A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, had a bit of writer's block with this story. But now I'm back! Please, enjoy!
Chapter 10: James and the Coaches
It was late one evening at the tidmouth sheds bunkhouse, and Gordon, James and Henry were alone. Even though Sir Topham Hatt had forgiven him for his mistakes, Gordon and Henry just loved messing with him.
"Remember when you needed a bootlace to fix the break pipe in one of the coaches, James?" Teased Henry.
"Or when you let the sledgehammers fiddle with the breaks on your train, causing it to derail?"
"Or-"
"Alright, I get it!" James yelled. He hated to be reminded of his past accidents. "Besides, at least I don't hide my engine in tunnels, or make it stall on hills!"
Gordon and Henry were unfazed by James's retorts, and continued to pester him.
"You talk too much, little James," he said, "A fine man such as myself has much to talk about. I drive the only engine that can pull the express. If I can't take it for any reason, then they need two engines to pull it. I've pulled the express for years, and have never lost my way. I know the line by instinct."
Of course, this isn't the case at all. The signalman sets the points for the trains. Gordon knew this, but his ego had gotten to big for his head.
The next morning, James woke up to find Gordon getting his engine ready.
"Well, look who decided to grace us with his presence," Gordon sneered, "You better hurry up, little James. The coaches won't fetch themselves." At that point his engine was ready and he drove it to the station.
Soon James had engine ready and brought Gordon's coaches to the platform. Soon the guard blew his whistle and Gordon set off.
"Goodbye, James," he called, "I'll see you tomorrow." James waved until the train was out of sight, then went to do more shunting.
It wasn't long, however, until he saw Gordon's train come back into the station. Gordon was clearly embarrassed and tried to sneak in without being noticed. Sadly, there was no such luck.
"Hello, Gordon," James called "Is it tomorrow yet."
Gordon said nothing, so James continued.
"Did you lose your way, Gordon?"
"No, it was lost for me," said Gordon. "Some idiotic signalman switched me off the main line and onto the loop, so I had to go all the way around and back again.
"Perhaps it was instinct," suggested James cheekily.
The passengers were cross and began to demand a refund. The noise got to be so much that Sir Topham Hatt came out of his office to see what the commotion was. He stood on a trolly and shouted:
"Silence!"
He then promised the passengers another train at once. He turned to James.
"Gordon is too busy sulking," he said, "Can you take the train?"
"I'll try, sir," said James. Within minutes, the passengers were seated, the guard blew his whistle, and the train was off.
James made splendid time, and the train was only a few minutes late. The passengers thanked him for the ride, and Sir Topham Hatt personally congratulated him.
"Would you like to pull the train sometimes?" he asked James.
"Oh, yes sir, please sir," James sighed happily.
When he reached Knapford, he saw Gordon was shunting trucks. However, the yard was a mess.
"Would you like some help, Gordon?" James asked. Gordon, seeing that he could never finish the job by himself, nodded.
"I'm sorry for teasing you," he told James, "You pulled the train splendidly, from what I heard."
"Thanks, Gordon," James said, "I guess I have better instincts than you."
The two shared a laugh, and soon became good friends.