"This is crazy."

"Trust me, it'll be fine."

"We're gonna get arrested!"

"Maybe with that attitude."

"Ugh."

Kenneth and Sean's bickering faded as Gordon approached the Steamworks. It was late at night and not even the moon was present in the sky. The big engine's crew had adorned entirely black outerwear. They didn't want to risk being caught even on one of the blackest nights the island had ever seen. Kenneth turned down Gordon's regulator so the engine could coast as quietly as possible into one of the open bay doors. Gordon glanced around warily as he came to a gentle stop inside the abandoned Steamworks. He had spent many nights there, but it still felt foreign to see it so stagnant and dead.

Kenneth and Sean carefully climbed down from Gordon's cab. Kenneth clicked on his flashlight and shined the light across the various machinery that littered the Steamworks floors. He heard Sean tiptoeing behind him as the two carefully dug through the tools. The pair had spent most of the evening chiseling away at the rivets on Gordon's panel, but they needed a grinder to cut through the welds that held the piece of restrictive metal firmly in place. Whoever installed the damn thing clearly didn't want it removed, but whoever installed it also didn't take into account the engine's loyal and ornery driver. Sean, on the other hand, was just along for the ride. He hadn't worked with Gordon long enough to understand Kenneth's attachment, but he appreciated the driver's tenacity and didn't mind assisting in the little operation.

Gordon sat patiently while he watched his crew sniff around the work areas. His undercarriage burned from the removal of the panel's rivets but it was a pain he was more than happy to tolerate. Though, he didn't look forward to his crew having to grind the panel off. He let out a slight shudder that startled Kenneth into a pile of loose metal that crashed to the ground with an ear-piercing bang. "Fuck!"

The big engine suddenly was on high alert. Kenneth's flashlight allowed him to see his crew as they attempted to clear their mess. He could hear the gentle drip of something wet against the concrete and with one deep breath in Gordon picked up the warm, coppery scent of blood. "Ken," the big engine whispered. "Ken!"

"What?" Kenneth snapped. He hadn't yet noticed the nasty gash along his arm, but Gordon could see it and the bloody sight made the engine's wheels tingle.

"Your arm."

The driver paused then glanced down. His shirt was torn and he saw where his arm had been sliced wide open. He could see straight down to his bone. "Oh- oh god..." The driver began to stumble. Sean dove forward and managed to catch Kenneth before he hit his head on a section of rail.

The following morning Meredith had arrived at the Steamworks. She had developed a few rust spots along her boiler which required her to go in to be repainted. When she pulled onto the turntable she noticed a group of cleaners under the canopy scrubbing at some dark stain on the concrete. She hadn't yet heard of Kenneth's accident so she shrugged the strange sight off as she was led towards an empty area of the Steamworks that had been setup to repaint her.

Hayden and Alex were prompted to climb out of her cab. The pair were then shown to a poorly lit waiting area at the middle of the building and they collapsed together on a saggy leather couch. That was when Hayden overheard a few workers talking about Kenneth's accident.

"Apparently they broke in to try and find tools to remove Gordon's paneling." A worker said with a chuckle. The rest of the men joined together in loud laughter.

"I swear these engine crews get crazier and crazier."

"For certain."

Hayden glanced to Alex beside him. Alex narrowed his eyes. He knew that look far too well. Hayden was up to something and he was about to be dragged along with it. "Stop looking at me like that."

Hayden smiled. "Like what?"

"Like you're about to force me into some bullshit."

"C'mon," Hayden elbowed his friend. The driver thought if he could help Gordon remove his panel then that would be enough to keep Meredith satisfied and in line. He hoped at least. That or it could make things much, much worse.

"Ugh," Alex crossed his arms in a huff. "Fine." Hayden beamed at him and the disgruntled fireman rubbed his face to hide his blushing. Hayden gave Alex's shoulder a pat before standing up to peek out into the warehouse. He could see the men had begun to scrape away Meredith's grungy old paint. He then surveyed the area around her. What tools were Kenneth and Sean even looking for? His eyes stopped on a worker cutting a piece of sheet metal on a large floor saw. That's when he knew. They had to cut the panel off. But what could they use that was compact enough to sneak out but strong enough to cut through what he assumed would be very thick steel?

"Could we use that?" Alex had joined Hayden standing by the door and pointed to a heavy-duty angle grinder. It was set neatly atop a table right beside Meredith. How convenient.

Emerson powered down the coast with his express. As the weather was beginning to warm, the visitors to the island and its beaches picked up steadily. It wasn't near the traffic of the summers, but it was enough for Emerson to keep running passengers all day. Pulling the coastline express regularly again meant he would see more of Ryan during the day and the maroon Pacific didn't mind that one little bit.

The engine came to a stop at Knapford beside Gordon. The big blue express engine looked more upset than normal. "Everything alright, Gordon?"

"Yeah," Gordon sighed. "My driver had an accident last night. I'm just waiting for his replacement while he's in hospital." Just then a young woman dressed as an engine driver stepped out from Sir Topham Hatt's office. She had long fiery hair pulled in a neat bun atop her head with a face as bright and cheery as Meredith. Or as Meredith used to be that is.

"Hello!" The woman chirped as she approached the engine. "I'm Bernadette but feel free to call me Bernie! I'll be doing the drivin' while Kenny is recovering."

"Oh- uhh- hello, Bernie?" Gordon had never met a woman engine driver before. He glanced at Emerson who was just as surprised as he. "Call me Gordon."

"Gordon? That's a strong name. For a strong engine no doubt." Her tone was very peppy but not at all obnoxious. She sauntered over to Gordon's cab and grabbed the handrail. "I've only ever driven smaller tank engines so you'll have to forgive me. I'll try not to jostle you about too much."

"That's fine." Gordon said. He didn't know how to feel about this new driver. She seemed perfectly kind, but she was very young which concerned him.

Bernie stepped into the cab and nearly startled Sean out of his skin. "Hello there! You're a strapping young lad. What's your name?"

"Sean…?" The fireman was speechless in the presence of such a gorgeous Scotswoman. "Who are you?"

"I'm Bernie, the interim driver." Bernadette snickered as she studied Gordon's controls. She noticed Sean had stopped shoveling. "Well are you gonna stand there and let the man get cold?"

"Oh, no-no." Sean quickly returned to shoveling coal even faster than he was before.

Emerson and Gordon both chuckled at Sean's complete lack of sense. Emerson leaned close to Gordon so he could keep his voice at a whisper. "Don't suppose you could give the lad pointers on wooing the ladies later, eh?"

Gordon merely laughed as his guard blew the whistle. He gave Emerson a friendly departing whistle before he took off with a slight lurch after Bernie slipped on his reg. "Oof, sorry, big fella!" Gordon sighed and adjusted the regulator himself before he was able to pick up speed through the junction.

Night had fallen across the island. Meredith was back in her shed and shining with a fresh coat of paint. The repaint helped boost her self-esteem though she still felt rather sad. Emerson, again, was gone for the night and her crew had left her earlier than normal that evening. She was completely alone. Her mind wandered back to when she saw Flying Scotsman. He had managed to knock his panel off and was looking to renew their passion. Had Hayden not intervened the way he did, Meredith would've yet again found herself in the heat with the LNER engine. She just hadn't figured out how to say no to him. She didn't want to say no to him.

Meredith had just begun to doze off when she heard the crew door to her shed open. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Hayden. His shirt was dirty and oily as was the rest of him. "Mer, can we talk for a minute?"

"Sure. Why are you so dirty?"

Hayden waves her question off. "Not important, but I just need to say this." He shoved his hands in his pants pockets and walked up to look his engine in the eye. "I know I've been hard on you the last few months. I've been unfair. I understand you're young and you've seen more than anyone should have to. I'm not going to pretend like I know what's going on inside that head of yours, but I am going to try better to understand you." The driver leaned against Meredith's fender with a sigh then quickly stood back up and began to stroll towards the big doors to the shed. "So…" He said with a casual sway on his heels. "I got you a little present. Call it a… peace offering."

Meredith furrowed her brow and watched as the doors creaked open. She squinted from the bright starlight but once her eyes adjusted she grinned from buffer-to-buffer. "Hi."

"Hello, my love." Gordon rolled towards her. His expression was loving, but there was a hint of seduction behind that half-smile.

"What's going on?" Meredith looked at her driver as he began to back out of the shed.

"Well I'm going to go home, shower, and go to bed. You," Hayden pointed at the two engines. "You two are doing whatever you want."

"But… Gordon's paneled?" Meredith glanced at her lover as he drew closer to her. "Right?"

"Only one way to find out." Hayden gave his engine a wink before shutting all the doors and leaving the two engines alone with their steam.

Meredith locked eyes with Gordon. Her mind raced with everything she wanted to say. All the apologies she wanted to make, but all she could focus on was his smirking lips. "Well?" Meredith jeered with a playful giggle.

Gordon took a deep breath. She smelled like fresh paint and floral soap. He hated to scratch up that beautiful new paintwork, but as far as he was concerned any damage he dealt could be mended. The big engine licked his lips. He couldn't hold back any longer. He pushed himself against Meredith, engaging his lips with hers and after a moment of raunchy kissing, he slipped himself inside the little engine. She inhaled sharply at the pressure. He hit nerves that hadn't been stimulated in a long time. Even Spencer, as great as he was, just didn't measure up to the beefy A3. Meredith didn't even try to hold back her vocalizing as she let out heavy, carnal moans. Gordon wasn't at all conservative with his thrusts. All the built up desire and rage came bursting forth. He wanted to make sure Meredith had no reason to try and run back to his brother. He would ride her rough until she was too exhausted to blink and then he would still keep going until his own wheels locked up.

"Gordon…" Meredith's raspy groan made the big engine's boiler shiver. "I love you."

Gordon slowed his movements only slightly so he could look at her. He noticed the little engine's eyes were watery. He held his forehead to her's and breathed out. "And I love you."

Are Gordon and Meredith staying together? To be honest... I have no fucking idea. My mind is constantly flip-flopping on me so we'll just have to see where it takes me. Lmao.

Also I can't get over Meredith The Slut Engine. It literally is not at all the kind of title I expected to have fit my little engine but... there it is. Lmao. I'm not even mad at it. I definitely dig it. But yeah, Mer was upset that Hayden butt-in because he's a stickler. Or he was.

For real, when I started this AU I wasn't even planning to take it to this sort of... adult level but I've evolved and I'm a fan. Already starting to toy with ideas for the third installment of this lovely saga so stay tuned for that!

I think that'll do for this post-script. I'm sure there are things I need to address but honestly my brain has been complete mush today so. Plus I have to get up fuck-ass early in the morning to take my husband to work and I normally don't go to bed till 2 or 3 so I gotta force myself to sleep. *wretches* So, until next time!

Much love;

Bumble

P.S. Some chapters may have song lyrics at the end that inspired the content as well as the title. Just an fyi.

Always knew that we had something; Now it feels like we're just stalling; I don't want us to fade to nothing; I need more than half of your heart