It was late one evening when Meredith was stuck working late in the goods yard. Nearly every siding was occupied by some sort of freight and goods train and she still had several more to piece together. She stopped at a coal hopper to refuel and catch her breath. The sun may have set but it still felt warm and she had built up a good sweat pushing the heavy cars and trucks around. Most of the diesels had already left for the evening, which she didn't mind. She would work the yard completely alone if it meant she was spared a moment of degrading comments and cat-calling.

She had started back up after her coal bunker was full when she heard the familiar puffing of a steam engine approaching her. She smiled. "You're not slick, babe," Meredith began to back up and was shocked to see Quicksilver, well, not too shocked. "Oh! I'm sorry, I figured you were Scot."

The silver A4 laughed. "I assumed as much. You've never called me 'babe' before."

"Hah, yeah," Meredith giggled. She took a moment to enjoy how the starlight reflected off his polished paintwork. It drove her wild how handsome he was. "Turning in for the evening?"

"Mhm, looks like you still have some work to do."

"Oh yeah. Too much." Meredith sighed. She continued to stare down Quicksilver's body and of course he noticed.

"Mer, what did we just talk about?" Quicksilver raised his brow in disapproval, but the corner of his mouth twitched upwards. He was no lustful chap in the slightest, but there was something about her that drove even the most chaste of engines completely rabid. He certainly was drawn to her.

The little engine sighed as she was uncoupled from the cars. "I know, I know. Sorry."

"What're you two going on about?" Flying Scotsman steamed up beside Quicksilver. Neither of them had even noticed he came into the yard.

"Little Meredith here has some wandering eyes." Quicksilver said, that smirk finally breaking free across his face.

All color drained from Meredith as Scotsman's now stern gaze locked onto her. "Is that so?"

"Yes, but she's learning how to tell herself no. I'd take that as a good thing." The streamlined engine cut between the two, passing a sideways glance to Scotsman. "We'll talk tomorrow."

Scot grumbled in response, his eyes narrowed and following Quicksilver as he dipped from the yard without even a goodbye to Meredith. Once the silver engine was out of view Scotsman's stare flicked back to his partner who was trying to slip away with another line of cars. "Now where do you think you're going? We need to discuss this."

"What's there to discuss? So I was checking Quicksilver out. I wasn't going to do anything." Meredith did her best to shrug it off, but she could feel her partner's glare burning through her cab.

He sighed. "Because Quicksilver clearly understands the concept of restraint, but that's the problem I have. The fact he's having to do so in the first place."

"How's his attraction to me my fault?" Meredith scowled. She coupled up to another line of cars and dragged them past Scotsman.

"I'm not blaming you for drawing the eye of another engine, Meredith. I'm blaming you for feeding into it." Scotsman followed her closely while she shunted her cars. "You're not even trying to fight it. That seriously bothers me. I've changed so much for you because I love you more than I can put into words, why can't you do that for me?"

Meredith stopped what she was doing. A heavy wave of guilt washed over her like an unexpected monsoon. She realized she was reverting back to the very engine that drove Gordon away for the first time. There was no way she could let herself do that again. She dropped her gaze as she reversed to sit beside Scotsman. She felt his steam hot against her boiler. She didn't know what to say, instead she leaned against him with a sigh.

Scotsman took a steadying breath. "One of these days you're going to make me burst a valve."

"You picked me."

"That I did." Scotsman couldn't help but smile. He nudged Meredith off him then gave her rear buffers a playful tap. "Now hurry up and finish your job so I can put you back in your place, little Meredith."

Meredith was quick to finish her work in the yard. She darted through the gates towards Flying Scotsman's shed, but before she crossed over into his private yard she noticed strange movement off on a distant siding. The little engine slowed to a crawl, shutting off her lanterns to avoid being seen. The light of the moon lit up the surrounding forest and neighborhoods, but there was a shadowy patch just outside a small suburb. She tightened her gaze before her wheels locked up and her boiler ran cold. A gentle breeze lifted the shadows created by the trees and she saw Gordon in the throes with… Ellis.

Flying Scotsman was comfortable in his shed when he heard Meredith's pistons chuffing closer. He pruned himself with a good shimmy, putting on his most seductive smirk until she rolled in looking wide-eyed and lifeless. "Gordon…" she whispered. "Gordon's coupling with Ellis… I saw them on a siding just outside town."

The shift in Scotsman's demeanor was abrupt. His expression hardened and he straightened himself up on his wheels. He looked prepped for a fight. "Go to Quicksilver and Kestrel." He gently pushed his partner from the shed and onto a separate track before he continued onward. "I'll deal with my brother."

On Sodor, Emerson was restless. He had his eyes shut but sleep evaded his grasp. Eventually he relented to his wakefulness and opened his eyes. He glanced over to Sonny who was snoring peacefully without a care in the world. This only served to irritate the express engine more. He groaned low in his throat then returned his attention to the sleeping engine beside him. "Hey," he hissed, he steamed forward from his berth and moments later placed himself right in front of Sonny who only just began to stir. "Hey!"

Sonny's eyes shot open when he noticed Emerson's proximity to him and he rolled backwards. "Woah! What're yo—"

"Tell me, Sonny. Just how badly do you wish to help me?" Emerson growled. He snaked closer to the trembling tank engine until he was able to lift the little engine up onto his buffers.

Sonny could feel Emerson's heat against his undercarriage, he stared the big engine in the eye. He saw Emerson's blazing desire and he swallowed nervously. Sonny had never been intimate and he wasn't too confident in his first time being with an engine so clearly troubled, but he did like the look of Emerson and he wondered how those pouty lips tasted. "I— I've never done this."

"That's okay." Emerson purred. Their lips barely touched and Sonny could feel himself slipping. "I'll go easy… for the first little bit at least."

Sonny wasn't able to let out a breathless okay before Emerson took his mouth in a dirty, moaning kiss and there was even less time between when their makeout began and when Emerson made his move and thrusted himself up in the little engine. Sonny yelped in surprise. "How… is that… easy?" Emerson ignored Sonny's questioning sighs and completely lost himself in the pleasure of the moment. He didn't even care that the doors to the shed were wide open. Emerson simply smiled. The stress and tension of recent events fading into the background, but part of him knew the relief was only temporary.

Meredith had nearly made it to the other side of London and to Quicksilver and Kestrel's shed when she was stopped dead in her tracks by another. Again, she froze as she fell into Mallard's carnal gaze. She tried to back away but he was too fast and had snatched her up by her coupling hook. He forced her to look up at him with a villainous grin. "You Sudrian engines really need to learn some manners. Trying to leave without so much as a 'hello'?"

"You're not worth my breath!" Meredith spat. She pumped her pistons as hard as she could but her wheels slipped, throwing sparks into the dirt.

"God you're such a little cunt!" Mallard snarled. He locked his buffers with her's and gave them a slight twist. "But you're just too delicious for me to kill right now. I think I might have some fun with you first."

"No!" Meredith wiggled and pulled, but it only resulted in extreme pain as her buffers bent and popped. "I'm not coupling with you, you pig!"

"Baby girl, I don't need your permission." Mallard forced Meredith into a quick, wet kiss but she managed to shove him off for a brief moment which served to infuriate her assailant. He threw his weight down on her already compromised fender and she cried out in pain while tears began to flow freely down her blood-red cheeks. "Mmm, I do love that you're not afraid to put up a fight. Most titters like you fold much too easily."

"Go fuck yourself." Meredith hissed through clenched teeth.

Mallard chuckled darkly. "I think I'd rather just fuck you."

Meredith wanted to cry out. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, but something stopped her. She suddenly remembered how she had seen Mallard with Ellis more frequently. They seemed close. Extremely close. After a short pause Meredith willed herself to look up at Mallard. The moon was behind his funnel, his face completely obscured by blackness. She straightened herself to look the slimy A4 in the eye. Her body trembled from the pain of his grasp on her, but the tone of her words held strong. "If you're going to fuck me I suggest you do it right."

Mallard's smirk faltered. He wasn't expecting the sudden change in attitude. Meredith held his gaze and as their stare-off continued she softened, leaning closer to him to whisper. "What're you waiting for?" She yanked his buffers, touching her lips to his. "Do I have to pull it out myself, hm?" Mallard was in shock, he struggled to keep his sex confined to its casing. His eyes darted between the nearby houses and roadways. There were no lights on in any windows and not a breath of life on the roads, but he still felt apprehensive about being so exposed.

Meredith jerked his buffers again. "You stopped me here, now get going!" She slammed his front fender forcing his panel to click open.

Mallard's boiler rumbled like distant thunder. The little engine suddenly screamed when he snapped his buffers down, ripping her fender off with the motion. He tossed the scrap aside then pushed himself to Meredith, her face wet and red. "I do like you, little Meredith, and I appreciate your sudden desire to be brave, but let me make one thing clear." Mallard's voice was a threatening growl. He put himself right in her face, their noses touching. "Talk to me like that again and I'll rip your smokebox off then fuck your lifeless corpse."

"Kestrel… Kestrel, you big sod, wake up!" Quicksilver knocked the pillar between himself and his still snoring brother, startling the green A4 awake with a growl.

"Whaat?!" Kestrel pouted.

"Something isn't right."

A sigh. "What isn't right?"

"I'm not sure." Quicksilver started up from his berth. He glanced up at the sky. The moon was dropping towards the horizon. Dawn was quickly approaching. He gestured for Kestrel to follow him. "Come on. You can nap later."

Kestrel lugged from his stall with another exhausted sigh. "You're such a freak. How do you know something's even wrong? It's a perfectly peaceful night."

"That's exactly what I don't like." Quicksilver stated.

"You're losing it, old man." Kestrel jabbed as he followed his brother down the winding tracks towards London. Quicksilver moved slowly but with purpose. He wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for, but he scrutinized every siding, every large stone, and every building that may obscure whatever it was that caused him to feel such great unease. Then he stopped suddenly as a gentle breeze caressed his face. Kestrel bumped into his brother's tender and snarled.

"What now?!"

Quicksilver ignored the bellyaching behind him while he looked around with even more care than before. He noted the close suburb where he could see some light as the early risers began to wake. He studied the tracks around him and stopped when he noticed a puddle of oil along the adjacent rails. "Kestrel, switch tracks. Get beside me."

Kestrel did as he was told and quickly noticed the spill that caught his brother's attention. "That's odd."

"There's a trail." Quicksilver dropped his voice to a whisper. "Watch behind me." The two followed the line of spilled fluid all the way to an overgrown siding outside the suburb. Quicksilver took a deep breath in through his nose. He kept steady as he stared down the dark tracks. "Go to Doncaster. Bring back a breakdown train."

"What? Why—"

"Now! And if you run into Flying Scotsman don't say a word, understood?" Quicksilver didn't wait for his brother to respond before he started down the track. He could see where larger branches had already been forced to the side. There were even leaves that had burned from excessive heat exposure. The silver A4 had no idea what awaited him as he carefully pushed on, but he knew he was close to her as her scent grew stronger with every foot. He noted chips of deep blue paint along the sides of trees that hugged the track and he felt his firebox's temperature shoot up.

Several long minutes passed before Quicksilver came to what he believed to be the end of the siding. He found the buffer stops, they were damaged. But he couldn't see any other signs of life. Until he heard strained breathing a good distance from the track. "Meredith!" He called. He wasn't afraid to raise his voice. He knew they were alone. "Meredith, where are you?" There was no verbal response, but he picked up the familiar hissing of steam valves. He looked to the left and deep in the bushes he saw the faintest hint of white peaking through the thicket.

Vicarstown was as bustling as ever. Emerson rolled in with the morning express. He was exhausted after spending most of the night pounding out Sonny. In his sleepy state he wound up early yet again to the large station and found himself face-to-face with Flying Scotsman. "Well don't you look worn out." The mainland engine chuckled once he laid eyes on the bushed Sudrian express.

"Hmph," Emerson wasn't at all happy to see him, but he was too tired to be smart. "What're you doing here?"

"My replacement required some maintenance." Scotsman said with an eye roll. He still was not aware of the circumstances that landed Mallard in the Steamworks nor of his lieutenant's morbid discovery, but he was forcing back the frustration of his nasty argument with his older brother. He could use a distraction. "So, what is it that has you so drained?"

"I couldn't sleep." It wasn't entirely a lie, but certain bits of truth were withheld.

Scot took a moment to overlook his maroon counterpart. He knew the young engine was hiding something, but there was something seemingly unstable about him. Like he was one wrong move away from complete mental collapse. Assuming he hadn't already crossed that threshold. "You're still cross with me, aren't you?" Emerson merely looked at Scot in response. "I really hope you don't intend to try and steal Meredith back."

"She's better off here." Emerson said finally. "I heard about what happened to her in London. Can you honestly believe she's safe with you there?"

"I have full control of my railway, Emerson. It was an isolated incident and I can assure you it's been handled." Scotsman was seething, but he maintained his composure for the sake of the passengers filling the station. He narrowed his gaze as the sun popped out from behind a cloud. "I suggest you learn how to handle yours. Don't need any wayward engines coming in to stir up trouble on such a peaceful little island."

"Is that a threat?" Emerson growled.

"Only if you step out of line again, boy!" Scotsman's voice was laced with malice. He stared Emerson down and the Sudrian engine could only hold it for so long before he had to drop his eyes and look away. Scotsman relaxed with a subtle smirk. "You're a strong engine, Emerson, but you're a fool if you think you're any kind of threat to me."

"I must be to have you so bothered." Emerson retorted.

Scotsman nearly popped his rivets. Unfortunately for Emerson, their tracks were close enough the LNER locomotive was able to reach over and pull him by one of his buffers. The green A3 stared daggers through him, steam puffing from Scotsman's nose with every deep breath out. "Do you have a death wish?"

Emerson's mouth was dry as he stared deep into Scotsman's eyes. He was close enough to see the subtle aqua tint that flecked an otherwise black pit. The passengers waiting to board all watched in horror. They had never seen an engine grab another in such a manner and the crowds began to back a safe distance away.

"Please… let go." Emerson begged quietly. His buffer felt sore being pulled at such a sharp angle and he didn't like how everyone was watching them.

"Best learn to control that tongue of yours." Scotsman hissed. He shoved Emerson off, the young engine fixing his pilot wheels back onto the track. "I won't warn you again. Keep to your tracks and mind your business."

Emerson watched Flying Scotsman depart for the mainland. He worked to steady his breathing, he felt nauseous. What in the world did he get himself mixed-up in?

I had plotted out a pretty in-depth authors note here but it seems to have escaped me. Yikes. Yes, a lot happened in this chapter and I do apologize for possibly overwhelming anyone. Lol. I'll do my best to not leave everyone hanging for too long but that just depends on my mental ability to do so. Lol.

I'm delving a bit into the more animalistic details of "my" engines such as them having very minute hints of color in their eyes as well as the steam coming from their noses and mouths when they're worked-up. I'm also stepping out of my comfort zone as far as their movements are concerned. Again they're not at all rubbery and can only maneuver as much as their materials will allow, but I'm trying to push that as far as I can. I'll admit I'm taking some notes from Pixar's 'Cars' Universe. They managed to figure out a way to give cars flexibility while also paying respect to the fact they're made of very static, non-malleable material overall. Just really pushing their body language and the parts that are more likely to be easier to move around.

Anywho; that's kinda all I have to say on that. I'll see you all in the next installment! Thank y'all for the continued support!

Much love;

Bumble