A/N: 700 reviews!? Oh, man, I cannot thank you guys enough, seriously! You're fab!
…..
When Luke was alone, he realized that he had a lot on his mind... so he took the rare opportunity of solitude to brood over the past few months.
He thought about the fire which he intended to end his life, and he thought of how Duncan had been blinded trying to save him. He reflected on Rusty and Skarloey saving him from near death on the cliff. Images of Merrick saving him from committing suicide flooded his funnel. Rheneas staying with him and telling stories whenever he was sick or frightened rung clear in his memory.
He had been through so much…. had caused nothing but trouble from the start, and his friends had had to help him constantly.
And, come to think of it, he only had had infrequent bursts of amusement or happiness in the months he had been at the Blue Mountain Quarry- usually he was feeling remorseful, fearful or uncertain.
He'd long since lost enjoyment in life- the sound of the birds singing, the feeling of the warm sunshine on his face, feeling euphoric at completing a job well done...in short...
The engine that had left Ireland was no longer the engine that had come to Sodor.
'I just cause so much to go wrong...my friends cannot keep helping me out of my messes forever.' Luke thought to himself.
'So, does this mean you've finally given up, engine killer? You cannot escape from the truth for much longer...' A familiar voice crooned in his funnel.
"Well, what choice do I have?" Luke asked aloud; for he was alone, and he could talk back. Challenge his inner demons. "I know what I've done, and I know there is nothing to be...to be..." But he could not finish for the tears and sobs choking down his words.
But he knew that, in the end, he would still lose.
'There is a way,' Crooned the Voice. 'I know the way to end your pain and suffering for all eternity...'
Luke hated to admit it, but he knew that he had one option left- after all; he was being a burden to his friends, especially Rheneas, who had become ill because of him. Images of fire, blindness, sickness, the bridge, the cliff, the sea, and the yellow engine all blurred into one, and he felt dizzy just trying to pick everything apart.
'Well, it has a point- you would be able to sleep a painless, eternal sleep,' his thoughts reasoned with the Voice.
Luke, feeling certain he had now hit his breaking point, was feeling desperate to end his life quickly.
All at once, a sudden calm washed over him, and he felt ready to commit the Final Act…
So, he managed to ask some late- night workmen to start him up, feigning an excuse for this sudden request. Fortunately for him, they didn't ask, so Luke was soon steaming out of the Blue Mountain Quarry...with the intention of never entering its walls again.
