Hello my dears! After the lovely moments with his girlfriend and his mommy, it's time for Nathaniel to know who the heir to the throne of Mr. O'Mara is. I hope you like Joseph. :)

The guest eliot reader asked me to describe what Nathaniel's face is like and I think the best way to do this is through an image. But as FF doesn't allow to place links to other websites or select texts within the fics; I've left a comment of mine in the reviews window with some "camouflaged links" that you can copy. Take a look at it.

Guest: Thank you!

Guest 4: I'm glad that you liked the angelic moments, my friend. I dedicate this chapter to you. I know you've waited a long time to see "a certain phrase..." :D

kbear100: There will be more moments between Nat and Belle. Just wait and see. :)

eliot reader: Thank you for the comment! :)

Australian Guest: I'm glad to know that the chapter reminded you of those sweet moments with your husband! :D

Well, Christmas is just around the corner, and my race against the clock is giving me headaches. But I'll do everything possible or impossible to release Chapter XI in time.

See you, my friends!

...

"While aesthetics usually matter little in over-the-road freight steamers, it is said that the B&O's EM-1 class was perhaps the most beautiful Yellowstone with a somewhat streamlined tender and centered headlight." -Adam Burns

...

"Well, I must say, they have everything!" - B&O's president, Roy B. White, about the EM-1s.

CHAPTER X

THE ANGEL OF THE RAILS

"How not to love you with all my heart?" -Nathaniel

This is what is called the best feeling in the world.

The fire burning on the firebox, the water bubbling in the boiler, a slight cloud of steam caressing the wheels...Nothing else a steam locomotive can ask for to wake up with joy.

And that's how Nathaniel woke up on this cold December 23th morning.

Nathaniel was enjoying the pleasant feeling of warmth while getting ready for his first day of work on Sodor. He breathed deeply and smiled, remembering the moments he have had the previous night with Belle and Caitlin. "My blue butterfly and my mommy..." he thought, "my precious gifts...you two made me sleep like a baby last night..."

"What a happy face…"

Nathaniel giggled on hearing that. He opened his eyes and looked at the young man who was sitting on his pilot. "This is living, Joseph," he said, "this is living…Being able to wake up like this again is simply wonderful."

Joseph smiled with satisfaction.

Today, Joseph McAllen had arrived at the Steamworks early in the morning, unlike the previous days in which he used to come after midday. So, Nathaniel had one more reason to wake up with joy. He really wanted to see "the special worker" once more before leaving the works. But it caught his attention that Joseph was not wearing an overalls but a suit similar to that of train drivers…

Soon, Nathaniel saw that Victor was pushing a flatbed on the track near him. The flatbed was full of rusty metal parts that had to be taken to Wellsworth Scrap Yard. Nathaniel thought he recognized one of those things in particular. "Is that my former front coupler, Joseph?" he asked.

"Yes, it is."

"Wow...It's a pity it didn't occur to me to give it to Austin…I had been joined to our brothers in their last hours through that part…"

Joseph gulped. He still shivered every time the EM-1 talked about this subject. He looked towards the flatbed and became thoughtful for a moment. "I understand why it was so important to you…" he said, "…I'll talk to Gabriel to send it to Mr. O'Mara."

Nathaniel gasped. "N-no…you don't need to do that."

"Why not? If that will make you happy, I will do it for you."

"O-oh…I-I thank you for being so kind, Joseph, but…that costs money."

Joseph smiled. "And? The money that is spent for a friend's happiness is not money lost, but a well invested one. So don't worry. Gabriel and I'll take care of that."

Nathaniel stayed open-mouthed. He was certainly delighted with the idea of sending his coupler to Austin, since it would be very meaningful for his brother, but he felt a little embarrassed that Joseph and Gabriel spend money for him. So he wanted to keep insisting that it was not necessary to do it, but before he could reply anything, Joseph asked a worker to remove the coupler from the flatbed and put it somewhere safe 'until further notice.'

"Well, Nat," said the young man, "your coupler will return to the USA."

Nathaniel smiled widely. "You're impressive, Joseph…Thank you."

"You're welcome, boy. You already suffered a lot, just like all the steam locomotives in the world. These are so terrible times for you all…I would've liked that steamers and diesels can work side by side until the end of the world."

"That would've been great indeed…But I'm grateful that several of us have been saved from the scrap and that a paradise like Sodor exists. We must accept the fact that diesels are better than us."

"Hey…what do you mean by 'better'?"

"Well, they're much more efficient compare to us, aren't they?"

"Oh! You can't compare two things that are as different as the black and the white, Nat. Steam engine is an external combustion engine, while diesel is an internal combustion engine. The first moves with steam and the second one with electricity. How can you compare that?"

Nathaniel did not know what to respond. He was not an expert in railway engineering.

"The steam engine is one of the greatest inventions of History," continued Joseph, "and the steam locomotive is undoubtedly the most attractive and impressive of all. We can say that the diesel locomotive takes better advantage of the energy produced, needs little maintenance and is easy to drive. But come on, to move silently with electricity is not art! That's too easy. However, you steamers must fight to move each wheel in the middle of a sensual concert of sounds and a plume of steam that rises up to the clouds...That's art…I'll tell you something, Nat, I'm pretty sure that with you steam locomotives the same thing that happened with coal underground will happen; whit the passage of time…you will turn into diamonds…You will be so priceless diamonds that people will defend you with tooth and nail…and the scrapping will be a thing of the past."

Nathaniel remained silent for a few seconds whit a huge smile on his face. Then, he pronounced the only words that occurred to him at such a pleasant speech; "I like you a lot."

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Glad to hear that, because we'll see each other very often from now on."

"Really?"

"Yes…" Joseph paused, and then, he gave a great announcement, "…I'm your new driver."

Nathaniel's jaw dropped. "A-are you kidding me?"

"Of course not," Joseph took his ID card, "look at this." Under his name it said "Driver", and a little lower; "B&O EM-1 #7629."

"Oh, my goodness..." Nathaniel's heart pounded, "…this is another heavenly surprise! Joseph...welcome to my cab!"

"Thank you, boy!" Joseph could not be happier with his engine's reaction. "I wanted us to become friends before telling you the news, because I wanted you to feel at ease with me first."

"Ha! Ha! I already felt at ease with you from the day we meet, Joseph. You were so good to me these days…You helped me endure the procedures that made me uncomfortable…I'm really glad you're my new driver. You have a warm place in my heart."

"Oh, Nat…" Joseph was touched, "you also have a warm place in my heart. I had already begun to feel affection for you the day in which I saw a photo of yours at Gabriel's house, and I was sad to know that you would probably be scrapped…But when I knew that you were bought by Sir Norramby and that he chosen me to be your driver; I almost exploded with joy."

Nathaniel smiled. "You're so kind, Joseph…and I'm grateful surprised with you. I thought you were a worker here at the Steamworks."

"No, I just came here during your maintenance to learn everything about your machine."

"Wow…I can see I'm in good hands. I'm not so difficult to operate, by the way."

"I could notice that. In fact, I've talked to Mr. O'Mara on the phone before your journey to New York and he told me many things about you. That conversation helped me a lot."

Nathaniel opened his eyes widely. "Have you talked with Mr. O'Mara?!"

"Yes, I did. It was-"

The works shivered with the noise of a powerful thunder. Joseph covered his ears with his hands; Kevin dropped a load of paint cans onto the floor; Victor screamed "Calderas Hirvientes!" and all the workers got scared.

Nathaniel had blown his whistle.

It was the first time he did it on Sodor.

"That was astonishing!" exclaimed Joseph.

"I-I'm sorry…" Nathaniel was panting due to the emotion, "I-I couldn't avoid it…"

"No, seriously, I loved it! Do it again, please?"

"Ha! Ha! Okay!" Nathaniel gladly obeyed.

"WOOOOOOOO!" responded Joseph.

The two friends laughed out loud. They were already having fun together.

"Phew!" exclaimed Nathaniel after the scandal, "So, Mr. O'Mara already knew you before my journey…"

"Yes, but I asked him to keep the secret because I wanted to give you the news myself. I had an exciting conversation with him. He told me about how your machine works and I told him how I came to hear about you. He said he was happy to meet me."

"Wow…I'm glad to hear that, Joseph. I was eager to let him know that I have a pianist driver but I see it already happened."

"Ha! Ha! I promised him precisely that I'll try to be as good a driver as a musician. And speaking of music, he told me that you like to sing carols…"

"Yes, I do. I love carols, and my favorite is 'O Holy Night', because I used to sing it with Caitlin near a big Christmas tree in Cumberland."

"Oh…" Joseph's eyes sparkled, "and would you like to sing it tomorrow at the concert while the lights of the Christmas tree are turning on?"

Nathaniel gasped. "M-me? To sing…accompanied by the piano?"

"Exactly, and by the harps as well. What do you say, Nat? Everyone will be amazed to hear a locomotive sing, especially Caitlin…"

Such a proposal took Nathaniel by surprise. To sing his beloved carol again at Christmas was something he had already in mind since he was saved from death, but he did not imagined singing it at a concert...and near Caitlin...He hesitated for a moment, without knowing what to say. At first he thought he would be embarrassed in front of the public and could not sing. But then, he remembered that Gabriel had talked about filming the event and sending the videotape to Mr. O'Mara…That gave him encouragement to try it; because he noticed that it would be a wonderful way to show Mr. O'Mara and Austin how happy he was and how well he was getting along with his new driver.

"I never sang at a concert, Joseph…" he said, "but…I-I would like to do it…I'll feel honored to sing in the presence of Caitlin."

"Great!"

"But…do you think the event organisers will agree that a locomotive sings?"

Joseph smiled. "Gabriel and I are the event organisers…"

"Oh…Ha! Ha! It is decided then. But I assume we'll practice a little, won't we?"

"Of course, we will. As we arrived at Vicarstown Station, we'll practice with the piano."

"Okay." Nathaniel was excited. "Can we go already?"

"Yes," Joseph stood up and put his elegant driver hat with the insignia of the Estate Railway, "it's time to start working. Oh, and by the way, if you feel some shake…you'll know it was my fault."

The EM-1 smiled tenderly. "Don't worry, Joseph. I'll ignore any mistake of yours."

"Wow…thank you, Nat." Joseph came down from his engine's pilot. "It's very cold," he said before going to the cab, "so I must take precautions not to catch the flu or something li-" Joseph was interrupted by Nathaniel's guffaw. "What?" he asked, but his engine kept laughing. "What's going on?" he insisted and looked to and fro in order to find the reason for such a laughing fit. That only made Nathaniel laugh even more…Some workers approached to see what was happening and laughed as well. But Joseph pretended he did not understand anything…

"You're funny!" exclaimed Nathaniel at last, "You placed a Christmas garland around your neck!"

"Oh...Well, the thing is that I was in a hurry to get out of my home this morning, but as I didn't find my scarf, I took the first thing that dared to appear in my field of vision." Joseph adopted the classical pose of Sir Topham Hatt and added; "How do I look?"

Nathaniel burst into laughter again. And this time, his funny driver laughed with him. Victor had already told him that Joseph used to do "strange things" sometimes.

Once Joseph got in the cab, Victor approached Nathaniel. "Good luck on your first day of work, Nat," he said.

"Thank you, Victor. And thank you for the enormous patience you had with me these days. You're amazing. I really thank you."

"You're welcome, my friend. I'm here to serve you."

Nathaniel looked fondly at the little Cuban engine. Then, he pumped his pistons and, trembling with emotion, he slowly began to move forward. "This is a historical moment…" he thought, "…this is living!" And, when passing through the door, his heart pounded on seeing how many engines were waiting outside to see him. Gordon, Edward and Rosie were among them. Gabriel was near Rosie, filming this emotional event. And his father Charlie Sand smiled proudly from Edward's cab, since he was Joseph's mentor.

Nathaniel smiled widely at the camera and blew his whistle powerfully. All the engines blew theirs in response. Everyone was happy to see the giant EM-1 leaving the works majestically. Joseph waved at the camera smiling from ear to ear and shaking his garland…

Nathaniel crossed the transfer table and was ready to start working. It had snowed during the night, so his job would be to help his friends clean the tracks.

Later in the morning, at the Search and Rescue Centre, Belle received a pleasant visit. "Hello Caitlin!" exclaimed the blue engine, "What a beautiful surprise!"

"Hello Belle! I was eager to congratulate the sweet 'Girlfriend of the Year.'"

"O-oh…thank you, my friend! But, how did you know it so soon?"

"I went to the Steamworks with Gordon and Connor last night to visit Nathaniel, and he told us the good news. I felt my heart melting on seeing my baby so happy to have fallen in love with you."

"Oh, Caitlin…so, you already know that your baby is the answer to your prayer. I'm very grateful to you for having prayed for me. We've seen each other so rarely that I never thought you would become someone so important in my life…Now I feel that you and I are connected through Nathaniel. You have no idea how happy that makes me. You're an angel, my friend…and Nathaniel is much better than I ever dreamed. He's so brave and tender…and he makes me feel so secure…He's the angel of the rails."

"Aww…I thank Heaven for making Nathaniel the answer to my prayer, Belle, I'm so happy for you two! You also became someone very important in my life. I'm still impressed by how things happened…I would've never expected I would see my baby again…Yesterday at the works, I was delighted to see him so beautiful with his new paintwork, and as handsome as always! Besides, I had the opportunity to show him my motherly love in a wonderful way...I took him in my arms and sang a carol against his cheek to put him to sleep...It was an unforgettable experience."

Belle opened her eyes widely. "W-wooow…that's so sweet, Caitlin! I'm happy that you have had such an opportunity! I'm sure our Nathaniel slept like a baby in his mother's arms…Oh, and I'm sure you were also delighted with the fragrance of his paintwork…"

"How did you guess?"

The two girls giggled.

"I would also like to be able to sing against his cheek this Christmas," said Belle, "I hope that they allow us to spend Christmas together somewhere in private...as Nathaniel said; 'where only the Lord could see us'...It would be so wonderful to have our first kiss precisely at the Lord's birthday..."

Caitlin's heart vibrated. "Don't worry, Belle," she responded, "you two will have your first kiss at the Lord's birthday."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I talked with Sir Norramby after leaving my passengers at Ulfstead this morning. He was amazed to know that you and Nathaniel are in love. So I asked him to let Nathaniel spend Christmas with you somewhere in private…He loved the idea and said he will talk to Sir Topham Hatt about it."

Belle gasped. "D-did you really do that for us?"

"Yes…It's my little Christmas gift for you and your angel of the rails. I know that Nathaniel was going to talk to Sir Norramby about it, but I was so excited that couldn't help doing it instead. I wanted to be sure that my baby and his blue butterfly would have a heavenly Christmas."

"O-oh…" Belle swallowed, "Caitlin…t-that's so nice of you…W-what can I do to show you my gratitude?"

Caitlin smiled sweetly. "Knowing that Nathaniel is in good hands is enough for me...I give you my baby in all confidence, Belle...make him very happy…Give him the most delicate hugs and the most delicious kisses, and whisper to him the sweetest words that are born in your heart…You can be sure that he'll enfold you with all his tenderness, and you'll feel like Heaven..."

Belle's chin trembled and she began to shed tears. "I-I promise I'll take good care of your baby…" she whispered and swallowed hard to continue, "Thank you again…for having prayed for me…"

Caitlin moved forward and touched Belle's nose with hers. "You're welcome, my sweet Belle..." she responded, "…it was one of the best prayers I did in my life."

Belle smiled tearfully.

Caitlin was really happy that the beautiful fire engine was chosen to be Nathaniel's girlfriend.

Meanwhile, Nathaniel was having an exciting day. His friends took turns to accompany him on his rides through the island, and he enjoyed seeing how beautiful the stations looked with the Christmas decorations. Everyone was impressed that he did not need a snowplough to clean the tracks, but only used his cowcatcher. He moved gracefully on the tracks, almost melting the snow in his path and always being in communication with Joseph. These first rides were key to establishing the bond between him and his new driver.

One of the best moments for Nathaniel was when he visited the Search and Rescue Centre and could see his blue butterfly again, in addition to meeting the rest of the rescue team. Belle was impressed to see "the angel of the rails" in all his splendour. This was the first time she saw him joined to his tender, so only now she could appreciate how long he was. The other engines stayed open-mouthed on meeting Belle's giant boyfriend, and everybody laughed when Rocky said that he would need the help from "at least three more cranes" to lift the EM-1 in case he suffers a derailment. Nathaniel was happy with these new friends, and before leaving, he wanted to fulfil his promise to hug Belle. But then, Belle told him about the little Christmas gift from Caitlin and suggested to him to wait until they were in private to do it. Nathaniel almost cried on knowing such a gift, and he totally agreed with Belle's idea. In fact, he also preferred to be in private with her to enfold her in his embrace.

After leaving the Search and Rescue Centre, Nathaniel had other exciting moments by climbing Gordon's Hill and reaching Wellsworth, the place of his reencounter with Caitlin.

In the afternoon, it was time to go to Vicarstown Station.

On the way, before reaching Henry's Tunnel, Nathaniel met up with Paxton, who was coming from Great Waterton. Paxton invited him to visit the Dieselworks, and they had an amusing ride to there. Nathaniel laughed heartily at the funny faces that Paxton made every time a snowflake fell on his nose. This reminded him of another diesel who also played the clown to make him laugh. "Well," thought Nathaniel, "besides a 'little Austin', I also have a 'little Bernard' over here..."

Once at the Dieselworks, Nathaniel met the engines that were there and talked with them for a while. He remembered what Austin had said to him about the diesels; 'give them a place in your heart,' and that was exactly what he did. He looked fondly at each engine, especially Dart, the smallest of them. He had definitively buried the rancour he had once felt against the diesels.

Later, Nathaniel arrived at Vicarstown Station. A grand piano, which had been brought from Tidmouth Town Hall, was placed on the Platform 1. Joseph approached the piano and began to practice 'O Holy Night' with Nathaniel. They spent a very nice moment singing together and could not wait to surprise everyone at the Christmas concert. Nathaniel already imagined what Caitlin would feel on hearing their favourite carol.

And after the musical moment, the time had come to go home.

Nathaniel enjoyed climbing the hill to Ulfstead, and he arrived at the station very excited. There, he was received by Sir Robert Norramby. "Welcome home, Nat!" said Sir Norramby, "I've known that you made a good job helping clean the tracks and I'm very proud of you!"

"Thank you, sir! It's a pleasure to be useful, and I'm happy to know my new home. This place means a lot to me, sir, because it was here that Gordon and Caitlin declared their love for each other and Sir Topham Hatt told you about me."

"O-oh…I understand. And speaking of love, Caitlin gave me a nice announcement this morning and asked me to let you spend Christmas with Belle. I talked to Sir Topham Hatt about it, and we agreed that the Search and Rescue Centre building is a good place for you two to be in private."

Nathaniel gasped. "T-thank you, sir! I'm glad to know you liked that Belle and I have fallen in love. This makes me very happy! I really thank you and Sir Topham Hatt for allowing me to be with her this Christmas."

Sir Norramby smiled. "You're welcome, Nat. My friend Topham says that a happy engine is a useful engine, so, he also likes that you and Belle are in love. Well, Stephen will show you your shed for you to rest now. Oh, and I placed something there that I know you'll like. It's a little surprise."

"Oh…thank you, sir!"

Soon, Stephen came along and greeted Nathaniel, and then, both went to the castle.

Nathaniel trembled on crossing the drawbridge and entering the castle. He could not believe he was at the place in which Caitlin and Gordon had their first kiss, and also, the place in which Caitlin showed Gordon the first video he had sent to her. "This is simply a fairy-tale place…" he thought. And, to make the moment more exciting, he saw something that filled his heart with tenderness; a tiny blue tank engine…

"Hello, Nathaniel!" said the engine with a cute smile, "I'm Millie. I was eager to meet you!"

"Oh, my goodness…Hello, Millie! Wow…they told me that there was a beautiful little princess in this castle and I'm pleased to see they were right."

"Hee! Hee!" Millie blushed, "Thank you, Nat!"

After meeting the 'little princess of Ulfstead,' Stephen took Nathaniel to his shed at the other side of the castle, passing through Gordon and Caitlin's Tunnel of Love…

"Are you comfortable, Nat?" asked Stephen as the EM-1 reversed up to the back of the berth.

"Comfortable is the least I can say, Stephen! This is a warm, beautiful shed…I feel blessed to be here."

"Glad to hear that, my friend. By the way, look at the wall on your left. Sir Norramby placed something there for you."

Nathaniel obeyed.

And he almost stopped breathing at what he saw.

"O-oh, my Gosh…I-I can't believe it…" Nathaniel's lips curved in a trembling smile, while a tear of emotion rolled down his cheek. There on the wall, it was the photo that Sir Norramby had taken on Austin's pilot during his travel to the USA…

"He had found it among the hundreds of photos of his travels around the world," explained Stephen, "and he ordered an enlarged copy of it to decorate your shed."

"O-our owner is amazing, Stephen…" Nathaniel could barely speak, "I-I didn't expect a surprise like this…"

Stephen smiled tenderly. "Well, you already heard our owner exclaiming 'I love a good surprise,' didn't you?"

"Ha! Ha! Y-yes…I-I remember it…Oh, I'll have sweet dreams with such a photo by my side…My brother looks so smiling there…"

"He has a sweet smile indeed…Gabriel told us his name is Austin."

"That's right…and they told me that Austin means 'magnificent.'"

"Oh…It really suits you the EM-1s."

Nathaniel giggled.

Stephen conversed with Nathaniel for a while. Then, he went to his own shed near there.

Once Nathaniel's fire was off and his cab cleaned, Joseph climbed onto his pilot. "How do you feel after our first day of work, Nat?" asked the young driver, smiling.

"Oh, Joseph...I feel super-happy! So many exciting things happened today…I enjoyed all of them, especially the moment I heard you playing the piano…And as if it were not enough; now I see this priceless photo of my brother by my side…"

"I'm glad to know you're super-happy, Nat, and I thank Heaven that your brother Austin was saved from the scrapping…I've known there was a great brotherly love between you two…and also, I've known you had a very special relationship with Mr. O'Mara." Joseph put a hand on Nathaniel's cheek. "I know that nobody can replace a father, Nat…but I promise I'll be a good friend for you."

Nathaniel looked into Joseph's eyes with sweetness. "I wonder…is that the reason why you waited until the last moment to tell me you were my new driver? Did you fear I wouldn't accept you so easily?"

"Well…y-yes."

"Oh…" Nathaniel smiled, "Heaven chose you to be my new driver, Joseph...How not to love you with all my heart? I had told you I already felt at ease with you from the day we meet…It's true that I loved Mr. O'Mara as a father, and I'll always do it, but don't think that I'll compare you to him…You can't compare two things that are as different as the black and the white…right?"

"Wow…thank you, Nat! I'll have a happy rest tonight."

"That's good. You'll need a happy rest to relax those shoulders indeed. You were a little tense today…"

"Ha! Ha!" Joseph blushed. "Yes, I was a little tense…I didn't want to make any mistake. But don't worry, a warm bath at bedtime is all what my shoulders need." Joseph gave Nathaniel a kiss on his cheek. "See you, Nat…Tomorrow is the great day. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Joseph. Oh, and don't forget to take your garland. It's very cold."

Both laughed out loud.

Once Joseph left, Nathaniel looked at the photo on the wall with deep love. Austin would have never imagined that the man who posed on his pilot was the future owner of his brother...It was a heavenly coincidence.

"Austin..." whispered Nathaniel, "you have no idea how happy I feel...I wish I could send you half of this happiness...I love you, my brother...I love you…"

Nathaniel kept looking at the photo, until his eyelids became heavy. So, he closed his eyes and made a prayer to thank Heaven for all the exciting things that happened to him this day.

And then, the 'angel of the rails' fell asleep peacefully.