"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"I didn't!"

"Yes, you did! I have witnesses, you know!"

Lexis eyes darted back and forth, like she was watching a tennis match; not a verbal sparring between the Skarloey Railway's Nos. 3 and 4. She wished some painkillers would magically appear in her hands; or in her pockets; or better yet, her bloodstream. As it was, she had to battle her oncoming headache with a frustrated massage with her fingers.

"Shut up, Peter Sam! This isn't some bloody crime drama!" Retorted Sir Handel. "No pun intended." He added, somewhat sheepishly, as his crew groaned from inside his cab.

As this point, the teen had enough. "Ach, will ye both wheesh?!" She snapped suddenly, her Scottish accent, a gift from her mother, ringing through the Depot. "If ye steam breathing Sassenachs dinna belt up noo and act civilly, I'll stick a toilet brush up yer funnels!"

Granted, Lexi later became aware that this was not her most mature, or smartest threat. But it was enough to instantly get both engines to shut up at once and stare at her, blinking warily.

"Are ye both done?" She asked.

"For now," Sir Handel conceded, glaring at Peter Sam as if to say, 'We are definitely picking this up again later. Be on your guard.'

'I was on my guard before you said that.' Peter Sam seemed to say, his face already smirking. Sir Handel looked pretty speechless at this- or perhaps enraged. He hated not having the last word on any argument.

"Noo whit was that aboot?" Lexi demanded to know, her hands planted on her hips, her feet spread apart.

"We're brothers, Lexi," Explained Peter Sam, as though she was expected to know this already. "We argue a lot of the time."

Lexi frowned sceptically at this explanation. "Really? I know very little about you guys right now, but even I know Skarloey and Rheneas are 'biologically' related, whereas you two are from different designers and lack that same 'biological' relationship. And I have no idea how you guys claim familial ties round here."

Feeling very peeved off by her ignorance, Sir Handel decided to deal with this once and for all- with a little side jab at his sibling in the bargain.

So, he simply smiled sweetly at her, and said, "My dear Lexi, I can offer you an eloquent, yet very concise example to demonstrate how claiming kinship works here." He said, carefully gauging the reactions of his two companions. Peter Sam looked cautious, whereas Lexi had a mixture of grumpiness and curiosity scrawled across her brow.

"Continue. Also, why the hell are you speaking like that, Sir Handel?"

"Dramatic effect." Sir Handel replied bluntly. He cleared his throat, before continuing. "As I was saying… Peter Sam is adopted."

Silence. The little blue engine watched as his younger sibling blinked in shock and surprise. Lexi too had been taken aback by such a comment.

But she more surprised how it resembled a movie scene she'd watched than at the comment itself. She was about to ask Sir Handel if the engines had some kind of secret, illicit film club going on in the Depot, when Peter Sam suddenly spoke.

"Why you…." But he was unable to think of a witty retort. He blinked, took a deep breath, and then bellowed "Fiddlesticks!"

Sir Handel smirked.

"What was that for?!"

"What was I supposed to say, my dear sibling?" Asked Sir Handel snidely, chuckling at Peter Sam's glare. Oh, he was enjoying this!

"Well, there was no reason for you to say it!" The little Kerr Stuart replied, glaring at his older brother.

"Hey, I was only using it as an example to show Lexi how engines can develop familial bonds without having to come from the same company."

Not only did Lexi feel as clueless as she had before Sir Handel opened his mouth, she was really, really eager for some small mercy. She watched them both resume their argument; surprisingly, right from where they left off. Lexi often forgot what she and her brothers argued about when distracted; as did they, fortunately. But then, she figured that, as they were both centurions; they probably had enough practice at remembering where they left off their petty squabbles so they could resume them later in private.

The teenager just sat down on a crate, her pug-like face now in her slim, freckled hands. 'God, I'd much rather brave riding on Duncan's footplate than listen to these two a moment longer!' She thought, miserably.

"You impertinent scallywags!" A new voice scolded suddenly, causing Lexi's head to perk up. A brown tender engine, who appeared to be older than Peter Sam and Sir Handel, was giving the bickering brothers a stern look. "What sort of nonsense do you call this?"

"Sorry, Granpuff," Said Peter Sam apologetically. "Sir Handel started it."

"What? Throw me under the bus, won't you?" Asked Sir Handel angrily. "How could you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Sir Handel, I think I misused that expression." Peter Sam continued, finally coming up with a witty line to checkmate his brother. "I think meant 'under the steamroller', didn't you?" he asked innocently.

It had the exact effect he was looking for.

"STUART!" Sir Handel hollered, causing Lexi to clap her hands over her ears in shock. "HOW DARE YOU BRING GEORGE UP IN MY PRESENCE?! I WILL SET THEM TRUCKS ON YOU AGAIN!"

"Don't even think about it!" Barked Duke, sharply. "Now, settle this debacle, and stop making such a show of yourselves. This would never suit His Grace; and it certainly wouldn't suit the Thin Controller, either, if he heard you two making such a racket!"

Uncovering her ears, Lexi waited until she deemed it safe to butt in. "Erm, if your family drama's going to get personal, I can leave," she offered. That was when DUke noticed her for the first time, and his face darkened.

"You'll have to excuse these two." He told her politely, with a hint of sheepishness in his tone. "They can get into quite the argument with the right ammunition."

"Who can't?" Lexi asked, almost philosophically. "I'm Lexi, by the way. Lexi Heron." She added, with a wave and a grin. "I'm volunteering here now."

"Unfortunately," Muttered Sir Handel.

Duke and Peter Sam glared at him, but Lexi just shrugged. "And who might you be?" She asked curiously. "I didn't see you earlier, when Mr. Percival was introducing me to the others."

"I am Duke," He told her, grandly. "I was named after his Grace, the Duke of Sodor. And the reason why I wasn't here was because I was at the Wharf."

Lexi's eyes widened in surprise and wonder at such a grand announcement, and she glanced over at the other two engines- who already looked very bored to be hearing this, as though they'd heard the same thing a million times before. She turned back to Duke, still blinking in astonishment.

"Hm, you look surprised." Duke commented dryly.

"Well, I am. It's not often I meet engines with that sort of honour." Lexi said dumbly.

"But you said your grandfather worked for the LNER!" Sir Handel objected. "Several heroes of the rails were built and operated by the LNER!"

"Yeah- but my dad worked for a small industrial line in Ireland!" Lexi countered. "When he moved here after the line closed, he became a night janitor at my school before quitting due to stress!"

Sir Handel quickly caught on that Lexi never mentioned anything about her father operating Luke in the quarry for the past sixteen years or so. Of course, that could have been intentional, but he suddenly had a niggle form in his firebox that he couldn't quite reason away.

To take his mind off it, not that it was the most logical idea, he glanced over at Luke, who, remarkably, was still sleeping through their argument. But then again, the kid slept in a quarry filled with explosives and heavy duty machinery.

"So, Granpuff, what brings you back to the Depot?" Asked Peter Sam curiously.

"Hmph- I was summoned, by orders of the Thin Controller." the older engine grunted. "I'll find out shortly, I suppose."

"Yep." Agreed Peter Sam.

Sir Handel didn't answer- he just stared at Lexi, who seemed unaware of his sudden suspicion of her.