After Timothy Wilkins' arrest, his management people were disbanded and left the island in disgrace, allowing Natalia to assume position. As for Grant and Sam, the unsung heroes, they were offered by the new controller to work for the railway as drivers, but they politely refused. Instead, Sam now works as a supervisor for the Dieselworks and Grant moved out of Britain to seek greener pastures elsewhere. Natalia immediately went to work rebuilding the Sodor her family had worked hard to maintain for decades. She made calls to the other heritage railways on the Mainland about reacquiring their engines, which they happily obliged. Just one week after she took over, Sodor's first female railway director had successfully brought back all of the original Steam Team members home, as well as some of the diesels that had left. The engines that had stayed put were understandably emotional at the return of their old comrades, but Natalia wasn't going to stop there.
She also called for a massive overhaul of the island's rail facilities, stations, tunnels, and branch lines, catering for the bigger engines and rolling stock she sought to acquire. All these changes required a lot of money to accomplish, but when the NWR's stakeholders and investors returned to the company, Natalia got the backing she needed. The company junked its bankruptcy filing and revenue service on passenger and cargo trains returned to normal since her father's last year as controller. New faces were seen in the upper management and the operations section of the railway, a welcome sight. Sir Topham Hatt also returned to the scene, this time as Natalia's special advisor.
The abandoned rolling stock plant where Rebecca was held hostage was bought by someone and had plans to restore it. Considering that the railway was doing away with the old trucks and coaches they've had since the end of the Second World War, this was another significant move towards fleet modernization while retaining the heritage of running steamers. The latter is something that can never be taken away from the North Western Railway.
With an influx of new engines, all the sheds in the island had to be expanded; some of which had to be custom built for the extra-large locomotives. In Tidmouth, the seven-berth roundhouse doubled in capacity as the old coach sheds were demolished and more fuel sidings were installed; two coal piles and water towers and two fuel pumps - one holds diesel, the other fuel oil. Overhead catenary wires were installed along the main line in anticipation of the arrival of electric engines that would be delivering passengers and goods from the Mainland, with some larger branch lines following suit in getting these power lines installed.
*6 months later*
In the new Knapford station, Thomas and Rebecca were getting ready for their first trains of the day. It was reminiscent of Rebecca's first day on Sodor, only this time, the station was busier than it's ever been. People were bustling about the station platforms to catch local and main line trains, the yard was jam packed with freight, and the atmosphere was jolly, now that the summer tourist season has begun.
"Looks like we're back to how its been." Thomas said to his girlfriend, watching her back onto her coaches on Platform 1. He was on Platform 2 with Annie and Clarabel in tow; the faithful coaches had just received a major upgrade by lengthening their frames and having four-axle bogies.
"Yes, and it's even better." Rebecca was reversing a bit too fast, causing her to bump on the coaches. Thankfully, no one was on board yet. "Oopsies!" she giggled.
Thomas also giggled. "God, I thought I'll never hear that from you again!"
"Me too." the West Country sighed in contentment, "Who would've thought in a span of nine months, our controller retires, the railway goes into shambles, we get to go to a foreign land, meet new friends along the way, come back home, and restore said railway to its former glory." she reflected.
"Not as much as when you first got here and our first moment together." Thomas replied, with a faint blush on his cheeks.
"Aww... you're such a charmer!" The West Country engine snuck a peck on Thomas' left cheek, causing him to blush even more.
"You guys save the kissy stuff for later, we've got a railroad to run!" Natalia scolded the Southern couple.
"Oops, sorry Ms. Hatt." Thomas and Rebecca blushed.
"Just call me Miss Natalia. It's time we revise some of the rules around here, especially how you engines would address me. Miss Hatt sounds too formal and trust me, I'm the last person on Sodor who will ever be formal." the new controller chuckled. Once their trains were loaded and their respective guards blew their whistles for departure,
A few minutes after the couple departed, Rachelle and Raven pulled in. They, as well as Connor and Kevin, were happy to see their friends regain the old status of their railroad, the place they called home all their lives. However, deep down, they knew they didn't belong on Sodor and were expecting to leave as soon as possible. Little did they know, Natalia wants to purchase them for revenue service. She didn't care about them being big American diesels that won't fit the loading gauge, because in the coming months, the NWR would become more internationalized than it's ever been.
"Ah, there you two are." Natalia said to the diesels, "I wanted to talk to you guys about your future."
"Oh..." the two sisters said.
"I was proposing that with the addition of new freight contracts to our system, we're going to need heavy-duty locomotives to pull them to the mainland and back, especially Intermodal runs. You two are the most powerful diesels not just on Sodor, but in the UK. So far, you've proven that you can handle the heavy freight trains with ease, which normally needs two or three engines at the head end." she began.
"Thanks... but really, what's this all about?" Rachelle wondered.
"I want to test out your potential here and after reviewing your records with Union Pacific, and Rachelle's with Southern Pacific, you two are very experienced with pulling trains upwards of a hundred cars and 10,000 tons, something we've never seen here on Sodor. I figured you can pull the maximum 5,000 tons allowed weight in Britain. If you succeed, then you can call Sodor your new home."
"Y-you're... g-going to buy us?" Raven stuttered, realizing what the controller had said. Natalia nodded.
"I would, but only if you two want to be here." she said, "If you still want to head back home, either one or both of you, I won't stop you from doing so."
The two diesel sisters looked at each other; they wanted to stay but were worried for their drivers, more so Kevin than Connor. The latter was fine with wherever his girlfriend wanted to be, but Kevin had a life back in Des Moines: family, friends, and colleagues. If he wants to return, Raven would go back with him, not just for his sake, but also it would still enable her to visit her boyfriend when running trains to Mexico. The thought of being an ocean away from Carlos left an ache in the AC4400's heart.
"Do you wanna stay here, Kev?" Raven asked her longtime driver.
"I don't know Raven..." Kevin sighed, "You have a life back in America and so do I." He then turned to Natalia, "No offense Miss Natalia, Sodor is great and all, but I think this is something we should talk about in private. I have no doubt Connor and Rachelle would want to be here since they still have each other."
"It's alright Kevin. I understand the family thing." Natalia said, then looked at the former SP diesel. "How about you Rachelle?"
"Well... Connor and I would also miss home, but we decided to stay here." she replied. Connor nodded in agreement. While the three discussed their terms of stay, Raven left them undetected, conflicted at her life-changing decision to make.
. . .
Raven and Kevin were rumbling down the main line, still at odds on whether or not they would stay. Each side made valid arguments on the benefits and consequences of staying, however Raven was starting to lean towards returning back to Des Moines. She hadn't even told Carlos that she was on Sodor, let alone stay for good. They stopped at a siding to take on fuel.
"I know you want to leave Raven. But I want to make sure you're not just doing this for my sake." her driver said as he got off her cab and connected the fuel hose to Raven's 5000 gallon fuel tank.
"What about Rachelle? I can't just let her be here!" Raven wailed.
"She has Connor and I'm sure she won't be mad at you for wanting to return home." Kevin riposted.
"I guess so. She's more independent than me." Just then, a green LMS Black 5 pulled in to their right. The two have never seen this engine before, so they assumed he's one of the original Steam Team members that had returned home.
"Oh... hello there Mister. You're one of Thomas and Rebecca's old colleagues, correct?" Raven guessed.
"Yes I am. My name is Henry, your local heavy goods engine." Henry introduced.
"I'm Raven, this is Kevin, my driver." Raven also introduced herself and Kevin. The latter gave a small wave.
"Nice to meet you two!" the Black 5 smiled, "Rebecca told me a lot about you."
"Yeah. We were brought from the US to help with rebuilding the railway. Speaking of which..." Raven shared her dilemma on wanting to stay or leave. Henry gave her some good points about staying but also told her to follow her heart, not her mind. After that conversation, Raven thanked the green engine and headed back to Knapford to tell Miss Natalia of her decision.
"I take it you have a decision?" she raised an eyebrow.
"Yes Miss Natalia," Raven took a deep breath and made her decision. "We won't be staying here. It's not because of Kevin but more of me. I... I have a boyfriend back in Mexico and he doesn't know that I'm here. Someone just told me that although we may be far away, but at least I get to pull Mexico bound trains in my home base. I can't have that same luxury by staying here..."
"I understand." the controller smiled, "I'll call in Brendam and see if our East Coast shuttle is arriving tonight."
After her chat with Natalia, Raven went to Tidmouth to bid farewell to all her new friends, especially to Rachelle. As Raven went closer to the roundhouse, she can see her sister, Rebecca, Thomas, James, Percy, Emily, Nia, Gordon, and Donald chatting with one another. Once she rolled onto the turntable, facing towards Rachelle's berth, she blew her horn to get their attention.
"H-hey guys... I-I have s-something to tell you..." Raven began shakily.
"I'm... I won't be on Sodor come tonight." Raven spoke, prompting the engines to gasp in shock.
"Y-you're leaving?" her sister asked.
"Y-yes... sis." Raven sighed sadly, looking down to her coupler. "I wanted to stay here with you, but... I can't just leave Carlos. You and Connor would love it here, I know it."
Rachelle rolled forward, coupling up to Raven. She had unshed tears and her voice was breaking. "Hey... don't feel bad that you have to leave me. Yes I have Connor, but there's also Thomas, Rebecca, and all the others. Though I would've liked it better if you'd stay, I know that you have a life back home and a love to look forward to. But... can you promise me something, Raven?"
"Sure Rachelle, anything for you."
The former SP diesel took a deep breath. "Promise me that you won't forget me?"
"I promise." Raven finally broke down and sobbed, leaning her forehead against Rachelle's. The other engines were also teary-eyed watching the two sisters bid their farewells to each other, knowing they would be an ocean apart from now on. Kevin disembarked from the AC44's cab only to be greeted by Connor's open arms.
"I love you sis..." Raven sobbed.
"I love you too." Rachelle reciprocated. She uncoupled from her sister and watched her reverse back to the turntable.
"We're all going to miss you Raven." Rebecca added. The other engines nodded in agreement.
"The feeling is mutual." Raven turned around facing the port and with two blasts of her horn, she rolled away. "Bye everyone, thanks for everything!" Once she disappeared into the bend, Rachelle broke down crying. Rebecca also let the tears flow, as she would certainly miss Raven's company. Their respective boyfriends coaxed them, while the rest of the fleet remained silent out of respect.
The next morning, the Tidmouth crew were surprised at the sight of a new engine hanging out on the turntable. Somehow, Natalia had found another engine to replace Raven overnight, but in reality, she had plans to acquire international engines that competed in the Great Railway Show that was held in the mainland; Rachelle wasn't alone in that regard. The new engine was green and had four red wheels. While Rachelle and the other Steam Team members who didn't participate in the Show didn't know who that was, it was an engine Thomas had the pleasure of working with in Italy: Gina the FNM Class 200 tank engine.
"Ciao, everyone! It's an honor to be-a working with you guys!" she greeted.
"Gina!?" Thomas started, "Wh-what are you doing here?" Rebecca and Rachelle were now awake as well, but the others were still asleep.
"Thomas, why must you wake us up all the time?" Gordon grumbled, his eyes still closed.
"Because Gordon, Gina here will be joining us here full time." Natalia replied, disembarking from the Italian engine's cab.
"Oh!" His eyes shot up when he saw their controller. "G-good morning Miss Natalia! I-I didn't mean to be rude and all..."
"No harm done Gordon." Natalia waved him off, "As you all know, Raven's departure left a vacancy in this roundhouse. While Gina isn't as big or strong as Raven, she's more than capable of pulling her own weight around." Just then, the engines' drivers arrived to start their shift; namely Alex, Connor, Marty, and Norman, Emily's driver. At the sight of Connor, Gina's eyes widened with curiosity.
"Is that guy-a taken?" Gina asked. Before Rachelle could reply, the Italian added. "He's-a cute…" She hadn't dated before, and Connor was a mighty fine man in her eyes.
"He's also mine!" Rachelle snapped. Gina, as well as the others, flinched at the sudden interruption.
"Wh-what?" she gasped, now face to face with the UP diesel. "You're his girl?"
"Yes Miss boyfriend stealer. Go get your own man!"
"Rachelle, calm down hun. No need to get your alternator into a fritz." Connor said, climbing on Rachelle's front porch and ignoring Gina, at least for now.
While Natalia talked to the other engines about newer engines coming to the island, Thomas and Rebecca watched the Italian engine and American diesel battle it out, while Connor calmed the nerves of his girl.
"Poor Connor, he'll never get a break now." Rebecca sighed.
"Seems like Gina's really into him…" Thomas added, "But he's madly in love with Rachelle that I doubt he'll see Gina at all."
"We'll just see about that."
With that, everything was better than normal. Sodor became a go-to destination for tourists and those seeking for a new life. It had to undergo a dark transition period before achieving its maximum potential. Some might say that if it weren't for Timothy Wilkins, Sodor would never have reached this point in its history; it would just continue to stagnate. For every dark tunnel you go through, there's always bound to be light at the end of it.
As for the bickering between Gina and Rachelle, well… that's a story for another time.
A/N: And that's it for the Thomas x Rebecca series, fully rewritten! I won't be doing any multi-chapter fanfics for the time being to get some rest but I do have some future stories I want to write. I would still be writing mostly one-shots here and in DeviantArt. In the meantime, stay tuned for the spinoff one-shot detailing Gina and Rachelle's battle!