A/N: Hey guys, sorry this chapter is so late. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control, I won't be able to post things once a week anymore... More like once every two weeks. If I do manage to scrape together enough time to post more often, I will, but that's likely not going to happen for the time being.

The chapter after this will introduce another OC of mine, then I'll focus on Michaela again in the two following chapters after that.

The day after Michaela's driver, Kennet, had left on his honeymoon, Michaela went to work at Arlesburgh Yards with Sam as her new driver, and Norman as her relief fireman.

At first, things seemed to be going smoothly, until some of the Troublesome Trucks noticed that she was being driven by somebody different. The trucks weren't nearly as troublesome with Michaela as they had been on her first day, but every once in a while they did something that made Michaela upset or caused confusion and delay.

"Hey, Michaela!" a Troublesome Truck called out as she moved past it. "Where's your usual driver? It looks like you're being driven by somebody else."

"Yeah, where's Kennet?" chimed in another.

Michaela suddenly winced, then she began to slow down. "Um… he's not here right now."

"When will he be back?" asked a third truck.

Sometimes Kennet told jokes to pass the time as they worked in the shunting yard, and the Troublesome Trucks enjoyed it very much, almost as much as they enjoyed singing with Michaela.

The iridescent engine sighed sadly. "I… I think he'll be back in a few days…"

Sam poked his head out of her cab. "He'll be back in a week. Now let's get back to work, Michaela."

Michaela realized that she had stopped moving completely, and blushed as she began to puff forward again. "I-I'm sorry… I just don't feel like my usual self today."

"Ah'll say!" said Donald as he and Douglas entered the shunting yard. "Ah havenae heard ye sing at all today! Whitever is th' matter, lassie?"

"Well…" she began, "I guess I just don't feel like singing when Kennet's not here. He's gone on his… uh… What did you call it before, Sam?"

"His honeymoon."

"Yeah, that. Until he gets back, I don't think I'll have the desire to sing again."

The Troublesome Trucks all immediately began to throw a fit. "But what about the new songs you always promise to teach us?"

Before Michaela could answer them, Sam replied for her. "You'll just have to do without them."

When Michaela went to pull a line of trucks to another part of the yard, they all put on their brakes and began to laugh and taunt her.

Donald made a face as he watched the scene unfold. "Ye ken, Sam, ah dinnae think yer comment helped any."

Michaela's eyes were starting to water with tears of frustration as she struggled with the Troublesome Trucks, when there was a sudden bump from the other end of the line, and she looked up to see Douglas pushing from the other end.

Sam let out a hum of surprise when they had finished shunting the trucks to where they needed to go.

"What is it, Sam?" asked Norman.

"Nothing…" He waved his hand dismissively, but peered out of the cab at Douglas, then shifted his gaze back to Michaela with a thoughtful expression.

The iridescent tender engine didn't notice her driver's stare as she watched the twins puff away with an awestruck look in her eyes.

"Michaela, those trucks over there need to go to Crosby Yards," Sam told his engine.

Michaela let out a sigh as she tried to calm some Troublesome Trucks who were being rowdy. "Okay."

A few minutes later, Sam leaned out of her cab again. "Michaela, the trucks!"

She stopped in her tracks. "What about them?"

"They're supposed to go to Crosby Yards."

"I know. You already told me that."

Sam facepalmed angrily, briefly forgetting what Kennet had told him about being patient with their engine. "Michaela, we're supposed to take those trucks to the other yard! That's why I told you that in the first place!"

Michaela was startled by her driver's response. "I-I'm sorry, I'll get to it right away… You know, you could've just asked me to take them there."

"I did ask you to."

"No… You said that the trucks were going to go to Crosby Yards, not that we were supposed to do anything about them."

There was a thunk inside Michaela's cab, and she could feel her driver's head hitting the side of her cab in exasperation.

"I don't think that's very nice of you to do to your head," Michaela commented after a few moments, as she was being coupled up to the trucks that were to be taken away.

Some time later, Michaela found herself on the Main Line again, and she began to get anxious due to her unfamiliar surroundings. Instinctively, she glanced back at her cab and waited for her driver's hand to reach out and gently pat her side in a comforting gesture… but nothing happened.

Michaela sighed and looked down at the tracks in front of her. Right… Kennet's not here right now.

All of a sudden, she felt miserable without him.

Michaela eventually made it to Crosby Yards and dropped off the trucks she had with her. Although she still missed Kennet, she tried to brush aside her pain and focused on getting back to the Little Western, the only line on Sodor that she knew by heart and truly felt at home there.

Everything was going smoothly on Michaela's way back home, and she and Sam both began to have hope that everything would be alright from that point onward, at least for the rest of the day.

But that all changed when Gordon suddenly came flying past them on the other track, blowing his whistle and shouting, "Express coming through!"

"AAHH!" Michaela suddenly screamed and braked hard, nearly throwing Sam and Norman out of her cab in the process.

"Michaela, what on earth is going on?" demanded Sam as he managed to climb back onto his feet.

She didn't respond, staring numbly into the void and trembling all over with a whimper.

"Michaela," her driver began, but the iridescent engine flinched at the sound of his voice and closed her eyes tightly.

"Is this normal?" asked her fireman.

"Unfortunately, yes," Sam replied with a sigh.

At that moment, Kennet's words came back into his mind, and he realized what Michaela really needed in that moment. "She needs all the love and patience in the world."

Sam hesitantly got out of her cab and walked around to face Michaela. "Hey… what's bothering you?"

She didn't open her eyes. "The noise…" Her voice was strained and distant.

Sam gently touched one of her buffers, and Michaela's eyes opened a little. "You know, the noise is gone now. I know it hurt you when you heard it, but it's all over now, and we still have plenty of work to do back on the Little Western. You know, back at home?"

"...Home?" Michaela repeated. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she gasped. "Home! Let's go back, right now! I feel much better when I'm at home!"

Her crew climbed back into her cab, and they set off once more.

A few hours later, Michaela was getting very tired from all the shunting she had done at Arlesburgh Yards. There was still one more train left that needed to be put in its place, and that was at the shunting yard in Knapford.

By the time she got there and had left the trucks in their proper place, Michaela was quite exhausted from just about everything that had happened to her all day long.

So when Gordon arrived at Knapford Station and saw Michaela before she was about to leave, everything suddenly took its toll on her.

"Well, if it isn't that silly little engine who overreacted when I came past her earlier. Michaela, wasn't it?"

She bit her lip and avoided his gaze. "Yes, and I am very sensitive to sound, so hearing your whistle and loud shouting really overwhelmed me." Michaela's voice cracked a little near the end of her reply.

Gordon sniffed. "Then don't let it! This is the Express, and when the Express is coming through, everybody must make way!"

He shouted the last two words, and Michaela's ears started to hurt again.

She finally snapped.

"I don't care about the Express! I don't care how much noise you have to make when you're pulling it; I just know that it hurts my ears, and I'm already exhausted from working hard all day in the shunting yards! I feel so overwhelmed by my surroundings because I'm not used to them, and I don't know where I am half the time, unless I'm on the Little Western!

"My usual driver isn't here right now, and he's the only person in the world who can cheer me up when I'm feeling stressed or keep me calm when I have a panic attack!"

All around them, people were staring as Michaela continued to shout at Gordon, tears beginning to pour down her cheeks. Sam frantically tried to move his engine away from Gordon, but she wouldn't budge.

"I miss him more than words can say, and I feel like I'm going to collapse from all the stress of having to work without him! I need someone to understand me, to be there for me when I'm at my lowest points, and so far he's been the only person to ever do any of that!"

Although Michaela knew that wasn't entirely true because there were obviously other people who cared about her, she was feeling very upset and didn't care about what she said.

Gordon was very surprised at her sudden outburst and sat in stunned silence for a moment, before finally muttering, "Then you must be far too reliant on your driver."

Michaela gasped softly, then she burst out sobbing and steamed away from Gordon, leaving Knapford Station behind as she headed back to the Little Western.

When they reached Tidmouth Hault Sheds, Michaela went straight to her berth and continued to cry.

Sam immediately jumped out of her cab and ran around to face her with Norman in tow. "Michaela, are you crazy? You can't just say things like that and then run off! I know you're all stressed and everything, but you need to stop being so dramatic and control yourself!"

This only made Michaela cry even harder, high-pitched wails escaping from her mouth.

Sam covered his ears, then walked away from Michaela and looked up at the evening sky, wondering if this would ever end. Norman just awkwardly stood by, unsure of what to do about the situation.

Right at that moment, Oliver and Toad arrived back at the sheds and saw what was going on. Oliver immediately shunted Toad into his berth, then moved back onto the turntable and went to Michaela.

*"Hey, what's the matter?" he asked Michaela as he gently pressed his buffers against hers.

**Michaela didn't respond—not in words, at least; instead she gave a high-pitched whimper and continued to cry.

Oliver gave her a sympathetic smile. "It's okay. You don't have to tell me right now."

The two of them sat there for a few minutes until Michaela's sobs began to subside.

Eventually Michaela found her voice again and quietly began to tell Oliver what was bothering her. "It's been a r-really rough day for me… and the one person who's usually there to keep me calm when I'm feeling this way isn't h-here…" She sniffled and closed her eyes, more tears sliding down her cheeks. "I know I shouldn't feel this way about Kennet not being here, and that he's going t-to come back soon, but…"

Toad piped up from where he sat in his berth. "It's alright if you miss your driver, Miss Michaela. That's a normal thing to be feeling when you care about somebody, and they care for you too, but then you get separated from each other."

As Sam watched the three of them from a distance, he saw the grateful look on Michaela's face and finally realized what his engine really needed from him: comfort and understanding, not judgment and a stern talking-to.

Sam took off his cap and ran his hands through his hair, wondering how he should approach Michaela after everything he had just said to her earlier. What would Kennet do? he asked himself.

Suddenly, his head shot back up as he remembered his last interaction with Kennet.

Norman watched Sam with confusion as he walked back to Michaela's cab. "What are you doing?"

"Making things right."

Oliver reversed a little as Sam walked around to Michaela's front and carefully climbed up onto her bufferbeam. He leaned closer to her face and gently wiped her tears away with the rag that Kennet had given him.

Michaela smiled a little at her temporary driver's touch and allowed him to keep drying her eyes. When he had finished, Sam put down the rag and ran his hand over her cheeks in a soothing way.

As he caressed her face, he began to apologize to Michaela. "I'm so sorry about what I said earlier… You were feeling scared and overwhelmed, and I didn't realize that. You miss Kennet more than anything right now, and I should be helping you through that pain rather than making it worse. Will you forgive me?"

Michaela chuckled a little, and she gazed at him with innocent, love-filled eyes. "Of course I forgive you. I feel like I've been taking you for granted. You're supposed to be my driver right now while Kennet's gone, and I should be working with you and not crying over Kennet not being here."

Sam smiled back at her. "I'll try to be more understanding of how you feel in the future, I promise." And he pressed his forehead against hers, much like how Kennet had with Michaela before he left.

Sam and Norman eventually returned to their homes for the night, and Oliver gave Michaela one last buffer press before heading back to his berth.

Michaela finally spoke after a few minutes had passed in silence. "You know, I always saw Kennet as an older brother figure in my life, and now I'm starting to see Sam in that same way." She paused. "Norman's like that one cousin that I never met until now."

Michaela chuckled softly for a moment, then she sighed and looked down. "...I miss Kennet so much," she whispered sadly.

Oliver and Toad glanced at each other, then the Great Western tank engine spoke up. "Michaela… What if Toad and I were like brothers to you, too? We'll always be here for you when you need us, and maybe it'll help you in Kennet's absence."

She looked up. "R-really? I would like that very much."

"If you ever feel worried or lonely, Miss Michaela, you can always talk to us," said Toad. "We're always glad to help in any way that we can."

Michaela gave them a big smile. "Thank you."

Oliver smiled back, then he relaxed and looked up at the darkening sky. "The others will be back soon. We'd better rest up for tomorrow. It's been a long day."

The iridescent engine agreed and closed her eyes. Oliver and Toad did the same, but they opened them again when they heard Michaela whisper, "Good night, my big brothers."

For the rest of the week, Oliver, Toad, Sam, and even Norman all did their best to keep Michaela happy and relaxed. As she got used to having somebody else as her driver, Michaela began to not worry so much, and her meltdowns became less frequent.

Although some days were still difficult, and she often found herself in tears during those times, Michaela's brother figures were always there to cheer her right back up again.

A week after Kennet had left for his honeymoon, however, Michaela felt particularly depressed on that day. She wasn't sure why, but she didn't feel like coming out of her shed, and her fire took a long time to build up.

"Everything's going to be okay, Michaela," said Sam as he patted her side comfortingly.

She didn't appear to acknowledge what he had said, but Michaela's eyes moved ever so slightly in a way that indicated that she had heard him just fine.

Sam went to help Norman with Michaela's fire, but he paused and turned back. "You've got this, girl."

The iridescent engine just sat there, looking depressed.

Her driver sighed. "...I'll just wait here for you. I'm not going anywhere."

Sam turned to go again, but he suddenly caught sight of a familiar face walking towards the sheds. He gasped and rushed forward. "Michaela, look who it is!"

The iridescent engine raised her eyes—and they immediately began to water when she saw the person coming towards her. "Kennet!" she cried out happily.

The young man smiled when his engine made genuine eye contact with him and picked up his pace. "Michaela!"

She burst out crying again when Kennet reached her and tried his hardest to give her a hug, but this time they were tears of joy. "Kennet…" she sobbed.

He pressed his forehead against Michaela's. "I missed you, girl…"

After a few minutes had gone by, Kennet leaned back and ran a hand over his engine's cheek. "How've you been? I was worried about you for a little while while I was gone, but Mia said she had a feeling that everything would be alright."

"She was right… well, for the most part. We've had a few bumps along the way."

Sam guy-hugged Kennet. "Glad to have you back, buddy."

Michaela gasped. "Oh my gosh, I need to tell you about all the fun things I learned while you were gone. Like, did you know that Sam is a huge Star Wars geek?"

Her temporary driver blushed furiously. "Michaela, I told you that that was supposed to be a secret between us…"

Kennet's eyes widened with surprise, and a grin slowly spread across his face. "No…. That's not true… That's impossible!"

A very embarrassed Sam quickly rushed out the next line. "Search your feelings, you know it to be true."

Kennet burst out laughing, then tried to compose himself and put his hands on his hips. "A surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one. 'Cause guess what…"

Sam slowly shook his head in disbelief. "No…!"

"I, too, am a Star Wars geek."

"So am I!"

The three of them all turned to look at Norman, who immediately lowered his raised fist, coughed, and looked away. "Oh, I-I just figured that… well, since we were all coming out as Star Wars geeks, y'know…"

Michaela gave them all a tilted smile. "I don't know what a 'Star War' is, but I'm glad you all have something in common to bond over."

The three boys all smiled up at her, then Sam motioned for Kennet to take over as Michaela's driver. "I assume you're back to drive Michaela again?"

"I sure am." Kennet turned to face his engine and placed a hand on her buffer. "And I'm not going anywhere else anytime soon. I'm here for you girl, always and forever here."

Michaela's smile widened, and her eyes began to water again. "I love you, Kennet. You're like a brother to me, and I'm so glad to finally be with you again."

Her driver gasped a little and briefly turned away. When he faced her again, Michaela could see that he was crying. "I… I always thought of you as m-my little sister… I love you, too."

As Kennet and Sam climbed into her cab and said goodbye to Norman, Michaela took a deep breath and smiled confidently. Everything was going to be okay, she just knew it. Her loved ones were always there for her, and she would do her best to show her love and gratitude in return.

A/N: Thought I'd throw this out there for the heck of it, but Michaela's birthday is June 16 (the day she was completed), and her Myers-Briggs type is INFP-T.

*While Michaela is sensitive to touch, gentle and sympathetic touches are okay once she gets used to them, if she wasn't already at first.

**Michaela sometimes goes non-verbal in moments of distress, due to feeling overwhelmed and not being able to verbally communicate her needs or feelings in that moment. Trying to do so would only make her feel more panicked at not being able to "English right" in that moment, so she shuts down and tries to communicate by other means.