Chapter 7 - At Opposite Ends


Queen Mary took no time waiting once they reached Sacramento and rushed over to the SP shops, dragging the younger Alexis along with her much to the E9's distress. Why did they need to be here? Alexis didn't need any work done and, judging by how much rushing the E2 was doing, Queen Mary was in fine shape as well. While she mulled it over, she took no notice of her surroundings until she heard the sounds of banging, drilling, and shouting. Sparks from her left caught her eye as dirty men worked, little tank switchers scuttled about and she realized where she was. Her predecessor suddenly moved again, dragging her once more.

"Edith!" the Queen's worried tone echoed and she came to another abrupt stop, causing the younger diesel to jolt behind her. "Oh Edith, We rushed over as soon as we received word of your accident! Are you alright, dear?"

'Edith?' Alexis thought. She knew her, she was that GS-2-hag who made fun of her while she was on that freight train from the capital. Was that why they were here, to see an old steamer? Why did Mary care about her? Figuring the older diesel was done toting her around, Alexis was uncoupled from the E2 so she could get faced the right direction. Once she returned she found the two old engines talking.

"Oh Mary," Edith smirked, "Are you still using the royal "we" to address yourself? That name SP gave you has gone to your head!"

"Dearest Edith, it is not our fault we were given the task of ruling over the SP." Mary replied haughtily.

"Says the one who had no idea where she was going and got completely lost while pulling the City of San Francisco the first, oh… 3 times!" the GS-2 laughed.

The E2 rolled her eyes, unfazed, "We were young back then, and we did not get lost. We were simply touring the land." She turned her attention to Alexis, "Young E9, do say hello to Edith, one of my first and dearest friends."

"Hi Edith." Alexis responded flatly.

"Oh Alexis, is that you?" Edith asked, "I didn't recognize you without a freight train behind you!" She smirked slightly.

Alexis didn't respond, she wouldn't reward her with a reply. That and she didn't want to insult Mary's friend while she was present. Figuring she wouldn't be leaving anytime soon, the E9 sighed quietly and settled on her axles. She vaguely listened in on Edith and Mary's conversation as they discussed why Edith was there in the first place. Something about a blown cylinder or… something. Alexis didn't really care and her thoughts then drifted elsewhere. She wished she were in New Orleans with Thibodeaux, basking in the warm, southern sun while listening to the hum of the PA's engine. She wondered if she'd ever get another chance to go south without getting in more trouble. Anymore schemes like before and the boss would sure take her out of service permanently, and she didn't want that at all. But the allure was still there and quickly began to grow as time went on.

The E9 wound up staying the night in Sacramento and was eventually freed from her royal kidnapper, who had been talking to Edith long after most had left for for home. Alexis listened quietly as the two spoke of a time before her own, a time before the diesel craze and the time they spent with each other. It made her feel a bit left out and lonely, wishing she had someone like that to talk to for hours on end. The following day she was back in San Francisco arranging trains and hauling commuter trains up and down the San Francisco Bay Area.

"An E9 on a commuter train?" she heard a Pacific say while in San Jose, "How the not-so mighty have fallen!"

The GS-5 beside him snickered, "Who knows, maybe if they put all the diesels on commuter and switch duty we'll get our trains back!" The two steamers then laughed, making no effort to hide the fact that they were talking about Alexis in front of her.

She glared at them but decided to say nothing and continued on her way. She had been getting comments like that since her punishment had started. Even her sisters made fun of her, which was to be expected. She wished the Golden State trio of E7s were around more often but they were often scattered along the railroad, leaving the E9 to fend for herself. Her mind then drifted to Thibodeaux. She missed him and she hoped he missed her just as much. She wished he were here, he wouldn't put up with the crap the engines of her own railway were dishing out. He'd surely stand up for her and then comfort her with his soothing, low-toned voice with words of love. She was eager to get back to Texas, but with her on punishment for wandering off, it was best to stay on her own line for a while. At least until she was back on Daylight trains again.

A familiar face was waiting for Alexis once she returned to the diesel roundhouse in San Francisco. The E7 blew her horn once Alexis neared the turntable. "Lexi!" she called to her.

Alexis' eyes snapped in the direction of the voice, a broad smile formed on her face when she saw whom the voice belonged to. "Mariah!" The E9 exclaimed joyfully. Boy did she miss her big sister. It had been so long, a few weeks actually. Alexis eagerly backed in next to Mariah who was still in that Daylight-Golden State hybrid scheme. It was so welcoming to see a friendly face. Truthfully any of the Golden State E7s would had been a breath of fresh air, but Mariah had quickly become Alexis' favorite out of the trio. It was like the torment she had been put through just disappeared as she seemed to bounce lightly on her axles, eager to play catch up with her big sister. "Oh I've missed you so much!" she squealed. "It feels like I haven't seen you in forever! Where have you been?"

"Oh you know," Mariah answered casually, "around…" She quickly changed the subject, "I just got back from the Shasta, haven't been up north in a long while. But enough about me, what's going on with you? What's all this about you seducing Antony and Apollo?"

Alexis spluttered, a look of shock on her face as her mouth opened and closed like a dying fish. She knew? How many others knew? Did Antony tell her or had word travel that far already? The E9 gulped; could she tell her about Thibodeaux and her recent escapades to the south? She could trust Mariah, she had no reason not to as she was one of the very few engines that was nice to her.

"C'mon girl," Mariah urged eagerly. "Don't keep your big sister hanging!"

"Well… I uh… you see…" Alexis paused, trying to find the best way to say it. "I um… I met someone…" Her words were quiet and barely audible.

However her sister heard every word and gasped, staring at Alexis for a good, long while. "...No!" she said finally, "Who was it? Is it Antony?"

"No, it's not him or his brother. He's not even an SP engine." The E9 quickly continued before her sister could ask the obvious and muttered once more, "He's on the Cotton Belt…"

The E7's eyes widened further, exclaiming a little too loudly, "Cotton Belt!?"

"Hush!" Alexis scolded, not wanting to draw attention to herself.

"But that's… that's a subsidiary!" Mariah informed her. "Lexi, you can do better than that!"

"What's wrong with that?" Alexis asked innocently, "It's still a Class 1 railroad like SP. Besides, he's really nice and sweet and affectionate…" she sighed happily.

Her sister wasn't convinced, "They don't even have E-units. What did you do, get with a freighter?"

"No… he's a PA-1."

That changed the older diesel's tune and a wry, all-knowing grin formed on her lips. "A PA-1 huh? Boy, the apple sure doesn't fall far from the tree!" She then frowned lightly with concern, "Lexi, you can't get with an engine from a subsidiary railroad. I'm not telling you this because I don't agree, but I do know it won't fly with everyone else, the boss especially. Besides, the SSW is full of hicks."

"He's not a hick!" Alexis exclaimed, "He's Cajun. And he's very sophisticated and mature." She huffed, "Not everyone in the south is backwards, Mariah."

The hybrid E7 still wasn't totally convinced, but she wasn't going to argue with her. "If you say so, baby sister. But tell me more about this… Cajun PA, I didn't think Cotton Belt went to Louisiana."

Alexis let out a half chuckle, "Yeah well, about that…" She told Mariah her first journey to the south, how she met Thibodeaux, how their argument blossomed into something completely different, and their date in New Orleans. Talking about him made her feel all warm and fuzzy, but she began to miss him even more. If only there was a way to get down to Texas without getting into mounds of trouble.


A/N: It's been a long, long time since I updated this and for that I'm sorry. Even more so for such a short chapter, but the next one will be longer. I promise.