A/N: In response to Jojo's review: Your question about Edward and Eithne's relationship will be answered in this chapter.
And responding again to Eliot Reader's review: I forgot to thank you last time for telling me how much you enjoyed my story. Yes, my female characters do have eyelashes, but they're not as thick as human ones. Michaela's are thicker than Eithne's but I have an OC yet to appear who has even thicker eyelashes.
So, I've been wanting to introduce this human character of mine for a long time now. Ellie is my child (I see my OCs as my figurative children), and I love her dearly. But! I would like to make something clear first: I did NOT copy ChattyEngine5's story "What You Truly See" or KataladineRae's story "The Engine and I" (and I highly recommend checking them both out, 'cause the authors and their stories are really great). Yes, Ellie is blind, and yes, she has a very strong bond with Percy. In truth, Ellie's story has been in the works for a few months now, and it was all planned out from the very beginning (except that she was originally an engine, before I decided to explore human/engine relationships and changed her to be a human). I'll try to make Ellie's story as different as I can from theirs to avoid any confusion or legal issues.
Sorry, I just wanted to clear that up for a second. And now... on to the story!
It was a pleasant evening on the Island of Sodor. Edward, Eithne, and Philip had just finished their jobs for the day and were heading to Tidmouth Sheds so that Eithne could be properly introduced to the whole Steam Team.
Eithne was getting a little nervous as they approached Tidmouth. "Dear me…" she sighed. "My wheels are shaking so much right now… What if they react the same way that most other engines did when they first met me?"
"What if they don't?" Edward replied gently. "I'm sure they're going to love you, Eithne. I mean… who doesn't?"
She looked up, her cheeks getting rather warm. "Wh-what?"
His eyes widened as he realized what had come out of his mouth. "What?"
Luckily, Philip decided that he wanted to join in on their conversation and immediately began talking. "Oh Eithne, I've just remembered! You know how I told you that I don't know the story behind my number? Well, I may not know why they gave it to me in the first place, but ever since I came to Sodor I've come to realize… 68 is actually my lucky number!"
"You don't say?" Eithne smiled pleasantly at her little friend.
"Yes!" He gasped. "What if all the engines' numbers are their lucky numbers? Edward, that means that 2 must be your lucky number, and Eithne's lucky number is 66!"
The steam diesel's smile grew, and she whispered to Edward, "I'm glad that somebody finally told me that they think my number is lucky and not a curse."
Edward felt happy for her, but then he suddenly frowned as he realized what she had said. "A curse? Who told you your number was a curse?"
Just then, a cheery whistle sounded from up ahead, and the trio could see Thomas smiling inside his berth in Tidmouth Sheds. "Hey, Edward! Hello, Philip! And I'm very glad to see you here too, Eithne!"
She smiled and attempted to hide her nervousness when she saw that the entire Steam Team was also there at the sheds. "Oh, hello, Thomas…"
Edward could still see that her wheels were shaking with fright and decided to speak up. "Everyone, this is Eithne, the new engine who works on my branch line."
One by one, the engines went around and all introduced themselves to Eithne. It didn't take long for one of the engines to ask the one question that she was dreading.
"Um, excuse me for asking this, but… what kind of engine are you?" Percy asked. "I mean… I've met different-looking engines before, but you look very different from everybody else that I've met so far."
Eithne forced a nervous smile, but her engine began to vibrate with fear on the inside. "I-I… I'm a… a…" She sighed and tried to gather enough courage to tell them.
When it was clear that she was struggling to get the words out, Philip suddenly spoke for her. "She's a steam diesel!"
"What?" all of the engines asked in unison.
Eithne froze up and couldn't move, with the exception of her trembling wheels.
Edward moved forward to explain, giving his friend a reassuring look. "When Eithne starts to move after sitting still, she uses steam power to begin moving, then she switches to a diesel engine to keep moving after that."
The other engines were amazed. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, Eithne wasn't sure.
"So… you have a fire and a diesel engine?" Percy asked again.
"Not exactly…" she began shyly. "I don't have a fire, but I actually use the heat of my engine to boil water and create steam power."
"That's incredible!" said Emily.
Eithne's eyes widened, and she felt a glimmer of hope well up inside of her. "R-really?"
"Of course!" said Nia. "It's not every day we hear about incredible kinds of engines that can do that. And meeting one is even more exciting! I'm glad you came here to Sodor. I love making new friends!"
Eithne was speechless. She hadn't been expecting such welcoming responses from the engines at Tidmouth. Her wheels stopped shaking, and suddenly she didn't feel so scared anymore.
As she moved forward onto the turntable and began to talk to the other engines, James glanced over at Edward with a genuine look of surprise. "I don't understand… I thought Sir Topham Hatt was going to be replacing you with her, but she's depending on you almost as if you two have already been working together for years and already know each other very well. How does something like that even happen?"
Edward frowned. "Depending on me…? Oh, James, it's not like that at all. I-I mean… if I am being honest, I do care for her a lot. We're supposed to be working together on my branch line, after all."
James raised an eyebrow, and his look of disbelief and confusion grew. "I… Edward… What I'm really trying to say is… how did you get her so quickly?"
Now Edward was getting confused. "'Get her?'"
Thomas was listening to them and chuckled as he looked over at James, an impish grin spreading over his face. "'He's too old,' you said. 'He'll get scrapped before the day's over,' you said. And here old Edward gets a girlfriend long before you do!" He burst out laughing.
James was furious. "Be quiet!" he snapped.
But Thomas just kept on laughing hysterically.
Edward's cheeks were turning red. "H-hold on, Thomas... Did you just say girlfriend?"
Thankfully, Eithne was too busy talking with the girls on the Steam Team and hadn't heard anything, but Edward was still embarrassed.
"Th-Thomas... she's not my... my... Oh dear."
Thomas's laughter died down, and he smiled up at Edward. "Why not? I think you and she are a perfect match. Besides, I could've sworn that I saw her blushing earlier—" and here he giggled, "—the same way you are now!"
Edward was mortified.
When it started to get dark out, Eithne and Philip said goodnight to everyone and left Edward at Tidmouth Sheds as they headed back to Wellsworth.
As Edward settled in his berth for the night, he began to wonder if what James and Thomas had said was true. After all, he had actually noticed Eithne blushing too, and if he was being honest with himself… he felt warm and happy around her like he had never felt before.
The next day, Sir Topham Hatt came to Tidmouth Sheds to see Percy, and he wasn't alone. Aside from the two aides that were usually standing at attention behind him, this time a twelve-year-old girl with dirty blond hair and grayish-blue eyes was at Sir Topham's side.
"Percy, I have a special job for you today. My wife, Lady Hatt, is taking our grandchildren and grand niece on a picnic, and I would like for you to be the one to take them to Arlesburgh Castle."
"Oh! Of course, sir! I'd be glad to take them."
"Excellent." Sir Topham Hatt glanced down at the girl standing next to him, who was holding onto his hand and gazing off into the abyss. "Ellie, this is Percy, one of the engines that you wanted to know all about."
She glanced up at him, then turned her eyes in Percy's direction and smiled. "Hello there. My grand uncle tells me you're a saddle tank engine?"
He blinked in surprise. Ellie's eyes weren't looking right at him, but she seemed to be directing her full attention at him. "...Yes, that's right. I pull goods during the day, but at night I love taking the mail train."
Her smile brightened, and she let go of Sir Topham Hatt's hand and took a step closer. "That's wonderful. I'd like to hear all about it when we get to Arlesburgh Castle."
"Oh?" Percy was bewildered, but happy to know that Ellie was interested in the things that he really liked. "Sure thing!"
Sir Topham Hatt took his grand niece by the hand and gently pulled her back to his side. "Right then. I'm going to drop Ellie off with my wife at Knapford. I'll see you later when you get back this evening, Percy."
As the Fat Controller walked back to his car, Percy noticed that one of the aides took Ellie by the hand and, while opening the door for her with his other hand, helped her climb inside.
Percy watched them go with a mix of confusion and curiosity as to why Ellie was acting a little differently from most other people that he had met. He hummed dismissively and began to puff out of the shed.
Edward watched Eithne collect some flatbeds while the two of them were down at Brendam Docks. He blushed when she briefly looked over at him while making eye contact, and quickly looked away.
Eithne seemed to be having the same trouble, because she looked away too and barely managed to stutter out a "thank you" when the shunter had finished coupling her up to her flatbeds.
Edward took a deep breath when they began to leave and tried to keep calm despite the fact that the embers in his firebox kept stirring up every few seconds and making him feel all jittery inside. It's no big deal, Edward, he thought to himself. Just tell her how you feel, and then these nerve-wracking feelings should go away.
He took one look at Eithne and immediately felt his flames palpitate in intensity. Edward closed his eyes. It's no use… I can't do this.
When Percy arrived at Knapford Station with a red coach to take Sir Topham Hatt's family on their outing, Lady Hatt was waiting on the platform with Stephen, Bridget, and Ellie in tow.
"Good morning, ma'am!" he said with a smile. "I'm ready to take you up to Arlesburgh Castle."
"Thank you very much, Percy!" Lady Hatt motioned for her grandchildren to board the coach and looked back to make sure Ellie was following them.
*Percy suddenly noticed that Ellie had a dog standing next to her—a black-and-white Border Collie, to be exact—which was wearing a sky blue service dog vest with a handle attached to it. She gripped the handle and followed the collie towards the train, where Lady Hatt gently took her hand and helped her on board.
Percy was practically overflowing with curiosity. Why did she need to have a dog help guide her around?
He whistled and promptly left the station. They traveled up the Little Western at first, before switching onto Toby's Branch Line and continuing up toward the junction. There, they switched onto the track that led to their destination, and before they knew it, they had arrived at Arlesburgh Castle.
People were scattered about the castle grounds, sightseeing and setting up lunch on the grass outside the walls. Stephen and Bridget quickly ejected from the coach and laughed as they raced towards the castle, but their rather young grandmother called them back so they could all properly set up their picnic together.
As Ellie got out of Percy's coach, her dog patiently led her over to her second cousins, and the little green tank engine suddenly couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer.
"Excuse me… Ellie?" he asked.
She turned to face him, but her eyes weren't looking right at him. "Yes, Percy?"
"Um… Well, I probably shouldn't be asking this, but… erm… Why do you need to be led around by a dog?"
Ellie smiled sweetly and patted her collie on the head. "This is Hana. She's my seeing-eye dog."
"'Seeing-what?'" Percy asked.
She chuckled a little. "I was born blind, you see. My parents and I used to live on a farm near Toryreck, and I grew up there until a few years ago, when I started going to school.
"As we studied the history of Sodor, I became interested in trains and wanted to learn more about them, so my parents moved us to Tidmouth, where we could be much closer to steam engines."
"But…" The little tank engine was puzzled. "If you're blind, you can't see us. No offense."
"It's okay, Percy." Ellie smiled again, and this time Percy felt like his axles were going to melt from how kind she was being to him. "I can still hear you, and that means so much to me. I can get to know you through conversation, and… did you know that I'm training myself to recognize what type of engine is coming past just by paying attention to how it sounds?"
"Really?"
She nodded. "I've noticed that some engines have very distinct sounds that they make when they are moving. I'm also studying the layout of engines by feeling models of them. That's why I asked if you were a saddle tank engine earlier today at the sheds. I have a model of one, and I like to feel its layout so I can get a sense of what it looks like."
Ellie reached into her satchel and pulled out a small train. Percy gasped—the engine looked just like him, except it didn't have a face!
"Wow… Ellie, I look exactly like that!"
She smiled and ran her fingers over the top of the model engine. "Oh, really? Now I can kind of picture you. Except that I've never actually seen before in my entire life, so it's probably different from how you picture things in your mind."
Percy's smile turned into a frown, and he could suddenly feel tears threatening to spill out of his eyes. "That's so sad… How do you do it? Still finding happiness in your life, that is. If I went blind, I'd probably never feel happy again…"
Ellie was silent for a moment. "...It's not as easy as some people think it is. Some days I cry a little and wish that I could see, but most of the time I'm alright because I've learned to cope with it. I also have the most wonderful family in the world. They've been a huge help, and my parents are always there to give me strength when it feels like I can't go on."
She turned back to face Stephen and Bridget, who were laughing happily as they joked around while setting up lunch. "My second cousins and grand aunt and uncle are so kind to let me come along with them whenever I ask, and aside from my parents, they're the closest people to me that I know."
Hana looked up at her with a whine, and Ellie smiled a little and patted her dog. "You mean a lot to me too, girl. I love you, and you'll always be a part of our family." She knelt down and kissed Hana on the head.
Percy watched them for a moment, then he looked away and stared down at the tracks. "...I should let you go eat your lunch now. Thanks for answering my questions."
"You're welcome, Percy." Ellie followed Hana over to their picnic blanket and sat down. "If you'd like, you can tell me all about what you like to do for fun. You said you love taking the mail train?"
His eyes brightened. "Oh, yes! I really do love pulling it, and here's why…"
Eithne watched Edward out of the corner of her eye as they went about their work on the Brendam Branch Line. She blushed when he glanced in her direction and quickly lowered her gaze.
I have to tell him sooner or later, Eithne thought. If I don't, I probably never will, and then one day it will be too late…
The pair had been rather quiet for most of the day and had hardly spoken to anyone, much less each other. Both of them had something very important to say to one another, but neither had the courage to do so.
When Percy arrived at Knapford Station later that evening, Sir Topham Hatt was waiting there to greet his family when they exited the train. After speaking to Lady Hatt for a moment, the Fat Controller turned to Percy and thanked him for taking his family up to Arlesburgh Castle for their picnic.
As Percy watched them leave the station, he called out, "Goodbye, Ellie! I had fun talking with you today."
Ellie waved back at him with a tiny smile, and Hana glanced back at Percy as if she didn't want to leave him.
He smiled sadly, and a thoughtful look crossed his face as Ellie disappeared from sight. "Maybe… one day we'll get to do this again sometime."
As Ellie climbed into Sir Topham Hatt's car alongside Stephen and Bridget and pulled Hana up onto her lap, she was still thinking about Percy. She absentmindedly pulled out the model of the saddle tank engine from her satchel and ran her hands over it again, memorizing all its details and trying to commit them to memory while recalling all of Percy's adventures that he had told her about.
Edward slowly puffed back to Tidmouth Sheds, pondering over everything that had happened that day. Although things had been fairly uneventful on his branch line, he couldn't stop thinking about Eithne and how much he suddenly cared for her.
Edward wanted to tell her how he felt, but something was holding him back. He was afraid that Eithne didn't have those same feelings for him, and even though he suspected that she did, the courage to get those words out of his mouth just wasn't inside of him.
Or so he thought.
When Edward reached Tidmouth Sheds and was backing into his berth alongside his sleeping friends, he suddenly heard the hum of an ancient diesel engine coming closer to the sheds.
"Eithne?" he gasped when he saw the Irish steam diesel rushing towards him.
She was out of breath when she reached the turntable, but quickly recovered and puffed in front of the blue tender engine as soon as the rails aligned with those of his berth.
"I… There's something I need to tell you." Eithne paused and deep breathed in and out to calm herself. "Edward… I really can't put this any other way, but I have to tell you before I regret it because I missed my chance."
"Actually, Eithne…" Edward rolled forward and pressed his buffers against hers. "I have something to tell you, too."
"What if we go at the same time?" she asked.
"Okay."
There was a pause, and then, at the exact same time—
"I love you."
Even though Edward and Eithne were expecting each other to say those exact three words, it still surprised them both and they separated for a second, before coming back together again.
"R-really?" Eithne asked in disbelief.
Although Edward was having trouble believing it as well, he was still very relieved. "Of course I do. When I first met you, I was drawn to how kind and gentle you were… and if I'm being honest, I think your Irish accent is quite endearing."
Eithne smiled shyly and pressed her buffers up against his as much as she could. "I was glad to finally meet somebody who didn't hate me for being part steam engine and diesel, and you were caring for me in ways that nobody had ever before in my life."
Edward leaned closer, and his voice softened. "I do care for you very much, Eithne. I love you."
Tears of joy began to roll down her cheeks, and Eithne leaned closer to him.
**Their lips met, and they kissed for a few minutes, before finally pulling back and saying good night to one another.
As Edward rolled back into his berth and watched Eithne leave, the feeling of her lips still burning against his, he took a deep breath and tried to relax enough to fall asleep, but his mind was still focused on the love of his life.
That was when Thomas's eyes flew open. "Congratulations, Edward!"
"Aah!" he yelped. Then Edward looked over at the cheeky blue tank engine with a worried expression. "Wait… were you watching us this whole time?"
"More or less." Thomas grinned. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone unless you say it's okay."
"Thank you. Now… go to sleep."
Edward shut his eyes and tried to do what he had told Thomas to do as well, but it would take several more hours for him to finally fall asleep.
A/N: Although Ellie is Sudrian, she has an American accent because that's all I can hear her speaking in whenever I write her. She is also an undiagnosed Aspie (meaning she has Asperger's Syndrome).
I forgot to mention it back in chapters two or three, but Duck is (headcanonically in this fanfiction) a Level 1 autistic, just like Ellie. Michaela is a little more extreme, so she's a Level 2 autistic.
*I've read that you have to be at least sixteen to use a guide dog, but I've also heard of instances in the UK where people under the age of sixteen were able to legally use guide dogs under a certain training program or another. I might be bending the rules a little bit here, but Ellie is mature for her age and good with animals, and here in my main Thomasverse, she has legally proven that she is capable of handling a guide dog under one of the aforementioned training programs.
**I know that the engines' faces shouldn't be able to reach each other because of their buffers, but this is probably the only illogical thing I'm purposely choosing to add in this story, because I feel sad about the engines not being able to physically express their affection as easily as humans can. I'm sorry if this bothers you.