all, not 'certain engines if careful.'"

"I thought Emily would interpret it that way, sir. She's usually SO 'smart', knowing and understanding everything." Rosie protested, "But when she kept going towards the table, I tried to warn her, and she wouldn't listen."

"You couldn't have told her outright?" Sir Topham Hatt seemed as annoyed as Emily had been by her supposed lack of common sense.

"She and Thomas both are just SO possessive of their coaches, and she even tries her hardest to not let me touch hers at all." The pink engine looked bitterly at the emerald one on the turntable, "I was trying to lead into it because I thought telling her outright would've only caused her to want to get them herself even more."

Emily could only look at Rosie with complete shock, no doubt caught entirely off-guard by her sudden and uncharacteristic change in attitude. Earlier, Rosie's exasperation was understandable, but Rosie never got or remained downright accusatory with anyone- she was known to usually be more responsible than that, taking blame for even mistakes that she only ASSUMED she had played some part in.

However, it was what Rosie had said about her being smart, and the way she said it, that really got her attention. When she spoke, her voice was stuttering badly, "W-w-wait, what!? I-I never said I know EVERYTHING! W-why would you say-?"

"You literally looked me IN THE EYE and said I should get out of the yards more when I teased you about how alike you and Thomas were." Rosie pointed out, "You know, when you said I needed glasses because I was bad at observation?"

"T-that wasn't me saying that I'm a know-it-all!"

"It sounded like that to me."

"I-it wasn't-!"

"SILENCE!" Sir Topham Hatt roared, causing both engines' mouths to snap shut, "I don't know what the devil is fully on going on here, but I DO know that there are TWO passenger trains which are very late right now, and there's no time to listen to you two ladies bicker like this!"

It was at that moment Thomas chose as his cue, and he quietly backed up and out of the siding. After looking over and confirming that Percy was still watching the scene, he quickly composed himself and headed casually over to the other side of the buildings as if he was just arriving.

Pretending to look surprised, he gasped as he pulled up next to Rosie, "Woah, everyone, wha- what happened here!?"

Sir Topham Hatt looked at him, still cross, "Nevermind that, Thomas! Where were you? Your coaches are already out here and YOUR run was scheduled to start nearly a half-hour ago!"

"Sorry, sir. I was delayed." Thomas apologized, "Percy asked me to help with some of his work, and I forgot to check the time."

At HIS excuse for being delayed, Emily scowled in his direction, her face turning from green to red with anger. Thomas ignored it.

"As much as I like you helping your fellow engines, TWO passenger trains being late to start is absolutely unacceptable- especially if they were were scheduled almost right next to each other." His controller scolded.

"What even happened here, sir?" Thomas asked, then looked at Emily, "Wait...Emily, what on earth are you doing? Playing roundabouts?" He looked her up and down, "I thought tender engines weren't supposed to-"

"Not that it's any of YOUR concern," He winced at her icy tone, "but this is Rosie's fault!"

"My fault!?" Rosie gawked.

"You lied to me!"

"I didn't lie. YOU didn't listen! I said certain engines-"

"Sir Topham Hatt literally just told you that wasn't the right message!"

"And, like I literally just said, I thought you would get it!"

"'Certain engines?'" Thomas pretended to think about it, "That screams 'tank engine' to me, personally."

"Don't even start!" Emily snapped, "I'm telling you, when Rosie lied-"

"I lied? I LIED!?" Rosie screeched, indignant, "I told you I DIDN'T-!"

"THAT. IS. ENOUGH! All of you!" Sir Topham Hatt's voice echoed, causing the three engines to tremble, "Thomas, Emily, get your coaches and GET TO THE STATION! NOW!" He held up a finger, "And I don't want to hear another complaint or argument out of either of you until you're both well away- or else. As for you, Rosie," He pointed to the coach shed, "Gordon's run is in a few minutes and I need his express out and waiting him."

"Yes, sir."

"And when you're done, I want you and Emily to meet me outside my office. It appears we need to all have a talk about how to properly relay my messages to one another," He turned to Emily, "as well as receive them."

"But I was liste-!" Emily sighed, relenting under his stern look, "Yes, sir."

"And Thomas," He pointed at his number one, casting him a warning gaze, "this is the second time you've caused trouble in two consecutive days- first you damage the turntable and now you're incredibly late. One more issue, a third strike, and I WILL have you grounded to the sheds for a week- no coaches, no branch line, and no moving whatsoever. Is that clear?"

Thomas nodded a solemn affirmative.

"Good. Now, off you go, all of you." With that, Sir Topham Hatt spun on his heel and marched away. For a short moment after he left, there was a dead silence in the area.

As he pulled Annie and Clarabel out of the siding, switched lines, and coupled up in front of Clarabel (He couldn't turn around to couple to Annie as usual), Thomas glanced at Emily. The Stirling was silently and shakenly backing up to her own coaches, her crew back aboard her cab. Seeing her grim expression, Thomas sighed, Toby also said I have to be nice at times, too….

"I'm sorry, Emily, really." He told her, speaking in a normal and kind tone, prompting her to look at him, "Everything else aside, though, are…are you okay?"

"Oh, she's fine. Shaken, but FINE." Rosie grumbled, rolling her eyes, "She's still...something."

Emily glared at her, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You got your just desserts and now you're pretty much asking for a second helping, that's what." Rosie returned the Stirling's look, "You'd think being trapped on a broken turntable would give you a change of attitude…."

"Rosie!" Thomas gave her a warning glance.

"What? It's the truth. Besides, you're not innocent either, Thomas." Getting the message, Rosie gave Thomas a dirty look before she glanced back at Emily, still laying into her, "Or, at least, that's what I HEARD. But then again, I apparently stay in the yards and listen to rumors too much, so…"

Emily's brow furrowed as she continued glaring coldly in her direction. Then, with another dirty look at Thomas, she silently puffed past them and away to the platform with her coaches.

Once she was gone, Thomas sternly looked at Rosie, "I was trying to be nice."

"I know," Rosie nodded, dropping the act, "but this wasn't YOUR idea. You weren't being the main bully here. I even hinted at her know-it-all attitude to boot."

Thomas considered it, then nodded, "Okay, but next time, don't bring up her changed personality so directly like that."

"Why not?"

"Because you're not familiar with what she was like before." Thomas looked around as he switched to a looping track that led to the station, but thankfully, the workmen were either too busy or too far away to listen, "The last thing we need is her getting suspicious. It's fine when I make hints to it, but if you keeping doing it yourself, then she'll no doubt make the connection and figure out that we're working together. For what, she might not know, but all she'll need is the conclusion about the two of us for the plan to be dead in the water."

"Oh yeah," Rosie sighed, "sorry." She looked back to where Emily had gone, "It looks like it worked, though."

"How can you tell? With every phase we do, she gets more angry at me, and now she's mad at you." Thomas frowned, "The end-goal is to get her to crack somehow, someway, but I don't see any signs of that happening."

Rosie's eyes widened, remembering something, "Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"...Nevermind. Just go and get your run over with." Rosie told him, puffing towards the shed to get Gordon's express coaches, "I'll meet you at the quarry this afternoon. I'll probably tell you then."

"We'll be there." Nodding, Thomas rushed away down the line, heading back to work.

Rosie watched him leave before getting back to work, but she didn't make it ten feet before what he said registered, "Wait...WE?"

…..

As soon as she was out of sight of the coach shed and making her way to the station, Emily's icy mask crumbled into an expression of confusion, sadness, and embarrassment. Thinking back to the past hour, and then the past two days, she could only ask herself one question, What is happening?

In the end, with her thoughts so scrambled from all of the chaos and confusion that had occurred over the past hour, all that she could piece together for the moment was that her passengers- many of them already so tired and grouchy in the morning- would NOT be happy with running late to their destinations. And with the talk she was going to have with Sir Topham Hatt afterwards, she feared that all of her other trains would also run late.

Briefly, she decided to wonder how her morning could get any worse….

FWOOT-FWOOT!

...and immediately, she pleaded for the heavens that she took it back as one of the last engines she wanted to see- much less talk to, alone- that day suddenly puffed up next to her in the line to her left, out of breath. As red in the face as his paint was, James had obviously been seriously trying to catch up to her.

Not that Emily cared. Instead, she scowled at him, "What do YOU want?"

James looked at her, "Emily, I-I saw what happened. I was going to collect my freight from the shunting yards and-"

"And what?" Emily glared at him, hating him for seeing what had happened, hating everything that he was, "You thought you'd take a minute to laugh at me?"

"What? No!" James seemed surprised by her hostility, "I just-"

"I'm late, James," She interrupted, looking straight ahead as she increased her speed, trying to just get away from him, "and personally, I'm not really interested in hearing what you have to say."

"But I just wanted to know if you were alright!" James exclaimed.

"Oh really, so NOW you care about my feelings? That's a first. In fact, it's already rare that you would care about anyone's feelings rather than just your own." Emily seethed at him, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, though: Several other engines have suddenly decided to start not acting like themselves these past few days, so why not have you join in!?

"Emily, I-I-"

"No, I'm not alright, James!" Emily snapped. If he really wanted to know, then by the heavens above she GLADLY inform him, "After this, I'm starting to feel like everything I have left is falling around me. And now here you are, thinking you suddenly have the right to just come up to me and act all concerned?" She huffed, "I'm not falling for it."

"I'm acting concerned because I AM concerned." James protested, cringing, "The same thing happened to me in the past, with a turntable. I was just as embarrassed as you are. I wouldn't wish it on anyone…"

"Funny." Emily said, her voice dangerously quiet, "After everything, I was under the impression that I was an exception."

"After everything-" James' eyes widened, realizing what Emily was talking about, "Emily, listen, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't-"

"Save it, James. It's too late for you to just come up and say 'sorry.'" Emily said, still quiet, "I don't want to hear your excuses, or your self-justification for…all of it."

"I'm just trying to help." James said.

"You've done enough, more than enough, and I don't need any more of it. Not today, not ever." Emily glared at him, "Clear off. Now."

"Emily-"

"Go away, James." She repeated, "I mean it."

"But-"

"JAMES!" She yelled through grit teeth, making him jump, "Leave. Me. ALONE!"

Finally getting the message, James relented, slowing to a stop as Emily sped quickly away with her coaches in tow…

...but not quick enough that he didn't see the sparkle of a tear rolling down the Stirling's left cheek, causing the red engine to be filled with a deep sense of shame as the female engine disappeared around the bend.

Well, folks, here it is: The longest chapter of this story thus far and I have to say...I honestly have mixed feelings about it, so I will understand if you guys don't like it. To be honest, the ending section is the only part I really feel one-hundred percent about, but that's fine- a lot of us write stories like these to gain some writing experience, anyway, right?

Believe me when I say it was a PAIN to finish and upload, what with classes and just life in general. It's honestly going to be awhile before I can get Chapter 5 up, but I assure you: I am NOT abandoning this story.

But ANYWAY, it seems that the plot has thickened a bit, and in several important places: What will Percy think of the plan and seeing it in action? How much have Thomas and Rosie's behaviors truly affected Emily? Why is Emily so hostile towards James? Is he the sole reason she changed, a mere part of something larger, or could he possibly not be a real part of the problem at all? I WILL say one thing, though: Only one (and possibly a half) of those questions is going to be answered in the next chapter, because we are officially drifting away from Thomas for a moment and taking a bit of a closer look at things from the perspectives of James and Emily. I wouldn't brace myself just yet: We still have a bit of a ways to go before everything comes (hopefully) together.

Until then, though, I hope you guys enjoyed. Bless you all.