Bridesmaid's Willpower

Written by Rachel Ravens and Zack Wanzer

Set during Late for an Important Date

Last night, a big storm came to the Island of Sodor; the night before Stephen and Helen's wedding, no less! I could hear the rainfall as I slept, and by morning, the storm had ended, but everything outside was pretty wet.

"Goodness me," I yawned, walking over to my dresser. "No doubt that the engines will have their work cut out for them today."

As I started to brush my hair, I heard my mum calling to me upstairs.

"Annabelle! Come and get your breakfast."

"Coming, mother!" As I rushed downstairs, I smelled the delicious aroma of pancakes. "Oh, yum! Blueberries, my favourite."

Father was already seated at the table with a cup of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other. Usually, he would be getting ready for work, but today, he was taking the day off for the wedding.

"Are you excited for your cousin and Helen to be married, Anna?" he asked me.

"I sure am," I smiled. "I mean, it's not every day you're asked to be a bridesmaid either."

"I remember being your aunt Amanda's bridesmaid when she married your uncle Charles," mother giggled. "Charles nearly tripped before he got to the front to wait for his bride."

"Did he now?" I asked, trying not to laugh.

Father nodded. "I don't believe that Stephen and Helen will run into those kinds of problems."

"Well, never say never," said mother. "Hatt weddings usually have something going off the rails, no pun intended."

"Oh, speaking of rails," I said, "I have to dash off after I'm dressed. I said I'd work with Edward today."

"Y-you did?" gasped mother. "But… today is Stephen and Helen's wedding and you're her bridesmaid."

"I know," I insisted. "And don't worry. Edward's taking the brass band to the afterparty early so they can rehearse. If any engine is getting that band there on time, it's him." I wasn't just saying that; I knew he could get the band there early. After all, Edward was the engine who helped my mother out when she had me eighteen years ago.

"But what about your bridesmaids dress?" father asked.

"I'll put it on in the station restroom," I assured. "Don't worry, father. I'll get there on time."

Father chuckled. "I wonder where she gets that from," he said, glancing knowingly at mother. Mother gave a sheepish blush as I rushed to get changed.

I started heading for the station at Wellsworth. Beaming, I caught sight of Edward. The red coaches, Sean, Mick, Harry and Randolph trailing behind. It was a bittersweet sight seeing the coaches like this.

For those of you who don't know what I mean, a couple of years ago, the red coaches had a fifth brother - Dexter. But it was discovered that Bowler had stolen Dexter, sending him to a scrapyard, and we had no idea until far too late. We hadn't heard much of Bowler since Cockade - or as he would soon be infamously known as Diesel 10 - invaded Sodor with Jacob Hockings, forcibly bringing his granddaughter Addison Darnell with him. I hadn't seen much of Addison either since that series of events; I know that she hated the presence of diesel engines, but it still baffled me as to why she would go along with their evil plan to take over the North Western Railway…

Oh, sorry, I'm getting side-tracked, aren't I? No pun intended. Anyway, I gave Edward and the coaches a smile and wave. Not that any of them could wave back, but Edward's whistle was enough.

"It is a very special occasion today, isn't it?" Edward told me warmly. "I hope that everyone has a wonderful time."

"It sure is," I agreed. "I hope I don't get there too late myself, I'm going to be one of Helen's bridesmaids." Underneath one of my arms was the box containing my dress.

"That is an honour too," Edward smiled.

"I bet you'll be very pretty in your dress," Randolph added. I let out a little giggle, blushing as I did so.

"Thank you, Randolph," I said. "Okay, Edward, off you go." I blew my guard's whistle, waved the green flag and got inside Randolph's guard's compartment. As Edward set off for Suddery, I had a lot on my mind and felt a little worried. I hoped that I wasn't overthinking things and that everything for today would go smoothly.

But then I remembered: Edward's getting there early for the band to set up, I thought. I'll have just enough time to change into my dress. Best of both worlds today. Yes, that should be it. I can't wait for the wedding.

Have you ever heard of the saying, "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong?" In hindsight, I should've kept that in mind. As Edward continued the journey, I was thinking about how to help Aunt Amanda with any potential stories about the engines. She and I often team up to write as accurate stories about them as possible to help older audiences understand the real situations with the engines.

"Don't get me wrong," I was saying to myself. "The Clergyman's books aren't bad, but sometimes, the engines don't get the proper time to shine. And some in particular aren't portrayed as sympathetically…" I was, of course, referring to Sir Handel on the Skarloey Railway. A good engine once one gets to know him, but the books about their line so far - Four Little Engines and The Little Old Engine - didn't paint him in a positive light, and I wasn't sure why. There couldn't have been any bias on Mr. Awdry's part… was there?

I was soon snapped out of my thoughts when I heard a coupling snap. I looked out of the window and saw, much to my horror, that Edward and the rest of the coaches were rolling ahead… without us!

"Edward… Edward, come back!" called Trevor. Subconsciously, I realized we were near his field.

"Well, that's just lovely…" muttered Randolph. "Just galivant off to the wedding without me and a few band players…"

Luckily, I'd managed to apply Randolph's brakes and bring him to a halt. That… didn't make the band players happy in the slightest, and they began to grumble about the situation we were in right now.

"Don't worry, everybody," I said. "Edward would never do this on purpose. I was just an accident."

"That's a bold claim to make," one of the band players - the leader, I think - remarked. "We're going to be late for the ceremony."

"I've known Edward since I was a baby!" I snapped. "He'll realize what's happened before long…" I trailed off. Oh, shoot… "But… by then, Helen and Stephen might have tied the knot…" Shoot, shoot and double shoot! I thought to myself, frustrated, scrambling out of Randolph to get some fresh air. Why did I have to pick today of all days to work? This won't be a good look for me when I get off to attend the wedding… I began to realize that trying to juggle family functions and work was harder than I imagined.

"Is everything alright, Annabelle?" I looked up to see that Trevor had spoken to me.

"Not really," I sighed. "I love my job as a guard. It gives me a chance to see all of you every day; it's what I dreamed of ever since I was a child. You are all part of my family." I sighed again. "I thought, if I worked the same day as Stephen and Helen's wedding, I could see both my non-human family and my human family on the same day."

"Annabelle," smiled Trevor. "With engines, coaches, non-rail vehicles, whatever we are, we are always working. And when we work, we see our 'family' all the time. But you, Annabelle, aren't a sentient vehicle or rolling stock."

"Indeed," added Randolph, "I've lost count of how many of my guards have taken leave to spend time with their human families. And that isn't a bad thing. You humans have lives that go beyond work."

"I… guess that's true," I said.

"Besides," chuckled Randolph, "why do you think we get so many tourists on Sodor each year? Would they come if they never got time off?"

"And the fetes the vicar holds each year are completely booked too," added Trevor.

"I remember attending those fetes as a child, Trevor," I giggled. "You always knew how to liven things up."

I was so swept up in the discussion that I didn't notice one of the band members had left Randolph and was now walking back to the others.

"Huh?" I asked in surprise. "Where did you go?"

"Oh, I just went inside the Vicar's house and asked to use the telephone," he explained. "I've called for a bus so we can get to Suddery on time."

"I don't think that's a good idea," said Trevor, sounding concerned. "Some of the roads around here are flooded due to last night's rainstorm."

"So long as we get there, a little water shouldn't bother us."

"Trevor knows this area well," I insisted. "I think you should listen to him." Then we heard the sound of a honking horn; it was Bertrand, one of Bertie's friends and the bus assigned to the Wellsworth bus route. Despite the situation, I gave Bertrand a polite wave and he tooted a greeting back.

"Let's see how this goes…" he muttered. He glanced up apologetically at Trevor. "Sorry, old timer. You've got a good point."

"Seems to me that Annabelle's the only sensible one here," Trevor agreed.

"She was one of the staff!" grunted the band leader. "She should have been the one telephoning for help instead of gossiping with the likes of the two of you."

I tell you, hearing that from the band leader cut deep into my heart. I always thought of the engines, non-engines and rolling stock as part of my family, but it sometimes escaped my mind that I was also their co-worker.

"Just spiffing," scoffed Bertrand. "You've upset her. I swear, if I were in charge of you lot, I'd send you to do janitor work for–"

"Bertrand," hissed Trevor. The yellow bus flushed with embarrassment. "Annabelle, just remember, everyone makes mistakes. Your heart is in the right place, dear friend."

"Trevor's right," smiled Randolph. "Having you as part of the family and staff is truly a blessing. Only a lucky few guards can make a claim like that."

I wiped a few tears from my eyes upon hearing that. Somehow, just hearing their gentle voices made me feel a lot better.

"Thank you," I said quietly. The moment was interrupted when he heard the sound of a diesel horn.

"Ey up, that's Derek!" exclaimed Randolph. I turned to see the Class 17 heading over light engine before coming to a stop in front of the red brake coach.

"I say, Randolph; shouldn't you be down at Suddery by now?" he asked.

"Loose coupling. Don't ask."

"Thank goodness you've come, Derek," I said, walking over to him. "Could you get us to Suddery, please?"

"Of course I can," he smiled. "I was on my way back to the sheds anyway."

The band was already departing on board Bertrand, but I wasn't concerned about that at the moment. With my shunter's pole, I was able to couple Derek up to Randolph, attach the brake pipes and then climb aboard Randolph again. Once I had released his brakes, I leaned out of the window to call over to Derek.

"We're all clear for Suddery now!" I called, waving my arm. With an affirmative toot, Derek pushed us all the way down to Suddery. Time was tight, but since Derek's rebuild, he had become yet another of the island's most reliable engines. He'd get us there with time to spare.

It wasn't long before Suddery station - Sodor's capital city and administrative centre - came into view. I know what you're thinking; "Why is the capital on a branch line instead of… say, Vicarstown or Knapford?" Well… let's just say politics aren't my strong suit despite my father being a colonel and the governor, so I don't know what to tell you.

Sean, Mick and Harry all greeted their brother as I made a beeline for the station restroom, my bridesmaid dress still in its box.

"Good thing it's not too extravagant," I said. It easily slipped over my head and I shoved my work gear into the box. Rushing back out, I quickly put my hair into a ponytail and headed outside. Pansy, Penny, Bridget and the Brown sisters were all in similar dresses too. I somewhat envied them. All of them had siblings they had fun with, shared snacks with and some of them even shared rooms with each other when they were younger. But I was an only child… Addison was the closest I had to a sister…

Oh, there I go again. Sorry about that.

"Ah, just in time, cous," said Stephen. He was wearing a similar suit to our grandfather, except his vest was dark green. "I thought you chose work over the wedding."

"Er… yes, Stephen," I said, unsure of how to explain things. "I thought I could get here with plenty of time to spare, so I worked with Edward…"

But before I could further explain what had happened, we heard a bus' horn, but it wasn't Bertrand. It was Sophia, the bus who had been assigned the Norramby route.

"Hey, Sophia," called Helen. "So nice of you to join us."

"There's been an accident down the road," Sophia explained. "Bertrand and I were racing, but then he got stuck into a muddy patch in the road. And he was carrying some of the brass band!"

Oh, come on! "Are you kidding me?" I groaned, putting a hand to my forehead. "I just got changed." And there's no time to change back, so… Hastily, I grabbed my guard's jacket and hat out of the box and jumped back into Randolph. "Okay, Sophia, where did it happen?"

"Near the railway."

"Oh, maybe I could take the passengers here," suggested BoCo.

"Perfect," I nodded. "Let's go."

BoCo was coupled to Randolph and we set off. If I wasn't so insistent on working, perhaps another guard would have been sorting out this mess. But I had slacked off once, I couldn't do it again on the same day… and to cap off this mess, I was sure I heard some of the guests laughing as I left.

It didn't take us very long to find Bertrand and the brass band.

"BoCo!" the yellow bus called. "Thank goodness you've come."

"Don't worry," said BoCo. "I'll get them to the afterparty on time."

"How did this happen, Bertrand?" I asked. I knew I'd gotten a brief explanation from Sophia, but what I was really wondering was what led up to it.

"The road was flooded and I took a shortcut," Bertrand explained with a sigh. "And I might have raced Sophia without looking where I was going."

Of course… I sighed, thinking over how a lot had gone wrong, and we hadn't even gotten to the wedding vows! "Guess we both made mistakes today," I said, before glancing back at the band members. "And you lot did too. Had you not been so impatient, Bertrand wouldn't have been in this mess." I could tell by their expressions that they felt very foolish for not thinking the leader's plan through.

"We're sorry, Bertrand…" said the leader. "And pass it down to Trevor too."

"Yeah, we'll make sure of that," said Bertrand.

"Okay, BoCo, Randolph," I said. "Let's… oh, and Bertrand!" I called. "Before I forget, is Butch coming to get you?"

"He should be here any minute," he replied.

"Great," I said. "That's good to hear. Now let's head back to Suddery. We've got a wedding to get to!"

BoCo got back to Suddery just in time, and I found Bridget, Pansy and Penny with Helen. Her wedding dress, while mostly white, had a few accents of purple. The Brown sisters were sitting up at the front row, waiting for the wedding to begin.

"Cutting it close, aren't we, cous?" whispered Bridget. "Helen is about to walk up the aisle."

"Just… had to… take care of… some things…" I gasped between deep breaths. My heart was pounding against my chest from so much running; it almost felt as though it would jump out like a cartoon.

"It looks as though you still have some things to take care of," Penny noted. I didn't have time to question what she said, for it was now time for Helen to be walked up the church aisle by her father, Peter Dreswick.

Bridget, Penny, Pansy and I followed her, taking up our places at the front a few steps back. Paul, Peter and Patrick Percival - Penny and Pansy's brothers - as well as Marcos Bailey, were Stephen's groomsmen. Residing over the ceremony was Helen's grandfather Canon Nicholas Dreswick.

Now, here's an interesting fact about the Regabys and Dreswicks; Nicholas and my grandfather Albert were first cousins, both descended from Thomas Regaby, which meant that me and Helen were third cousins. Having just said that, you might be a little perturbed that Stephen, my first cousin, was marrying another cousin of mine, but don't panic; the Hatts and Dreswicks are not closely blood related, and the relation between Stephen and Helen is distant enough so that the marriage is acceptable. I think it would be even more perturbing for you if I told you that first cousin marriage is actually legal in the United Kingdom…

Aw, shoot, there I go again with my rambling. Anyway, Nicholas smiled proudly at his granddaughter.

"I couldn't be prouder than to wed my own granddaughter to Stephen Hatt," he smiled, tears welling up. "I can tell she has made herself at home with the Hatt family, and this couple is a very warm and loving one."

Stephen and Helen smiled tenderly at each other as they recounted special events in their lives together. I tell you, Bridget and I were giggling with glee as they exchanged the rings and their wedding kiss. Hey, a sister and cousin have got to keep their brother or cousin on the straight and narrow with their love.

After that, it was time for the family photo. The photographer had set the timer and we were all beaming.

"Hey, Annabelle," called Paul, "isn't that your jacket and hat?"

"What the…" Suddenly, it dawned on me that must have been what Penny was trying to tell me. "Oh, shoot! I forgot I had them on!" Quickly, I took off my jacket and hat and threw them into the nearby corner. Unfortunately, this proved to be bad timing on my end when the photographer saw the results.

"Really?! Are you serious?!"

"Why?" asked Helen, surprised at their reaction. "It can't be that bad."

"Try explaining this!" said the photographer, showing us the result. Some of us gasped with surprise, for all that we saw was a blue blur.

"Ah, yes, I can explain that…" I admitted sheepishly. Everyone turned to me curiously. "I was working on the wedding day, had to go back out to an emergency near the railway, and someone realized I was still wearing my coat and hat." I didn't say it was Paul specifically; couldn't embarrass him.

"Who would choose to work on a wedding day?" asked Sophie in surprise. This was a different Sophie, by the way; I remember her going to a lot of horse shows growing up, and she was currently dating Peter Percival.

"I wanted to see both my families on the same day."

Some of the guests blinked in surprise; most of them I didn't recognize. I never made as many friends as my cousin or cousin-in-law, and I shuffled my feet uncomfortably. At least Goldie and Sylvia weren't invited to this wedding, I thought gratefully. They'd surely start some trouble…

"Annabelle," said a gentle voice. Immediately, I recognized my grandfather (mother's side, of course; I fell out of touch with my father's father long ago). "I always knew your connection with the North Western Railway, and even the other railways of Sodor, is really strong. It's like your heart is torn two ways. One is the call of the whistles and horns of the railway, and the other is the call of your human family at your house."

Tears welled up in my face as my grandfather hugged me tightly. Ever since I was a child, I felt a strong kinship with him due to our shared love of the railway.

"I thought that if I left th-the railway for the whole day," I said through my tears, "I'd be neglecting the engines like… like my paternal grandfather…"

"You, like Albert Regaby?" scoffed my paternal grandmother, Mabel Sanders. "Not on your life!" She strolled over to me. "Annabelle, what I see in you is a very compassionate and bright young woman who is willing to speak from the heart. You love the engines and listen to them. They wouldn't have minded if you took time off to see your cousin be married."

I gave a soft smile and hugged my grandmother. "You're right. I will make time for both my human and non-human families."

"That's the spirit, Annabelle," smiled Paul, embracing me. "Now, how about we try that photo again?"

This time, there were no jackets or hats being flung at the camera, and everyone was giving their best smiles.

The after party was in full swing. The brass band played and everyone was dancing or eating from the buffet. As for me, well, I was eating with Paul. We had chosen some cake and ice cream. I know, we were being cheeky by eating desserts before dinner. Could give Thomas and Percy a run for their money.

"So you're applying for a position as a porter on the North Western?" I was asking Paul.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I think it might be fun to branch out from the Skarloey Railway. I mean, I still love them, but you know what I mean."

"You sure it isn't because Peter Sam scared you and your siblings off as kids?" I teased; Paul blushed with embarrassment. A few days after the steamroller incident, the Percival quintet all started teasing Sir Handel about his "race" with George. However, Peter Sam took the situation seriously and shooed Paul and his brothers and sisters away.

"We all apologized after the fact," he sighed. "If we realized George was as brutal as Sir Handel stated, we wouldn't have gone as far as we did."

"I know," I assured. "And those books about Sir Handel aren't helping either. If the next book about him puts the poor thing in a negative light, I swear something's definitely up."

"That makes Sir Handel and the other engines lucky they have you and your aunt Amanda around." Paul winked at me. "Those books for older audiences you two have written about him are showing what he's really like."

I blushed modestly and we started to lean in close.

"Hey, cous!" Bridget's voice rang through the air. "Helen's going to toss the bouquet."

Oh, shoot! I quickly ran over to where the other girls were. Helen gave a smile at everyone before turning her back to us and tossed the flowers behind her. Three guesses as to which lucky girl was the one to catch them.

"Aw, way to go, Anna," Penny smiled.

"So, when's your wedding chimes going to ring?" Pansy said with a giggle.

"I'm so excited for you, cous!" grinned Bridget.

I blushed once more at the attention I was getting before looking over at the Percival brothers and Marcus chatting with Stephen. I think you all can guess which of the Percivals was my romantic interest…

After all was said and done, I changed into my pyjamas. The one thing I wanted to do after all my excitement and embarrassment was to cuddle up with my Snoopy dog and… sleep.

The End

Here's the fourth POV story, about Miss Annabelle Regaby herself. This is the first story I wrote that isn't focused on "someone is going to/could potentially die" drama. Man, Warrior Cats has effected me more than I realised. Anyway, Annabelle is currently studying at university and being a guard is helping her in the practical department of her degree.

Our girl loves the engines and non-engines of Sodor and she is often torn between them and her human family. Her paternal grandfather really doesn't help, does he? This also gives her deeper insight to how the engines see her, and how they can get very defensive if someone is remotely being angry at her. Even if it is for understandable reasons.

There's also a lot of people in Annabelle's generation to keep a close eye on: the Percival kids, Bridget, Marcos, the Brown sisters (Agnes, Ruth, Lucy, Hilda and Beatrice) and Sophie. Goldie and Silvia will be two people to look out for as well. There's also Ruth Sam, Roger Sam's daughter, also in this generation. She'll be the Ruth from BWBA.

Also, Annabelle keeps a black-and-white dog toy on her bed which she calls Snoopy. It isn't an official Snoopy plush, but she was about 3 when she got the toy so give her some slack.