REBECCA REBUILT?

Based upon "What Rebecca Does" by Davey Moore

Despite these recent small incidents, it was soon time for Gordon to prepare for his trip to the land Down Under – Australia! As with Percy and James before him, Gordon received some temporary modifications so that he would be able to couple up to Australian rolling stock.

"You have a great time in Australia, Gordon!" called Rebecca.

"I heard there's some very unique wildlife down there," said Nia. "Could you ask your crew to take some pictures?"

"I'll see what I can do," said Gordon.

"Oh, and Gordon," said Duck, "you remember some time ago when I met Gwen's son Julian? He's a fan of the Wiggles, which is a children's band based in Australia. If you happen to hear some songs of theirs, let me know."

"Of course, Duck," he smiled. "I'll be back before you know it, and see you in a few months. Rebecca, take care of the express for me!"

"I'll make sure the passengers are well taken care of!" she promised. Before the engines knew it, Gordon was sailing away on the boat.

"This year will mark Gordon's first Christmas away from Sodor…" sighed Thomas. "I don't know how to process that…"

"We'll miss him, but… he'll have a great time, Thomas," said Rebecca. "You were really sweet to share your gift with everyone like that."

"Thanks, Becky," smiled Thomas. "Now, everyone else… I don't think the railway can run itself while we're all sitting here!"

And on that note, the engines got back to work.

A few days later, Rebecca was at Knapford station, waiting for her express coaches. As she waited, James passed by with a local train.

"Good morning, James!" Rebecca greeted. "Your paint looks as shiny as ever today."

"Don't I know it?" grinned James. Then Charlie came along, arranging the coaches behind Rebecca.

"Here you are, Rebecca!" the purple tank engine called. "And since I'm here, I've got a little joke for ya. If athletes get athlete's foot, what do elves get?"

"Hmm, I don't know, Charlie," said Rebecca. "What do elves get?"

"Mistle-toes!" The two shared a good laugh at Charlie's joke.

"You're so good at telling fun jokes, Charlie," Rebecca complimented.

"Oh, well, thank you," Charlie beamed. Very rarely did others compliment him on his joke telling. So hearing praise like that, especially from a big engine like Rebecca, made him feel proud. As Rebecca was waiting for her passengers to board, she heard a conversation from Sir Topham Hatt's open office window.

"Hmm… yes, of course. I was hoping to arrange that sooner or later. I'll send Rebecca to Crovan's Gate Works tomorrow."

"Huh?" gasped Rebecca. "Crovan's Gate Works… what's all that about…?" Before she could ask further questions, the guard's whistle blew and she headed off.

Rebecca was now out on the main line, observing the autumn scenery; Halloween had come and gone, and Christmas would soon be on the horizon. She tried to push that thought about Crovan's Gate Works to the back of her mind and focus on other things.

"Some engines don't realize how lucky they are to have a comedian like Charlie around," Rebecca commented. "Without his jokes, life in the shunting yards would be boring."

She was now approaching Cronk station, and there, Rebecca saw an orange rail-mounted steam shovel with some workmen on a siding.

"Oh, hello there!" Rebecca called. "I don't think I've seen you out on the main line before!"

"Oh, I'm usually at the china clay pits," Marion explained. "Hmm, I think Edward, BoCo and Philip mentioned you… Rebecca, yes? Or are you Nia?"

Rebecca giggled. "You were right the first time; says so on my nameplates. Nia did come around the same time as me, but she's smaller and works on the Ffarquhar branch."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" laughed Marion. "I got a bit too carried away with my digging to look at your nameplates. Oh, my name is Marion, by the way."

"Hmm, my driver told me about a short film about a steam shovel named Marion," said Rebecca. "Is that where you got your name?"

"I… don't think so," Marion admitted. "But it does sound like an interesting film!" She then looked at her shovel, and got an idea. "How would you like to play a little game?"

"Ooh, a game!" exclaimed Rebecca. "I guess I could spare a minute or two."

"Okay, Rebecca. It's called… Guess What's in My Shovel!" Marion lifted her shovel high into the air so that Rebecca couldn't see what was in it.

"Oh, I don't know. Is it… dirt?"

Marion grinned. "Oh, yes, it is!" She excitedly dumped it… all over a workman who was bringing tools back to the site.

"Oi! Watch where you're dumping that!" He coughed a bit due to the dust dirt settling.

"Oops… Sorry about that, Chuck!"

"And my name is not Chuck!"

"What is his real name, then?" asked Rebecca. Before Marion or "Not Chuck" could answer, her driver spoke up.

"We'd best get a move on, old girl," she said. "We can't delay the express, after all."

"Oh dear," said Rebecca. "Sorry I can't stay and talk, Marion. I'd better get going."

"Oh, no worries, Rebecca!" said Marion cheerily. "I'd better get back to digging up that blocked pipe, anyway. We can always talk another time!"

With a blow of her whistle, Rebecca set off once more with the express, while Marion continued chattering to anyone who'd listen, and the workmen set about helping "Not Chuck" out of his dirt pile.

"Well, I like her," she said, referring to Rebecca. "She's fun."

Meanwhile, Rebecca had been thinking about her interaction with Marion.

"Marion sure knows how to turn a job into a fun game," she commented. "And that big shovel of hers can be very handy." But as Rebecca thought about Marion's shovel, her mind drifted back to Sir Topham Hatt's conversation.

"Belle's got water cannons that are very useful in fighting fires; I've never seen that on any other engine before. And Harvey's got his crane arm in helping to lift things. A very unique feature indeed. If Sir Topham Hatt plans to rebuild me… Oh, what if I'm like the siblings I had after that redesign?! They aren't as unique looking as my current shape." She blinked sadly…

Rebecca blinked her eyes and appeared looking like her brother, Vaughn. What's more, she was back in the green livery she had before being repainted. "Oh… oh my! What happened? How?!"

Just then, she saw Gordon puffing by.

"Gordon! Gordon, you're home!" she whistled. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you! You have to help me. I don't know what's happened to me!"

"Oh, hello there," said Gordon. "Welcome to Sodor. I'm Gordon. What may your name be?"

"Gordon!" Rebecca gasped. "Please, it's me, Rebecca!"

"What… no, you're not her!" Gordon exclaimed. "The Rebecca I know has a much different shape, and she's in a bright sunny yellow livery."

"But it is me!" Rebecca said breathlessly. "Gordon, remember that conversation we had about Taylor Swift before you left?"

But unfortunately, Gordon didn't hear her. He was already up and away with the express. "Gordon! Oh, Gordon, please… Please, it's me! Ohh…"

"Becky!"

Rebecca glanced to the side to see Bear going in the other direction. "Rebecca, are you alright?"

"Er… sorry, Bear," Rebecca said suddenly. "I, er… was just lost in thought. I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" asked Bear. "You almost looked as if you were panicking about something."

"Bad dream last night," Rebecca said quickly. "Don't worry, Bear. I just need to listen to some birds. That usually helps me."

Bear raised an eyebrow until he was out of earshot.

By the time she'd arrived at Crovan's Gate, Rebecca was still feeling anxious. Emily was on the other standard gauge platform with her train.

"Hello, Rebecca," she greeted cheerfully, before noticing how worried her friend looked. "What's the matter?"

"Oh, hi, Emily," Rebecca replied quietly. "N-nothing's wrong. I'm just… thinking back to one of Taylor Swift's songs that was sad, that's all."

Emily, however, wasn't convinced. "Which one was it? Or is there something I'm not seeing?" she asked firmly.

Seeing that Emily wouldn't relent unless she told her the truth, Rebecca sighed. "I just realized that… there's nothing really that special about me."

"Where would you get an idea like that?" asked Emily.

"Well," said Rebecca, "I… you know about Belle's water canons, Harvey's crane hook and Marion's shovel, right?"

"Aye, what's that got to do with anything?"

"I met with Marion at Crosby earlier this morning, and I was enamored with how she made her job into a fun game. That reminded me of the unique features Belle and Harvey had, and that's when it hit me – I'm just another steam engine among steam engines. There's nothing special about me at all."

"Oh, Rebecca, don't spout such nonsense!" gasped Emily. "There may be lots of steam engines here, but it isn't just about the way we all look that sets us apart."

"It isn't?"

"No, it's what's inside that counts," Emily explained. "You see, Rebecca, sometime ago, when I let my insecurities get the best of me, I let a more bossy, jaded and angry side take over."

"Oh, yes," Rebecca realized. "I would not have liked to have seen you during your 'bossy boiler' phase…"

"Yes… none of the engines who were on the island at the time liked it either," sighed Emily.

"Not just engines," called Martha and Julian.

"True," admitted Emily to her coaches. "You two know what I mean." She gazed back at Rebecca. "But anyway, if we are talking about designs, you're probably one of the most unique engines out there. I've never seen an engine with a boiler like yours."

Rebecca gave a small smile. "Well… Bulleid has been known to experiment. We were successful in many areas, but then there were others in which we had problems, which was why many of my siblings got rebuilt. I was one of many who remained as built."

"Well, you're in the right place to keep your old design," smiled Emily. "BoCo and Derek had motor replacements years ago, and now, they're both working perfectly."

"Well… I'm worried I'm not going to be able to keep my old design, Emily," said Rebecca. "Sir Topham Hatt said… something about me going to Crovan's Gate Works tomorrow. Oh, it's my brakes, I'm sure of it! My siblings and I never really had the best brake blocks… that's part of the reason why many were rebuilt in the first place."

"Rebecca, did you get the whole story?" asked Emily.

"No, I left by my guard's whistle before I could hear any more."

"Well, if there's one thing that's important here, it's to get all the facts before you jump to conclusions," said Emily. "And it's also important that you tell the other engines about how you've been feeling from the moment it starts. Otherwise, you could risk making the same mistakes I made when I hid my insecurities from them. Thanks to my endeavor in the scrapyards, and due to misunderstandings with Duck's near death, I bottled up my emotions until Thomas got me to come clean."

"Duck?! How did–"

"Long story," Emily cut in. "But Rebecca, do you understand what I'm getting at now?"

"I… I do…" Rebecca said quietly. "I'll talk with the other engines about this too."

That evening at the sheds, Rebecca told the other engines about her feelings of insecurity, as well as the bad dream she'd had.

"Why didn't you tell us this sooner?" asked Percy in deep concern.

"I was too scared…" Rebecca whimpered sadly.

"You should never keep problems like these a secret, Rebecca," insisted Thomas, remembering full well the damage done last time it had happened. "If we had known sooner, we could have helped you, and given you the emotional support you needed."

"Perhaps you were too scared to tell us because… you miss Gordon?" suggested James.

Rebecca said nothing at first. It seemed that that question gave her something to think about. At long last…

"Yes," she admitted. "I really do miss him."

"He's been a really good friend to you, hasn't he?" asked Nia.

Rebecca's cheeks flushed red. "Y-y-yes, but m-more than just that…" There was no hiding it anymore, and she knew it. "I… I love him…"

The other engines all smiled.

"That's so sweet, Rebecca!" cried Emily. "You should tell him when he gets home."

"H-he may see me as just a friend," Rebecca said quietly.

"Rebecca," said Thomas, "Gordon actively went to take trucks with you to cheer you up – something he detests. That has got to be a sign something more is going on here."

"Well… when you put it like that…" trailed Rebecca.

"And don't worry too much about your rebuild," added James. "Even if you do get redesigned, I'm sure Gordon will still recognize you when he comes home. He got rebuilt at Crewe some time ago himself."

"Oh… I nearly forgot about that…"

"And your livery is also nothing to worry about," said Percy. "Engines only ever get repainted around here if they specifically request for a certain color. Like Diesel did after the invasion by Addison and her cronies."

"I'll keep that in mind," smiled Rebecca. "Thanks, guys."

The following morning, Rebecca had gone to Crovan's Gate Works at Sir Topham Hatt's request. She was still a bit worried, but the warm gazes of Victor, Kevin and Theo were inviting enough that she was able to forget about that for a moment.

"It's good to see you, Rebecca, my friend," said Victor.

"Likewise, you three," she replied. "Er… the thing is… I don't know the exact details of why I'm here. Nothing's been faulty in the last few days."

"I can answer that, Rebecca," said a well-known voice. The engines and Kevin glanced up to see Sir Topham Hatt walk over. "I hear there's been a bit of a mix-up."

"Er… you could say that, sir," said Rebecca. "I… thought you wanted me completely rebuilt…"

Sir Topham Hatt chuckled. "Not exactly," he said. "You see, Rebecca, I'd noticed that Gordon had been struggling a bit with the express in recent years, and so I set about finding another engine to help him out."

"And that engine was me, sir, wasn't it?"

"Precisely. I'd taken a keen interest in your class – both original and rebuilt – and I wanted to look at the pros and cons of each and see if I could modify one of the streamlined examples with components from the rebuilds to bring the best possible performance out of them without sacrificing their looks."

"So that's what you were discussing yesterday?" Rebecca asked in surprise. "I heard you through an open window," she added sheepishly.

"Hmm… I should think about closing that window next time something important is being discussed…" Sir Topham Hatt muttered. "I do apologize if you got the wrong idea of what I was planning for you."

"It's alright, sir," Rebecca reassured. "Misunderstandings happen all the time."

"Now then," said Sir Topham Hatt, "one of the first modifications we'll be doing to you is switching out your chain-driven valve gear into a more traditional Walschaerts valve gear like some of your siblings like Vaughn. We'll also have your brakes looked at so that you won't have trouble with them anymore."

"That would be wonderful!" said Rebecca. "Thank you, sir. And thank you three as well."

"W-we're just d-doing our job," smiled Theo.

When Rebecca next came out of the works, she felt better than ever. By that time, snow covered the Island of Sodor, and it was getting closer to Christmas.

"Okay, the station's coming," she hummed. "Go in nice and easy, and… there!" Rebecca braked to a gentle halt at the platform.

"Nice one, Becky," called Charlie. "Hey, I have a riddle for you – what has a lot of eyes, but can't see?"

"Hmm…" Rebecca pondered for a moment. "Er… good question."

"Potatoes!"

Rebecca giggled. "Oh, Charlie, you always brighten my day."

Charlie slightly smiled. "I don't get that from too many engines. Thanks, Rebecca." Charlie went off to shunt more coaches.

"I think that's one thing that makes you special, Rebecca," smiled her driver. "You're always looking at the positive qualities of others."

Rebecca giggled. "I… I guess I do!" she cried happily. "Yay me!"

As the guard's whistle blew, Rebecca puffed away, humming a song to herself. "We were both young when I first saw you…"

THE E-

Meanwhile, somewhere on the mainland…

"That was too close for comfort," grumbled a workman to his cohorts. "We were lucky no one saw us, or they would have thrown the keys away."

"How far can you actually throw a prison key?" asked another. "Someone else could find it!"

"That tree though," snorted Frankie. "You cut a tree branch in a nature reserve?! That's bound to be looked into!"

"Ah, they're nothing but a bunch of hippies," the first workman grumbled. "They need better things to do with their lives."

"I'm serious!" Frankie retorted. "Those Sudrians aren't dumb. Diesel hadn't even glanced at me and worked out exactly what happened to James based on speculation! And James, Gordon, Amanda and Molly broke in with Lexi, Theo and Merlin to rescue Henry and Hurricane when we tried to cover our bases."

"Why are we even doing this to begin with?" asked the second workman.

"Those Sudrians got my home shut down!" groaned Frankie. "And my only friend to turn his back on me!" That, of course, was a complete lie. It was actually Frankie's fault the Steelworks closed and Hurricane left, but she was far too bullheaded and stubborn to take responsibility for her actions.

"Sounds a bit extreme, doesn't it?" the second workman replied. "Why don't we just leave the Sudrians alone before we get ourselves in bigger trouble?"

"Because they've already caused enough trouble for me!" the turquoise diesel snapped. "I swear, I'll get them all if it's the last thing I do!"

THE END?

Author's Comments

And now we've reached the finale to Rebecca the Yellow Engine! What Rebecca Does has lost a bit of its shine since it first aired, it's still a really good episode with a solid theme about appreciating what you have and who you really are inside. Since Harvey and Belle have already interacted with Rebecca in previous stories, it was just Marion interacting with her here, and Emily's role has been repurposed into taking Thomas' place. Speaking of whom, both ended up getting bigger roles than I'd originally anticipated, both noticing something going on between Gordon and Rebecca. Gordon has now gone off on his trip to Australia, but won't be covered in full until we get to season three. Rebecca having components of the West Country rebuilds was an idea I had thought of even before writing this story, so that she would have the best of both worlds while still maintaining her streamlined appearance. I don't think such a rebuild would be out of place on Sodor, especially since Henry and Gordon both had rebuilds at Crewe, so why not give Rebecca a semi-conventional rebuild?

The epilogue hints at bigger things to come, but for now, our next stop will be our last trip back to India with Shankar's Makeover! Until then, leave your reviews and tell me what you thought about this saga!