Author's note:

For existing readers: I thought I'd dropped a clanger in Chapter 23, but on checking, I realised that I hadn't, though I did bugger up one scene. It doesn't affect the outcome of Chapter 24, however, so, just to square things off for current readers, I'll include it here before this next chapter starts. For new readers that have reached this point, you've already read it and can ignore it.

Missing scene:

Jones powered more steam into Ivor's pistons and the little green engine gave a mighty push to the wagons in front of him. "Come on, my old friend," the welsh driver said encouragingly, "You can do it!"

It had been easy for the little engine earlier, as the old tunnel had a slight downward gradient, and it hadn't taken much of an effort for Ivor to set the procession going. Now, though, they were on a flat length of track, and with the weight of the large blue engine further downline, it was harder for him.

"prrp!" replied Ivor softly, not wanting to deafen his friend in the tunnel.

"Well done, Ivor!" said Jones as he felt the wagons in front give a little. "One more go, but only a few yards, mind you. We don't want to shunt into Lady!" then, after a series of loud clanking of buffers, the procession started to roll slowly forward.

"Pshhhht-tehkooff-Pshhhhtehkooff-..."

"YES," cried Jones, "you did it, Ivor! Well done! Now, listen carefully for James' shout to stop!"

A few seconds passed as they slowly rolled forward and then Jones heard the former engine's shout. He applied Ivor's brakes and the little engine "Ssssssssshed" to a stop.

Once the procession of wagons came to a halt just three feet away from Lady's rear buffers, James walked past Edward and secured the brake van's handbrake with Burnett Stone's shunting pole. "Okay, Mr Jones, all secure this end," he called out.

Edward was surprised when he'd heard Thomas' earlier cries to the magical engine, and had been very disappointed when there was no reply from her. She must be completely gone, he thought to himself, or she can't hear him in his human form. Maybe if I try..."

~Lady, it's Edward. Can you hear me?~, but not even he got a reply. Yes, it was great, he thought, that they'd managed to arrive in her cave, but his breakdown earlier that day was still casting a gloom over him. Being so far away from North Wales, he then realised, there would be no way for the replacement coupling rod to get to him. Glumly, he settled back down, and hoped that Thomas, James and the others could manage to save her, or they'd all be stuck there for evermore.

"Don't worry, old friend," said James as he saw the disappointed look on Edward's face, "we'll do our best to save her."

ooo

And now, on with the story...

Chapter 25

Ivor knew what his driver friend Jones the Steam was doing with the two no-longer engines, and he hoped they'd succeed. Currently, he was having a very interesting chat with the blue tender engine, using his three brass pipes to let out barely-audible notes bordering on the almost sub-sonic level so that the others in the cave outside the tunnel he was in couldn't hear him. The blue tender-engine, Edward, had, though, and had obviously sensed the need for privacy in his own response, and so, after telling him of the trick he'd played on Mrs Griffiths, the Chairwoman of the local Antiquarian Society, by pretending not to be able to speak, he told the blue engine of what was on his mind.

Whenever he met another engine for the very first time, he always wondered why they would look strangely at him when he greeted them. He knew they could tell he was a very old engine and, sometimes, one of them would ask him why he didn't have a face like all the other engines. His reply had always the same: just a simple "Prppp!" He'd never had a face, he'd tell them, and that he'd always got along with everyone as he didn't need one to talk to other engines as long as he had his whistle, thank you very much. Gladys, the old railcar that he'd often meet on his travels, had a face, but her driver did something to her to stop her projection it. He'd asked Jones the Steam why he rarely saw it, and been told about something called a control key, and that her driver used it to stop her continual moaning, Jones the Steam had said. Though he wished for one, Ivor was glad in a way that he didn't have a face, as he couldn't bear the thought that his friend Jones the Steam might use it on him.

When he was created, he could only speak through his small whistle, but he'd lost it once, and it was his driver friend who had got him the three brass organ pipes he now proudly carried on his cab. He'd found since getting them that everyone could understand him much better than when he had the whistle, and when he used two or three of the pipes together whenever he spoke, he'd often been told that it was as though he could feel things like a person, depending on the quality of the chord his notes were blown in, and as though he had emotions, they'd even say. He always felt something go cold inside him whenever he heard them say that, though, after all, didn't they know he'd always had feelings and that it was because he'd never been given the chance to express them before now. He'd just asked Edward the question that was forever on his mind when the blue engine became distracted by a couple of whistle blasts from the now-fired up engine, and had lost interest in their talk. He sighed sadly, letting out a hiss of steam in frustration, and hoped that, soon, the one he knew who did have the answer to his question would be back with them.

ooo

Edward was feeling somewhat troubled over what the little green engine had just been telling him, and he was also curious over the need for secrecy as they talked, but when he heard the welsh engine driver say that they were ready and Lady's whistle give a couple of light toots, his eyes widened in surprise. SHE'S BACK, he thought excitedly, but when he then failed to sense the connection he longed to feel once more, the one that happened whenever she came over to Sodor to visit him and his friends before all this mess happened, he became despondent again as he realised that it was just the short driver pulling on her whistle cord.

While he and Ivor had been talking, he'd watched his two friends and the short driver work to bring Lady up to steam, and the sense of relief and hope he felt that they were actually here and saving the magical engine, despite his silly mistake in not telling anyone about the twinges he'd been having, was most welcome. The thoughts that had plagued him of what Sir Topham and the others would all say to him if they ever did manage to get back to Sodor again had been making him feel quite sick inside his boiler. His firebox had been damped down after his coupling rod snapped and he was barely making any steam at all now, but he still felt as though the water inside his boiler was churning round and round and wanted to blow itself out through his funnel.

He was really, really hoping that this would all work out and end well for them when he heard two more, louder, blasts, and as he saw the engine lurch forward before smoothly rolling out towards the awaiting sunshine, all he could think of was, pleasepleasepleaseletthiswork!, his earlier pondering over what the little green engine had asked him already forgotten.

ooo

Ivor heard the songful note and knew straight away who and where it was coming from. The first attempt to save the magical engine, judging from the most horrible vibration that had tipped over Edwin's teapot in the little box he kept it in, had failed. This time, he knew, it'll work.

It started with his inner workings beginning to vibrate in harmony with the note's timbre, and he felt contentment when the power within that note took full hold of him. He'd felt something similar many times before when Idris was smaller and used to "hitch" a ride in his firebox to have a nap in, and when he'd take on his spirit form and pass through his cover sheet and into his boiler tubes and all the way through until popping back out again of his funnel in his dragon form so as not to give his secret away. Neither his long-time friend Edwin nor Mr Dinwiddy knew the dragon had that particular ability, only himself, he thought with contentment as the song reached its full extent and opened up his mind to the full beauty of life that his lack of eyes stopped him from seeing a mere glimpse of...

...and then he saw his life, and he learnt then of his creation, and then he learnt of his fate, and he understood and he knew, but before the reason for it all became apparent, something else was made known to him and he found that he had just one question to ask her when she returned anew, once his Edwin came back and drove him out into the open air, that was.

There were some things shown to him, the little green engine learnt, that had to be kept secret from his two human friends, and he didn't consider it wrong. Instead, he felt grateful that they weren't yet aware of the most terrible thing that had taken place decades ago, and he hoped they would never find out about that, for it would destroy them. He already knew that Mr Dinwiddy had seen the beginning of the ritual to create the magical engine when he was a small boy, and fortunately for his young, already-traumatised mind, had fled before its completion. Since seeing him again at Llaniog Station and introducing himself, he'd watched the young boy as he struggled against madness and trying to come to terms with the events of that day, struggling so hard against it that he never got to complete a whole week in school, and then as he struggled as a young teenager failing to serve his time as an apprentice blacksmith, and he watched him as he later struggled as a young man fleeing to the mountains to begin a life of solitude and loneliness, and then now, even as an old man, still struggle. The little green engine spared a moment, though, to think of the other one only now beginning her struggle against insanity and madness, and hoped she'd not suffer the loneliness the old gold miner was well-accustomed to but never complained about.

ooo

Edward felt every bit of himself start to tingle, right from the steel plates that made up his boiler and cab and down to the smallest screw holding two bits of him together, and he knew he was going somewhere wonderful and hoped never to reach the buffers at the end of that particular track. Just as he settled himself to be swept along on this most pleasurable of rides, though, he felt something tickle his mind. It was a connection of some sort, a connection with something, someone and it was the complete opposite feeling to that awful thumping he'd not long ago felt in his mind, as though someone or something was knocking on his dome to get in, but now, it felt as though he was being diverted to a side line in an emergency as he realised just what that connection was... ~LADY!~ he peeped. ~I CAN FEEL YOU AGAIN!~ and all his fears over what Sir Topham would say to him vanished, never to worry him ever again.

ooo

The coal wagon knew he wasn't amongst his usual rack as he had sensed the unfamiliarity of the drop-sider that was now in front of him, but the familiarity of the green-puller-now-pusher behind him had settled his anxiety. He knew his wheels hadn't been on these rails before, but, he hoped, maybe they'd be on familiar rails again sometime soon, and so he waited patiently and content, but just then, he felt something happen to him, and he wondered what it was... then he knew, and settled back down again. This new presence was one that cared for him and would look after him while he was in its domain.

ooo

The drop-side wagon, despite the missing connection he'd once had with something very powerful that watched over him to make sure he did his job right, was feeling content that he'd been chosen once more to do work. He'd just been on a long journey and his wheels had gone round and round for a very long time and nothing had gone wrong with him and so he was content. He was also content that he'd had a special load to carry and that he had done it well. He was also content that he wasn't being biffed and bashed by the red-puller monster that sometimes pulled him along. He was content that the blue-puller didn't treat him like that, and also with the smaller green-puller-now-pusher because he hadn't been biffing and bashing him, either. Because of all that, he hadn't once felt the need to seize his wheel bearings in order to stop them biffing and bashing him and teach them a lesson. Now, though, he simply waited patient and content until they were moving again and his wheels could again go round and round and round and round, but his waiting was interrupted by that very powerful presence that watched over him to make sure he did his job right came back again, and he was content once more as he waited patiently for his wheels to start turning round and round.

ooo

Toad the Brake Van, despite the missing connection he'd once felt with something very powerful that watched over him to make sure he did his job right, was feeling content that he had his passenger back inside him, even though he could sense that she was very upset over something, but he did feel a measure of relief that it was nothing to do with him, not that he could do anything about it even if it was his fault she was leaking water out of her head, and so he simply waited until he was moved again. Then, he felt that very powerful presence that watched over him to make sure he did his job right came back again, and resumed his patient waiting.

ooo

Inside the brake van, Jeanie wanted to die as she sobbed into her pillow. The way she'd talked to the old man like that had absolutely disgusted her, and she'd never imagined herself as speaking to someone like that before. She raised an arm and slammed her fist into the pillow, letting out a wail as, once again and for the umpteenth time, the incident played over in her mind...

She was telling Thomas of the black stuff she saw fall from the engine, and she felt the confusion and heartache inside her as the former engine, the one she had gotten to know well and had seen as a genuine friend, the one she'd miss the most if they all eventually became trains again, shouted angrily at her... her trying to explain herself to him... James getting excited as he realises just what they need to save the engine and Thomas getting angry at his friend over their lack of gold... feeling her chest seem to collapse inwards as she looked on at her two distraught friends arguing with each other, and crying inside for the despair they must be feeling with their failure and for the magical friend they had lost... hearing the old man groaning in pain, his throat rasping hoarsely after his own agonised screams, then him telling them all that he has gold, and then she thinking him a crazy, rambling, self-centred old fool for thinking of himself when the two former engines were in so much trouble...

Her own despair at their failure to save the magical engine, her feeling sad for her two friends, feeling angry at Thomas... remembering the claustrophobic panic she'd been feeling inside all those fucking tunnels, and her fears that they'd never ever get back out again to see daylight, her fear of never seeing her family again and her feeling of loss, and the guilt she felt over believing that her sister was somehow behind all this mess and the fucking confusion in her mind that was driving her to even more despair with its continual back and fore of conflicting thoughts as the one-sided railway magic battled for control... her increasing depression as one setback happened after another.

Her bewilderment when she first found herself in this new world, her fear of dying when the fucking dragon dived down towards her and her peeing herself in panic at the thought of the creature's sharp teeth ripping into her neck and biting her head off and the pain she would feel when that happened... the times she believed herself going crazy whenever the creature's own magic affected her, and the shame she felt afterwards after hearing herself say those abhorable things to people she considered her friends, and her growing fear of losing control with their increased frequency.

The gutting feeling she had felt when the protection the dragon gave her didn't stop her from falling under the spell of the railway magic, and her acceptance of self-death as it finally gained control over her mind... then the feeling of grief for herself when she gave up all hope of ever being rid of the nightmare she was in and couldn't find a way out of... the realisation that she herself was the fool who had allowed all this to happen to her, and then when she snapped...

... and ripped into the self-centred old man laying on the ground, hunched over onto his side and wishing for death and eternal peace from his own mental pain... insulting him in the most foul manner and raging at him, putting into her rage all of her own fears, her dashed hopes, anxieties, feelings of panic and embarrassment... and glaring at the old man as he lay there, silent after the lashing he just received from her and after everything she'd just shat upon him, and watching him turn his head slowly to look at her and smile gently at her. Staring into his eyes and seeing recognition in them, and humble acceptance of what she'd just done... and then her becoming aware of what she'd just done, her knowing it and her accepting it... the old man seeing her understand with his own eyes, his smile growing bigger before giving her a couple of slow nods of his head as he gazed back at her, silently telling her that he knew exactly why she had just done as she had and that he understood everything, and then the shame that ripped into her for what she'd just done to him in front of the very people she thought of as friends and had wanted to help, and the feeling of her heart being torn out with the immensity of it and... and then running away to try and hide from what she'd done, denying that she could have ever done such a terrible, heartless thing, no, not her, not Jeanie Watkins!

... and as she ran, trying to find some place to hide before that memory could start yet another repeat and to force upon her every pain-ridden emotion of that cruel act, Jeanie felt herself fall, run and fall at the same time into a sound that was calling her name in such a beautiful way...

"Great Darkness strikes down the Pure One. She is stricken by the Destroyer... "

... and she saw the planet she lived on and she saw its creation, its gathering and its formation, and she saw the life upon and within it as its life-blood, the Earth's Life-Spirit itself, flow through them all, connecting them... a force, a strength, a power that filled her very bones with its mellowness, its peacefulness and its beauty, and she saw things and she heard things, sounds that were so rich in colour she'd run out of names for them after just the first few dozen, saw things that spoke to her of their creation and very being, even their death, and she watched herself ...

"The Pure One shall not this time take of the Birth Water, She to drink of the Mother herself. Eternal is the Well of the Mother, Eternal is the Product of Her Well... "

... fall into tales of folklore, magic and fantastical things she knew from childhood, and then she herself was a child again, a child that was old and growing into infirmity, yet still young, and with every timeless moment she heard herself sing, not with mere words, but with a single note that contained all that there was and...

"The Winged Beast, born the way of the bird but not of the bird. He that possess the Coat of Blood, Pure is his Song... "

... she felt all of her shame and despair cast itself from her as light shone from within her, bursting out into the heavens and then, for the most briefest of moments, she saw her own life from conception to birth to growth to death, and she knew it was all just one mere tick in the clock of infinty, and she thought...

"He to hold within himself the Eternal Element and The Burning Rock. Sacred is He that devours, for She shall breathe the Spirit of Life anew."

... she heard someone demand her presence and she was sad for having to leave this most beautiful of moments, so she got up off of her bunk, wiped away the tears of joy she'd just been crying and stepped out of the brake van and down to the floor of the cave. There was someone outside she knew she had to meet, the one who had sung that song to her, and for the first time in several days, sincere, genuine hope ran through heart as she walked towards the light.

ooo

Sir Topham finished buttoning up his fresh shirt and picked up the clean waistcoat his butler had thought to bring for him and, turning to face the man, he said, "Thank you, Collins, that will be all for tonight, and... a very good night to you."

He was still feeling troubled over whatever portentous meaning the magical backlash he'd not long ago received implied, and decided not to put on the waistcoat, instead, laying it over the back of his chair.

"Thank you, Sir Topham," replied Collins, "and a very good night to you, Sir," and wheeled his tea trolley laden with a pot of cold tea, an empty cup and saucer, and a tea-stained waistcoat and shirt out of his employer's study, pulling the door closed behind him.

Once the study door clicked shut, Sir Topham returned to his desk and carefully peeled off the damp newspaper to dispose of it in his waste basket. He knew he wouldn't need to read the article again to know that there was another dark cloud looming on his horizon. Sitting down in his chair, he reached to his cup of fresh tea and picked it up to take a sip, then, a shudder ran down his back and shoulders, "Oh, God, please not again," he muttered, and steadied his trembling cup-holding hand with his other one, but after a few seconds he felt right again. Passing it off as an after-effect of his earlier magical attack, and as he brought his cup the rest of the way to his lips, he realised that he wasn't feeling so daunted by all his on-going problems for some reason, then he also realised that he was smiling, but couldn't figure out why.

ooo

"LADY," said Thomas excitedly as he ran to stand in front of the engine, "wevebroughtsomefriends-"

~Slow down, Thomas,~ said Lady.~You're getting over-excited. Calm down and start again, will you, please?~

"I'msorryLady," Thomas gushed, "butitsgreatthatyourebackandwevebrought-"

~THOMAS! STOP! Let James speak while you calm down. You can take it in turns, yes?~

"S-s-sorry, Lady. Of... of course," Thomas said unrepentantly, brimming with excitement that his magical friend was back again.

"LADY!" cried James with a look of absolute delight on his face. "Welcome back!"

~Thank you, James,~ said Lady. ~I... I thought it was the end for me. Seeing you all here, how... how long was I actually gone for?~

"You were gone for almost a whole week, Lady!" exclaimed Thomas, still excited but feeling a bit more calm. "I... WE woke up as people on Friday morning and... and it's... yes, it's Tuesday now!"

~It... It didn't feel that long, Thomas,~ said Lady, her large, round eyes looking tenderly at him. ~It's... it's taking me a little while to tie my magic into the ley lines again. I thought I was going to die for ever when I felt myself fall into the darkness and... and after everything went all black around me I... I couldn't feel anything at all, but then after a while I suddenly heard the most beautiful sound I've ever heard and I... I sensed someone calling me and so I followed that voice and then... then it felt as though I was being pulled from everywhere all at once and ... and then there was a mighty tug as if I was being yanked sharply along by a really powerful shunting engine and then... then I was here again, and... and then I sensed you and James near me.~

"That was Idris, Lady," said James, still smiling blissfully at the magical engine. "We heard him start singing and... I don't know what happened to us then but it was like having a very strange dream. He must have called you with his voice and then you came back to us."

~Yes,~ said Lady, smiling happily as she turned her eyes to gaze at him, ~yes, he did. I can feel his magic blending with my own right now to keep me stable while I reconnect with the land,~ but then her eyes just stared into the distance for a couple of seconds, and just as the two former engines began to worry there may still be something wrong with her, she said, ~Thank you for telling me that, Idris.~

Then, looking to both the former engines, she said, ~Idris has just told me about what happened to you on your way here. It seems you've all had quite an adventure, haven't you? He also tells me of someone I really have to speak to, but I have to speak to your new friend, Mr Jones, first, so if you will excuse me for a moment?~

"Yes, certainly, Lady," said James, looking to where the short driver was standing nearby and gazing in wonder at the engine.

"Of course," said Thomas, nodding his head and also looking over to the welshman. "Mr Jones," he said, then, "Lady would like to speak with you."

"Me?" Jones the Steam asked the former engine with surprise. "Um... yes, yes indeed. Right away," and he stepped over to stand next to Thomas and look with yet more fascination at the youthful and most feminine face he'd seen for a long time, albeit with skin that was a light shade of grey.

~Mr Jones,~ said Lady, ~I must thank you so very much for helping Thomas and James to save me. They'd never have been able to get here it if it wasn't for you and your wonderful engine.~

"It was... um, a pleasure... er, Lady," Jones replied, looking and feeling quite humble. "I'm very much honoured to meet you I am, and, I'm sure, will be Ivor when he meets you."

Despite the day's earlier peril of being trapped in the old tunnel and his misery at the thought of possibly never seeing his wife again, now, it had become the most wonderful day he'd had since first meeting the little green engine that could talk to him, and he couldn't help feeling rather lost as he struggled to think of something appropriate to say to such a wondrous engine, but when the engine's large, round eyes looked directly at him, his nervousness seemed to vanish and all he could think of was how charmed he felt when she started speaking to him again...

~It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr Jones, and I believe that, soon, I am the one who will be feeling honoured. You see, when I found myself back here, as well as the connection I felt with Thomas and James, I felt one that was different to what I'm... I've been used to, one I haven't felt for a very, very long time and I... I didn't think it could be possible, but your friend Idris has just confirmed it for me. Mr Jones, I would very much so like to meet Ivor the engine.~

Jones the Steam felt so proud right then that his friend seemed to be so important to the magical one he was standing in front of and talking to that he pulled his shoulders back, stuck his chest out and grinned broadly, then he remembered what his other friend, Mr Dinwiddy, had said earlier of seeing Ivor taking this one into the old tunnel, and he vigorously nodded his head. "Yes, Lady, I'll go and get him for you straight away I will," he said eagerly, and made to return to the cave, but then paused and looked back to say, "Oh, you'll no doubt want to see Edward as well. I think he'll be quite excited to see that you're back."

Lady smiled. Idris had told her that Edward was still inside the cave, and she was really looking forward to seeing him again, and happy for him that he'd been off the island when the others had been affected. Over the decades since being created, she'd come to love all the engines she'd had domain over, and she enjoyed meeting the first of the new breed of diesel and electrical engines whenever they came under her influence, well, all except one, of course, the one that had almost killed her several years ago. He'd always been different to the others, that one, and she had sensed some sort of malignance in him, and driving his actions, as though even after his exec-, but she immediately curtailed that line of thought, hoping that the dragon spirit inside her hadn't picked up on it. She was thankful for being brought back, though, and that was what she focused her mind on whilst she waited to meet the two engines still waiting inside her cave. One of them she wanted to thank, and one she owed an apology to.

ooo

Outside the cave, Lady was listening to Jones the Steam as he regaled her with stories of the things he and Ivor had been getting up to, and she chuckled with pleasure as he told her of the engine being part of their local choir, but she had to stop when she sensed a presence approaching her, the very same presence she'd sensed just before her fall into the dark. She'd been wondering where that troubled young spirit had gone to, but then the question became moot as the woman stepped in front of her and asked in a low and throaty voice, "Can you hear me, Lady? Are you in there? Please, before it's too late, Lady, I need you to stop me from going insane... and welcome back, by the way."

Jeanie gazed imploringly at the front of the magical engine. All she could see was the black front of its smokebox. Her eyes moved from its door handle to its hinges, and traced the door's round outline all the way round as she waited for the engine to answer her, wondering if she ought to have sent some mental thought or something to it, but just then, the black front began to fade into a light grey and then lumps began to morph out from it, just as though a sheet of grey polythene was being pressed over someone's face. The face then began to take more form as first, a nose pushed outwards, then a chin and a mouth, a mouth with very feminine lips, then a forehead, two cheeks and then two, large, round eyes began to form. They were the two most loveliest eyes Jeanie had ever seen, and she felt stuck, completely unable to move as the magical engine's full face took form before her entranced gaze, then she felt as though her mind was being sucked into those two large eyes staring back at her and, for some reason she couldn't understand, it felt right, and she hoped with all her heart that the magical engine could actually help her, after all, that's what the dragon had told her.

Lady studied the young woman and the magic she could feel emanating from her, and could sense its wrongness. It was far too polarised to be of any use for someone connected to the magical railway, and its "scent" was most definitely that of the Hatt bloodline.

~Hello, Jeanie Watkins,~ she said to the young woman, ~and I thank you very, very much for helping to save me. I don't believe Thomas and James, nor any of the others, even Idris and Ivor, would be here to save me without your contribution. Thank you, so, so very much, but I sense ancient fire magic within you. However did you come by that, Jeanie Watkins?~ The magical engine paused for a moment, then spoke again. ~Ah, I see now, Idris just told me that he helped you to shield yourself from him.~

Jeanie, entranced by the soft, lilting gentleness of the engine's voice as it flowed through her mind, could feel part of herself yearn for physical contact with the engine, her reasoning ability, at least what was left of it, asked her why on earth would she want to do something like that, but then she felt another voice, no, sensation that practically demanded she show obesience to the magical engine. She shook her head, muttering to herself, "No, no, no, I'm not giving in like that again, no fucking way I'm not!", and this time, she swore deliberately, reinforcing her belief in herself. "Lady, if you..." she started, pausing slightly to collect her thoughts together, "if you CAN help me, Lady, will I still need to wear it?"

~Tell me, Miss Watkins,~ said Lady, ~how did you come to be connected to the magical railway?~

Jeanie sighed. "I... was going to my sister's house and this old man stopped my car. He told me there'd been an train accident and asked me for help, so I followed him and... well, he told me all about the talking trains and stuff but I thought he'd escaped from the loony bin or something."

~What was his name, Miss Watkins?~

"Toby," replied Jeanie, "and he said he used to be a train... a tramcar. Anyway, I was taking him, Henrietta and Mr Stone to the hospital when Mr Stone collapsed and we called an-"

~BURNETT?~ Lady cried out, then, cutting off Jeanie's explanation, ~HOW IS HE? Please tell me, Miss Watkins.~

"I... I'm not sure," mumbled Jeanie. "We left on our trip to get stuff to save you the day after it happened. I... I think he's all right from what Sir Topham said."

~Was it Sir Topham who introduced to the railway, Miss Watkins?~ Lady could see by the haggard look on the young woman's face that she wasn't well, and knew from when she herself had asked the woman for help that her concern and fears for her was justified.

"Yeah... yes. He... he gave a job."

~And then I spoke to you.~

"Yeah... yes. I was in his study and I heard you speaking to me in my mind and you showed me what you looked like."

~And then I fell into the darkness.~ the magical engine said quietly as though to herself.

What Lady didn't say to the young woman was that it was her entry into the magical domain that took the last of her failing strength. Without that entry, and then her own decision to ask that spirit for help, she may not have had to give in to the darkness so easily, and maybe could have held on just long enough to stay alive. It was a bit of a stretch, she mused, to say that her fall into the darkness was actually due to the chain of events that followed this young woman's agreement to help Toby, and she didn't think it would help the woman in any way if she ever found out about that particular thought, and realised that all her suffering was through her own actions that day.

~I can give you some of MY magic, Miss Watkins,~ she said, ~to counterbalance that of Sir Topham's, but it is too late now for them to blend together correctly.~

"Wha-what does that mean?" asked Jeanie, fearing that another magical force in her mind would be the last straw that sent her bat-shit crazy like the old man, then she felt a bit guilty-sick at how she still thought of him, and grimaced. "Will... will I still go mad?" she asked worriedly.

Lady asked Idris of his thoughts on the matter and if they were the same as what she considered could happen, at the same time looking kindly at the young woman standing in front of her. She felt so sorry for her, sorry for the woman who only wanted to help an old man and was now herself in need of help.

Finally, after a several seconds, which, to Jeanie, seemed more like ten minutes, Lady smiled at her and said, ~We don't think so. What we do believe, however, is that instead of merging, the two magical aspects will bind together and leave your own mind alone.~

Jeanie thought about what that could possibly mean for her, and could think of nothing except picture a sort of lumpy Yin-Yang shape inside her head like two doughnuts wrapping themselves around each other. "Will they... try to control me?" she asked, imagining the two aspects or whatever the things that the magical engine had referred to sending out tentacle-like fingers to drag her own mind into some sort of group huddle.

~No, they won't, Miss Watkins... Jeanie. When someone is introduced to the magical railway for the first time, it's done when Sir Topham and I are both connected, and the two aspects are already balanced. They then blend with that person's mind and allows them to recognise the engines' sentience and to communicate with them without harm. This didn't happen when Sir Topham introduced you for I was already too weak to maintain my connection with him.~

"YOU MEAN..." snapped Jeanie, "THAT IT WAS ALL HIS FAULT I'M LIKE THIS?"

~NO, IT WASN'T HIS FAULT, JEANIE!~ stressed Lady, then, in her usual gentle tone, said, ~I don't think he was aware that our connection had fallen. His mind was most likely on other things when he introduced you.~

"Oh," said Jeanie apologetically, fighting against whatever it was holding her motionless to look down at the ground. "I-I'm sorry, Lady," she continued. "I... I didn't think. I... I don't know much about all this sort of stuff. I'm sorry."

~It's all right, Jeanie, I understand,~ the engine told her softly. ~What it does mean for you, though, is that you won't have the same sort of connection to the magical railway as the other railway staff do.~

"What does that mean," asked Jeanie, her head snapping upwards as though on elastic, and stared at those large eyes so open with honesty.

~You can see and speak to me now because I am allowing it,~ said Lady, ~but until I share my magic with you, you won't be able to speak to the other engines. When you do have it, if you so choose to, for I am willing to share it with you, I will, however, be compelled to give it to you as a conditional gift.~

"What?" shrieked Jeanie. "You mean, I have to DO things for you, like... like some sort of servant or slave?"

~No, Jeanie, nothing like that, all I will need is for you to promise me that you will keep knowledge of the magical railway to yourself. When the two aspects meet in your mind, there is a chance that the confidentiality clause you signed agreement to when you accepted your job will be removed, and because your own mind is already aware of the magical railway, your memory of it will be all that's needed for you to communicate with the engines and to see them.~

"So, will I still have to work for Sir Topham, then?"

~Only if you choose to, Jeanie, then yes, you can. If, however, you decide to resign your job, you would still be able to see the railway magic, and it is on that promise that you keep it a secret and not tell anyone unconnected to the magical railways that I will share my magic with you. Do you understand that, Jeanie?~

Jeanie tried to think. The last thing she wanted right then was to stay connected to the railway, especially after her shameful exhibition a short while ago, and she glanced nervously over to where Thomas and James were standing next to each other, realising at the same time that she didn't have to force her head to move, but she didn't about that, what she was thinking about was what her "friends" thought of her, and searched first, Thomas' face, and then James' for the signs of disapproval she was expecting, but instead of condemnation from them both, they were smiling at her. Thomas was even nodding encouragingly to her, and James' smile seemed to be growing larger. But... I'd have thought they would hate me after what I did.

She then looked over to Edwin Jones, the one from whom she most expected to see a look of betrayal, but he was smiling at her as well. Mr Dinwiddy didn't look to her at all, though, as he had his gaze fixed on the face of the magical engine, staring at it with a wild, amazed expression and smiling like a fool, and she frowned at her prejudiced thought about the old man on realising that he was simply smiling in awe at the engine.

She felt confused by their reactions to her, for instead of the rejection she was expecting, it looked as though they were all still friendly towards her, except for the old man, she thought to herself, seeing as he hadn't been looking at her, and she looked back down to the ground as she thought more about it, and about when, no, if they got back to Sodor, what then? Would she want to stay a part of something that had all but killed her? She'd enjoyed being part of it all when she started her job and dealt with the former engines with their innocent questions. To her, they'd seemed like children asking about the adult world, and with herself being part of that adult world not far removed from childhood, she'd found it easy to relate to them and to answer their questions, and part of her still wanted to do that.

They'd asked her about almost anything, from how to use the coins from petty cash that Sir Topham had given them to use in snack machine on the station platform, to how they should address real people if they came into the station, and even asking about the strange feelings they were having inside them, which turned out to be their bodies' craving for food and water. When the former railcar, Daisy, had been crying in the toilet after being attacked, it was then that she'd first realised the pleasure she was getting from helping them adjust to their new world. But what about if Lady can change them all back into trains? she asked herself. Would they need me to be around them all then? Would Sir Topham still have a job for her? She wasn't quite sure with how she felt about him right then, after all, it was him offering her that job in the first place that had got her into this mess. What else could I do there? I know fuck all about railways anyway, she told herself, and he'll probably just give me that notice he was on about... but I'll still be able to remember all of this anyway from what Lady just said. Maybe when I see an engine passing me, I could say hello to him, it, whatever without letting anyone else see me. I could keep it all secret that way, I'm sure of it. What'll happen to me if I DID tell someone? Will the magic stop me, or will it kill me? Fuck, I don't know what to do!

Fuck, I wish I hadn't stopped that day. I wouldn't be here, then, and they'd have to save Lady by themselves... but if Burnett Stone couldn't get to the hospital in time, he might have died, and Sir Topham wouldn't have been at the hospital then 'cos Burnett wasn't there and I wouldn't be there to see him blow that whistle and end up in all THIS fucking shit. Lady wouldn't ask me to help her 'cos I wouldn't have had that job and she'd probably have died anyway if she was THAT weak, and Sir Topham would still have had that meeting with the others and probably worked out what the translation meant by themselves. They didn't really need ME for that, no for any of the other stuff in that box he said Burnett told him he had to open. Hang on a minute... if Burnett couldn't tell him about the box if he died before getting to hospital, how would he know he had to open it? He'd HAVE to be alive to tell him, and the only way he'd still be alive is if I called that ambulance for him, and I only ended up doing THAT because I stopped for Toby! Fuck! It's probably because of me stopping and helping that they managed to save her now! Fuck! That makes me some sort of lucky coincidence for them. Has anyone thought about all this like that?

Lady became nervous as she saw a look of startled realisation appear on the young woman's face. She'd seen that the woman was thinking of something, probably her options, she told herself, but then, when it became apparent that her thoughts had connected to something really significant, she hoped with all her heart that it wasn't what she herself had not long been thinking, and she really didn't want to see the young woman destroy herself with guilt if that thought was what she feared it to be, and then the young woman raised her head up to say something to her...

"What'll happen to me if I did tell someone about the talking trains?"

~The magic will try to stop you,~ said Lady, ~and the intent to reveal your knowledge would force a magical backlash. I don't know how severe it would be, Jeanie, so I would suggest you don't try.~

Jeanie nodded her head. "I thought it might be something like that." She then paused for a few moments, mulling things over in her mind before speaking again.

"I... I think I'll accept your offer, Lady. I'll give it a try for a bit and see how it goes, if that's all right with you. If you manage to get us all back to Sodor, that is, and change them all back into trains again. Maybe Sir Topham will find something else for me to do, then. I... I think I'll miss being around them, anyway, if I finished, and I promise, if I do end up having to finish working there, I won't tell anyone else about the magical railways, cross my heart, hope to die," finished Jeanie, shaking her head from side to side as she made an 'X' over her heart with her index finger.

~Thank you, Jeanie,~ said Lady, relief flowing through her that her fear hadn't come to pass, at least, not right then. Later, maybe, she didn't know, and hoped never to find out. ~We'll have to all go to Shining Time Station in order to get you all back to Sodor, though. There's a portal inside the office there that I can use with a little help from Idris. He'll have to stay inside me until we get to Sodor as I'll need his strength to take us all through, so, Jeanie Watkins, I will share my magic with you after we have arrived on Sodor and I am able to make Sparkle under my own power again. Is that all right with you, Jeanie?~

"Yeah, yes, I can wait till then, I think," said Jeanie, knowing now that she could keep herself anchored to something positive like the thought of getting back home again, she should be able to cope with it all. "Er, how long will that take, exactly?" she asked.

~It'll take us about fifteen minutes to get to Shining Time, but I want to meet Edward and Ivor before we set off. Mr Jones...,~ Lady then called over, ~would you be so kind as to bring our mutual friends outside for me to greet them both?~

"Yes, of... of course, Lady," Jones the Steam said eagerly, still captivated by the experience of meeting the magical engine. "James, Thomas, would one of you give me a hand, please?"

"I'll help you, Mr Jones," said James, stepping forward. "I'm sure Edward's almost bursting his boiler with impatience to see Lady again!"

Thomas, meanwhile, was walking over to where Jeanie was standing in front of Lady, and as he reached her, he put an arm gently across her shoulders and guided her over to one side.

"Mr Jones told me about your problems," he said gently, and only just loud enough for her to hear above Lady's gentle hissing of escaping steam. "He said that you've been having difficulty coping with Sir Topham's magic, and I want to tell you that we are still your friends, even Mr Dinwiddy."

Hearing those softly spoken forgiving words from someone she felt she had betrayed, Jeanie grabbed tightly onto one of the former engine's coat lapels with her hand and pulled herself into him, and sobbed quietly over his shoulder.

"I... I'm s-s-sorry, Thomas. I'm s-sorry f-f-for what I did. It... it's not the real me it's not."

"I know what it's like not being the real me, Jeanie," he replied in the same gentle tone. "Whenever I want to say or do something, things inside me, I think they're feelings like real people have, and they keep telling me to say or do something completely different to what I want to do or say, and I don't like all of those feelings. If they're really like what you have inside you, Jeanie, then you must be a brave person having to deal with them all the time, that's for sure!"

As Jeanie cried her feeling of relief that she wasn't hated or despised by the former engines and the others, she couldn't help trying to picture a look of confusion on the Thomas' face as he tried to deal with two opposing thoughts, and giggled once as she sobbed.

Thomas heard a muffled snort next to his ear and grinned. "Really, I mean it," he said. "Earlier, before you... you know, I was almost ready to grab my friend and shake him to make him realise we'd failed to save Lady, so you see, it happens to engines, even, well, former engines as well, so it's not that a big deal, I suppose."

Jeanie sniffed back her runny nose and mumbled, "When... when did you become so wise, Tho-Thomas?"

"I've never been wise, Jeanie," she heard him say quietly, then, "I remember one day when Sir Topham left me in charge to make all the decisions, and that was one of the worst days of my life, I can tell you! Every time a problem came up, I kept second-guessing it, and everything went horribly wrong. Services ran late and went to the wrong stations, parcels were delivered to the wrong place, Farmer McColl was kept waiting for his delivery... Hmmph, I managed to muddle through at the end, though, but that was more to do with luck than good judgement. Luckily, I managed to sort everything out before Sir Topham returned and I escaped a telling off by the skin of my paintwork!"

"Teeth," said Jeanie.

"Teeth?" repeated Thomas in a confused voice.

"Yes, Thomas. Teeth. People say that they've escape from something by the skin of their teeth."

Thomas chuckled, and said, "I'll have to remember that when we're all engines again and I tell Gordon and the others all about our adventure!"

ooo

Lady looked at the old man gazing adoringly at her as his hands fidgeted with his hat in front of his stomach and turning it round and round by its brim. Thomas had taken Jeanie to one side and was comforting her, James had gone with Mr Jones to fetch the other two engines out of the cave and she was now alone with just the old man left, his jaw bouncing up and down below a simpering smile as he silently gazed at her. She smiled broadly back at him and winked before saying, ~Mr Dinwiddy, I was told a very long time ago that you saw me without any clothes on, you naughty little boy!~

ooOOoo

Author's note: You've probably notice the slight ret-con I did with Gladys the railcar. I wasn't fully sure when I first wrote her whether to give her a face or not, but this chapter confirmed an idea and something I wanted to get across. Please bear in mind that everything you've read so far is a first iteration of this story, and, once it's completed, I'll be giving it a major overhaul to clear up any plot-snags that may have cropped up.

If you've noticed something that may be one of those, please let me know via the review box. I may have missed something that I will need to amend. Thank you for reading this story.

Tony.