Hayden woke the morning following his uncomfortable confrontation with Denise and Christophe in a sweat. He remembered the color as it drained from his visitors' faces as Dr. Blackman tactfully explained how the engines of the LNER were allowed to 'couple' with each other in their free time as a way to relieve stress and boost morale amongst the living machines. They hardly spoke the entire time, just stared ahead in complete shock at such a gut-punch of a discovery. They had been around locomotives their entire lives and had not a clue that they could… copulate as humans do. When the pair left the Mainland to prepare their engines for the journey back, they hardly said goodbye to the controller and his trusted inspector. Dr. Blackman seemed almost amused over the situation, Hayden, however, was mortified.

The young controller rolled from his bed and fumbled his way in the dark to the bathroom. He could still hear Alex's aggressive snoring behind him and debated waking him simply so he didn't have to hear the noise anymore, but he knew he'd be up soon anyway. Hayden clicked on the light then turned on the shower. He glanced at his reflection in the vanity mirror and poked at the bags under his eyes with indignation. "Goddammit," he growled to himself. He didn't exactly sleep the best and unfortunately it was evident all over his face.

Once his shower water was nice and scalding he stripped out of his pajamas and slipped under the prickling stream. He didn't normally take intensely hot showers, but he was next level stressed and hoped maybe the steam and heat would help relax the tension that built up throughout his body. He washed his face and hair and everything else with handmade soap that was lightly scented with lavender and honey and once he rinsed off and ran a comb through his hair he shut the water off, grabbed a towel, and stepped onto the cool bathroom mat just beside the fiberglass tub. He then reached for another smaller hand towel to dry off his hair and arms then reached for the door, but before his hand could grasp the knob it turned slowly and creaked open. "Oh," Hayden recoiled back when he saw Alex had woken up. "Good morning!"

His partner already appeared wide awake, ready to tackle the day, though his blonde hair was a tad messy and his satin pajamas hung slightly off his broad shoulders, his eyes were bright despite the slight deadpan stare. Alex was talented like that, looking both lively and uninterested all at once. Hayden wondered if it was a German thing, Dirk could sometimes be seen with the same conflicting expression as he worked. Maybe it was just an uncommon thoughtful look.

"Ready for the first day of the show?" Alex asked as he stepped past Hayden towards the sink to brush his teeth and fix up his hair. He was of a sturdy build, but carried with him a high level air of intelligence with a voice that sounded as if it belonged to a man of great distinction that was laced by a subtle but still there German accent.

Hayden leaned against the doorframe and watched as Alex brushed his teeth. He fiddled with his hand towel awkwardly. "I'm a little nervous if I'm being completely honest."

Alex spit, wiped his mouth, then turned back to his partner. "Nervous? What do you have to be nervous about?" He then opened the medicine cabinet that was hidden behind the mirror and pulled out a black can of pomade and began to style his hair with his own comb.

"It's my first railway show as a controller," Hayden pointed out and he threw his towel over his shoulder. "Plus you should have seen Mister Pelletier and Missus Doyon after what happened yesterday. I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to pull their engines from the showcase."

Once Alex was satisfied with the shiny blonde bump atop his head he faced Hayden once more, crossing his arms, brow raised as he struggled to not laugh at his partner's expense. Hayden has spilled his guts the second he arrived home last night and most of the evening Alex spent consoling his distraught partner, reassuring him that nothing wrong had been done. "Hayden," he started in that familiar parental tone. "They're not going to stand up the showcase. They'd be fools to not show off such a collection of engines, you said it yourself last night." He stepped forward and grabbed Hayden's face, their difference in height was more obvious in that moment as Hayden had to angle his gaze slightly upward to be able to look Alex in the eye. "Stop fretting, you're going to lose your hair again and I don't like you bald."

Hayden sighed and pulled Alex's hands from his cheeks. "I know, I know. I just want this week to go off without a hitch, that's all."

"And it will," Alex reassured with a rare loving smile. "What could happen?"

Hayden winced. "I'd rather not think about it."

Once both men were dressed in their finest navy blue suits they strolled through their flat and into the street. The sun was warm and bright, humidity low and the breeze was constant and soft. They could already hear the noise from Victoria Station as locomotives, tourists, and every day passengers began to pour in from every corner. Hayden felt a small twinge of nausea and unbuttoned, then buttoned his suit jacket once more with a slow breath in. Alex placed a reassuring hand on Hayden's shoulder then nodded his head towards the station. "C'mon, we gotta get going. Can't be late on the first day."

"Nope." Hayden choked out and he led the way towards the terminal, Alex trailed behind with an amused smirk.

A brisk walk later the pair mounted the steps at the grand entrance to the terminal decorated in welcome banners in a multitude of languages. Posters boasting the engines to be displayed were plastered and hung from every surface and scattered colorful brochure stands held schedules for each day as well as a detailed list of locomotives and railways which will be represented in the showcases and competitions. Hayden was immediately recognized by the locals and was flooded with friendly hellos and excited greetings as he and Alex made their way to the main platform of the station where Flying Scotsman was sat, polished and decorated with coordinating banners and bunting hanging from his hand rails. He wasn't necessarily an engine designed for show, but he sure presented as one with his handsome deflectors and charming smile. He soaked up the camera flashes and eager chatter that surrounded him as fans of rail swarmed the locomotive. His gaze landed on his controller and partner and he beamed with smug joy. "I always forget just how much I love The Great Railway Show."

"It is rather perfect for an engine as full of himself as you are." Edgar jeered from beside Scotsman. The black A4 was also sparkly and dressed up to show off for his first show back in London. "Say, Mister Jameson," Edgar called to his controller and when the human looked up from fingering his jacket buttons yet again the engine continued. "When are all these fancy new engines supposed to show up?"

Hayden pulled his sleeve back to check his watch. "They should start trickling in within the next hour or so. The showcase itself isn't until tomorrow, but they'll need the day to prime and prep their engines."

Edgar bumped Scotsman's cylinders and whispered. "Think I might could get lucky with one of those American lads? They're stupid as rocks, but those accents they have are so delicious."

"Considering they're stupid as rocks I'm sure you'll have no issue," Scotsman teased with a sideways smile.

Edgar chuckled, unphased by his friend's loving insults. "What about you? Are you browsing yourself? I know Australia is bringing over some real cuties."

"No," Scotsman said, his smile threatening to disappear. "I've been forbidden from sticking my rod into anything until after the week is over."

"By whom? Meredith? I thought you two were open?"

"We are," Scotsman said then he gestured with his eyes to Hayden who was busy conversing with a controller from one of the northern railways in Scotland. "I've been ordered by him to keep it on lock."

Edgar scrunched his nose in surprise disgust. "That's not like him."

"I think he's a little worried about the approval of a couple know-it-alls from Sodor." Scotsman snorted. "Complete sticks in the mud, they are."

"Was it a man with a woman dressed as a driver?"

A nod from Scotsman.

"Ah, I remember picking them up at Vicarstown yesterday morning. The man seemed alright, very enthusiastic, as did the woman, but I've heard how she handles her engines. Almost like a mother disciplining a toddler. Very undignified for an engine to be talked down to like a mindless babe."

"Extremely," Scotsman agreed, but before more could be said, another decorated engine joined the group and yanked his attentions away. It was Meredith, and she looked absolutely stunning, adorned in black and gold ribbons, white roses all along her footboards, and a touch of washable gold paint at the corner of her eyes. "Well hello there." The green A3 purred.

"Hey there yourself," Meredith whispered back. It wasn't often she saw Scotsman done up for show. "You look handsome."

"And you look absolutely delectable." He replied, licking his lips. Damn that controller, he thought.

Edgar couldn't stop his laughter as he leaned close to his friend. "Still planning to abide."

"Not one bit." Scotsman moved forward and angled himself to whisper at the side of Meredith's smokebox. "The second you're able to slip away, I expect you in that long goods shed just north of the diesel yard backed in and ready to have your body rocked."

Meredith bit her lip then nodded before she turned to look at Hayden, still preoccupied with welcoming more and more controllers until he realized that his locomotives sitting at the terminal were blocking a string of other engines coming in to prepare for the show and he quickly and not-so-gracefully waved for his charges to move to the show yard. Luckily Alex was there to catch him as he nearly tripped over his own feet attempting to break the crowd around him. "Go on!" Hayden called, catching his breath. "You lot get to the yard! You all know your spots!"

The three engines complied and rolled off towards the show yard. Meredith was giddy as she watched the crowds that hugged the fence lines along the track. It was hardly eight o'clock and it seemed the whole country was awake and watching their beloved local engines parade proudly about. Men whistled and women cheered as they watched the great metal beasts cruise down the lines through the city and once they came into the yard the chaos truly broke out. Hundreds of people gallivanted between food vendors, fair games, and admired the engines already on display. Meredith recognized the beaming red Chinese Pacific locomotive, Yung Bao, as he chuffed through the yard speaking casual Chinese with what appeared to be his controller dressed in an embroidered silk suit jacket and accompanying trousers. The designs matched the tiger emblem that graced the engine's tender. Then there was The Whispering Giant from Australia with his vibrant teal and yellow livery, squared off skirt and boiler. For such a large engine he moved as if he weighed not a pound, such is how he got his nickname, though he's actually designated Shane. A friendly fellow, always up for a good chat, and chatting he was with a very bored looking red and black streamlined Belgian chap with a nearly complete unibrow and weird puckered face. Then as they moved deeper among the twisted tracks and array of turntables the three LNER engines came across the rest of the A4 herd, Mallard included though he looked about ready to bite someone's head off.

"Mornin' lads!" Edgar mused as he approached his finely decorated siblings. For the most part the group appeared equally excited, aside from Mallard, obviously, even Bittern couldn't stop a sneaky half-smile from adorning his expression.

"Ohh! I'm so excited!" Kestrel bounced on his tracks as Edgar placed himself in the open spot adjacent. "Look at all these people here to admire us!"

Mallard rolled his eyes until he caught sight of Meredith talking and giggling quietly with Flying Scotsman. His boiler rumbled. She did look a treat. A treat he'd love to take a bite of. Though neither Scotsman or Meredith noticed Mallard's lecherous staring as they continued on past the A4 family group, the green A3 whispered to his lover about all the nasty things he wanted to do to her the second they could be alone.

Edgar watched the pair leave with amusement then returned his attention to his brothers. "So, how do we expect the bulky goods engines to handle the passenger runs for the week?"

"Pfft," Spencer snorted from beside Quicksilver. "They'll crack before the day's over."

"Not the twins," Quicksilver pointed out firmly. "Allan and Arik, they've done passenger work before. The real question is can they maintain any sort of decorum when doing so?"

"Not a chance," Bittern hissed. He was sat between Mallard and Kestrel mainly just to act as a buffer. Mallard quite enjoyed picking on their perky green sibling. "I've seen the way that Allan gawks at human women, he's got not an ounce of shame."

"Maybe, but human women are lovely to look at." Mallard said confidently. "The way their bodies curve like an hourglass, they look just as nice walking away as they do coming forwards."

"I hate to agree with Mallard, but he's right," Kestrel concluded with a slight nod. "Women are like living works of art."

Edgar couldn't suppress his laughter. "Better be careful talking like that, I hear talk that some humans actually have fetishes for engines. You might find yourself cornered by someone looking to fulfill some forbidden kink of theirs."

"Can't say I would mind that," Mallard admitted with a smirk and wiggle of his brow.

"Yes, but you're also a pig who would fuck anything with a pulse." Spencer retorted. The rest of the A4's all chuckled except for Mallard who merely shot his eldest sibling a nasty glare.

Quicksilver then silenced his brothers with a firm shush. "Easy with the language, Link. Mister Jameson has special guests here from Sodor and you know how they are over there. All prim and proper, no talking back, no coarse language, the like."

"Ah, so no fun." Bittern snickered.

"Oh enough," Quicksilver scolded as his brothers continued to gossip like a bunch of horny, mischievous teenagers. "Hush up the lot of you! This is Mister Jameson's first showcase and we need to be on our best behavior. He's already proven to be a fine controller and we need to honor his good work with cordial behavior."

"Yeah, but Edgar just said we can't fuck." Mallard pouted.

"I said Scotsman can't." The black A4 corrected with a snarl of steam.

"Ah ah! I think we should all follow that rule, even if it wasn't directed to us." Quicksilver rolled forward when he could sense a rising hostility between his siblings. He then directed his glare to pouty-lipped Mallard. "You especially, one of these visitors from Sodor Mister Jameson plans to sic on you."

"Me?!"

"Yes, you!" Quicksilver growled. He lowered his voice as a good crowd had developed to admire the group of handsome speedy engines. "You've been a crack in this railway's foundation for too long, and this visitor supposedly knows how to handle rowdy engines such as yourself. Maybe she can teach you some civility. You certainly need a good spanking."

"Spanking?!" Mallard cried in anger. "I'm not a fucking child!"

"Language!" Quicksilver snapped.

"Fuck you!"

The rest of the A4's all sat in awkward silence as Quicksilver continued to lay into their mouthy brother. Not a one of them had noticed their controller had arrived with the very visitors Quicksilver had warned the bunch about. Christophe and Denise both stood in exasperated silence as the two locomotives continued to rip and curse at each other while Hayden, already, began to break a sweat. He then swallowed his pride and with a gentle push to the backs of both his guests, moved them over to the bellowing blue A4. "I'd like you to meet Mallard."

While Christophe and Denise were preoccupied with unconventional introductions, Meredith had wandered over to where Sodor's foreign locomotives were being prepped for display. She stopped and admired the broad group of handsome faces that all seemed to be all but oblivious to her presence, all except for one. She nearly lept her tracks when she locked eyes with a stunning black on red German engine. It was a class she had never seen before. Ten powerful drivers combined with four leading axles that stretched further from his smokebox than normal, his boiler dotted with hooks for signage and decor and a set of deflectors not unlike Flying Scotsman's. He stared at her with a gaze sharp and unyielding, his face undeniably strong and quite easy to stare back at. She hardly noticed the other Canadian engines gawking at her as she rolled towards this new gentleman. "Hello." Meredith said so gently it almost sounded like a question. The engine was steadfast in his silence yet somehow managed to pull Meredith in more. Her curiosity was overwhelming. "Do you speak English?"

"Oh, he does." Another engine that looked exactly like the unspoken one piped up, though he was smiling brightly at the little tank engine. "Lammergeier is a loco of few vords."

"… Vulture?" Meredith inquired with a raise of her brow. This made the silent brother break his stern countenance for only a moment. He pondered the little engine before him then decided to try something.

"You speak German, little tank engine?" He said in his growling native tongue.

Meredith looked at Lammergeier and offered up a slight half-smile. "I'm a little messy with it, but yes." She said in her own clumsy interpretation of the guttural language. "We have a shunter at Doncaster who is from Germany and our controller's partner is as well. They've taught me things in spare time."

Lammergeier peered at his brother who was smiling stupidly at this little American engine. Her accent was so bad, but there was something unexpectedly endearing even to him about the effort she put forth to be accommodating. "As my brother said, I'm Lammergeier," he said after another quiet pause. "He's called Adler."

"Adler…" Meredith whispered. She was entranced by both these engines, but there was something about Lammergeier that drew her in more than his brother. He had a demeanor most unpleasant, but god was he sexy. She licked her lips as her eyes slipped down to his drivers. She wondered what an engine with that many powered wheels could do to her in a berth. "So… have you had a chance to cruise London?" She was still speaking German, she hoped it might attract Lammergeier to her more.

"Not since we've arrived," Adler responded instead, he could tell Lammergeier was trying to figure out the little engine before him the way he was simply staring at her. "Our crews wanted us to keep to our sheds, avoid dirtying up our liveries and wheels."

"You ought to come out one night this week," Meredith persisted. Her mind had strayed to places it shouldn't have and she was already dreaming up ways to get that broody, sullen looking engine to pound her out. "London is such a beautiful city, especially at night. It's nice and quiet and I love taking a cruise under the midnight stars."

"That does sound lovely, uhh…" Alder furrowed his brow. "I'm sorry, but I don't think you—"

"Oh! My name is Meredith. I'm Mister Jameson's private tank engine. He has another private engine painted like me, but he's a little bigger, closer to your size actually. From Sweden, his name is Kjell, he's very sweet. Like sugar."

Adler laughed, but Lammergeier continued to stare. He couldn't figure out this strange little engine before him. She was beautiful to look at and with such an oddly expensive livery. The way she talked she sounded playful and childish like most tank engines he knew, but there was something about her that was mature, that's lived a thousand lives. Then he noticed the scarring on her cheek. What had this little engine been through to receive such a mark? He'd only seen engines marked up similarly that had been through actual battlegrounds, marred by gunfire and bombings. It puzzled him and the way she bounced around when she talked. So unusually expressive, but then he noticed the most damning detail. She was driving around without a crew. "Vhere are your people?" He blurted in his own sloppy English.

His sudden switch to English startled Meredith and she frowned. "I'm off duty, I don't need a crew."

Then all the Sudrian locomotives were looking at Meredith with complete surprise. It was as if all the noise of the show around them had muted and Meredith suddenly became extremely uncomfortable. She began to recoil inward under such heavy stares. "Do— do you not free run?"

"No!" Lammergeier exclaimed in German once more. "Engines do not 'free run!' It's unheard of, puttering off without a crew. How do you keep your fire lit?"

"It's not that hard to regulate your own firebox. Just takes a bit of practice." Meredith stated, though she kept her gaze low.

Lammergeier narrowed his eyes then spoke English once more. "Show me."

"I have to say, Mister Jameson," Denise Doyon began as she walked the length of Mallard while he sat irritated in his spot between his brothers. "He's a very impressive engine, though that mouth," she stopped directly in front of the blue A4 and placed her gloved hands on her hips. "That mouth definitely needs some serious soap and water."

"And your mouth needs a cock in it!" Mallard snipped back. Kestrel and Edgar at the end of the group both had managed to bite back their laughter, though Bittern allowed a small snort to escape. Spencer straight up howled, but he was silenced immediately by Quicksilver giving his boiler a firm bang with his fender.

Denise took a deep breath, ignoring Christophe's gaped mouth and the childish noise of the surrounding A4's. The pair coordinated their outfits, both dressed in Northwestern Blue, Denise a perfectly fitted pencil skirt and flowing blouse with kitten heels and Christophe a tailored suit, tie, and saddle oxfords. Denise pondered her response, she maintained a straight face though inwardly she was fuming. She had never been spoken to in such a manner by anyone, but especially not by an engine. "Mallard," she started calmly lifting her eyes back to the disgruntled A4, but she was startled to see steam curling from his nostrils. "Mallard I need you to perhaps consider what you say to others. That's not a polite way to address someone, especially a guest in your home."

"If it's my home I should be able to speak however I damn well please." Mallard retorted. Hayden appeared as if he may have an aneurysm at any given moment.

"You're clearly a smart engine," Denise continued, expertly ignoring the daggers attempting to melt her skull. "Maybe try to consider that you'd be more appealing to others if you wouldn't use such harsh language."

Mallard clenched his jaw. "I know you'd be more appealing if you would simply shut that stupid mouth of yours you self-important cunt."

"Woah, Woah!" Hayden put himself between his engine and Missus Doyon who was visibly aghast at being called something so unseemly by a steam engine. The LNER controller was beyond his wits. "Mallard, I swear to God, you better learn to speak with respect. You don't want me to send Edgar on you again, do you?"

The cranky A4 cast a sideways glance to his mentioned brother and swallowed nervously as Edgar's eyes blackened and he adorned a dangerous grin. "Not particularly." Mallard grumbled.

"Then behave!" Hayden snapped and he began to walk away, but not before turning back for another firm comment, "and apologize to Missus Doyon. You had no right to insult her like that. She's only here to help you."

"Yeah, don't be such an ungrateful shithead." Kestrel jibbed though his snickering was quickly silenced by a nasty glare from his controller. "Sorry, sir."

Hayden threw his arms up in frustration as he began to look around the bustling yard. Something was missing. Out of all the chaos of engines and people he knew something was off. He then whipped around to look at Alex and Dr. Blackman who had joined them not too long after their arrival to the show yard. "Where the hell is Meredith?"

Meredith was in a berth, but not doing what many would assume, she was actually attempting to teach Lammergeier how to light and feed his own firebox. It was no easy feat as the engine himself was a bit clumsy, he wasn't used to moving the way Meredith was demonstrating. For the most part he and the other locomotives he knew were rather static with minimal, if any, body language. It took the German locomotive by complete surprise when he learned he could move his entire self and not just his face.

"It's all a matter of getting a good fire going, then regulating the oxygen flow. The more you breathe into your firebox, the hotter it will get. If you shut your firebox eventually your fire will die, but all you need to do to relight it is focus your natural body heat down towards the back. It'll swell the plating and should cause a spark because of the friction." Meredith reiterated as she watched Lammergeier shake his boiler, his face scrunched while he did as she said, concentrating all his warmth to his firebox and much to his surprise after a minute of intense focus, the coal inside sparked and burned to life. He could feel his boiler rumble and his steam pressure rose quickly.

"Oh! Oh vow!" He was beaming with excitement at this new development and began calling to Adler in German. "Adler! Adler! Look at this! I've started my fire and boiler all on my own!"

"You're absolutely full of it!" Adler replied through the wall between them.

"No, no! Come see!" Lammergeier steamed forward suddenly and Meredith had to scramble to reverse before she was run over by her eager new friend. "Look at this! Completely independent!"

Adler's mouth dropped open as he watched his brother circle their small space without a crew. "How is that possible?"

"I'm not sure but this brilliant little engine certainly knows her stuff!" Lammergeier said, actually smiling down at Meredith. She then looked away, her face became hot hearing him praise her like that. Lammergeier chuckled when he noticed her embarrassment. "Don't be so shy, it's a great thing you showed me. You're quite smart I'll admit. What else can you teach me?"

Meredith swallowed, her undercarriage began to heat up after she locked eyes with the gorgeous foreign engine. On a whim she slipped forward and buffered up to him then stretched up to murmur softly in his ear. "Would you like to learn how to make love?"

Lammergeier's eyes widened. A strange sensation shocked his body and seemed to awaken a part of him that had been dormant his entire life. His undercarriage radiated a tingling heat and he felt all his steam begin to migrate to a spot nearest his leading axles. He pulled back only to look Meredith in the eye and whisper. "Lead the way, kleine Dame."