Kenneth sat still at the Vicarstown station cafe. Sean had run to grab them lunch and the driver was left alone to peruse his thoughts. He glanced to Gordon at the platform beside him. The big engine snored softly as he napped. He had been doing better with every day that passed. He of course still refused to speak to Sir Topham Hatt which left the driver to be their middle-man, but he would take that over seeing his engine continually depressed.

He glanced back down to his newspaper, he nearly fell out of his chair once he read the headline:

LNER Locomotive Brutally Attacked At London: Railway's Controller Assures His Engines Are Safe And Stable

The following image was of Meredith slumped on a flatbed; bleeding heavily from her face. The driver was speechless. He held onto every word as he read the article quicker than he had ever read anything. "My God…" he whispered. He peeked back at Gordon, he was thankfully still asleep. That was when Sean walked up with their lunch. "Look at this." Kenneth slid the paper across the table as his fireman was sitting down. Sean's jaw dropped. "It says she was ambushed by three large engines. They don't know why."

Sean picked up the paper and pulled a pair of reading glasses from his pocket. "You said they don't know why this happened?"

"Dr. Hart wouldn't say. He won't even comment on the incident other than to say his engines aren't dangerous." Kenneth sighed. He held up his hand to guard his eyes from the bright afternoon sun as it peeked through the station's pillars. "He's just trying to cover his ass, clearly." The driver paused, then noticed the newsstands that dotted the station. "Oh shit…" he shot up from the table and began grabbing every piece of print his arms could hold and tossing them in the bin.

Sean watched Kenneth stumble frantically around, he even grabbed a paper from a man standing by the platform. "Ken! What are you doin'?! Have you gone mad, man?"

"Gordon can't see these!" Kenneth spoke in a screaming whisper as he continued to commandeer every single paper he could. He stopped again to look Sean in the eye. "Do you have any idea what seeing this would do to him?! When he's just now on the mend? He will go completely ballistic!"

"Do you know how many newsstands we come across on our routes? You can't steal every single piece of print on the island."

"Watch me!" Kenneth hissed and continued on his mission. His behavior earned him several questioning looks from waiting passengers and the man he stole a paper from was furious. Sean sighed before he approached the man, handing him a quid without a word before sitting back down. He understood Kenneth's desire to protect Gordon; Sean just wished he wouldn't act like such a damn fool about it.

Kenneth finished cleaning the station of every paper he could find and plopped back down in his seat with a sigh of relief. He had accumulated a bit of sweat on his brow and a few strands of his auburn hair had clung to his forehead. He glanced at his watch. It was time to wake his engine. He waltzed casually over to the snoring A3 and gave him a gentle tap on his boiler. The touch sent a buzz through his body and Gordon woke up instantly. He glanced at his driver and frowned. "You know I don't like that."

"Yes, but it's the quickest way to wake you, sorry about that." Kenneth offered up a sympathetic grin but Gordon's scowl intensified. "Please, Gordon, be reasonable."

"Don't touch me." The engine hissed. A touch may have been the quickest way to wake the engine, but it did have its consequences. Gordon soon noticed Sean still lazily munching on his meal and laid on his whistle, startling the young Irishman from his seat. "Hurry up, you! It's time for my express."

Sean cursed to himself while he brushed his shirt off. Kenneth did his best to contain his laughter but a small snort escaped. The driver was thrilled to see Gordon acting his old self again, even if his old self was rather unpleasant. He put his arm around Sean as he approached and gave him a hearty squeeze and they walked to the engine's cab together.

Gordon thundered down the mainline. His visage was as deadpan as ever. He hardly noticed the other engines as they chuffed by but returned their whistles with haste. He passed by Sonny pulling Meredith's coaches. They had been repainted to match Sonny's deep blue livery. The little engine peeped at the express as he powered by, but Gordon ignored him. It wasn't Sonny's fault he took Meredith's place, but if there was one thing Gordon was better at than pulling his express, it was holding grudges. He refused to acknowledge the strange little engine's existence.

The express came to a stop at Wellsworth where Edward sat with a line of goods cars. He greeted the big engine with a smile as sunny as the sky. "Hello, Gordon," Edward said with a peep. "Enjoying this lovely weather?" Gordon merely huffed in response. Many would consider this behavior rude, but Edward knew it was just Gordon being, well, Gordon. He decided to continue the one-sided conversation regardless. "Have you had a polish? Your paintwork looks splendid today."

Gordon's sharp gaze slid to Edward who's awkward smile grew. "I did yesterday."

"Well it looks great! Might even make James jealous."

Gordon cracked a small smile while Edward chuckled. "Thank you."

"Of course, Gordon." Edward nodded. "I'm just glad to see you doing better, you know?"

"Yeah… "

"Have you considered calling her?" Gordon furrowed his brow. Engines couldn't use phones. "Well you obviously can't yourself but maybe your driver could for you. Maybe talking to her might help you feel better." Edward gave one final toot on his whistle before he departed. Gordon felt some weight leave his cab and he peered to the platform beside him. He saw Kenneth sauntering towards him. He heard what Edward said.

"If you really want to talk to Meredith I'd be more than happy to coordinate something with Hayden." He smiled and locked his hands behind his back.

"Could you really do that?" Gordon's boiler bubbled. He so desperately wanted to hear her voice.

Kenneth smiled but said nothing as he returned to his engine's cab. He failed to notice the small newsstand tucked in the shade of the station, but Gordon did. The big engine at first didn't think to give the papers a second glance, but the front image caused him to double-take and as he read the headline his steam dome nearly blew off. His face ran red hot and he did his best to keep still as passengers were continuing to board. He was livid and he knew there was nothing he could do. He had a job to do, but everything in the big engine demanded he power straight to London. He couldn't decide whether he wanted to go after his sorry brother or Spencer first. Clearly someone slipped up in their duty to protect Meredith. How could they? How could they let her be cornered like that? Gordon continued to bristle as he departed Wellsworth for Knapford. He had every intention of heading to the mainland as soon as his work was done whether Sir Topham allowed it or not.

On the mainland, Meredith was finally released from the Steamworks at Doncaster. She was puffing back to London when she passed through Newark and spotted Kestrel sitting at the station with his express. She decided to stop and say hello. He may be trying to get in her undercarriage, but the gluttonous bastard was growing on her. Other than the perverted leering and horrible pick-up lines, he was decent company. He visited her a few times while she was stuck in recovery. "What's new?"

The green A4 started, he had just begun to doze off when Meredith pulled up. "Oh, my dear, you nearly made my engine lock up. I was told you weren't to be released until next week?"

"Well I guess they got sick of my whining." The little engine giggled. "Have you seen Scot? He only visited me once the other day and he left in such a hurry." Meredith couldn't help but feel hurt at his absence. She wondered if maybe the prospect of a relationship with her scared the big engine.

"Ah, yes, he's been busy, holiday tourism of course." Kestrel forced a smile. He knew his cousin had suddenly reverted to his old easy ways but he wasn't about to be the one to break the news to her.

Meredith narrowed her eyes. "Right, of course. I suppose if you see him tell him I'm looking for him."

"Yes, yes, of course, love," Kestrel decided it was the perfect time to turn up his own charm. If he laid it on nice and thick maybe whenever she did find out about Flying Scotsman's behavior it would better his chances of landing a little private time with her. "You look incredible, might I add. I can hardly notice the scar."

"Oh- thank you." Meredith shuffled awkwardly on her wheels then frowned. She heard the guard's whistle and gave a half-smile. "I'll see you later." Kestrel whistled his goodbye and sped off and Meredith kept onward with a heavy pit in her boiler. She just knew something was going on with Flying Scotsman and she had a stinging feeling she knew exactly what that something was. Unfortunately for Meredith, her suspicions were quickly confirmed when she reached the edge of London and spotted Scotsman leaving his shed with a cute little mixed-traffic engine behind him. The thing looked sweaty and rattled, still high on their ecstasy. Meredith took a deep breath, she could feel her throat tightening as she drew closer to the two engines. She shouldn't feel so upset, they weren't together, but up until recently it felt like they might have been. She continued down the line, refusing to look at the two as she passed them. They didn't notice her immediately as they were still a bit away, but the wind carried her scent to Flying Scotsman and his wheels just about locked up. He completely forgot about his little lay and flew down the line after Meredith.

He spotted her shiny coat not too far in the distance and called after her. "Meredith! Mer, my dear! Please stop!"

"Why? So you can regale me on your new pet?" Meredith spat, she sped up but she could see King's Cross in the distance. She knew she would have to stop and he would force her to talk to him there. When she came to the station she slid to a spark-filled halt and glared at the tracks ahead. Then she heard Scotsman come to a gentle stop beside her. She could smell the sex on him and she wanted to scream. "After I tell you the only thing I want is your loyalty, you decide that's the best time to revert back to being a playboy? Is this you rejecting me? Because a simple no would hurt a lot less."

He sighed. "I'm not rejecting you, Meredith. I do want to be with yo-"

"Then what the fuck is that?! Who is she?! Are there more?" She yelled, catching the attention of nearby people lingering close to the platforms. The big engine felt nervous under her cold stare; he could hardly let himself breathe for fear of her lashing again. "I mean are you actually that fucking selfish? Or are you scared?"

"Why on earth would I be scared?" Scotsman could feel himself becoming angry at the way she was speaking to him, though he took deep breaths to keep himself from yelling.

"Scared you'll commit yourself to me and it won't work out? Is that it?" Meredith dropped her voice to a growling whisper. She could see crowds beginning to gather around the platform. "Or do you just not like the idea of having to fuck only me?"

Scotsman was seething by that point. His steam was hot and his eyes were daggers. "How ironic coming from you! You couldn't commit to Gordon."

"Because of you!" Meredith screamed. "Because you're a drug! Because for some fucking reason I let myself fall in love with you! But clearly that was my mistake. I should never have put those kinds of expectations on you."

Flying Scotsman kept quiet. He was reeling. He loved Meredith more than he could put into words, but she was right. He was scared to commit. He was scared of hurting her because of his weakness. He had held strong up until she began to speak of a relationship and he backpedaled harder than even he expected. He ripped his eyes away from the brooding little engine and to the purple sky. Scotsman didn't know what to do. "Meredith," He said after a few moments of intense silence. "I do want to be with you, and I do want to try, I just don't know how."

"You don't try to be loyal, Scot. You either are or aren't." Meredith had softened her tone but only slightly as she started back up. "I made that choice with Gordon and I want it to be worth it, but you're making me seriously question if it was."

Gordon waited patiently for all the engines at Tidmouth to be fast asleep before he departed straight for the mainland. It took some major convincing before Kenneth was on board, but after sincere reassurance that Gordon would not maim or kill another engine the driver agreed and of course Sean went along with him. He had nothing else better to do, anyway.

The blue A3 kept on with determination. He never turned his lamps on to avoid being discovered by any of Sir Topham's wayward eyes. He was guided only by the light of the sky's half-moon. He wasn't sure what to expect when he finally saw Meredith. He knew to prepare himself for his brother's stench to be all over her, but how bad would her scaring be? He saw the massive gash on her cheek in the photo. Gordon swallowed. Was she even repaired yet? All possible scenarios rolled through his head as he crossed the Vicarstown bridge and over onto the mainland. No turning back now. Regardless of the circumstances, Gordon did enjoy the drive. Though he was traveling unusually fast he still managed to take in the cool night air. He breathed in the warm, homey scent of a distant campfire, the slipstream he created rustled trees closest to the line. For a brief moment he felt at ease, but the closer he drew to London, the more his withheld anger festered. He could see the lights of King's Cross over the hill and with a renewed sense of purpose Gordon went full steam and when he spotted Flying Scotsman sitting at platform 1, he just about derailed from how quickly he slammed on his brakes.

"Fuckin' Christ!" Scotsman threw his reverser on full when he saw his brother barreling towards him at break-neck speeds. "Gordon! Stop!"

"I'm trying!" Gordon cried through clenched teeth. His wheels slid and slipped on the rails but he managed to stop after giving his younger brother a firm bump. Gordon opened his eyes and a few tears dropped down his cheeks. He held his eyes shut so hard they watered.

Scotsman breathed a sigh of relief but it was short lived. "Gordon? What the fuck are you doing here?" The green A3 was not one to swear publicly, but he was brewing in anger from his confrontation with Meredith.

"Meredith, where is she?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." Scotsman huffed.

Gordon locked his jaw then pulled his brother down by the buffers. Their foreheads touched and Scotsman froze under his brother's close lethal glare. "Where. Is. She?"

Reluctantly, Flying Scotsman led his older brother to the little shed where Meredith was sleeping. It was located just inside the walls of the London goods yard. However, he didn't leave, instead he held back just out of sight, he didn't trust his brother's intentions and he would be damned if he let Gordon try to couple with her.

Gordon approached Meredith as she slept. She looked perfectly at peace, but the scar along her cheek made the Sudrian engine nauseous. He felt guilty. The injury wasn't his fault, but somehow he still felt responsible. He inched closer until he was able to give her cheek a gentle peck. There was a moment of complete silence and stillness, then she blinked slowly until she realized Gordon was a breath away. "Gordon!" She cried excitedly, cuddling herself against him. She breathed in his familiar warmth with a happy sigh. "Why are you here? Does Sir Topham Hatt know you're gone?"

"No, he doesn't." Gordon didn't want Meredith to move away. He hadn't felt her close in so long. She smelled fresh and soapy and from what he could tell Scotsman's scent was old and fading. "I saw an article about your attack. I couldn't keep going without knowing you were okay."

"I'm fine now."

"What happened?" Gordon was stern. He needed the story.

Meredith hesitated. She wasn't sure she wanted to give him all the gory details. Especially considering the whole brawl was centered around jealously over Flying Scotsman. It felt so silly the more she thought about it. "I don't think you want to know." She said.

"Meredith, please- don't be so cryptic. Just be honest with me."

She sighed. "Alright…" She then went into the story of when she first met Ellis and the B17 twins and all the unfortunate events that led to the brutal encounter. Gordon listened carefully. His anger only grew with every new detail and new revelation. She was assaulted because of his selfish brother and then he couldn't even be bothered to visit her during recovery. Naturally, Meredith left out the part where she wanted a relationship with Flying Scotsman and how he essentially cheated on her because of his fear of committing. She could see how upset Gordon was becoming and she wasn't about to fuel his already blazing fire. When she finished the story Gordon was quiet. He hardly breathed and his steam output was minimal. It was a deadly type of calm. The calm before the storm, and Meredith noticed immediately. "Gordon," she said. "Please don't do anything rash."

"I won't." He spoke softly. He knew he needed to consider his options and weigh them carefully. Then he spotted his brother peeking around the retaining wall. "Are you safe now? Can you promise me that?"

"I can." Meredith said confidently. "I have Sco- well I have plenty of protection. I promise."

"Good." There was a moment of hesitation before he pushed his lips to Meredith's in a quick kiss. His body tingled and he wanted to do more, so much more, but he forced himself away. "I wish I could stay, but I have something I need to do." He moved away from Meredith and out of the yard where he met his brother's possessive glare. "I originally thought I would come here to send some engines to the scrap heap, but I think I have a better idea." Scotsman raised his brow in question. Gordon continued. "I'll see you around, Scot."

Flying Scotsman watched his brother leave before he himself approached Meredith. She looked away from him, but the big engine was having none of her attitude. He lifted her buffers up, forcing the little tank engine to look him in the eye. "Unless you want me to fuck you right here in front of all these diesels, I suggest you roll that gorgeous little boiler to my shed promptly."

Whew! This one was fun! Lots of new drama unfolding here, ladies and gents. I'm so excited for where this fic is headed and I really hope y'all continue to enjoy it! Like I said, I'm working on making the chapters longer so turnaround for chapters may take a little longer so I hope you can forgive me. Lol

There was something I meant to address but I've completely forgotten as I'm typing this post-script. Well... eh, if it comes to me I'll just discuss it in the next chapter.

Thank you for all your continued love and support!

Much love;

Bumble