A/N Just a chapter highlighting their relationship and nothing dramatic happening in the chapter.
Thomas told Erica "Sister, I got a chance to help you shunt the Troublesome Trucks. You don't know them yet, since you haven't been here long."
Erica asked, "What do I need to know about these Troublesome Trucks?'
"Well,", her "big brother" said, "You call them cars. They're cheeky to engines, love to giggle, sing and play tricks on us."
Thomas's driver got him moving and Erica followed. She was still learning her way around Sodor. They arrived at the yard after awhile and got to work.
Thomas looked at sister with his eyes twinkling and said, "I like this place, but only to a point. I mean, I enjoy shunting, but I love my branch line, too. Don't biff them too hard because they don't like that."
Erica smiled at her "brother" for the tip and they shunted the Troublesome Trucks.
"All done", Thomas said.
Erica then said, "The engines where I used to be were mean to me, mostly. Because of how I'm different." Her smile faded and tears welled up in her eyes as she sniffled. "They were just like Diesel in how they treated me, basically. I cried so much, a number of times I had no more tears left to shed." Her driver walked to her face with a handkerchief to dry the tears she cried.
"There, there", he said, wiping her tears from her cheeks and eyes. "It's okay if the memories still hurt."
Thomas told her, "I shall give you an engine hug and you just let it all out. I just want to see you happy again." He pressed his buffers tight against hers.
Erica finished crying over her painful memories of her fellow engines that were mean in her old home, gave her "brother" a smile and they left the yard to get ready for their next jobs. Erica needed a drink and Thomas needed to take on coal for his train.
Thomas thought as he went to get coal, My "little sister" seems amazing, in a way. I love how she can still smile even with that ghastly past. Maybe it's because of the "mostly" or her driver. I remember one of my older siblings having emotional problems because his driver thought he shouldn't cry. Maybe his driver couldn't handle others being emotional. In my case, Driver just dries my tears and helps me feel better. His smile covered his face as he got coal and was readied for his train.
Meanwhile, in Knapford, Erica had her drink and then went to Knapford Yard to shunt with her friends there. Her cheeky little grin was showing. I'm fond of this place, she thought. Her friends told her about their lives before her arrival as they worked. She truly liked shunting. Her "brother" pulled his train through Knapford and she heard him whistle. She blew her whistle right back, happily. Her dark eyes were bright, between the shunting and knowing he, her closest Sodor friend, was near. After a little while, her crew had a break and she was left on a siding in Knapford.
Thomas saw his "sister" on that siding and asked her why she was there. She said her crew had to take a break and go eat.
His reply was, "You're here while they're away, I guess. Was there something that triggered your memories earlier?"
She told her "brother", "I heard a horn and it reminded me of Diesel, which gave me flashback memories of all the other mean engines. It makes me sad and I can't control my emotions. So, I just had a good cry because I can't hold back my tears and I don't mind you seeing them anyway. I've seen you cry your eyes out over a nightmare. The first time I cried was when those mean engines on the railroad, railway to you, I first lived on were mean to me. I asked my then-engineer, driver as you say, "Why are my eyes wet?". He told me about crying and wiped my teary face and eyes. He kept drying my eyes as I cried and cried, comforting me until I felt better. I learned then, how it feels to cry it out."
He told his "sister", "I know how much you trust me. You didn't care I saw your tears when you got bullied by Diesel or ealier when you cried your eyes out over those bullies of before. I do what feels right to me. So, if I feel like crying, I shall cry. If a friend needs help and I can, I help my friend. I'm not scared of emotion. I quite like to be happy, so if I need to let it all out to feel happy again, I do."
Erica's crew came back and the tank engines went to their sheds, saying good-bye as they set out.
A/NThe Great Discovery says he likes shunting. Her past is inspired by my fanfic buddy's creation and how many on the spectrum are treated. I said no drama, but I just meant no drama actually happening. I just decided to give my trainsona a backstory. This fic began as scenes created for my fanfic buddy, who likes Hurt/Comfort. The characters who cry are ones with emotional, sensitive personality types _SFP or _NFP Myers-Briggs. In my Thomasverse, when an engine's named, that's when they come alive. The lving engines of Erica's past aren't named in the narrative because I don't know how to name engines that well. I just named her after me because she's my trainsona. Their names aren't needed for the plot. I don't really know what sort of US-built tank engine she is, but she's some class of that. She learned the US words when she was being tested and uses them when talking about her old life.