A/N Respect this. I want to be able to keep this up, but I can do so only if no flames except guest reviewers. If a guest flames this, I'll remove the flame and if it's a site member, I'm taking this down and just doing scenes for my FanFiction buddy.

One morning, Erica was just barely in steam when she heard Thomas crying. "What's wrong, buddy?" she asked, pressing her buffers against his. "Let it all out." She gave him a kind look.

"I had a nightmare this morning before I woke", her friend sniffled, big tears streaming from his eyes. "I lost my branch line because I was very late, even though it wasn't my fault." His driver, who had just arrived, took a cloth from his pocket, climbed onto his engine's running board and dried Thomas's tears, reassuring his engine it was just a dream while wiping his cheeks and eyes.

"I hate seeing you so sad, Thomas", she said. "It's okay. I think of myself as your little sister."

Thomas managed to smile as he stopped crying. "Thank you for making me feel better from that terrible dream", he said to his driver and his friend. Then, he said to Erica, "So, you've adopted me as a brother? Well, we do have similar personalities, in some ways. We're even both tank engines, sister.".

Then, it was time for them to do their jobs.

"Good-bye", Erica said. "I've got to go do my first job of this day now. See you when I can, brother." She puffed off and with a smile on her face, whistled happily.

Thomas called out, "Good-bye," and minutes later, happily went off to his branch line, whistling.

Erica thought, I wonder if being in my shed instead of his affected him. It was too stormy for him to go back to his shed last night after pulling an evening train to Knapford. She then arrived at the yards. Time for some shunting, she thought. And when work's done for my "brother" and me, we can meet up again. He's got his own jobs, but we can talk later.

Meanwhile, Thomas was pulling Annie and Clarabel on his branch line. Maybe being in a different shed gave me that nightmare, he thought. That was 2 things I quite dislike. But I had my "sister" and then Driver to help me.

Later on that day, Erica met up with Percy. The little green tank engine came to the yard to pick up some cars.

"Hello, Erica," he said timidly. "We haven't interacted much, but Thomas told me how you comforted him when he had a nightmare this morning. I'd like to be your friend. I know you're nice because of how you did that for my friend."

Erica said, "He was crying and I didn't like that. I feel so bad when he cries."

Percy said, "I can tell you're so sweet. I've got to take these trucks."

Her reply was "So happy to have a new friend." She gave him her cheeky smile and whistled happily. "See you again." Her dark eyes were twinkling because she was so glad to have a friend in Percy.

After Thomas was done with his jobs, he made sure to meet up with his "little sister" in Knapford before going to his shed. She told him about making friends with Percy.

Thomas said to his "sister", "I've had my share of fights with Percy, but nobody fights like best friends. He's cheeky, like me, so we've had our moments of teasing, but even when we've had a fight, we make up and get on again."

Erica said, "Get on's like get along, I take it? I don't get along with Gordon because he's rude to me."

Thomas said, "I didn't get on with Gordon when he first came here. He was napping and I woke him up with my whistle because I enjoyed being cheeky to the big engines. I've got to get to my shed."

Erica laughed in reaction to her "big brother" telling abou teasing Gordon, "So that's why he said what he did to me. Good-bye, Thomas until tomorrow."

"Cheerio", was his reply. "It's a word for good-bye on this side of the pond."

And they went to their sheds.

A/N Suicuneluvr made Thomas cry over a nightmare in her A Sacrifice For Those You Love and Edward (Thomas and Edward are brotherly in her and her online sisters' Thomasverse) comforts him, talks with him and gives him an engine hug. Erica here parallels that, in the sibling-like relationship she and Thomas have and the way she comforts him. I'm too Thomas sensitive to have Hurt without Comfort when it's him because I feel really bad when he cries. I grew up with the models, when the drivers had more of a role.