(AN: I made this story many moons ago, I'm just now putting it up. The following review of reviews is an addition to the original document).

With another five chapters up, let's get to reviews!

jriddle41, on the love triangle: Glad you like it. That was a nod to the fandom rivalry between Thomily/Thomrose. Me personally, I ship both with Thomas simply on the basis of compatible personalities.

Guest, on Lady's backstory: Yes, poor Lady indeed. Bill and Ben didn't know any better, they just let their impatience get the better of them. It is our sincere hope that quarry work will sort them out.

Guest, on Ladyten: Diesel Ten's not so bad, just misunderstood. But yes, I ship it. Ladyten is my TTTE OTP.

Guest, on the reunion: Go read chapter eleven if you haven't yet. Boomer and Stone have met in the past, actually, but Boomer and Lady have not (yet). And thanks for liking the story!

Speaking of the reunion, let's start Act Two already!

Diesel Ten and Lady stared at each other. It had been twenty-two years, but they felt like yesterday was when they last saw each other.

Lady had been professionally restored, and her paintwork looked new. Ten privately wished her livery wasn't such a sissy color for an engine – dark red would suit her much better, he thought – but he couldn't get his way all the time. In fact, the only signs of Lady's accident were a few subtle scars crisscrossing her face.

Diesel Ten had seen better days. Lady had thought his golden paint looked splendid when they met; now it was faded and chipped in several places, with a huge piece of his bufferbeam devoid of paint altogether. His claw had rusted and the wires controlling it were frayed in multiple places; it was a miracle he could still use it. And his face; he looked short on sleep, and unfathomably gloomy. He was definitely not the same engine she once knew.

"Well?" Ten asked. Lady looked at him. He continued. "Are you here to mock me? Tell me I'm garbage? Or are you going to tell me my kind is inferior?" he added, his eyes narrowing at the last. "Because if so, I have one thing to say about that." His arm involuntarily raised.

Lady did not react. She stood her ground.

"I'm sorry."

Lady was caught offguard.

Diesel Ten sighed and lowered his arm. "I hurt you. Really, really bad. I should've been more careful. Not like you'd care about whether or not I looked out for you; to you, I'm just a dumb diesel."

"You remember that?" Lady asked.

Diesel Ten nodded to the best of the ability someone lacking a neck could, looking away ashamedly.

"Oh...oh, Diesel Ten," Lady murmured, crying a little. "I shouldn't have said that. I wasn't thinking straight, and I didn't mean to hurt you. If anything, I'm the one who should be apologizing. I didn't want you to be the bad guy."

"Then you should've said something as soon as you came to," Ten growled. "Ugh, steamers."

"What is your problem with steam engines?" Lady asked, angry.

"Steamers have a tendency to look out for themselves and themselves alone. Not helped by the fact your kind are the iconic locomotives. Whenever someone says 'train', they always picture a steamer pulling it. So when, through no fault of our own, diesels like myself come to replace steamers like you...let's just say people don't take it well.

"Especially at Mesa Roja. The founders didn't care about power source, just as long as you were useful. The people who took over after they retired? Horribly biased. Diesels and electrics couldn't have their own liveries and always, ALWAYS got the crap jobs."

"Is there more?"

"Oh, is there. Did you actually think 'Diesel Ten' is my name? It isn't. We diesels of Mesa Roja COULDN'T use OUR OWN NAMES or we'd get in trouble! We had to address ourselves by purchase order." Ten snarled. "And to top it all off, three of the steamers, who had bad attitude problems, mind you, ALWAYS GOT THEIR WAY! And if they hurt US?! FORGET REPORTING THEM, BECAUSE THE SUPERVISORS NEVER BLOODY LISTENED TO DIESELS!"

Ten's eyes were starting to turn red, and his voice was starting to lower its tone. But Diesel Ten realized this, and quickly snapped back to normal. "Sorry..." he said, tears starting to form. "I-I have problems controlling my temper sometimes, and I don't want to hurt you again."

He was surprised when Lady rolled up a little and placed her buffers against his.

"I know what that's like," Lady said quietly. "I was the smallest engine at my old railroad. There were three steam engines at my old railway who teased me all the time. And they drove me nuts. One day, I snapped, and, well...I told one of them her face looked like a caboose's...caboose."

"...You used a stronger word, didn't you?"

"I have a serious potty mouth," Lady admitted sheepishly. "Before Derek, Murdoch, and Billy met me they didn't know there was a swear word for the letter 'u'." She chuckled sadly. "I got kicked off my railway and ended up here, and you know the rest. Thrown out by the same three engines who covered me in raw sewage my first day there."

Ten's jaw dropped. "That's...that's outrageous! That's Engine Cruelty! That's as bad as that time I got sugar in my fuel tanks!"

"What?"

"Some idiot poured sugar into my fuel tanks once." He shuddered. "Worst pain I've ever felt. I've had a fear of the stuff ever since."

"Poor baby," Lady cooed. "I guess we've both had our share of misfortune. But hey, it can only get better, right?"

"I guess."

"Besides, not all steamers are bad. Billy enjoys working with you, and...well, I came here because I wanted to talk to you, didn't I?"

There was an awkward silence.

"Well, I should probably let you into your shed. It felt good to get all of this off my boiler, but I have to go now," Lady spoke. After some maneuvering, Diesel Ten was in his shed, and Lady was puffing out. But before she did, Diesel Ten made a decision and said, "Dominic."

Lady stopped. "What?"

"My name. My real name. 'Nick' for short."

"Well, Nick, it was a pleasure seeing you again. Toodles!"

And Lady left.

"What kind of a name is 'Nick' for such a scary engine?!" Diesel exclaimed incredulously.

"Actually, it's quite fitting," Den said.

"What does he mean?" Diesel asked Dart.

"'Dominic' comes from the same word as 'dominate'. Diesel Ten's real name must be Dominic so people would know how powerful he is," Dart explained.

"Huh."

A little away from the others, Billy looked at Diesel Ten's shed, happy.

He'd succeeded at part one.

Emily looked around, then quickly scooted onto Crana's siding, and found the coach looking distraught. "What's wrong?"

"I felt three engines die last night."

"Oh...Must've been a bad accident, huh?"

"Normally, trucks die in accidents, and if an engine dies it's usually only one. But no trucks died last night, yet three engines did. No, someone...is scrapping engines."

From the control room on the massive boat, P. T. Boomer looked out over the water.

"Soon, Sodor! I'm coming for you, and your precious Lifer railway is history!" He cackled, then started coughing. "Alright, who farted?"

Diesel Ten was asleep in his shed, processing the day's events. It had been quite an adventure, but he could rest easy knowing that Lady was okay.

Dominic.

Diesel Ten bolted awake, his eyes wide with fear. He knew that feminine voice very well.

Don't worry about me.

You will be alright.

And you will find love once again.

They finally reunite!

Crana feels something is afoot. And Diesel Ten's past is coming back to haunt him.

What happens when D10 loses his temper completely? What does Boomer have in mind for Sodor? And will the Steam Team realize that "Steamie" is actually a racial slur?

All this and more in the next chapter – The Project!