Prefacing this one with a little information: this is a bit of an AU crossover. I'm borrowing ideas and characters from the brilliant Heimchen and her stories 'He's My Brother' and its sequel 'Foreign Exchange' which is still in progress. I'll admit I'm still reading through 'He's My Brother' so I've not a clue the direction the story takes at the end or in the sequel, but I've fallen in love with the characters and the world she's built so I just HAD to throw it in with my own nonsense. I just hope and pray that I'm doing them justice as I know how precious original characters can be to creators so I'm a tad apprehensive posting this, but regardless, I think what I have planned will be a fun ride for everyone who chooses to read along. I'll provide a list of all her characters at the end notes as there are many and I'm not trying to immediately overwhelm right at the start.

This fic will not be as graphic or sexual as my 'Engines' works though it will have its spicy moments. The choice to not rate it is more or less because Mallard specifically has a potty mouth. Lol.

Also just wanted to add that this fic takes places during 'Engines: As Embers Fall' but there is nothing truly relevant to the plot, this is just a fun little deviation as I work on the main story!

Summer had come to the mainland and London buzzed with excitement. Cobbled streets filled to the brim with rail fans young and old that flocked towards the massive show yard just outside the city. Children galvanted about and chased each other with their wooden train models while their guardians worked up a proper sweat trying to keep up with their speedy offspring. Just adjacent to the chaos was Victoria Station, London's largest and most elegant transportation terminal. Glass ceilings over one-hundred feet tall, squared columns decorated with bunting that coordinated with the colors of all visiting countries, and even snack vendors were scattered about the platforms that offered up delicate confections of a wide variety.

Inside the main office of the terminal was Hayden Jameson, the newest controller for the London and North Eastern Railway. He sat quietly at his desk, mulling over the itinerary for that year's Great Railway Show. He was young for a controller, at only thirty-five he might as well have been considered a child in the world of all things rail. The man was of modest build, dressed in a perfectly tailored ebony suit, matching tie, and polished oxfords with locks atop his head just as dark and swooped up in a humble pomp. His complexion was moderately darker than the typical Englander, but his father was of Scicilian descent which in turn blessed his skin with a handsome rich olive tone. He'd recently decided to shave his signature mustache and was bare and baby-faced with gentle indents on either cheek.

A knock at the door interrupted his train of thought though his dark eyes never left his paperwork. "It's open!" He called out.

The door was latched shut before Hayden actually looked up from his work. He smiled brightly and stood from his chair. "Ah! Missus Doyon, Mister Pelletier!" Hayden glanced at his watch and beamed. "Sir Topham said you two were punctual, but almost an hour early certainly exceeds my expectations."

"I do apologize for barging suddenly," Christophe Pelletier spoke with an enthusiastic dialect, his appearance not unlike Hayden's though his complexion more akin to porcelain than toasted bread and he adorned a sharp tan suit and of course, was slightly older. He reached a friendly hand out and Hayden grasped it with enthusiasm. "We were simply eager to meet your fine engines is all before the week's events were underway."

"Well I'm more than pleased to show you them!" Hayden shook Denise Doyon's hand with the same amount of energy as Christophe's. He took in her perfectly pressed driver's uniform with admiration. It was always refreshing to see a woman working so closely with engines. "When I heard of your participation in the locomotive showcase I phoned Sir Topham immediately. I just had to meet you!"

Both Denise and Christophe exchanged bemused smiles. They quite appreciated the London controller's buzz and they certainly weren't expecting someone so young and so full of life. Then Denise spoke. "So," she clapped her hands together and beamed. "I've been dying to meet Spencer's brothers! Are they available for us to visit?"

"But of course!" Hayden rushed behind the pair and swung the door open. "We'll have to do one at a time, they're all quite busy with their expresses or preparing for the show. I say I'll introduce you to Quicksilver first, Spencer's twin. He's the most tactful and well-behaved of the bunch by far. Of course we're sure to run into others on the way to him."

Christophe and Denise followed Hayden out the door and down a bare hallway towards the main platform of the station where they had just come in via Edgar's express from Sodor, though they didn't think to introduce themselves to the stalwart A4. The following day they would be delivering a collection of foreign locomotives to be displayed at The Great Railway Show, two of which were rare Class 48s from Berlin, Germany. Hayden was excited to have them all there, but he had an underlying motive for calling upon the Northwestern Railway's chief of engineering and lead locomotive behavioral expert. He needed help with a certain temperamental engine, but he didn't want to intimidate them immediately. Not on their first day visiting his railway.

"I have to say, Mister Jameson, you do maintain your stations beautifully." Denise said as she admired the terminal. Its concrete platforms were so clean one could comfortably eat any food they may have dropped on it and the glass panes of the roof sparkled in the sunlight.

"Thank you, ma'am," Hayden replied excitedly. "My partner, whom you'll meet here soon, he's the one who heads all the cosmetic maintenance of my railway. He keeps not only my engines and their coaches looking tip-top, but my stations as well. Cleanliness is next to godliness, afterall."

"That it is!" Christophe added with a laugh. Hayden's bubbly demeanor was absolutely contagious. Though before further comment could be made, the engineer's attentions were drawn to a little tank engine who had just rolled up to the platform immediately in front of them. "Oh, hello! What a lovely little engine that is!"

Hayden peeked over his shoulder then smiled. "That's my private engine, Meredith. She's going to be escorting us around the railway!"

"Oh, how exciting!" Denise cooed as they drew closer. The visitors took in Meredith's stunning and expensive pearl livery, she seemed to be based off the Gresley N2's, but she possessed only four drivers, two pilot wheels, and two rear stabilizing wheels. Her face was like that of a doll, wide-round eyes, perky cheeks, a button nose, and sweet full lips, a very beautiful little engine indeed. Denise approached the tank engine and crouched down, careful to keep her legs together as she was in a skit. "Hello, Miss Meredith," she spoke softly, as if she was addressing a puppy. "It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Denise."

Meredith looked this new human over with slight apprehension, she didn't exactly like the baby-ish tone the woman was taking with her. "Do you talk to all engines like they're infants?"

The question surprised Denise and it took all she had to not scold Meredith for being so rude. Instead she calmed herself and smiled again. "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to patronize you. It's a habit I suppose."

"It's okay," Meredith said with a slight smile in return. "It's just weird being talked to like that."

"She's American?" Christophe asked of Hayden who was trying to hide his embarrassment over Meredith's attitude.

"Yes, she was designed by Baldwin Locomotive Works over in Philadelphia, but she was actually assembled on Sodor."

"Really? I've never seen her before now." Denise stood up straight though her gaze never left Meredith's.

"She spent a lot of time going back and forth between there and here. I'm sure you just missed her." Hayden gave one of her water tanks a friendly pat. "I actually drove her for quite some time." He then approached her smokebox and gave her cheek a playful pinch. "Been through quite a lot together, haven't we?"

"That's an understatement." Meredith jeered. And still going through it, she thought to herself.

Hayden gave her forehead another brisk pat. "Say, my dear, do you happen to know where Quicksilver is?"

The little engine twisted her nose in thought but before she could say anything Kestrel had rolled in with his coaches and that stupid grin. "Lookin' for Quicksilver, are ya? Last I saw he was headed to Doncaster with some freight for the steamworks."

"Ah yes," Hayden stood up and nodded a thank you to one of his many A4's. "I forgot he was handling freight work today." He then turned to Christophe and Denise who were both in awe of the brilliant BR Green A4. He then chuckled. "Right, Denise, Christophe, this is Kestrel, another of Spencer's brothers."

Denise took in the locomotive's hooded stare thoughtfully. That same cocky smile as Spencer, yet there was something unmistakably sultry about his overall demeanor. It was strange and Denise couldn't quite put a finger on it. It was almost grossly human. "Aren't you a handsome fella!" She said finally. She cursed herself for thinking too deeply about a silly smirk.

Kestrel's smile widened. "Can't have those ugly freight bastards pulling passenger coaches, now can we, love?"

Denise and Christophe's eyes widened. Did that engine just curse? "I'm sorry?" Christophe said with a slow blink.

"Bah, nevermind," Kestrel made a gesture with his body that meant to wave off the conversation. He then heard his guard blow his departing whistle and laid on his own to announce his start up that was when he passed Meredith a sly wink. "I'll see you later, lovely snowflake."

Meredith blushed which left Christophe and Denise feeling ever more confused as they loaded up into her cab and set off down the mainline. They were behind Kestrel, but the little tank engine had absolutely no chance of catching up once he reached full steam and he quickly disappeared down the horizon.

During the journey to Doncaster the three chatted quietly about everything from engines to home life to where to find the best Bakewell tarts in London. Hayden recommended a small hole-in-the-wall pub just outside Kings Cross which both Denise and Christophe took mental note of for later.

Just a few miles shy of Doncaster, Meredith had to stop at a stray water tower to top off her tanks. That was when Flying Scotsman rolled by with his express and with no hesitation halted his run as soon as he laid eyes on his lady love. "Hello, my darling!" He called from across the lanes. "Who is that you have in your cab?"

"Oh, this is Mister Christophe Pelletier and Missus Denise Doyon from Sodor! They're presenting engines at the showcase tomorrow and wanted a private viewing of everyone on our railway."

"Is that so?" Scotsman regarded the two humans with his usual smug ease. He eyed the casual beauty of this Denise Doyon and began to wonder how Meredith might have looked as a little flesh bag herself. "Pity I no longer run the express to Sodor, I just hope those doofus A4's can still offer a comfortable ride."

"Yes," Denise remarked, her eyebrow raised in question as she turned to Hayden. "I was about to ask as to why The Flying Scotsman here doesn't run that particular train anymore? We've certainly missed seeing him."

A flash of panic twinkled Hayden's eyes and he began searching quickly for an excuse. "Right, well, I figured the people of Sodor would appreciate more variety of engines visiting the island. That's why I rotate the A4's. Plus, Scot here has his… er… hands full here as is with his lengthy express from London to Edinburgh."

Scotsman's sneer merely grew at his new controller's poor excuse but Meredith quickly shot him a look basically saying 'don't you dare!' Christophe noticed the little exchange between the engines and it piqued his curiosity. "What're you two signaling about, Hm?"

"It's nothing really," Scotsman responded cooly. "She's just worried because, I'll be the first to admit, I do get a little mouthy sometimes."

Hayden mumbled something under his breath but thankfully no one understood, Christophe wasn't satisfied however. He was seeing interactions between locomotives he had never even dreamed of before. It was as if the two were behaving like an old married couple. He decided to press for further. "Are you two close?"

Scotsman raised his brow then slid his deflectors back to get a better look at this new human interrogating him. He gave Christophe a good once-over and his smile began to drop. "What business is it of yours?"

Denise then stepped forward and waved a scolding finger at Scotsman. "You listen here, he just asked you a simple question, no need to be so cryptic!"

"And you listen to me, poppet," Scotsman snarled back, snorting hot steam in her direction. "I'm in no way obligated to answer to two strangers and my personal affairs are no concern of yours!"

"Well I never!" Denise gasped at Flying Scotsman's complete lack of tact and gestured towards him broadly with her widened gaze locked on a visibly uneasy Hayden. "Mister Jameson, aren't you going to do something? An engine has no right to talk back like that."

Hayden bit his lip and reluctantly let go of Meredith's controls. He hopped down onto the ballast and strolled up to his still seething A3 and gave his buffers a gentle pat. "Alright, pal," he said with an awkward sway over the tracks. "I understand your desire for privacy and you certainly have every right to defend it, but it was a simple question Mister Pelletier asked you. A plain 'yes' or 'no' would have sufficed."

Scotsman lowered his gaze to his controller and his boiler rumbled in irritation. "I know that look, Hayden," he said quietly. "He wouldn't have been satisfied with a mere 'yes' or 'no.' Those two act as if they've never been around an engine before."

"I think they're more or less not used to being around engines that behave as you do," Hayden carefully climbed Scotsman's buffers and waved to his driver, Ian, who had his head stuck out of the large engine's cab to see what his boss was doing with his machine. Hayden then leaned carefully against the side of Scotsman's face so he could keep his voice a gentle whisper. "Remember on Sodor they're very purist. No sex, no swearing, to them you're all just machines with personalities. They've not been on a railway like mine, that's why I've brought them, and I'm hoping Missus Doyon can help me with Mallard."

"There's no helping that one." Scotsman retorted. The engine's gaze slipped to Meredith and he sighed, returning his attention back to his controller. "How long are they here?"

"A week. Just for the show." Hayden moved to stand directly in front of Scotsman's face and crouched down. "I don't ask much of you, and I was planning on addressing this issue later, but while they're here, no coupling."

"What?!" Scotsman exclaimed loudly. He nearly threw Hayden off his buffers and the man had to quickly grab at his engine's face. "You can't keep me from fu—" Hayden quickly placed his hands over his engine's mouth while aggressively shushing at him.

"No swearing!" Hayden hissed, glaring directly into his engine's darkened eyes. "You can keep it locked away for a week! I'll even give you and Meredith a whole day off to make up for lost time if you will just cool it!"

Denise and Christophe couldn't hear what Hayden was discussing with his engine, but they were worried about how worked up Scotsman seemed. Meredith could hear them, however, engines do have impeccable heating like that, and she was already pouting. They all watched the rather animated exchange between the famous locomotive and his controller. At one point it appeared Scotsman was going to try and bite Hayden's hand off after the fourth time he waved his finger in front of the engine's face. Then Hayden made a gesture as if to say the conversation was over and hopped down from Scotsman's buffers. He then jogged over to the locomotive's cab, exchanged a brief word of apology with the crew, then jumped off and waved them on. Flying Scotsman threw a quick remorseful glance towards Meredith who then mouthed 'I love you' to him, he responded with a quick blown kiss then his deflectors snapped forward and the express was back on its way to London.

Denise and Christophe both saw the kiss-like gesture from Scotsman and were flabbergasted. Once Hayden returned to Meredith's cab it took everything in the visitors to not bombard their host with questions about his engines' strange behavior. What was with the pet names between engines? Was The Flying Scotsman flirting with Meredith? What maniac would allow an engine to be so bold as to snap back at a human for asking a question? It was all so bizarre.

The rest of the drive to Doncaster was awkward and silent. Hayden was thankful for Meredith's firebox being a bit hot, he would at least have a plausible excuse for the heavy sweat he broke out.

Once they arrived Hayden hopped eagerly from Meredith's cab and held his hand out to assist Denise and Christophe down. The Steamworks was as busy as ever, Dirk could be seen zipping across the yard as per the norm, it was when he laid eyes on Meredith and his new controller that he came to a sudden, screeching halt. "AUGH, hello, sir! I wasn't expecting you today." His voice was surprisingly deep for such a small engine and Denise was giddy when she recognized his thick German ring.

"Oh! I didn't realize you had German locomotives on your railway!" The woman cried excitedly and trotted over to the black tank engine, quickly switching to her own fluent German. "Pleased to meet you! I'm Denise Doyon, what are you called?"

Dirk's eyes widened and he grinned when hearing his own mother tongue, eagerly responding. "Dirk is what I'm called. It's not often I meet another fluent in my language."

"I dabble," Denise teased, resting a friendly hand on Dirk's bright red footboards. "You're quite the cutie, where did you do most of your work over in Germany?"

"Leipzig."

"Of course, I should've known with you being a shunter." Denise looked over the tank engine with prying eyes. He was beautifully maintained, as if he just rolled off the factory rails. She then turned back to Hayden. "You've got yourself quite the stunning array of locomotives here, Mister Jameson. And all very well cared for it seems."

Hayden seemed to try and shrug off Denise's compliment in an effort to hide his blushing. He'd only been at the job for half a year at that point, but what he had done he was extremely proud of. Outwardly, Dr. Hart's LNER was pristine and near void of blemishes, but once the makeup was washed away it revealed a lawless wasteland of engines struggling to run and keep their heads on straight. Dr. Hart was always on top of the cosmetics, but when it came to caring for the mechanical or emotional aspect of his engines he was severely lacking. Sure they passed inspections, but anytime Dr. Blackman noted an issue with one of the engines, Dr. Hart would brush it under the rug and leave something that at the time could have been a small fix sit and fester until it was an issue that would require a complete rebuild. And as far as emotional and mental stability is concerned, that subject really doesn't require much expansion.

The LNER controller cleared his throat and approached Denise and Christophe beside Dirk. Meredith had hung back but for only a moment, until she saw Quicksilver lingering about towards the back of the yard, observing quietly as workmen unloaded sheet metal from his flatbeds. The little engine darted his direction and left her three escorts behind. Two of which were absolutely stunned.

"You let your engines free roam like that?" It was amazing Christophe was able to form a coherent sentence given it took him a good moment to gather his jaw from the floor. Denise was in the same position though she kept quiet and let her coworker do some of the talking.

Hayden shrugged. "Yeah, if they're not on duty I don't mind them wandering about. They need stimulation in order to truly thrive and forcing them to sit idly in their sheds all day just doesn't seem right to me." He stopped and considered what he said then held his hands out. "Though not to insult your railway's practices. It works great for your engines, but my lot are a little… antsy."

Dirk couldn't stop the quick snort that escaped through his nose and when all the human eyes landed on him he smiled sheepishly and followed Meredith towards the back of the steamworks. That was when Dr. Edward Blackman emerged from his office with a rare smile. He and Hayden could almost be considered brothers by their similar facial structures and matching hair styling and they wore the exact same suit, though Dr. Blackman opted for a more casual tie-less look that afternoon. He trotted down the stairs and over to the controller and his visitors and quickly extended a hand to each. "Welcome to the LNER!" He enthused. "I understand you'll be bringing us some rather rare locomotives to the showcase tomorrow."

"Yes sir," Denise replied placing a friendly hand on Christophe's shoulder. "We have a sibling pair of class 48 locomotives that we are most excited to show."

"From Berlin? You can't be serious!" Dr. Blackman knew Sir Topham of Sodor had managed to build up an impressive foreign collection, but he had no idea he held two engines of such rarity. "Completely intact?"

"One is," Christophe said that time. "The other one wasn't as well preserved and has a few unoriginal parts, though still a marvel of a loco."

"Loco?" Hayden chuckled. "Well I've never heard them called that before."

"It's just a cutesy little pet-name we've given them," Denise added, she had begun to wander the Steamworks, watching curiously as parts were carefully hammered out by burly and sweaty engineers. "One can only say 'engines' or 'locomotives' so many times before it becomes rather tired."

Hayden and Dr. Blackman exchanged a raised brow smile then the chief inspector spoke again with a sideways glance to the three engines mingling behind them. "So how many of our fine fleet have you met so far?"

"So far we've only met Kestrel and Meredith that we were unfamiliar with, though looking back at that A4 I'm willing to guess that's Spencer's twin? What was it… Quicksilver?" Christophe admired a freshly polished piston that was lying on a nearby workbench before he turned his attention to the mentioned A4 who had heard his name uttered and was looking in their direction. "He's a rather brutish looking fellow."

"Believe it or not he's the more tame of our A4's." Dr. Blackman said with a sly smile. He then gestured for the group to follow as he led them over to the still staring locomotive. "Afternoon, Q," he called with a wave. "I have some friends I'd like you to meet. This here is—"

"The Chief Engineer of Sodor and that fancy woman driver who supposedly is a sort of 'locomotive whisperer,'" Quicksilver said quickly in his typical posh manner. He then directed his sharp gaze to Denise who nearly flinched under such an icy stare. "I hear you're supposed to be of some help for my brother."

Denise swallowed nervously then looked to Hayden for clarification. The controller loosened his tie and cleared his throat. "Yes, well, we hadn't gotten to that part just yet. I was wanting to give them a proper tour and introduce them to everyone first."

Quicksilver rolled his eyes and huffed. "Well good luck finding him." He then gestured with his eyes to a stray driver and fireman lounging on Meredith's front fender. It was Mallard's crew, Felix and Michele.

Felix, Mallard's driver, ran a set of fingers through his strawy hair and smiled awkwardly. He was a young lanky man born and raised in a small village outside Sundsvall, Sweden, but when the quiet farm life wasn't titillating enough he migrated to London and joined the LNER's apprentice program where he met Michele, a tight-lipped, curly-haired Frenchman with a serious distaste for all things uncouth so of course he was paired with Mallard. He was constantly moaning about what a cruel joke their assignment was, much to Felix's chagrin.

"I'm very sorry, sir," Felix's awkward smile intensified. "You know how that engine gets, he—"

"He's a stubborn shit," Michele interrupted Felix with a huff as he spit out a small toothpick he'd been rolling between his teeth. "Pardon my language, madame." He said passively, referring obviously to Denise. "I'm sure he's run off to go fuck that gap-toothed Scottish piece up at Edinburg again."

Felix swallowed nervously when he saw Hayden fuming stare directed at his foul-mouthed fireman. "We don't know that for sure," the young driver stammered. "Maybe he just wanted to stretch his wheels on a coastal siding."

"In the middle of a work day?" Michele guffawed. "Please, he's a pig and you know it, blue eyes."

Denise reached out and grabbed Hayden's shoulder to pull him aside with Christophe while the crew bickered back and forth between the engines. Dr. Blackman followed with a hint of a bemused smile trying to make itself known. The group moved behind a hammering hydraulic press and that's when Denise completely lost her cool.

"What kind of railway are you running here, Mister Jameson?!" She cried out, luckily her shouting was muffled by the persistent metal banging just beside them. "Letting your engines drive themselves with no crew, letting your engines abandon their crews?! And what did that fireman say about that Mallard? Because I'm not sure if I need to clean my ears out but it sounded like he said your locomotive is having relations with another?! Care to explain?"

Dr. Blackman glanced over to his sweating controller and decided it was time he took the reins for a moment. He tucked his pile of paperwork up under his arm and clapped his hands together. "We'd be happy to explain so long as you're willing to listen with an open mind."

Denise and Christophe looked at each other and considered the inspector's words and with a reluctant shrug from the both of them Dr. Blackman led the group back up to his office. Meredith, Dirk, and Quicksilver all watched them leave. None of them said a word but the two little tank engines glanced up to the silver A4 between them and he drew his mouth into a firm line as he exhaled steam. Something told him it was going to be a long week.

Heimchen's Characters:

Denise Doyon

Christophe Pelletier

Lammergeier (Lambchop)

Adler (Adi)

Justin

Francois

Guy

There may be more who make an appearance but those are the ones I know for sure will be showing their happy —or not so happy— faces.