A/N I just got an idea to show Nancy's relationship with the narrow-gauge engines and due to my Hurt/Comfort loving buddy here, this is how it comes out.
One day, Peter Sam was sad. He missed Duke, who was getting an overhaul at the Steamworks. Nancy came to polish him and noticed the little engine was unhappy. She decided to help him feel better. I can talk to him while I'm polishing him, she thought. Say things to try to cheer the poor little engine up. She asked Peter Sam why he was so sad, as an understanding girl.
Peter Sam sighed and said, "I miss Granpuff. He's at the Steamworks getting an overhaul and I've been away from him longer than any time since he was lost."
Nancy said as she polished him, "He shall be back. It's not like he's lost again or being scrapped." and such optimistic things. She finished polishing and asked Peter Sam, "Feel better now?"
Peter Sam smiled a bit and said, "I shall just have to wait for his overhaul to be done. Not all engines live to be as old as Granpuff or Duke, as everyone except Sir Handel and me call him." Then, he went on with his day.
Sir Handel told Peter Sam, "Granpuff will be back with us next week, if his overhaul's not held up.".
Peter Sam replied, "Let's go tease one of the big engines. I need some distraction from missing Granpuff. Nancy had to cheer me up when she was polishing me this morning because I was so sad about him being gone."
As they puffed along their rails, the narrow-gauge tank engines looked for standard gauge engines when in sight range of the North Western rails. Peter Sam spotted Thomas and playfully teased their standard gauge friend. Sir Handel laughed along with the others. Then, they went their separate ways.
That night, when put in his shed, Peter Sam got missing Duke again and began to cry, weeping so hard his face was wet with tears. Boo hoo! His driver comforted the little engine.
"There, there", his driver said. "Why are you crying?", as he dried his engine's tears with a cloth.
Peter Sam sniffled loudly, big tears filling his eyes again and said, "I miss Granpuff again. Nancy cheered me up this morning, when I felt it before, but now it came back stronger. I know he's coming back, but I miss him dreadfully. I feel terrible."
His driver said as he continued to wipe the tears away, rubbing the little engine's cheeks and wiping his wet eyes, "Cry it out, then and I shall stay here while you do."
Peter Sam cried himself to sleep and then his driver left him for the night.
Days passed and Duke came back from his overhaul. His narrow-gauge friends were so happy to see him, especially Peter Sam. The younger engine's twinkled as his smile filled his face and he cheered and whistled, so glad to see Granpuff again.
A/N The big engines are the standard-gauge engines in Skarloey engine speak. Peter Sam seems to be someone very expressive. Being apart from Duke's something that reminds Peter Sam of when Duke was in the shed for years and I imagine an overhaul would take quite a while. That's why Peter Sam's so unhappy about being separated from his old friend. Duke lacks buffers, so he can't engine hug. If he had them, I would've had Peter Sam give him a buffer press, which is an engine hug in some stories I've read here and I use it because I like it.