The night Gordon was released from the Steamworks he rocketed to Meredith's shed in Arlesburgh. He was furious, but not with the little white tank engine. If anything he was sad for her. His brother took advantage of her naivety and while he knew he would struggle to trust Meredith again, he didn't want to give up on her. He merely hoped that her fling with Flying Scotsman was just that, a fling.

Gordon slowed down substantially as he approached Meredith's shed. She was fast asleep along with Ryan and Daisy. The big engine clicked off his lamp as he snuck towards his sleeping darling. He stopped just shy of her buffers then leaned forward, giving her footplate a gentle bump. "Meredith."

The little white tank engine groaned sleepily, but she didn't wake. Another soft bump. Meredith finally began to stir, but when she caught a glimpse of Gordon before her, she awoke immediately and struggled to hold back a squeal of delight. Gordon calmly shushed her. His expression was stern, which startled Meredith, but her joyous smile never waivered. She hadn't seen the big engine in almost a week. She missed him dearly. "Are you okay?"

Gordon paused for a moment. There was a pit in his boiler. He wanted to sob, yell, curse, and everything in between. He hated Scotsman, he wanted to hate Meredith, and he hated himself for letting Meredith be alone with his whorish young brother. But never again. He would do everything he could to keep her in his sight. After another moment Gordon finally moved closer, pressing his forehead to Meredith's with a sigh. "I will be."

The next morning was the start of another humid day. Engines across the island were dripping with condensation as they chugged along with their work. Flying Scotsman had just pulled into Knapford to pick up his coaches when Thomas approached him with an obnoxious grin. "Morning, Scotsman!"

"Good morning, Thomas." The big mainland engine said as enthusiastically as he could. "Another hot one today, hm?"

"Oh yeah." Thomas said as he stuck out his tongue in disgust. "At least you'll get to be mostly by the seaside today. It tends to stay pretty cool along the coast."

Scotsman chuckled. Then he saw Meredith glide onto the furthest platform with her sparkly coaches. The way her boiler and face glistened from the humidity made his funnel fume with excitement. "That's not even the best part of being along the coast." He said with a sly smile.

Thomas was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Flying Scotsman watched Meredith depart with her coaches full of holiday-makers bound for Harwick Beach. She never even noticed his gawking, but another engine did.

"And what do you think you're looking at?" Gordon's rigid tone pulled Flying Scotsman out of his trance and the green engine locked eyes with his older brother as he settled into his platform beside Scotsman.

"Just admiring the island's beauty is all." Scotsman said smoothly. He was pretty skilled at being coy, though his brother saw right through it.

Gordon narrowed his eyes and frowned. He wanted to knock his brother right off his wheels, but he didn't wish to cause a scene. Not yet. Scotsman noticed Gordon's intensity and his smirk disappeared. He too began to scowl. "What's your problem?"

"You," Gordon growled. His pistons puffing out so much steam the platform was covered. "You are my problem, you lying, deceitful, bastard." Suddenly Gordon didn't care about remaining calm. He was absolutely livid.

Flying Scotsman began to seethe, his cheeks running red from excess steam build-up. "How dare you talk to me like that. I'm your brother!"

"Some brother you are." Gordon spat back.

"What did I ever do to you?"

"You know exactly what you did, you little shit!"

By this point crowds had gathered at the platforms and Thomas had scurried off in fear of getting caught up between the two large engines. Sir Topham Hatt was shoving his way through the gathered passengers, several of them complained to him about Gordon's offensive language and the fat controller was cross. "Gordon, Flying Scotsman, what are you two playing at? Cursing on the platform in front of passengers! Absolutely ridiculous. Explain yourselves at once!" The Pacific brothers both kept quiet, though their rage was clear by their red faces and heavy blankets of steam curling around their wheels. "Well?" Sir Topham Hatt was growing impatient.

"Gordon started it." Scotsman sneered. "He came at me completely cross and I had done nothing to warrant it."

"So you say, whore." Gordon mumbled under his breath.

"What did you just call me?" The big green engine growled.

"You heard me."

"That's enough, the both of you!" Sir Topham Hatt scolded with a wave. "Whatever issues you two have you need to settle them immediately, or I'll send you both to the sheds, understand?"

"Yes sir." Gordon said as he glared at the track ahead. He didn't even notice Thomas had shunted him his coaches.

"Of course, sir." Scotsman murmured.

"Good. I know you two are brothers and arguing is to be expected, but you have jobs to do and passengers do not need to get caught up in your petty quarrels." Sir Topham Hatt said firmly before he disappeared back into his office while grumbling quietly.

Gordon and Flying Scotsman both exchanged cold glares and as Scotsman started up to depart, Gordon whispered just loud enough for his brother to hear. "I know about you and Meredith."

Scotsman continued forward as if he didn't hear, but Gordon couldn't see that his younger brother's eyes were wide with worry and his boiler rumbled. Scotsman was not an engine to admit when he messed up, but in that moment he knew he had made a monumental mistake.

Unaware of the sudden unrest between Gordon and Flying Scotsman, Meredith drove cheerily down the line towards Harwick. The coastal sea air felt refreshing against her hot, sweaty face as she ran at full steam towards her stop. Her mind kept wandering to Gordon's strange behavior the night before. She knew something had upset him, but no matter how hard she pressed, he wouldn't tell her. He kept quiet nearly the whole time he was with her. And the one time he kissed her felt intense and angry. Something happened, and Meredith needed to find out.

The little white tank engine slowed to a stop at Harwick Beach and sat patiently while her passengers departed. She saw Thomas coming down the line with empty cars. He was talking with Diesel. They both looked serious. "What's up with you two?" Meredith called and caused the two engines to stop.

"Oh, I was telling Diesel about what happened at Knapford." Thomas said. He kept his voice low and looked around nervously.

"What happened?" Meredith arched a brow.

"Apparently Gordon got into it with his fancy boy brother." Diesel cackled. "Thomas said Gordon called Flying Scotsman a lying bastard. How classic." Diesel continued to chortle to himself as he scooted away with a blast on his horn.

Meredith suddenly felt as if someone threw a bucket of ice water on her firebox. "He knows."

"Knows what, Meredith?" Thomas was still listening and had cocked his boiler in curiosity at Meredith's little slip.

Meredith shook her boiler. "Nothing, it's- it's nothing. I'll see you later." She didn't even wait for her guard to blow his whistle before she left the station in a panicked puff. Thomas stood in place for a few moments more before he too continued on with his job. He felt more puzzled than ever.

Later that day Flying Scotsman was resting in the cool shade of Tidmouth Sheds. The heat was exhausting and not even the fear of his brother's impending rage could keep Scotsman awake. A bead of sweat dripped down into his eye and it managed to leak through his shut lid and he awakened with an angry start. "Ugh, bloody hell." He grumbled as he tried to blink away the stinging pain in his eye.

The discomfort finally subsided and he began to doze off, until he heard the turntable and saw the silhouette of another large engine coming towards him. "Uhh… Gordon?"

The doors to the shed swung open and Gordon huffed towards Scotsman with a wicked glower. "You sorry, selfish, waste of metal. You told me you would stay away from her and then you go and be intimate with her!" Gordon was now buffer-to-buffer with his young brother and was staring daggers through Flying Scotsman.

"How did you find out?" Scotsman said, his voice dry from heavy sleep.

"You failed to consider having Meredith uncoupled from her train and damaged her hook." Gordon snarled. "Victor thought I did it but I've never been with her while she was still working."

Flying Scotsman blinked a few times then returned Gordon's glare. "What're you going to do about it… little brother?"

Gordon started seeing red and pushed even harder against his cocky baby brother. "When I'm through with you there'll be nothing left for the smelter to salvage."

"Is Meredith receiving any of this anger, or am I just that lucky to be receiving the brunt of your pissiness? She didn't try to stop me, you know." Scotsman said, his voice low and full of venom.

"How I address this with Meredith is none of your concern." Gordon hissed.

Scotsman started pushing back against his brother. "So you're just going to forgive her and take it all out on me?"

"Of course not, but she's young, she didn't know any better." Gordon pushed back. "You took advantage of that. She was vulnerable."

"That's hardly the word I'd use to describe her." Scotsman smirked which caused Gordon to shove him back into the berth's buffers.

"You have no right to speak about her like that." Gordon's voice was low and threatening. "Understand me?"

Flying Scotsman started laughing. "You're jealous, aren't you, little brother?" Gordon is taken aback and eases up for a moment. "You want little Meredith all to yourself, don't you?"

"Of course I do. I actually love her." Gordon snapped.

"And you assume I don't." Scotsman retorted, smoke rising from his funnel. "I may not be interested in relationships but I do still care about her."

"Let me have her." Gordon said so quietly Scotsman almost didn't hear him. "Why can't you just let me have her? You've managed to overshadow me at every turn in our lives. Let me have this."

Scotsman took pause. He looked around the empty sheds, he looked at his still fuming older brother. He didn't have an answer. But he was angry and that's all he could think about in that moment. "I suppose I'll let you have her." Scotsman said slowly. "But I want you to remember this;" he gave a quick pump of his pistons and got back in Gordon's face with a cruel grin. "I want you to remember every sound she makes: every sigh, every moan, every heavy breath. I've heard it. Every time you kiss her lips I want you to know that mine were there too. I want you to know that there's not an inch of her that I've not explored and while you may have her for life; she will never be completely yours."

Gordon stared Flying Scotsman down. His safety valve began to whistle and rattle as his boiler built up so much steam he managed to shove Scotsman through the buffers and into the brick wall behind him.

James was chugging along the Mainline with his coaches and had just passed through Wellsworth when he heard sirens wailing up from behind. He had just barely pulled off onto a siding when Flynn and Belle passed at full speed. The red engine watched them fly down the track and shortly after he saw Edward pulling Rocky with four large flatbeds, his pistons pumping as hard as they could.

"Edward!" James pulled back onto the track and caught up to the little blue engine. "Edward! Where are you going? What happened?"

"Gordon and Flying Scotsman got into a scuffle at Tidmouth Sheds!" Edward had to yell over the sirens and his own pistons. "Apparently it's pretty bad! The sheds are destroyed!"

"Do you know why they were fighting?"

"No, but they're both in a bad way! They have to be taken to the Steamworks urgently!" Edward said. His face was completely red as he struggled to keep up with the speedy rescue team.

James looked at Edward as he fought hard to maintain his speed. An idea flew into his funnel and he slowed down before he switched tracks and buffered to the back of Edward's breakdown train. James gave his pistons everything he could and managed to help Edward pick up speed so he could catch-up to Flynn and Belle.

When they pulled up to Tidmouth Sheds, James and Edward gasped. Half the sheds were destroyed and a thick cloud of dust polluted the thick, hot air. Judy and Jerome were already there with Thomas and they were working on lifting Flying Scotsman out of a pile of heavy rubble. The big engine was mangled, his boiler folded, his face bruised, leaking water and oil from his busted nose. His face was covered in soot and dirt with only a few clean lines from where tears had run. He groaned and whined as he was hoisted upwards, his front driving wheels hung freely. His axles were snapped.

James was uncoupled from his empty coaches then he assisted Edward in shunting the flatbeds over to Judy and Jerome before moving Rocky into position to start clearing rubble. James couldn't take his eyes off Scotsman. He'd never seen an engine in such a bad way. The big engine blinked slowly and groaned as he was lowered onto a flatbed, the force of the drop caused one of his smoke shields to snap off, landing on the ground with a heavy metal clang.

James and Edward backed away slowly then they saw Gordon. His boiler was folded similar to Scotsman's and his front buffers were hanging on by a single rivet. He had a busted lip and cracked smoke box. His eyes were half shut and his breathing was labored. James and Edward exchanged a worried glance with each other then Thomas. Thomas looked even more worried than James and Edward; he witnessed the brother's argument at Knapford.

Sir Topham Hatt was over on the sidelines of the chaotic scene with the rescue supervisor and several architects. He was sweating not only from the scorching late-afternoon sun, but from worrying about his engines. He had no idea what had come over the two express brothers, but he knew he had to get to the bottom of the situation immediately.

Another fun chapter for y'all! Lol. I wanted the brothers to have a good fight, but I didn't want to tire anyone out with too much detail so I figured going straight to the aftermath would be more affective. And yes, I imagine Flying Scotsman is low-key vindictive which is why I had him get so graphic when trying to hurt Gordon. (I hope that wasn't too much.) I see Scotsman as being a kind engine for the most part, but at the same time is kinda selfish. He's let his fame make him feel entitled and he couldn't stand the idea of his frumpy older brother having a pretty lady at his side.

(Also, little side note, the last chapter title "Definitely a Monday" came from the fact that I wrote it on a Monday and it was the Mondayest Monday ever and I felt like it's what caused me to put all the engines through the wringer like I did. Lmao. I needed them to suffer with me.)

To Pretty Katydid

I'm seriously glad you're enjoying this insanity I've cast before you. I understand the need for realism in certain aspects when it comes to the Thomasverse, but I'm also not a "purist" as you might call some of those fans in the forums you participate in. The whole Railway Series and the television series have such a fantastical element to them that leaves it open to interpretation as to what engines are capable of. Obviously depending on the engine there are clear obstacles that make certain actions impossible, but I feel overall their mannerisms and everything like that are mostly trained by their controllers; that the engines cater to their controller's needs. Naturally they wanna be useful, that's what they're built for, but their consciousness and sentience I could see leaving them desiring something more than just working all the time.

Admittedly, I find it ironic that superfans of the franchise demand accuracy and realism in the context of talking engines and vehicles. Of course pay respect to the source material but I wish fans would be more willing to take it further, delve a little deeper into the lives of these characters. The original Railway Series is dark and kinda mature even though it's intended audience is children, so why water it down in FanFiction? That's not to say I'm shitting on anyone who doesn't want to dig deep into the dark and mature undertones of the whole universe. It's perfectly fine to appreciate it for its kiddiness and fun. I certainly do, but I also like the idea of this colorful and varying cast of characters living in a more adult environment.

Also you've mentioned several times that you've written your own stories. I'd certainly love to read them if you're willing or able to share. I'd love to get a glimpse of your own interpretation of the Thomasverse characters and stories.

Much love;

Bumble (or Mixxie, whichever you prefer)

P.S. the little scrap that Donald and Douglas got into is my favorite thing. (Poor Emily tho) I love those little buggers, but I'm also biased because I'm a mother of twins. Lol.