Author's Note: What do you do when you get a snow day? Write the next chapter of course! Enjoy!
"Nothing personal."
Caboose stared after the diesel in bewilderment. When he'd had the buffet car chasing his tail, clearly enraged and on a mission, he had rolled his eyes and assumed she was just away to pull off the usual dramatics on Greaseball. Buffy got herself worked up over the slightest thing; she was renowned for her quick temper. But he didn't foresee her changing Greaseball's perspective. As predicted, she had launched into a tirade -one that Caboose had retreated to watch eagerly from the sidelines – but Greaseball's reaction had baffled the brake truck. It seemed to provoke a sense of guilt and self-reflection in the diesel, as if the buffet car had given him a slap and snapped him to his senses. Caboose had expected Greaseball to stand his ground and defend himself; justify his actions and tell the buffet car where to go. He started out with this intention before retracting his justifications almost as quickly as they'd been said. He had backpedalled; Buffy seemingly giving quite a sobering lecture.
The brake truck had quickly grown tired of Greaseball's incessant laments about Dinah and Luna, although he had to admit he also found it quite satisfying hearing how much he disliked the human brat. Caboose had suggested the training sessions as a means for Greaseball to work out his frustration. He told himself to have patience with the diesel and so he'd continued to console him as he prattled on and on, pretending to listen. Because although he found the rants monotonous, the issues he discussed were proving to be a big motivational tool for Greaseball and it had sparked an idea in Caboose. He made the sessions more frequent, urging the diesel to push further and train harder so he could regain his championship title. He lead Greaseball on and – unknowin to the diesel - deliberately distanced him from Dinah. Caboose ensured his day was full so he didn't have time to go visit her at the diner and would return home late. To Caboose, there was potential for Greaseball to be used as a pawn to get to Luna. And with his relationship with Dinah clearly on the rocks, Caboose figured he'd be more likely swayed into helping Electra as opposed to sympathising with her, Or, at least, that was the idea…
But the sudden change of heart had put a spanner in the works and changed everything. Now, Caboose was cursing Buffy for getting herself involved. More so, he was furious with Greaseball. They had made a good team and Greaseball had frequently told Caboose how much he had appreciated the brake truck helping him out. But he'd also been quick enough to ditch him. Well, that was fine. He would make him wish that he'd never listened to Buffy. He'd be sorry he ever messed with Caboose.
Buzzing with motivation and intent, he raced along to Electra's shed. He knew Electra would listen to him. Electra needed no excuse to start trouble, especially when the child was concerned. Approaching the depot, he was met by Volta as she was preparing to leave to check in for the day ahead.
"Oh, hey Volta. Is Sparky around?"
Volta raised an eyebrow. Although Caboose's presence wasn't unusual – he seemed to find any excuse to spend more time here, much to her irritation – the brake truck often didn't make an appearance until after lunch. But was that a hint of urgency that she had detected in his voice?
"Nope, I'm afraid not," the freezer truck shook her head, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. There was always an air of elegance about her that Caboose found captivating. He found it difficult to tear his eyes away from the truck as she gave a pout. "He's gone down to the hall earlier today. Last I heard Control was needing him. Anything I can help with?"
It took all of his restraint not to stamp his foot in frustration. He could feel the sense of urgency building up inside of him; this couldn't wait.
"Oh, uh…nah, I just wanted a quick word," Caboose tried to keep it casual, leaning against the shed door. "Nothing important."
"Oh, hey Caboose!"
The cheery outburst from the dynamite truck as she waltzed up behind him and into the shed startled him, causing him to flinch. Volta crossed her arms, observing the brake truck intently.
"Holy Starlight, Joule!" he exclaimed, giving the younger train a scowl as he regained his composure.
Joule giggled, giving the brake truck a friendly nudge. "Looking for Electra?"
"Uh…yeah. Volta's just said Control summoned him early."
Joule nodded. "It sounded like he was maybe getting deployed-"
At that, Caboose suddenly turned on his heel and dashed off. "I've just realised I've forgotten to tell him something important about tomorrow!" he shouted over his shoulder, making up an excuse on the spot, hoping it wasn't too obvious. He needed to catch Electra before he was sent out.
Volta rolled out of the shed to watch him go, her brow furrowed.
"He's up to something."
Joule joined her sister's side, looking at her questioningly.
"Like what?"
"I don't know," the freezer truck sighed. "But I don't like it."
A couple of night's later, the yard was struck by a particularly bad storm. Dinah and Greaseball had not long retired to bed when the elements released their rage. Outside, the wind howled, pummeling the depot's windows like an almighty punch and causing them to shake, the rain lashing the roof like heavy darts. A loud boom of thunder shocked the whole household awake and rose a scream from the other room as a flash of white light illuminated the depot, the zagged bolt ripping the sky in half.
"Dinah!" Luna wailed, racing into the bedroom and diving onto the bed, tears streaking her cheeks.
The dining car immediately sat up in bed to comfort the girl, allowing her to curl up to her.
"It's alright, Luna," she soothed, stroking her long brown hair. "It's just a storm. It'll pass soon."
As another rumble of thunder rolled across the sky above them, reverberating around the depot, the child sobbed louder and buried her head into Dinah's shoulder. Greaseball reached for the bedside lamp only to find it didn't work.
"The electricity must be down…" he rolled over to face Luna as she gave him a worried glance. "Nothing that Wrench can't fix!" he winked.
"And you know what?" Dinah tilted her head. "Pearl doesn't like storms either."
At the mention of the first class coach, Luna clutched her teddy closer to her chest. Pearl had gifted the stuffed bear – named Saffie – to the girl as an early fourth birthday present and ever since Luna had taken it everywhere with her. It was something she associated with the pink coach and just then, it brought some comfort. Her eyes grew wide and it seemed to give a bit of reassurance. "Really?"
Dinah nodded.
"I think the only train who likes storms is Electra!" chuckled Greaseball in an attempt to make light of the situation and distract Luna.
Dinah laughed and turned to face him. "Do you remember that one time we got locked out in that bad storm with Ashley and Buffy?"
Greaseball grinned at the memory. The four of them had stayed out past their curfew and had ignored the signs of the approaching storm. The girls had shrieked at the torrential rain which soaked them through in seconds as they ran to the main hall, only to find it was locked. Fuelled by the exhilaration of rebellion, they had dashed to Poppa's – the nearest depot - and collapsed into a heap in his hallway, laughing hysterically. After receiving a stern reprimanding from Poppa, they had all sat around the warmth of the fire to dry off, wrapped in blankets and drinking hot cocoa.
Luna listened intently as Dinah retold the story.
"Oh, I remember Buffy wailed the whole time about her hair! She was a right drama queen!"
"Was?" exclaimed Greaseball, shooting Dinah an amused look.
Luna and Dinah burst into a fit of laughter.
"You were quite the drama queen yourself back then," Greaseball playfully nudging the dining car, a big smile spreading over his face.
Dinah threw a pillow at the diesel, which got more laughter from Luna. "I was not!"
At that, Luna stood up and started jumping on the bed. "Pillow fight! Pillow fight!"
After several moments of tumultuous fun, the trio collapsed back in bed, exhausted. Dinah winced as her stomach ached from laughter; she couldn't recall the last time she had laughed so much. Luna rolled into the middle of the bed, feeling safe between the two trains.
Greaseball propped himself up on one arm, watching quietly as the girl's eyes fluttered as she drifted back off to sleep, a gentle smile on her lips. He pulled the duvet up to keep her warm. Dinah reached a hand across to him and he took it in his, stroking it gently.
For the first time, they finally felt united. A family.
The following evening, Caboose put his plan into action. At 2am, once he was certain the trains would have all long retired to bed, he slipped out of his shed and silently made his way across to Greaseball and Dinah's depot. With the yard still in darkness, he didn't have to worry about being seen. More importantly, it would be easier to notice if someone was approaching. Much to Wrench's frustration, although she had been able to restore the power following the storm, she had been baffled by another sudden outage. Electra had convinced her to wait until morning to fix it, assuring her she'd be able to see better in the daylight. Enough time to get the job done. The other day, Caboose had remembered he still had Greaseball's spare key from ages ago and he was almost certain the diesel had forgotten he even still had it. He knew it would come in use for something. After hesitating outside the depot for several minutes, he carefully slotted the key into the lock and turned it, gently opening the door. The depot was still. Caboose made his way through the hallway into the open-plan kitchen/lounge and along to the master bedroom. The bedroom door was slightly ajar. Caboose rested an ear to the door and took the quietness as confirmation that both Dinah and Greaseball were fast asleep. With that, he proceeded into the girl's bedroom at the side.
The girl was curled up on her side, her dark hair spilling onto her pillow. In her arms, she clutched a small teddy bear.
"Luna," he whispered. "Luna, wake up."
The girl stirred, rubbing her eyes. "C.B?"
"Shh! Listen, some of the trains are having a sleepover at mine. We have lots of candy and popcorn and we're away to watch a movie. Wanna come?"
Luna hesitated.
"Pearl and Rusty are there. It was Pearl who actually suggested I come get you so you didn't miss out."
At that, the girl threw back her cover and slipped out of bed.
"You gotta be real quiet though, ok? It's top secret!"
Luna nodded excitedly. Caboose grinned as he took the girl's hand and lead her out of the depot, locking the door behind him. This was too easy!
As he started in the direction of the component sheds, the girl started asking a slew of questions.
"Aren't Dinah and Greaseball allowed to come?"
"Nah, this is for special VIPs only, kiddo. Only the youngsters are invited!"
"Will there be chocolate?"
"Oh, you bet!"
"Can we invite Aunt Ashley and Aunt Buffy?"
"Uh, no. Like I said, youngsters only. They are boring anyway."
"Nuh uh!" the girl shook her head defensively. "They play with me all the time!"
"Pearl's gonna be there. I'm sure she'll play some games with you."
The girl excitedly clapped her hands. For a moment, they walked in silence and Caboose breathed a sigh of relief. Gosh, the kids could talk!
"Are we there yet?"
Caboose grimaced. Now he understood Greaseball's venting. At that, the brake truck whipped around, Luna dragging her heels as her feet grew tired, and he snatched Saffie from under her arm.
"I meant to say, you can't bring teddies to the sleepover. They are for babies."
He had intended to use the teddy to spur Luna on faster, but he soon realised he had made a huge mistake. The girl's eyes grew big with horror and she let out a piercing scream. Caboose tugged the child's arm and tried to muffle her cries by covering her mouth, but it only made the girl thrash furiously and she managed to wriggle free, making a run for it. Caboose frantically dashed after her; now he was in danger of being caught. Luna stumbled ahead before colliding with Joule.
"Woah! Slow down, Luna!"
Seeing the girl was visibly distressed and realising she was dressed only in her pyjamas, the dynamite truck immediately scooped her up into her arms. "What are you doing out here?"
Her eyes met Caboose who was gasping for breath. Her eyes narrowed, recalling Volta's suspicions the other day.
"What's going on?"
Luna instinctively reached out a hand for her teddy with a whimper, which Joule noticed C.B had gripped in his hand. He looked at the stuffed bear then back to Joule.
"Oh, uh…I found Luna out here on her own," he shook the teddy. "She'd just dropped her teddy…" he added, as means of justification of being in possession of the child's toy.
But Joule wasn't convinced. She could see from the fretful look Luna gave him as he returned her teddy that something was amiss. Luna flinched as her hand met Caboose's. The girl clutched her toy protectively close to her, burrowing her head into Joule's chest. She had interrupted something.
"Is that Luna?" Volta and Wrench appeared behind the dynamite truck, having also heard the girl's scream.
Joule noted how Caboose shifted uneasily, finding the additional company unnerving.
"What were you doing with her, Caboose?" the young truck demanded, her voice firm.
Caboose sighed. "I told you. I found her wandering out here on her own, I was just away to take her home."
Joule's lip twitched. She didn't believe him, not for one second. He was hiding something. She felt the girl begin to shiver in the cold night air. Joule was reluctant to leave, wanting to interrogate Caboose further, but the girl was tired and cold. She had to get her into the warmth.
"Come on," she wiped away a tear from the girl's cheeks, giving her a comforting smile. "Let's get you back home."
Caboose cursed under his breath as Joule turned and rolled off. Electra wasn't going to be happy…
The freezer truck stepped forward and looked him right in the eye, delivering a stark warning.
"Don't you dare touch Luna again or I'll make sure you never race another day in your life."
"Caboose?!" exclaimed Dinah, as Joule explained her encounter with the brake truck and Luna back at the depot.
Joule nodded. "I have no idea what he was up to, but it was no good. I know that much."
"But how did he get Luna, the door was…" Greaseball's eyes lit up with rage. He clenched his fists as he realised that C.B had done. "That son of a-"
"Greaseball!" Dinah shot a warning glance at the diesel, aware Luna was all ears, clinging to her side. She had been unwilling to go back to bed without them both. She needed the comfort and reassurance of the two trains in case C.B. made a return visit.
"I'll change the locks first thing tomorrow. I'll also pay that break truck a visit," Greaseball said, flexing his hands, itching to give the Caboose what for.
He put a hand on Dinah's shoulder. "Why don't you and Luna go back to bed? I'll take Joule back to her depot and make sure she gets home safe."
The dynamite truck waved a hand. "I'll be fine, don't worry about me. Volta will be on the look out for me coming back anyway."
Dinah gave the young train a look of concern. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah! Honestly, I'm fine. You two stay here and get Luna settled."
With that, Joule crouched down to the girl's level and held out her arms for a hug. Luna obliged, wrapping her small arms around the dynamite truck's neck. Joule ruffled the girl's hair with a smile before bidding good night.
Dinah lead Luna into their bedroom and allowed the girl to curl up between her and Greaseball once more. She held her close, afraid that if she didn't she'd be snatched from her again.
What did she have to do to keep her safe?
C.B cursed again loudly as he made his way to Electra's shed, head bowed. He had been so close. As he approached, he found Electra standing in the doorway, his face stone cold, telling Caboose he was unimpressed. "Where is the girl?"
C.B. bit his lip. "I lost her. She screamed and alerted Joule and the others," he looked the electric straight in the eye. "They know I'm up to something."
But to the brake truck's surprise, the electric simply shrugged and sighed. "Well then, you better make sure you regain their trust. We'll stay low for a while, give them time to forget it ever happened."
Caboose huffed. "We've no chance of getting close to the kid now! Practically the whole yard has eyes on her!"
Electra stood straight with an air of confidence that Caboose found both unnerving and comforting. Clearly, he had it all planned out.
"Then we'll just have to break them all apart, won't we?"
Caboose grinned as his face darkened. Now he was talking!
"Patience, Caboose," the electric continued, giving him a reassuring smirk. "Good things come to those who wait"
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