#emma the high-speed diesel

[weirdowithaquill]

Traintober 2024: Day 31 - Dusk

Tidmouth Train to Hell:

Pip and Emma stared at the timetable, not quite sure what to make of it. “Why is there a massive gap?” Pip finally said, still trying to wrap her head around the odd space from dusk until the next day. “Oh, that’s a Halloween tradition,” replied Bear, looking over from his own train. “Every Halloween they put us all away early for some reason. Never quite understood why, but each to their own and all that!” Pip scoffed, while Emma looked more bemused than anything.

The High-Speed diesels were still new to Sodor, and had only been once before, on trial during the summer period. This was their first October on the Island of Sodor, and all month they’d been amazed to find that the engines were far more interested in the holiday and its various traditions than the mainland was. Particularly, it was extremely popular amongst the native Sudrian people, who had been performing several rituals and festivals since the start of the month.

Emma had been far more curious about the whole thing than her sister, and decided to ask one of the older engines, in hope of getting some information. “Well,” hummed Percy, “it’s a Gaelic thing. Sauin, I believe the Sudrians call it. It’s like Samhain up in Scotland, and is all about the end of the harvest season. I remember how much Sir Topham the First put emphasis on listening to the local Sudrians about how important the rituals and festivals were. For example, at the start of the month is the cleansing ritual; it’s a bit like a spring clean, but in autumn. It used to be when the men would go out and start chopping wood for winter according to Edward.” At that moment, the signal clunked up to show green, and Percy puffed away.

Pip snorted from her end of the train. “Asking about all these silly holidays again?” she asked. “They’re not silly!” protested Emma. “They’re—” “An excuse to get more days off work,” finished Pip crossly. “Now come on, we’ve got a train to pull.”

Pip and Emma ran the WildNorWester express to London, stopping only at Crovan’s Gate, Barrow and Preston. It meant the two were often the most out of the loop on all the important gossip of the railway, as they were over on the mainland and missed it. One such titbit of gossip the pair missed was the track repairs being done at Crovan’s Gate. On their return run a week later, Pip and Emma were stopped at the platform to wait while several old signals and a set of points were replaced.

Their repair shed had recently been completed and stood on one side of the line while the narrow gauge railway sat on the other, the mainline trapped between the two and the Works. Pip and Emma had been switched onto the wrong side of the line to avoid a massive section of missing track. This put Emma right next to the Skarloey Railway sheds, where Duke was resting. “Excuse me,” Emma called. “You’ve been on Sodor for a long time, Duke – do you know much about Sau---een?” “Sauin,” corrected Duke kindly. “And I certainly do. My old line used to run through the heart of old Sodor, so I learnt all about it.” “Not this again!” groaned Pip from the other end of the train. Duke and Emma ignored her.

“Sauin is a festival to celebrate the end of the harvest, the start of the winter season… and the point in time when the barrier between our world and the Otherworld is at its weakest. The month begins by preparing for winter and giving thanks to the sun, before pivoting to asking for protection from the winter gods and giving sacrifices to the ancestors as thanks for their guidance. Then, it ends with Sauin itself, which is better known as Halloween. People celebrate the wicked and supernatural, then stay indoors overnight with scriptures for protection painted on the doorway to ward off evil spirits. It’s said they begin to break out of the Otherworld at Dusk, and party in our world until midnight…” Duke broke off, looking contemplative. Emma wasn’t sure why, but she felt uneasy all of a sudden.

A group of people walked along the platform, offering blessings to the stranded passengers and burning incense. Pip refused to be blessed, and then the group made their way over to Emma and Duke.

“Ah, if you wouldn’t mind,” Duke said. A man stepped forward, painting a sigil on Duke’s forehead in red paint before waving the incense around him. Duke smiled warmly, his old eyes closing as he relaxed while the ritual was performed.

“Oooh, can you do me next please!” asked Emma. The group nodded. “Of course we can,” one said. “Explain it to Emma while you do,” Duke added. “She’s new, and this is her first Sauin.” The man stepped forwards, dipping his thumb in some more paint.

“Alright then Emma, I’m going to paint a sigil for protection on your forehead in Ancient Sudric, and then we’ll bless you with the incense.” A few of the more curious tourists wandered over to watch, intrigued by the ritual. The man painted the sigil in careful strokes on Emma’s forehead, and then several of the others walked around her as much as they could, waving the incense over her radiator grills and wheels.

“Thank you!” said Emma happily when they finished. “I… I actually feel better already.” “You should,” hummed Duke. “It’s a popular Ancient Sudrian tradition to get blessed prior to Sauin night – just in case you’re caught out after dusk.”

Pip just rolled her eyes down at her end of the train.

Emma asked a few more questions while they waited, before finally deciding to broach a topic she’d been unsure of since she’d begun asking around about Sauin. “Why is the timetable completely empty on Sauin night?” she asked. Duke frowned. “I said everyone stays inside, so why would anyone want to take the train?” “What about tourists, or goods?” quizzed Emma. “This is Sodor – there’s always another reason.” “You’re… not wrong,” sighed Duke. “Every Halloween, a train runs from the Rolling Bridge to Tidmouth. It’s on no timetable, and has no schedule. Some engines assert it leaves at dusk, while others suggest it crosses the island in the blink of an eye. What is known about this train is that it arrives at Tidmouth at exactly midnight… and continues on through the buffers.” “Through the buffers?!” squeaked Emma. “What, do they crash the train on purpose?” “Oh no,” sighed Duke. “It’s a train to the Otherworld – though some of the workers call it the ‘Tidmouth Train to Hell’. It’s pure black from one end to the other, and absolutely no one is allowed to set eyes on it.”

“What happens if someone does?” asked Emma, spooked. Duke sighed. “Well – a man was walking along the line in ’37 when he saw it. He was found a gibbering wreck on the trackside, white as a ghost and shivering like mad. He spent the rest of his life in a mental asylum, poor chap.”

Emma winced; at that moment, the signal turned green, and the two High-Speed twins were cleared to go. The passengers hurried back aboard, and the twins set off.

“It’s poppycock,” sniffed Pip as they rocketed along. “Ooooo, be afraid of ‘The Tidmouth Train to Hell’. Duke’s trying to have you on. I bet if you ask a sensible engine like Henry or Gordon they’ll tell you it never happened!”

Pip was proven very wrong. Emma decided to ask the pair that very night, and to Pip’s surprise they immediately confirmed Duke’s story.

“Oh, old Jefferies,” hummed Gordon. “Duke told you about him? I’m surprised he didn’t use one of the earlier cases – when I arrived, people still didn’t believe in it, and we’d find three or four every Halloween stumbling about the line screaming and gibbering and acting like lunatics. I remember very vividly Glynn going down the line and picking them all up in a compartment coach so they could be kept separate and brought to the hospital safely. By the end of the 20s, every had learnt better than to be out on Halloween. Sir Topham always ensured that we were in our sheds on that night too, and his son and grandson have both followed his example.”

Pip and Emma were both stunned!

“So… it’s real?” asked Emma slowly. “It’s very real,” Henry said grimly. “I’ve seen a peek of it through the shed windows. It’s a frightening thing, let me tell you! All black, with great red headlamps and it’s puffs sound like screams. We all stay in here and tell ghost stories and try not to think about it. And I’d suggest you do the same – I know you’ve got the last train of the day. Do not be late getting here.”

Emma agreed that she definitely was going to be on time, and even Pip seemed nervous.

The week went by, and the two new engines watched as more and more Sauin festivals were held. These were less and less about the harvest, and more and more about the oncoming winter and the spirits. A number of the native Sudrians and older engines began to have protection sigils painted on their foreheads when they went out; Duke was joined by Skarloey, Rheneas, Thomas, Edward, Henry and Gordon within a few days. Donald and Douglas, who’d learnt about Samhain back in Scotland, had their own sigils written in Scottish Gaelic. Duck and Oliver got their own Scottish sigils written in support of their friends.

All around them, Pip and Emma watched as Sodor prepared for Sauin night. Hotels filled to capacity, with large parades held celebrating the spirits in several of the bigger towns and cities.

And then finally, Halloween came. The day was incredibly slow, with barely any passengers at all riding with the railway. Pip and Emma wondered if it was worth pulling their train at all – at least, until they set out on their last express of the day. It was packed.

“Why are there so many?!” exclaimed Emma. “We’re going to be barely able to hold them all!” “It’s everyone heading to the mainland to avoid Sauin night,” James said, puffing in. “You’ll be hard pressed with this many – I think it’s cause there was a fog warning put out earlier; no one wants to be caught out past dusk with that in place. Spirits and fog? No thank you!”

James steamed away to shunt his coaches into their siding, while Pip and Emma prepared to head off. It was a struggle setting off. Every single seat was filled, and a number of others stood in the corridors, making the trip extremely difficult. Even more piled on at Crovan’s Gate, where almost all the Skarloey engines had already been hidden away in their shed. Emma watched the slowly descending sun with worry.

“If we get held up on the mainland even once, we’re not going to be back for dusk,” she fretted. “We’ll be fine,” replied Pip. “Worst comes to worst, we’re a little late. ‘The Tidmouth Train to Hell’ isn’t a threat to us.”

Oh how wrong Pip was.

The big sheds at Tidmouth were filling to capacity rapidly. The usual crowd had filed in, as had Edward, BoCo, Thomas, Percy, Toby and Daisy. The sheds were so full that the tank engines had to share a road between two of them; Duck and Oliver on one line and Percy and Toby on another. The scripts had been painted on the doors, and the storm shutters rolled down on the windows. Daisy huffed grumpily, glaring out at the yards as thick fog and mist wafted in. “I hate having to spend the night here, it’s so bad for my swerves!” “Oh belt up!” groaned Thomas. “It’s better than being out there – no one wants to be out there.” “Speaking of out there, where are Pip and Emma?” asked Gordon. “Dusk is in half an hour, and they aren’t back.”

Edward, sat on the turntable, winced. “I heard they had a full train leaving Tidmouth. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve been waylaid. Let’s just hope the stationmaster at Barrow parks them there for the night.”

Pip and Emma would have no such luck. The pair were late leaving London and Preston, filled up once again with people wanting to get home for the holiday – but the platform at Barrow was deserted. The fog had truly begun to set in, leaving long shadows where none should be.

“You can’t stay here,” the stationmaster said grumpily. The sun was beginning to sink over the horizon. “There’s no space, and you’re not a Northern engine anyway. Go back to Sodor.”

Pip and Emma both tried to argue – but it was no use. At least the lack of passengers meant they didn’t need to wait around. The pair roared out of Barrow, trying their best to claw back time from the setting sun. Dusk was coming fast: too fast. The fog was willing it on faster, thick cloud cover blocking out part of the sun and making it increasingly harder to see.

Vicarstown flew by, followed by Henry’s tunnel and then Crovan’s Gate. Clear signals guided them through each station, the two honking their horns loudly. It was almost as if they were heralding the dusk, trying their best to make it back home before night came. Dark figures watched their progress from deep in the shadows, hiding where neither twin could really see them. “Faster Pip, faster!” called Emma. “I’m giving it all I can!” called back Pip.

Finally, Tidmouth came into view, one door still rolled up for them. Pip and Emma were quick to back through it, the door slamming down behind them just as the last rays of the sun vanished over the horizon, leaving behind only the fog.

“Cutting it close there,” said Gordon darkly. Both Pip and Emma winced. “We were held up on the mainland… a lot. And then the stationmaster at Barrow wouldn’t let us stay there.”

Gordon huffed. “Stupid man – he’s got no sense. Why, the other day!—”

He was cut off by James shushing him. The two shot glares at each other, before allowing Edward to pick up his story again.

The old engine wove stories throughout the next few hours, telling tales of twisted grins and haunting ghouls heralded by owls, of spirits sent to help and those sent to destroy. The engines relaxed, enjoying the night even as the hours ticked on. Pip and Emma could have fooled themselves into thinking it was just another horrible storm trapping all the engines in the shed.

That is, until a most horrific sound pierced through the air, shattering Edward’s story and leaving all the engines deathly silent. The clock showed a minute to midnight. The sound came again, a ghastly howling and screeching and moaning that seemed to work its way into the engines’ frames and bury itself there, leaving them all shaking. The doors and windows began to rattle and shake, as if hundreds of people were banging on them, trying to pry them open.

“Out after dusk!” they howled. “They were out after dusk!” Pip and Emma began to shake, terrified.

Another ear-piercing whistle filled the air, made of even more tortured howling and screeching. Then came the screams. As the engine thundered towards Tidmouth, each beat of its cylinders sounded like the screams of the damned. The entire shed seemed to shake, as the horrific banging and rattling continued.

“Out after dusk! Out after dusk! They belong to us! They belong to us!” Pip and Emma quivered, petrified. The other engines looked equally terrified – all except Edward. As the cacophony reached a peak, he took a deep breath.

“You are not welcome inside. We are protected. This shed has been blessed; these engines have been blessed. You are not welcome inside!”  

“ONE HAS NOT!” boomed the creatures outside. Pip gasped – she had refused the blessing!

The engine grew nearer; time seemed to slow. Edward took a level breath, and spoke again.

“You are not welcome inside. We are protected. This shed has been blessed; these engines have been blessed. You are not welcome inside!”  

“ONE HAS NOT!” came the furious reply. Before Edward could speak again, there was a horrendous roar and scream of whistles, brakes and steam – the Tidmouth Train to Hell had arrived. It roared past, it’s red lamps illuminating against the doors. The shed walls groaned, as if nearly at braking point. The windows rattled harder, dents being made it the metal. Daisy shrieked and fainted.

Thomas began praying under his breath in one language; the twins did the same in a different one. The train sped into the station, thundering towards the buffers. One dent slammed against the glass of the window next to Pip, cracking the glass. A gnarled nail pierced through the shutter.

“You are not welcome inside. We are protected. This shed has been blessed; these engines have been blessed. You are not welcome inside!”  Edward thundered again, his eyes darting over to the shutter.

The train hit the buffers.

The creatures outside let out a chorus of tortured screams. They were in agony, ripping away from the sheds and howling in pain. The nail was torn from the shutter, giving Pip just enough space to see dark figures writhing on the ground.

The clock ticked over; a new day began. The creatures let out one last screech. The floor seemed to open up around them, hellflames licking up at the night fog and illuminating the entire night in a sea of blood red. The creatures screaming and screeched, dragged downwards and suffocated in the earth before they could be scorched alive by the flames.

And then there was silence.

“Oh…” managed Pip softly.

Everyone looked shaken. Edward sighed softly, and looked over at the twins. “The last time an engine was out after dusk and wasn’t blessed was in 1916, during the war,” he said quietly. “Thomas mightn’t remember it – but I do. It was a loaned engine who told us all that Sauin was stupid… that is, until the creatures of hell surrounded the sheds and began demanding we give him over. Glynn kept trying to keep them out, but he slipped up. The engine’s shed door was ripped open suddenly, and he was… dragged out. We never say what pulled him out – but whatever it was bent that door open like it was a tin can and shoved it back down afterwards. We all heard the loaned engine’s screams as it was given to the creatures and torn piece from piece…”

Edward paused, and gazed at the shed doors, looking wary.

“It’s said that engine became the Tidmouth Train to Hell, crossing the island and giving the spirits and creatures time to roam free before arriving in Tidmouth and condemning them all back to hell, to make sure none can inflict that fate on another.”

He finished his story and looked around the silent room. Daisy was still unconscious, and it was a miracle none of the others had followed. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the dent shutter and cracked window, a stark warning of how close the creatures got.

No one slept that night.

And suffice to say, Pip and Emma were never late again on Sauin.

Back to the Master Post

[number1spongebobfan]

Old artwork of Douglas the Scottish twin surfing with Emma the high speed diesel ^^

[feigeroman]

Thomas Headcanons: Pip & Emma

The High-Speed Train formation containing Pip and Emma was built in 1978, as one of the ten-car sets (two power cars, eight coaches) intended for services on the East Coast Main Line. Initially, they were allocated to the famous Flying Scotsman service from King’s Cross to Edinburgh, where they and their fellow HSTs displaced the 55s already handling this service.

In May 1983, however, Pip and Emma’s unit was reallocated to the Midland Main Line, where they now worked expresses from St Pancras to Glasgow, via Leeds and Carlisle. Their lives on this line were similarly uneventful, with the monotony only occasionally being broken up by some of the little incidents which befell BR trains during this time.

Their first visit to Sodor in 1986 happened quite by accident. The exact details are unclear, but it is known that the unit was stopped at Carnforth following the failure of Pip’s cooling system. While another engine took their passengers on, the power cars were instructed to make their way to Barrow-In-Furness, where arrangements had been made for Pip to be serviced at the NWR’s diesel depot there. This meant they were on-hand the next day, to take over Gordon’s return service to Tidmouth while he was busy taking over an enthusiasts’ special to Carlisle.

Pip and Emma’s visit proved to be a stroke of luck for Sir Topham Hatt, as they‘d unintentionally given him the solution to a problem that he’d only recently realized he was having. Trains running between Sodor and the Mainland had always had to change engines at Barrow-In-Furness, and this especially caused headaches for the express service running from Tidmouth to St Pancras. An HST, however, could potentially save time by removing the need for such a changeover - it could even make the whole journey without stopping. Following Pip and Emma’s departure, Sir Topham Hatt started making plans and inquiries about potentially borrowing them again...

Pip and Emma next visited Sodor in 1995, when they hauled the Royal Train to Tidmouth as part of that year’s Golden Jubilee celebrations. This was actually part of Sir Topham Hatt’s plan, as he wanted to test how well they could handle the service from Tidmouth to London.

In fact, the intention was to make arrangements with BR for Pip and Emma to begin running the Barrow-London portion of the service, to further test their capabilities before they took over the Sodor portion as well. Unfortunately, these plans were scuppered when BR was privatised later that year, and the NWR’s relationship with its neighbouring train operating companies was rather tarnished by the political and economic madness that followed.

It would not be until 2005 that relations had simmered down enough for Sir Topham Hatt to approach his neighbouring TOCs with the proposals he’d drawn up for Pip and Emma. By now, his interest had shifted towards outright purchasing them, but this was not possible at the time - mainly because nobody knew which TOC actually owned them. A compromise was eventually reached, in which the unit would be hired out to the NWR, to work the Barrow-London portion of the Wild Nor’ Wester as initially intended.

Pip and Emma were trialled on this service in late-2005, and full operations began in time for the start of the 2006 operating season. The operation ran as follows: the HST would leave St Pancras early in the morning, and reach Barrow-In-Furness just after lunchtime. Once there, they would connect with Gordon’s service from Tidmouth, and the two trains would swap passengers. Then Gordon would head back to Tidmouth, while Pip and Emma would head back to St Pancras.

Surprisingly, this convoluted operation did save some time. Track improvements on the Mainland network meant that Pip and Emma were able to run fast enough to make up for the delays caused by swapping passengers at Barrow, thereby enabling them to still return to St Pancras on time.

Sir Topham Hatt felt, however, that still further time could be saved, and he continued his efforts to make a full purchase of Pip and Emma. Sadly, this had still not been achieved by the time of his retirement in 2009, and his son Richard Hatt inherited this mission when he became Sir Topham Hatt IV that same year (Richard also took over the running of the NWR, of course, and remains so as of 2021).

By this time, all the various TOCs had begun cascading their HSTs to lesser duties, if not withdrawing them from service altogether. The new Sir Topham Hatt finally managed to track down Pip and Emma’s current owners, and in late 2010 a full purchase of the unit was finally agreed upon.

Pip and Emma finally entered official NWR service in early 2011, and for the first time the Tidmouth-London express could actually be run as a non-stop service. As before, they departed St Pancras early in the morning, but now they reached Tidmouth in the early afternoon. Following a quick rest and refuel, they then headed back to St Pancras, arriving there in the late evening. They would then stay there overnight, before starting over again the next morning.

As promised, this new service did indeed shave still further minutes off the passenger timetable, and it also allowed a full round trip to be achieved in a single day for the first time ever.

For administrative purposes, Pip and Emma are listed on the NWR’s books as being shedded at Barrow-In-Furness, although in practice they are almost never seen there. Instead, they stay mostly at Willesden TMD, near to St Pancras, but they may sometimes be found at Tidmouth if circumstances require them to stay on Sodor overnight.

[mean-scarlet-deceiver]

occurs to me too many people haven't read one of the best Christopher Awdry endings

the exchange with Gordon and BoCo was far from the only cute moment in that book

from "Gordon Proves His Point":

James, following a little later with a stopping train, ws surprised when the Signalman at the station beyond the Works came up. "That High-Speed Diesel's failed," he said. "Go gently until you reach it, push it to the next loop, and then go round in front to pull it home." "Phew!" remarked James. "But what about the Express passengers? They won't want to make our stops." "Too bad," said the Signalman. "Better that way than your people missing their stations." James found the failed train about two miles in front. He pushed it to the next station, and then got ready to pull. "I'm sorry I can't help," apologised Emma, who was in front, "but we are special lightweight coaches." "That's lucky," said James, who was already feeling puffed. But he found it easier than he expected: once the train was moving the coaches followed smoothly. As for the passengers, if they wondered about the extra stops, they didn't complain. The Fat Controller met them. "I'm sorry we're late, Sir," said James. "That's all right, James," said the Fat Controller. "I'm pleased with you — you have saved an Awkward Situation. Now, please make Pip and Emma welcome in the Shed while I arrange their journey home." The other engines were quiet at first, but they soon found the diesels friendly, and before long they were all laughing together. James was glad Gordon was away — he might, he thought, so easily have said something to upset them. Gordon came home the next day. The Fat Controller forgave him for his smokescreen, and said that he was sorry for thinking his spoiled top-hat had been Gordon's fault. It had, he explained, been a steward emptying an ashtray from a carriage window. "Now, Gordon," he continued, "while you were in Carlisle we borrowed a High-Speed Train. This has failed, and I want you to take her passengers home." He paused and smiled. "Show them how we do things, eh?" "I certainly will," promised Gordon. "Right," said Gordon's Driver as they backed towards the train. "Today, Gordon my lad, you can have the run of your life." He did, too. Douglas was waiting to pull Pip and Emma home when Gordon passed. "Poop, poop, poop," whistled Gordon proudly, and with a swish and a roar he was gone. Pip and Emma watched enviously. Douglas chuckled. "Och," he said to himself, "yon Gordon's aye a High-Speed Engine, but it's me who's pulling the High-Speed Train."

[joezworld]

Mind Reading, Soul Stealing, Red Eyed, Diesel Electric Monsters!

June, 2000

A new millennium dawned on the Island of Sodor, and with it came many changes that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

British Rail was no more, and the North Western Region was now the North Western Railway, free to operate as it pleased.

One of the first things that The Fat Controller did was purchase a new express train.

Gordon was apoplectic at this news, but the Fat Controller explained that this new service was to be a through train to London - steam engines hadn’t been allowed on the mainland rails for decades, and under British Rail, a new locomotive would take the coaches to and from London. Now that BR was no more, it was more economical to purchase a dedicated trainset and avoid the locomotive change at Barrow.

Furthermore, Gordon would still be rostered on the midday express and the Limited, both of which only went as far as Barrow.

Pip and Emma had visited Sodor once before, and had been well received by the other engines. However, once it was revealed that Gordon would be displaced from some of his trains, some engines became suspicious...

The engines had speculated that the Fat Controller would purchase a new diesel locomotive to haul the train, and were very surprised to discover that he had instead bought a high speed train!

-

"Ah canno' put ma buffer on it," Douglas admitted. "But they're doing something! Just look at how they act - the lasses must be scheming or something!"

"Ah'm tellin' ye - they are up ta something!" Douglas said to the other engines in the shed.

"And wha' might that be Douggie?" Asked Donald. Unlike his brother, he had no issue with the diesels, and was confused as to why his brother was so vehemently against them.

"Those two have been nothing but polite and cordial this entire time, and- oh bollocks." Duck began, before his eyes widened in realization. "Do not tell me that you have been listening to Oliver again!"

The other engines groaned - Oliver's escape from the mainland had put him in contact with some of the worst diesels that BR had ever fielded, and he still didn’t trust them as a result. Furthermore, his relatively isolated duties on the Little Western meant that his only real contact with diesels was limited to BoCo, Bear, and Delta - three engines who had all 'escaped' from the mainland in one form or another. He held a pessimistic view towards other diesels, and most of the engines had learned to tune him out as a result.

Apparently Douglas had not. "Ah have - and he's right! That's how it starts - they come in all peaceful and nice, and then Boom! All diesels all the time! Ah saw it happen once and ah'm not about to let it happen again!"

"Oh my god" said Donald and Duck in unison. They were going to have words with Oliver the next time they saw him.

-

Across the yard at the newly-built diesel shed, the diesels were listening to Douglas' ranting.

"Well, I'm glad that we haven't actually done anything to upset him." Pip said after a moment.

"I was worried that we'd said something." Emma chimed in from the back.

Bear rolled his eyes. "Yes, well, let me be the first to say that I am glad that you aren't actually evil monsters out to destroy steam traction."

Everyone laughed at that, and evidently did so just a little bit too loud, because...

"AH KNEW IT! They're conspiring against uz!" Douglas shouted from inside the shed.

The diesels stopped laughing and stared at the shed, while the steam engines began berating Douglas.

That brought a fresh wave of shouting from within the shed, while the diesels looked at each other incredulously.

The other engines weren't audible, but Douglas certainly was. "Well maybe no' on purpose! But ye don' know what these new things ken do! They might 'ave mind control powers or something!"

"Mind control powers?" Bear said with a raised eyebrow. "Where does he even get that from?"

"Is that normal?" Said Pip, suddenly concerned about having to work with these engines on a regular basis.

"Not especially." Said Delta. "But when it does happen, they're like this until they suffer a karmically appropriate pratfall, at which point they realize that they've been stupid and apologize."

The others stared at her.

"What?" She protested. "Why do you think I never get too big for my wheels if I can help it? I've read the books! I know what happens to the rest of you!"

Bear and BoCo exchanged a significant look, while Pip looked thoughtful.

"So, that pratfall," she said slowly, a sly look spreading across her face. "Do you lot feel like speeding up when it happens?"

-------------

And so they did.

Henry and James were soon involved in this scheme by virtue of being 'involved' with Bear and Delta, and spent the next several days figuring out exactly what Oliver and Douglas were saying about Pip and Emma. They eventually compiled a long list of imagined abilities, including mind control, telepathy, soul-stealing, invisibility, and the ability to lie with a straight face.

(The steam engines disputed that last point, but all the diesels agreed that it was the only thing on the list that was true.)

-

A week later, they first sprang their plan. Douglas was idling at the big station as Pip and Emma loaded their passengers. He made a conscious effort to ignore the HST set, which was helped somewhat by Bear backing into the track in between him and them.

Then things began to go strangely.

"Oh, not much. How about you?" Bear said in response to nothing.

Douglas looked around to see who he could be talking to, and found nobody else.

"Very interesting." Continued Bear. "I'd never considered that before. Is that new?"

After a moment of silence: "I see."

A pause.

"I wonder how that would work on this Island?"

Silence.

"Really?"

More silence.

"Well I would have never guessed!"

Douglas began to wonder if he was losing his mind when Pip's guard blew his whistle and the HST rolled away towards Barrow.

After a long moment, Douglas spoke up. "Bear, who were ye talking to?"

"Pip?" Bear said, confused.

"No ye weren’t!" Exclaimed Douglas. "Ye were talkin' to thin air!"

"I was not! We were having a most interesting conversation. I'm surprised you didn't hear it, considering we were right next to you."

"Ye said nuthin!" Douglas protested.

"I think you need to get your hearing checked." Bear said as he pulled away with his goods train. He broke into a wide smile as soon as he was out of sight.

--

Next it was Oliver. He made a rare trip beyond the Little Western to collect a train of China Clay from Wellsworth. BoCo was asleep in the station's bay platform when he arrived, so Oliver quietly collected the clay wagons.

As he waited at the signal to leave, Oliver noticed that BoCo was mumbling in his sleep.

"No... mustn't... listen... to... evil... no one... controls... me..."

"BoCo?!" Oliver yelped, suddenly concerned by the diesel's mumbling.

"Huh?!" BoCo sprang to wakefulness suddenly, and Oliver would have sworn that for a split second, there was a red glint in BoCo's eyes. "Oh, hullo Oliver. Fancy seeing you out on the main line."

"You were talking in your sleep!" Oliver said, forgoing any pleasantries.

"I suppose I might have been." BoCo confessed. "I haven't been sleeping very well recently - none of us diesels have."

As Oliver began even more concerned than he had been mere seconds ago, the home signal on the main line dropped to 'clear', and Pip and Emma roared through the station bound for Tidmouth.

As they passed, Oliver jumped slightly - Pip, who was facing him, glared at him as he passed. It was especially unsettling because modern diesels had their end-of-train lamps built into their eyes, so Pip's pupils were bright red as she glared back at Oliver and BoCo.

"She's up to something..." Oliver said to BoCo.

BoCo said nothing in return, and when Oliver looked over, he almost jumped off the rails - BoCo's eyes were the same red colour as Pip's and he was staring into the middle distance.

"She isn't up to anything Oliver..." BoCo said hollowly. "Why would you say that...?"

Oliver squealed in terror, and fled onto the main line as soon as his signal dropped.

BoCo waited until Oliver's train had vanished from sight before turning his lights off and laughing hysterically.

----------

This continued for some time - Oliver and Douglas would see one of the diesels, and the diesels would act strangely at the mention of Pip and Emma.

By the end of the week, Oliver was jumping at shadows, and Douglas was telling his conspiracy theories to any engine that would listen.

"So then Delta gets this faraway look in ‘er eye an' she clams up!" Douglas crowed one morning at Knapford station. “An’ there was no other engine there! She musta’ been talking to them while they wuz invisible!”

Thomas was spellbound. "And then what happened?"

Henry was not. "And then Douglas discovered that there was a reasonable explanation to whatever just happened and learned not to tell tales to impressionable tank engines."

"Ah am not! They. Are. Up. Ta. Somethin'!" Douglas railed at the green engine. "Look, there's Bear now! Let's just see - he's gonna do somethin' if we watch him close enough."

Bear tooted his horn in greeting as he rolled by with a slow goods train. Seeing Oliver and Henry, he quickly flashed his red lights and dropped his engine down a gear as he rolled between Henry and Douglas.

"Play along!" He whispered to Henry as he went by, the noise of his engine masking the words.

Henry blinked. That was an unexpected move... He watched the goods train roll by - it didn't feel right, pranking Douglas like that.

The goods train hadn’t even gone past yet, and he could already hear Douglas ranting about how Bear was a "red-eyed scheming devil!"

Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be. He thought as he listened to Douglas make blameless accusations about his fiancé. To hell with it then.

"What did he say?!" Douglas bellowed after the train passed. "Ah heard 'im say something to ye Henry! What did the devil say to ye?!"

Henry, trying his best to keep his face neutral, looked at Douglas in shock. "Oh hello Douglas! When did you get here?"

Bear's train cleared the signal block, and Henry steamed out of the station, leaving Douglas raving about "memory alterin' beasties!"

The engines looked up as Donald steamed up to the diesel shed. 

“Ah knoo ye lot are doin’ this - knock it off before ma brother completely loses his marbles.” He said firmly. 

“Is he going to stop saying that we’re mind controlling demons?” Bear retorted. 

The steam engine sighed deeply. “Ah want ye to know that he wasnae sayin that before ye started, but ah’ll talk to ‘im. Mebbe we can work something out.”

He steamed back to the sheds. Within a few minutes the sound of Scottish-accented shouting burst from the sheds. 

This continued for some time, to the point where Henry had his driver pull him out of the shed to escape the noise. 

Eventually, both twins emerged from the shed, Donald looking aggrieved and Douglas much more subdued. 

“Ah’m sorry.” The twin eventually said. “Ah think that ah might have let this whole ‘new diesel’ thing get to me a bit more than ah should’ve.”

There was some muttering from Bear and Pip before BoCo shushed them. “We accept your apology Douglas. Sometimes we can all go a little overboard -”

“I don’t.” Interrupted Delta.

“You hid from the Thin Clergyman.” BoCo glared at her before continuing. “We all can go a little overboard at times, so I’m glad that we can now put this behind us. Friends?”

“Friends.” Douglas said after a moment.

“Good!” Cried a voice from inside Donald’s cab as Siobhan poked her head out. “Now that we’re done torturin’ me Da’ for being thick, I wan’ to know somethin - how did all of you manage to make yer eyes turn red like that?”

“Oh, this?” BoCo said as he turned on his red lamps, making his eyes glow red. “It really is just something we were built with.”

The other diesels blinked theirs as well to show that it was not an unusual thing to be equipped with. 

“Oh that is so creepy.” Siobhan shivered. "I love it!"

--

“Oh no.” Oliver gasped as he watched the diesels flash their mind-control rays at Donald and Douglas. “They got to them.”

“What do we do?” Whispered Thomas from the next platform over. 

“I don’t know!”

-------

After the truce between Douglas and the Diesels, life became much more peaceful on Sodor. 

Unless you were on Thomas’ branch line. 

Because only Thomas and Daisy regularly travelled down to the big station at Tidmouth, the rest of the engines on the line learned most of their news from the main line engines when they met at Knapford station. This meant that information was slow and sometimes unreliable on the best of days. 

Now that Thomas actively believed that Pip and Emma had mind-controlled the rest of the engines, that information stream became warped and distorted very quickly. 

Matters were made worse when Daisy was sent to the works for several weeks to have her engine rebuilt. To keep up with traffic, The Fat Controller sent an engine to assist, and Oliver was the first to volunteer. 

The branch line quickly descended into hysteria.

Looking back on this series of events, it is mind-boggling that none of the big engines noticed, however, they had assumed that Douglas had told Oliver that it was all a prank, and that Oliver was an engine that could be reasoned with. 

Furthermore, Gordon, now displaced from the morning and evening express, was insistent on trying out other passenger runs to see if he enjoyed them. This meant that the engines who normally pulled those trains were also displaced from their duties, meaning that the engines who usually met Percy, Thomas, and Daisy’s trains on a regular basis were instead arriving at Knapford on random days and times. The sudden paranoia of the branch line engines was therefore overlooked or dismissed as ‘tank engines being tank engines’.

Matters were made worse when Daisy returned from the works, allowing Oliver to return to the Little Western. 

Daisy was due to return around lunchtime, and so Oliver took his train to Tidmouth, and then immediately continued on with a train to Arlesburgh, while Daisy took the return service to Ffarquhar. 

The other engines on the branch were busy with trains at the north end of the line, and didn’t know that Daisy was returning that day. From their perspective, Oliver was ‘vanished’ by ‘them’, and replaced with a diesel interloper. 

The fact that Daisy had been on the branch line for almost fifty years at that point was immaterial. 

“How do we know that you’re really Daisy?” Percy asked late that night. “What if you’ve been mind-controlled by them to make us into your thralls?”

“Because if I was,” Daisy hissed, acid practically dripping off of her tongue. “I would have done it already. Go. To. Sleep!”

No more was said that night, but the other engines continued to view Daisy with suspicion. 

Daisy, now thoroughly unamused, began asking the big engines if mind control was something that she could actually do - just so that she could get some peace and quiet! 

This did not ease the branch line engine’s concerns at all. 

Daisy found that sleep was much harder to come by as a result.

-

Things eventually came to a head when an extremely sleep deprived Daisy backed down onto the milk van a little bit too hard. The shunter had failed to set the van’s brakes, and it rolled away down the hill towards the next station. 

Percy and Thomas had, as the result of a lost bet, switched jobs that day, which meant that Percy, Annie, and Clarabel were halfway up the hill behind Daisy when the milk van rattled into view. 

“Horrors!” Percy cried as his crew applied the brakes and jumped clear. 

The damage to Percy’s front wasn’t catastrophic, but it was bad enough for the breakdown train crew to put him on a flatbed so he could be taken to the works to be looked over. Clarabel, who was behind Percy and took a nasty bump in the collision, accompanied him. 

Wendell was sympathetic as he collected them, but Percy was still wary, especially because his flatbed had been coupled up to Wendell facing backwards, meaning that neither he nor Clarabel could see if the diesel had been mind-controlled. 

Wendell’s shocked laughter when Percy told him this was not encouraging. 

-

The trip went normally until they arrived at Kildane. There, another engine was waiting, and attached itself to the back of the train. Percy and Clarabel eyed it suspiciously. It looked like a diesel, but one they had never met before, and had a strange metal contraption on its roof, which it lowered before they set off again. 

“Hi!” The engine chirped as the train set off. “I’m Abbey! Who are you?”  

“Percy...” He said cautiously. Clarabel stayed silent.

As it turned out, Abbey was an electric locomotive. She wasn’t new to the island by any means, but she had arrived after Percy had begun working on Thomas’ branch full-time, so they’d never met. She was very chatty, very curious, and had no idea what Percy and Clarabel were talking about. 

“Mind-Control Rays?” She laughed as they rolled towards Kellsthorpe Road station. “How would that even work?”

“I don’t know, but what I do know is that if their eyes turn red and then they look at you, you’re done for!”

“Red eyes?” Abbey looked thoughtful. “Do you mean reversing lights? We have them built into our eyes so we don’t need lamps!” 

“What?” Percy was baffled. 

“Yeah! It’s something that all engines have nowadays.” Abbey’s brows scrunched together in thought. “I think that mine has an emergency backup battery... let me try...”

After a moment of squinting, the pupil of Abbey’s left eye flickered into a very familiar red gaze. 

-

Wendell was not paying attention to the conversation behind him at all, and was startled to attention when Percy and Clarabel began screaming. 

“What in the world is going on?!” He shouted, trying to look behind himself and see what was happening. 

“I don’t know!” Cried Abbey. “They just started screaming!”

The commotion drew the attention of Wendell’s driver and second man as well, which meant that nobody on the train noticed as the Kellsthorpe Road home signal suddenly dropped to ‘Danger’ as they drew nearer to it.

The train rumbled past the signal without stopping, and approached the station at speed. Wendell finally looked forward, and saw members of the station staff waving their arms at him as they tried to right a massively overloaded porter’s trolley that had fallen over on the foot crossing. 

“Diesel and Oil! Stop the train! Stop the Train!” He shouted, drawing his driver’s attention, who applied the brakes as they entered the station. 

“I want you to tell me what happened one more time.” The Fat Controller said as seriously as one could while standing ankle deep in tin foil. The station was covered in the stuff, as was Wendell, Percy, Clarabel, and Abbey.

“The porter’s trolley was a consignment of tinfoil going to a restaurant supply store in town.” The stationmaster started. “It came in on the last train, and then it fell. We tried to make them stop-”

“I threw the signal! I did!” The signalman interjected. “They just didn’t see it!”

“No, we didn’t.” Wendell’s driver admitted, shamefaced. “We were trying to see why -”

“Percy was screaming.” Finished the Fat Controller.  

“Yes sir.”

“Why was Percy screaming?” 

“We don’t know sir.”

“Abbey might!” Wendell chipped in while trying to blow flecks of tin foil out of his nose. “She was talking to them when they started screaming.”

-

As it turned out, Abbey knew exactly why Percy (and Clarabel) had been screaming, and was willing to talk about it at length. 

The Fat Controller's eyebrows rose into his hairline and stayed there as Abbey kept talking. Percy and Clarabel remained silent, although it was impossible to determine whether it was out of fear, stubbornness, or embarrassment. 

“Mind Control powers? Really?” The Fat Controller wanted to be upset, but just could not manage it. “Where on earth did that come from?”

“Oliver sir!” Percy finally spoke up. “He said that the diesels were taking over the island with their evil powers!”

A surprised sounding "oh no!” rose from the next platform - Henry was waiting with The Limited, and had heard most of Abbey’s explanation. 

“Do you have something to add to this?” The Fat Controller asked Henry, unsure how this story could get any more ridiculous. 

-

Henry did have something to add. 

-

“Sir, are you all right?” His assistant asked as they returned to the car. 

“I’m fine.” The Fat Controller managed. “I just need a moment.”

He shut the door to the car behind him, and as soon as he was alone, he laughed until he cried. 

[artistic-writer]

Alii Dimidium Lunam (The Other Half of the Moon) - CS Werewolf AU - Ch 11

Title: Alii Dimidium Lunam (The Other Half of the Moon) by @artistic-writer   artwork by @cocohook38 & @artistic-writer

Rating: E (overall rating) for explicit sexual content, language and themes throughout. Trigger warnings will follow and be added as they are needed to avoid spoilers.

Art by @cocohook38 - Poster - Emma - David - Killian - James - Walsh - Graham

Chapter Art by @cocohook38 - Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4 (NSFW)

Art by @artistic-writer - 1 - 2 - 3 -

Also on: AO3 - FF

A/N: Here is ch 11!  I know you all have waited for patiently for a resolution to how I left ch 10, so here is a whopper off a chapter to help explain things, and tie together a few loose ends.  This is a RedHunter (Ruby/Graham) backstory chapter set in the past, but you can’t skip it because we meet another character! lol  Also, HOW GOOD IS THE ART BY @cocohook38 ??!?! Seriously never been as attracted to Graham as I am right now lol Massive thanks to my wonderful betas, @hookedonapirate who is one of the best beta’s this fandom has to offer - I seriously love her guys, and she deserves all the good things <3 <3 and @kmomof4 to whom this fic is also gifted for her upcoming birthday, and creating the @cssns  Thank you to my crew, @hollyethecurious  @resident-of-storybrooke @courtorderedcake @doodlelolly0910 and special thanks to @killian-whump @killianmesmalls and @sherlockianwhovian for how they helped later on. And to @flipperbrainwho drew THIS piece of art for this fic in December, before it was even written!

Taglist: @cssns @resident-of-storybrooke @hollyethecurious @kmomof4 @hookedonapirate @winterbaby89 @courtorderedcake @initiala @cocohook38 @branlovesouat @teamhook @snidgetsafan@sherlockianwhovian @shireness-says @wingedlioness @lenfaz @therooksshiningknight @ilovemesomekillianjones @bmbbcs4evr @blowmiakisscolin @deathbycaptainswan @onceuponaprincessworld @chinawoodfan  @seriouslyhooked @snowbellewells @wordsmith-storyweaver   @jennjenn615 @delightfully-difficult-pirate @doodlelolly0910 @tiganasummertree @hookedmom @thejollyroger-writer @rachie1940 @unworried-corsair 

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——————————————————————————————

Three years ago

Many people in the world would enjoy their free time with some socialization, or some other kind of fun. Werewolves were different, creatures that wanted nothing but the feel of soft, freshly churned earth beneath their paws and the smell of the night in their nostrils. Graham was no different. He had been the Misthaven beta for as long as he could fight, standing shoulder to shoulder with David and making sure the entire pack was safe.

Tonight, however, was a rare occasion when David had suggested he go and right what ailed him, as he was no good to him as a beta when he was so clearly distracted. Graham had become irritated recently, in need of something to help him relax, and David all but forced him to take a leave of absence to right the worries in his head. Graham wasn’t sure he could relax and stay away from his pack for so long, but he was also loyal to his alpha. If David insisted, he would go.

Graham wasn’t sure what he was in need of. He had reached a certain age, thirty-four in human years, and if he were a human, he could have said he was heading into a mid-life crisis. He craved what he couldn’t have, plagued by a yearning he couldn’t place and it was made all the more poignant when he was around David and Snow. He was coming up to a milestone in werewolf culture and he should have been so many things by now.

He had no reason to begrudge the Nolans for anything. They had taken him in when he was lost, raised him as their own when they really didn’t have to and gave him a place to call home. Misthaven was his home. It was where he belonged, with the strongest pack of them all, and yet, he couldn’t help but wonder if there was something else that could fulfill his aching heart.

Graham Humbert was lonely. He was a wolf with everything and yet had nothing that made him feel whole.

There were plenty of potential mates, and as the beta, he could have the pick of any she-wolf he desired, but apart from a little bit of harmless fun, Graham had no connection to anyone in his pack. He had tried reaching outside of the community, dipping his toes into the pool of loner she-wolves, but again, nothing struck him. No one knew him, no one gave him the life that included a love connection he so wished for, and he had all but given up on finding it.

Like many wolves, Graham ran to wind down, to release some of the pent-up tension acquired in human form, and at this particular time in his life, Graham ran to feel. Running was a high. His skin buzzed beneath his pelt as his muscles shifted over his bones with every stride, his huge paws pounding the compact forest floor, the only sound for miles his low, grumbling pants as his breath left his lungs. If he couldn’t feel love, he could at least still feel the freedom of cantering through the forest.

The forest seemed to disappear, only the wind against his face, pinning his ears to the flat broadness of his skull as he galloped. His fur snagged nearby bushes but went unnoticed to him at the speed he was hitting. Graham was a light coated wolf, the silver guard hairs of his outer layer more visible in the darkness than some of his other pack members, and his light, fair tanned face soft and welcoming. He was deceivingly meek looking, having inherited the faded agouti shades from his mother, and if it were not for his imposing size, he could have been mistaken for her at quick glance.

Wolves were discouraged from running alone, but Graham loved it. It was freeing to run alone, if not more so than with others, and there were often times he and Emma would tell David they were running together but went their separate ways. They were so similar, like true siblings, and they both understood the need for space, despite what they had been taught. They had been raised with the understanding that there was strength in numbers, that they were at their most vulnerable whilst alone, and it was always the last thing on Graham’s mind when he was running solo.

And maybe that was why, as he broke through the edge of the trees, and the ground turned to asphalt under his paws, he was blinded by the brightness of headlights and overcome with searing pain in his foreleg before his world faded from view and he passed out with a weak growl.

When Graham tried to open his eyes, they seemed to be stuck shut. His eyelids were heavier than usual, his breathing shallow and calm, even though he should have been more alert. He was in wolf form, he could tell that much, but as he struggled to find his surroundings, nose twitching at the end of his muzzle, all he could do was sigh.

His whole body was weighed down by an invisible force and despite the fact his brain was telling his limbs to move, they denied his request. He was laying on what felt like grass, or straw and he could smell the faintest whiff of other animals. The scents were aged, maybe months old, and all he could hear as his funnel like ears swiveled on his head, was the creak of wood.

He inhaled a little more deeply, and his senses picked up the tiniest traces of fresh paint and the lingering tang of a diesel engine. Together with the straw bed, he was sure he had ended up in some kind of shed or outhouse, but the last thing he remembered was being hit by the car and luckily for him, he had kept the good fortune to stay in wolf form. He recalled the sound of his foreleg snapping but there was no pain right now, his entire body floating.

The sound of rattling tools and the scrape of the wooden door in the dirt set his fur standing on end and his toes dug into the straw bed in anticipation. Before he had time to send out a warning growl, a floral scent filled his nostrils and the soft shuffling of shoes on the barn floor had him intrigued more than scared. Jasmine calmed him instantly, his breathing leveling out from his panicked state as he inhaled the sweet flowery smell, and he finally managed to peel an eye open to see a blurry figure approaching.

It was a woman, he could tell, and the way the sunlight flooded into the barn from behind her made her seem like an angel, the orange glow of the morning sun surrounding her like a halo. Graham could tell it was the start of the day because there was only a slight amount of warmth and the morning sunlight was busy evaporating the nightly mist that still lingered in the barn doorway.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the woman reach for something above his head and he followed her movements with a weary but blurry gaze. Something must have been making him so slow, the haze around her arm never clearing, no matter how many times he tried to blink away the fog, and for a second, he focused enough to see the saline bag hanging on the wooden post beside the stall from a bent, rusty nail.

He groaned, half in protest and half in submission. He was hurt, there was no denying he’d heard his leg break, but he felt no fear from the woman’s presence. She didn’t seem to be scared of him either, crouching down beside him after she had fiddled with his painkiller-filled drip and resting her elbows on her knees. Graham focused a little, the scent of her perfume wafting into his nostrils tenfold and he let out a long, sorrowful sigh.

“Hey there, boy,” she said softly, her voice nothing but calm.

Graham felt himself relax even more into the straw bed he was laying on but his flight instinct was still bubbling just under the surface of his skin. With the least amount of energy he had left, he let out a menacing growl he was unable to fight through instinct and the woman shuffled back from him. The distance was welcoming, but as Graham’s eyes fluttered closed one more time, he heard her voice as clear as day.

“I’ll come check on you tomorrow.”

Almost no time had passed before Graham heard the scrape of the door again and peeled his eyes open. They were more responsive this time and he managed to lift his head, watching the particles of dust dancing in the new morning sunlight as it flooded in behind the angelic woman. Graham was more focused now, his vision giving him a clear view of the woman who approached him with a cautious smile.

“Hey boy,” she soothed, keeping her distance whilst checking on the hanging bag. The plastic had completely drained and as she fiddled with replacing it, Graham followed the clear, plastic tube that lead directly into his foreleg. The soft, downy cream fluff on his leg had been shaved short, the regrowth beginning to itch underneath the bright blue vet wrap bandage that held the cannula against his limb. “You feeling better today?” The woman asked, the voice like music to his ears and grabbing his attention.

Every wolf instinct inside of him told him to run. Humans were not to be trusted, especially in the wolf form he was trapped in whilst his body recovered, and it took everything Graham had to stay still. He was fighting his response to flee, the fur on the back on his neck standing on end for no other reason than the woman in front of him was simply, the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

Her hair was long, a very dark brown and contrasted against her pale skin and rouged lips. She smelled of jasmine again and already Graham felt like he might be addicted to the scent of her. She gave him a smile, her perfectly shaped lips spreading across her features and Graham wished he could cradle her face between his hands and kiss her. The warmth behind her green eyes made him relax just so he was shocked to feel the pinch on his toes. He yelped, pulled his leg and awkwardly scurried back in his straw bedding stall as far as the cast on his foreleg would allow.

“I’m sorry, boy,” the woman pouted sympathetically, crouching down at the entrance to the stall to seem less imposing. “But look at it this way, you can still feel your toes, which is good,” she beamed, standing to her feet and brushing the dust off of her dark blue, skin tight pants.

Graham watched her with a scowl, his ears twitching on his head as she moved around outside of the stall. He was curious about her, but more than just as a werewolf play thing, and he felt himself leaning forward to watch her move around the barn. She collected up a saddle in her arms, the deceivingly thin limbs more than capable of carrying the heavy leather piece, and then grabbed for a bridle hanging above his stall.

“I’m going for a ride,” she told him as if he would reply with more than a puzzled canine glance. “You rest now. I’ll check back on you tomorrow.”

Tomorrow came and went. In fact, Graham counted no less than thirteen sunrises that introduced the arrival of his guardian angel. In the accident, Graham had broken his leg, shattered it in a few places, the dark haired angel had told him on one of the days, but he was on the mend. He was becoming stronger, having initially dropped a few pounds after being so high on pain medication, but with his recovery came his strength and it wasn’t long before he was eagerly awaiting the arrival of his raven haired caretaker on his feet with a wagging tail.

“Hey, my sweet boy,” the woman said eagerly, the barn door not even open before she had called out to him. Graham’s tail brushed against his hocks as she approached, his cannula and drip now removed but his cast still covering his foreleg. It had been wrapped in a dark blue bandage but that had become dirty and worn, especially where Graham had nibbled at the top part to try and relieve some of the itching underneath. “Are you ready?”

Graham gave her a wolfish grin, his ears flattening on top of his broad skull, and a puppy like whine too high pitched for an animal of his size escaping his maw. He licked his lips excitedly as she approached. Today was the day she had promised him for over a week - the cast was coming off and he would finally be able to lick at the agonizingly irritating niggling itch underneath.

She approached him still with a hint of caution, he was a wolf after all, but she had become more confident. He had let her remove his cannula without incident and when she had asked if he would be a good boy on the removal of his cast, he had just given her a soppy puppy dog stare and a sideways tilt of his head. If Graham didn’t know better, he would say she had domesticated him.

And he loved it.

“Are you going to behave?” She asked him again with a raised eyebrow, all too aware that in a crouching position with a cast saw in hand she may very well be trampled by a panicking wolf. Graham grumbled low in his throat and gave her the same head tilt, his ears flopping sideways. “Okay then,” she said on an inhaled breath, inching closer to him and powering on the handheld saw.

Graham flinched a little, unsure of the noise more than anything as it invaded his ear canal with a terrifyingly high pitched squeal, but he sat and let the dark haired woman lift his leg onto her knee as she cut into the cast. Graham knew a cast saw would never cut skin so he kept still, watching the concentration of her delightful face as she went to work, her tongue poking out the side of her mouth and her brow furrowed with effort. Graham was pretty sure, at that moment, his life had just become a whole lot more complicated as his heart skipped a beat and he flexed his claws against her knee as if attempting to hold onto her.

“There,” she announced triumphantly when the two sides of the cast fell away. “All done!” Graham leaped back, a playful growl coming from his lips as he sniffed at his leg and paraded back and forth around the barn. He had been largely confined to the stall, the straw now reeking of his dirty, oily wolf pelt, and it felt good to stretch all of his legs. There was a little pain at the site of the break, no more than an ache now, and Graham’s tail began another rhythmic wag in an arch over his back.

Forgetting himself for a second, Graham bolted for the door, stopping when she called out to him. “Woah, boy!” she called and he stopped dead, looking at her with wide, expectant eyes and a playful pant. He wanted to stay, he wanted it more than anything he had ever wanted in his life, but if he didn’t head back to Misthaven soon, David would surely send a search party after his beta. That would spell bad news for his new companion, and he wished her no harm, especially the fate that would befall a human who had, in their eyes, held a werewolf captive.

“I mean,” she corrected herself quickly, twisting her body in the dusty barn floor and sinking forward onto her knees. “You can go if you want to. You are not a prisoner here, you never were,” she smiled softly, looking down at her hands that were flattened over her thighs as she let out a short chuckle. “Look at me talking to a wolf,” she chastised herself with a shake of her head. “God, Ruby, you're so lonely.”

And there it was - the moment Graham learned her name and wished more than anything he could transform back into human form and tell her everything. She wasn’t lonely, she never would be and he would do anything to repay her for her kindness. If that meant spending the rest of his life with her, it was a burden he was willing to bear. But he couldn’t tell her. Werewolves who had sustained a traumatic event or injury were trapped in their wolf form until they had healed sufficiently to survive the shift back to human form, and Graham knew his body would heal much faster in his current form.

All he could do to reassure her was take the tentative steps towards her and sniff at her hands, like a pet dog comforting their master. He nudged her long, nimble fingers with his cold wet nose. Ruby looked up at him, a mixture of shock and fear on her face, the sound of her blood throbbing in her veins and the smell of her sudden panicked flush making him retract his actions. He stepped back, lowering his head in a type of submissive apology and getting lost in her sea green eyes.

“It’s okay,” Ruby whispered half to herself and half to the huge wolf in front of her, holding out her hand to him once more, her voice laced with a shaky anticipation he had not noticed from her before. She was scared, and rightly so, but Graham would never hurt her, and he met her outstretched hand with a sniff and a lick. Ruby gasped, her fingers trembling at the end of her arm and she swallowed audibly. “Good boy,” she breathed, her lips twitching into a smile.

Graham let her move her hand a little more until it was threaded in the deep pile around his neck, her fingers feeling like a welcome fire to his skin. It was incredible. Graham had never been petted before, a practice so frowned upon because of its connotations with domestic canines. Werewolves were not, and never would be, pets by the Chronicle's ruling, but Graham would gladly let her pet him all day long if she wanted to just to see the happiness in her eyes. His expression softened, his breathing slowing as she toyed with his pelt, her own amazement etched across her face and her breath caught in her throat.

“I’m touching a wolf,” she whispered to herself, her breathing resuming once more. Graham stepped away suddenly, shaking and ridding his skin of the tingling sensation. He had to go back to Misthaven, regardless of how much his heart was crying out for more of her touch. He skipped to the open barn doors once more, the faded, curled red paint falling from the wood as he neared it, and he stopped to give her one last glance as the sunlight warmed his face.

“Will I see you again?” She asked gently, a weak smile pulling at her lips. Graham sighed, the breath leaving his lungs and evaporating in the morning sunlight as he lingered near the doorway a tad longer, looking back and locking eyes with the woman he owed everything to. He would see her again, without a doubt, and when he took off through the open doors and headed back to Misthaven, he was sure he heard a soft sob echoing in the barn.

--

Graham had done some truly stupid things in his life, what short years there were of it, but maybe the most idiotic was what he was doing right now. He was standing in the waiting room of a veterinary clinic with a tiny bundle under his arms awaiting the sound of his name. It wasn’t ideal, he admitted that and he had absolutely no intention of ever owning a pet, let alone a puppy, but here he was.

And for what? Why would a werewolf want to own a pet? And a dog of all things? The answer was simple and over the last few months, he had fought with himself over and over in case he was wrong. His heart yearned, and in wolf form, he pined for the feel of her fingers through his fur once more. To hear her voice just one more time as she walked towards him with nothing but compassion in her eyes and a smile on her face.

But it was wrong. It was strictly forbidden. Graham had killed wolves for less, and yet here he was, standing in some nowhere town with an Irish Wolfhound puppy desperately trying to wiggle out of his grasp, all so that he could maybe catch a glimpse of his savior.

He had done some research. Her name was Ruby Lucas and she was a veterinarian two states over from Misthaven. She had a small holding with a few horses that she rode daily, and big unused barn where she rehabilitated wildlife in from time to time and no boyfriend or husband. She had no family to speak of, and her only friends seemed to be the animals she worked with and a few old classmates who still lived in their hometown.

Graham had obsessed over her for months after he had returned, never quite feeling as complete as he had that day she touched his muzzle, unafraid and with a smile that set her green eyes aglow. He would shift and run to her farm, watching her from the edges of the woodland adjacent, careful not to spook her horses with his scent. She was a goddess, the more he looked at her he got pulled in by her beauty, and on more than one occasion he chastised himself for his akin to stalking behaviour.

But there was no use. Ruby had beguiled him and soon Graham found himself sneaking from Misthaven more regularly in search of even the slightest glimpse of her. Some days she would go to the local bar and dance, unwinding after a long stressful day. She always went alone but the way she moved like nobody was watching made him want her even more, and he wished he had the courage to approach her as a man.

Other days she would simply sit at home, feet up on the battered arm of her couch, a bowl of popcorn on her lap and tears streaming from her face as she watched yet another romantic comedy. Sometimes Graham felt like he was living one, the man in pursuit of the woman who didn't even see him, and yet, it was for the exact opposite reason Graham did devote so much of his time to Ruby. She had seen him, even as a wolf, she was not afraid and there was something connecting them that he knew she felt as strongly as he did.

Graham Humbert, werewolf and Misthaven beta, was in love with Ruby Lucas, a human.

“Mr. Humbert?” A voice shook him from his anxious daydream and his head snapped up to meet the green orbs of the raven haired vet. Ruby was every bit as beautiful as he had remembered from last time he had seen her, only at eye level she was much taller than he had first thought. She was almost the same height as him, her long legs disappearing into her very business-like skirt and her dainty, milky white ankles gently wrapped in the strap of some black, flat shoes.

“Would you like to come in?” She beamed, motioning through the door behind her and like an obedient hound, Graham trotted after her. “I’m Ruby,” she introduced herself casually, extending her hand out to him.

“Hi,” he smiled back, taking her hand awkwardly as the grey scruffy puppy in his arms struggled to be free once again. His tail beat a steady rhythm against Graham’s jacket, a dull thud echoing between them and his tongue flicked out in an attempt to lick at the new person in his proximity. Graham nearly touched her, but before he had a chance to take her hand in his, the puppy in his arms overstretched and almost slipped from his grasp. Graham grabbed him quickly, scooping him back into his arms and looking back to the giggling vet with a blush.

“And who is this?” Ruby cooed, reaching for the puppy and relieving Graham of his charge.

“Hunter,” Graham said quickly, his Irish lilt rolling the word on his tongue. He shuffled awkwardly on his feet, crossing and then uncrossing his arms nervously.

“And you are?” Ruby prompted with a smirk, placing Hunter down on top of the rubber matted table between them and ruffling her fingers through his wiry hair. Graham looked up at her, and the corner of his mouth twitched into a shy smirk.

“I’m Graham,” he said softly, finally settling on putting his hands into the pocket of his jeans and inhaling hard through his smile. Her scent invaded him, coating his tongue and hitting the back of his throat like a fresh flower. She still smelled of jasmine, the familiar scent making him feel the warmth in the pit of his stomach that he had craved.

“Well, Graham,” Ruby accented his name, testing it on her tongue with a small, twitchy smile that she tried to hide. “What can we do for Hunter today?”

She looked up once more, her hair tumbling over her shoulders with a flick of her head and her full, rouged lips spreading into a smile. Graham blushed instantly, a new human reaction for him, and he balled his fists in his jeans as he tensed. There was nothing wrong with the puppy, he knew that, and when she raised her eyebrow at his lack of an answer, somehow he knew she knew that too.

“Maybe he needs his shots?” Ruby suggested and Graham nodded shyly.

“Yeah, I think that’s it,” Graham nodded, pulling his hands from his jeans and stepping closer to the table again. As he did, Hunter spun on his little fluffy back legs and tumbled towards his owner, licking furiously at the air in front of his muzzle submissively.

“You think?” Ruby teased, stopping the puppy from launching himself from the table top at the same time Graham reached for the wolfhound youngling, their hands brushing and sending a wave of warmth through his body. After a heartbeat, Graham cleared his throat and swallowed a dry lump that had formed there. “How long have you been a dog owner?”

Graham blew out an exaggerated breath, trying to act as human as possible. “A few days,” he said honestly with a shrug.

Ruby quirked her eyebrow again, the perfectly shaped, almost black line of hair dancing up on her forehead. “I can tell,” she said with a smile.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Graham asked playfully, his eyes narrowing as he relaxed a little. It was clear she was more comfortable than he was right now, but as she looked up to meet his gaze again, she lost her smile and a blush stained her ashen cheeks with a pink tint.

“I’m sorry,” she apologised quickly. “I didn’t mean to offend,” she offered professionally and then promptly spun around until she was facing the small computer screen behind her. She idly clicked at the buttons on the mouse, but there was no reason for the number of clicks she was administering and Graham suspected she was just trying to avoid him.

“It’s okay,” Graham murmured, the only other sound between them being the dull scratching of Hunter’s razor sharp puppy claws on the rubber lined table. She turned, looking over her shoulder first before her entire body followed and she was facing him once more, albeit a little redder in the cheeks than before. Graham could smell her nervousness.

“It was unprofessional,” Ruby quipped curtly, her flattened palms on the table between them another distraction for the puppy who tried to claw his way towards her.

“It’s okay, really,” Graham assured her, struggling to comprehend how something so small could elude his grip so efficiently when Hunter slipped from his fingers and jumped up to lick Ruby’s face. “I didn’t mean…”

“Hey there, boy,” Ruby soothed the puppy, her smile returning the instant she sank her fingers into his rough coat and pulled him to her. She inhaled his scent, the musk of puppy breath and slightly coarse fur making her eyes flutter closed and her face to light up with what Graham could tell was the memory of his wolf form. Her words were the same, the dulcet tones identical to when she had greeted him, and Hunter relaxed into her embrace as if he had just lost all of his energy reserves.

Graham remembered the effect of her smooth voice on his canine form, so wasn’t surprised when Hunter surrendered to her siren’s call in the same way.

“I think he likes you,” Graham smiled at her, pointing to the yawning puppy.

Ruby ruffled the hair between Hunter’s ears and poked at his nose playfully. “That’s because I haven’t stuck him yet,” she cooed into the puppy’s face and Graham stifled a laugh. She was adorable.

“I’m sure he won’t even feel it,” Graham smirked, watching her stroke the puppy in her arms with a pang of jealousy. He hadn’t felt the sting of a needle when Ruby had looked after him, but what he wouldn’t give to feel her fingers on his body again. “And don’t worry about what you said, it wasn’t unprofessional at all.”

Ruby looked up at him and her smile faded a little, only matching his again when she really looked into his eyes. They were deeper than they looked, blue pools of ocean deep echoes that pulled her into a swarm of emotions she never wanted to escape. She felt like she had seen them before, but couldn’t quite place the easy feeling that accompanied his stare.

“If you want to hear something unprofessional, I could ask you out on a date,” Graham teased, sucking in a breath through his teeth and cocking his head to one side dramatically. It made Ruby laugh, her hair falling over her face when she dipped her head forward.

“You could,” Ruby nodded, unable to hide the wide grin on her face.

“Would you say yes?” Graham arched a brow, squinting through one open eye as if he

were scared of her rejection.

“Maybe,” Ruby taunted, biting the tip of her tongue.

Graham sighed an exaggerated grunt of frustration and shuffled his feet from side to side. He planted his hand on his hips and dramatically rubbed a hand over the stubble on his jaw. “Well, now I’m afraid to ask you.”

“Will Hunter be there?” Ruby asked quickly and Graham frowned.

“On a date?” he laughed.

“Why not?” Ruby asked incredulously. “I thought he was your wingman.”

“What gave you that idea?” Graham chuckled, licking his lips nervously.

“Well,” Ruby began, handing him back the now sleeping puppy and letting her fingers linger on his a little longer than necessary. “You are a new dog owner but have yet to ask a single question, so I can only assume he is not actually yours, in which case you stole a puppy…”

“I would never,” Graham laughed harder, pulling Hunter to his chest and tucking him inside of his jacket possessively.

“Or,” she continued, pointing a finger at him playfully. “You have owned dogs before, and have another reason for walking into my office today.” She folded her arms over her chest and took a long, triumphant breath, leaving the ball in his court with a raised eyebrow.

“You got me,” Graham admitted. “I did come here to ask you a very important question.”

“Go on,” Ruby prompted, hiding her excitement that Graham could smell all over her. He had smelled it before when she had first touched him, the exhilaration thrumming from her skin both then and now.

“Have you ever been to Tony’s?” Graham grinned.

--

Two and a half years Later

Since their first date, Graham had taken Ruby to dinner at Tony’s Italian restaurant every Friday without fail. Even when Misthaven demanded his attention, he was able to sneak away and travel over two states to where Ruby lived with little fuss, and if David ever suspected anything, he had never mentioned it. Graham almost gave his relationship away once, whilst talking to Mary Margaret, but luckily for him, she wasn’t in a very inquisitive mood that day and was satisfied with a simple, evasive answer.

It was easy for Graham to spend time away from Misthaven because David always had an errand for him to run. Luckily for him, the James’ Neverland pack was situated close to where Ruby lived, so he was always nearby for reconnaissance. As long as he relayed the information that David had asked for back to him, he was in the clear. After six months it had become clear that his feelings for Ruby were never going to wane, in fact, they had only grown stronger.

He ached when they were apart, as did she. Ruby had told him on many occasions she couldn’t stand it when he was gone, and Graham had died a little inside each time he told her he was away for work. To make it a little more bearable, Graham had suggested Hunter live with her so she could snuggle with the growing hound each time she was lonely, a suggestion she accepted gladly. He wasn’t exactly lying, but he felt dishonest all the same, his heart cracking a little each time he told her and she accepted his reason with a smile and without argument. She was kind and good and Graham often laid awake at night trying to find a solution to his heartache.

Being caught between his love for Ruby and his loyalty to Misthaven was tearing him apart.

The restaurant was as it usually was every Friday night - half packed with the same patrons he had come to recognise week after week and who he now realised posed no threat. He could sense both human and Were diners, their scents mingling together on his tongue, but the entire time Graham had been coming here, no one had ever mentioned anything about werewolves. Tony’s was known for its acceptance of all, including Were, and he was just another fan of pasta along with every other beast in the place.

As if on cue, Tony greeted them at the door and shooed away the teenage usher with a scowl, stating they were important guests. Ruby met his enthusiastic kiss with a peck to his stubbled, jowly cheek and Graham shook his hand with a broad smile.

“Mr. Jones has beat you here this week,” he declared happily, his Italian accent almost forced for comedy effect. He nodded over to their usual table, and Ruby and Graham followed his gaze and the point of his hairy knuckled finger.

The man he was pointing to was a regular patron of the restaurant and an old friend of Ruby’s that she had introduced to Graham early on in their relationship. As if he sensed he was being talked about, the man looked over at them and gave them a smile, the blue of his eyes glinting in the light above the table as he waved them over.

Graham had found out early on that the man was Were, and he assumed he had known he was too, but neither of them had spoken about it at great length. One time, when Ruby excused herself to the bathroom, Graham had asked Jones how a Werewolf had become such good friends with a human woman and he was told they were just old friends. Sensing his pang of jealousy, Jones had assured Graham there was nothing more to him and Ruby than that and he simply loved her like a sister.

Graham hadn’t missed the warning growl in his words that was more protective than possessive either.

“Liam!” Ruby squealed, rushing to her friend and embracing him in a tight hug just as he had got to his feet. Graham caught up just as they were moving apart and shook Liam’s hand eagerly.

“Hey, how was England?” Graham enquired, business like.

“Oh, you know,” Liam shrugged, letting out a breath. “Raining.”

Graham laughed, slapping a flat palm to Liam’s shoulder. “Could be worse,” he teased. “You could be Irish.”

“Graham says it always rains more in Ireland,” Ruby interjected their exchange sweetly, shrugging the coat off of her shoulders and thanking Tony as he whisked it away with a wink.

“It does,” Liam agreed and motioned for them to sit in the booth opposite him. “And despite my name and heritage, I have no inclination to visit any time soon.” Liam gave Graham a cheeky glare and reached for a glass of sparkling water in front of him, the bubbles drifting to the surface when he moved the glass.

“Remind me never to visit either of your countries,” Ruby scoffed, her nose wrinkling a little as she flipped her hair over her shoulder and rolled her eyes.

“Don’t be like that,” Graham teased, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her to him. “You’d love it.”

“Yeah, you’d fit right in, Red,” Liam smirked, stifling a laugh and hiding behind his menu.

“Shut up, Jones. Shut up right now,” Ruby warned and Graham looked between them confused.

“What am I missing?” Graham asked, his own smirk matching Liam’s as Ruby buried her face in her hands.

“Don’t you have to go away again soon?” Ruby asked quickly, trying to change the subject. “Another business trip we could talk about, maybe? Please?”

“Yes, I do but that is not what we want to talk about,” Liam winked at her, turning to face Graham. “The gorgeous brunette you see beside you was not always so raven haired,” Liam chuckled. Graham watched as Ruby’s cheeks turned a shade of pink he had never seen before. “Ruby here, got her name when she was born and her parents instantly loved her red hair.”

Ruby groaned at Liam’s tale of her childhood hair colour and she cringed as she lifted her head to find Graham looking at her in awe. “What?” She asked defensively but he was stunned to silence, simply shaking his head with a slack jaw as he tried to imagine the most gorgeous woman he had ever met as a redhead.

“I have photos,” Liam said through his laugh and Ruby glared at him with a clenched jaw.

“Burn them,” she commanded darkly, pointing at him with a threatening finger. “Tonight.”

“Woah, let’s not be too hasty,” Graham interrupted their stare down and excitedly turned his entire body until he was facing Ruby, his eyes darkening with the lust he could never control around her. She met his gaze and smiled, their eyes having a brief conversation without their lips even saying a word. “Could you have a little Irish in you?” He raised a brow, his voice gruff and his eyes flicking over her lips.

“Maybe if you play your cards right,” Ruby smiled coyly, biting her bottom lip. Unable to resist her any longer, Graham lunged forward and captured her lips in a fiery kiss that told her just how much he wanted what she was insinuating.

“I’m right here, guys,” Liam huffed drolly, not looking up from the menu. They pulled apart quickly and gave him sheepish looks. “Why do you guys even invite me if all you do is make out?” he sighed.

“You’re our friend?” Ruby offered.

“We pay?” Graham suggested immediately afterward.

“Excellent!” Liam declared and motioned Tony back to their table to order. The overweight owner arrived with his dog-eared notepad and half-chewed pencil poised. “The house special,” he beamed. It was the most expensive item on the menu and Tony scribbled it down quickly with a wide eyed smile.

Eventually, when Graham had asked enough questions about the colour of Ruby’s childhood hair, they had talked a little more about Liam’s work trip. He traveled a lot, mainly between his home country and America, and part of the reason why they met up at Tony’s was that Ruby felt like she never saw him anymore. They had been friends their whole life, their families living right next door to each other, and as an only child, Ruby had always been thankful for his friendship.

Graham had come to accept that his love was best friends with a man, even if he did get jealous. With both of them being Were, the feelings ran more rampant and sometimes Graham suspected that Liam knew and played up his harmless flirting to annoy him. But when Ruby assured him Liam was only trying to test him, to make sure he was good enough for her, he let it all slide. No one had ever managed to calm him like Ruby did, and all she had to do was smile at him for him to know she would always be his and all his jealousy would evaporate instantly.

“Move in with me,” Ruby said casually as they strolled down the dirt track up to her farm. She had asked before and Graham was running out of excuses. He clenched her hand tighter at his side and watched his feet as he walked.

“We’ve been through this,” he said softly, no anger in his words. Graham was so placated around her that it would be hard for anyone to believe he was the werewolf feared by so many.

“I know,” Ruby cut him off and squeezed his hand back. “But if you could. Would you?”

Graham stopped their walking, halfway to the house, the sound of crickets in the nearby grass pricking in his ears as he pulled her to him. He let her fall against his chest and brushed a few strands of hair from her forehead, wrapping his arms around her lovingly. “You know I would,” he said with an apologetic tone. “If things…”

“If things were different, I know,” Ruby finished for him, looking down at her hand that lay flat over his heart. A silence fell between them, like many times before, and Graham wished with everything he had that he could change who he was so that they could live as humanly as possible. “What if they already are?” Her voice was small, almost shaky, and she fisted the material of his shirt nervously.

“If they already are?” Graham cocked his head to the side and looked down at her quizzically. When she didn't look up at him, Graham hooked a crooked finger under her chin and tilted her head back until he could see the beauty in her eyes again. He smiled at her, but when she didn’t return it, he started to panic. “What do you mean, if they already are?”

“Things are different,” Ruby told him nervously, her bottom lip worried by her teeth. Graham searched her face, staring deep into her eyes for any indication of what she meant and it didn’t register what she was trying to tell him until she took his hand and placed it over her flat stomach.

Graham was hit with an emotion he had never experienced before. He was scared. Petrified. His first wave of joy was quickly overtaken by the harsh reality of what happens when a human becomes pregnant with a werewolf child. His relationship with Ruby was forbidden and so far he had managed to keep it a secret, but this was so much more than he could ever contain.

What would happen to Ruby when the child came up to its wolf day? Graham had heard of so many horror stories with mongrel cubs tearing their human parents apart in anger, murdering them in cold blood when they failed to understand the change. The Chronicle was clear and Graham knew it wouldn’t be long before he would be discovered and brought before the Werewolf Council. People talked, but werewolves were gossips, and Ruby was in danger of death if anyone found out about her. He couldn’t let that happen to the woman he loved, even if it meant he had to give up the thing he had wanted with her most of all.

“Ruby, I…” He stammered, fingers flexing over her even stomach as he fought to ignore the swell of pride in his chest.

“Of course, we’ll have to move away, so the council doesn’t find us,” she shrugged and his head snapped up to meet hers, wide eyed and shocked.

“The council?” he asked innocently, a blush spreading over the tips of his ears.

“The werewolf council,” Ruby told him matter of factly.

“How do you know about the council?” he spluttered, his brows knitting together in confusion.

“Come on,” Ruby smiled, rolling her eyes and reaching up to run her fingers through the lightly curled hair on top of his head. Graham’s confusion ebbed away at her touch, and his eyes rolled closed. “My good boy,” she soothed gently, as if he were in wolf form.

“I don’t understand,” Graham whispered, her fingers like magic on his scalp, fading away as she slid her hands to his cheeks. He peeled his eyes open once again, and she was looking up at him knowingly.

“Humbert, don’t be a fool,” she teased, lightly scratching the stubble on his cheeks. “I grew up with Liam, who I am sure you know by now is Were, so you can stop pretending you are any more human than he is.”

Graham didn’t know what to say and simply stared at her. She was sassy, it was one of the things he loved about her, but she was also passionate and playful and he loved her even more for those things than he could ever show. “How long have you known?” Graham asked softly, a weight lifting from his shoulders.

Ruby made a face, looking up to the sky in mock thought. “Remember that time I hit you with my truck?”

Graham laughed weakly and clutched her hands harder to his face, turning to place a kiss to her palm. “You did not know then,” he accused.

“Okay, not then,” Ruby conceded, enjoying the prickle of warmth that travelled from his lips and covered her entire body. “But I suspected I had hit a Werewolf because of how big you were. I might be just a small town vet, but even I know wolves don’t get that big.”

“So when then?” Graham prodded, his hands sliding to her forearms and his thumb brushing over the skin of her wrist.

“The day you brought Hunter in.” She laughed at the memory briefly, loving how awkwardly nervous he had been in her presence. “I just knew I had met you before. I could see it in your eyes.”

Graham smiled at her sadly. “And you’ve known all this time? Why didn’t you say anything?”

Without warning Ruby slapped him on the back of the head lightly, glaring at him. “Did you want the entire Werewolf council coming down on your ass?” She chastised, and when he didn’t answer, she continued. “No, neither did I. If it meant I only saw you a few times a week, I was willing to take that over never seeing you again.”

“Oh, Ruby,” Graham sighed sympathetically, pulling her into his strong arms and holding her tight. “I’m so sorry.”

“So you should be!” Ruby’s voice was muffled by his shirt and he loosened his grip on her so she could pull away from him. She flipped her hair back over her shoulder and he brushed a stray strand back behind her ear, giving her an amused look. “You knocked me up, Humbert. Now, what are we going to do?”

Graham could tell she was trying to make light of the situation, and it pained him to have to even consider the possibilities of their future. If they could even have one.

“I know what I have to do,” Graham said solemnly, running his hands down her arms and grabbing onto her fingers. “I just want to protect you.”

“I know that means you have to leave,” Ruby swallowed hard, the tears pricking at her eyelids. She could blame the pregnancy hormones if she really wanted to, but her tears were welling up at the thought of losing the man that she loved. “Just give me tonight,” she babbled, her breath hitching in her throat. “And be gone when-”

Graham dropping to one knee in front of her stopped her words and Ruby gasped audibly. He looked up at her with watery blue eyes of his own, his cheeks red and his hands shaking as they gripped hers for dear life.

“Graham, what are you-”

“Ruby Lucas, will you marry me?” Graham rasped in a shaky voice. “I don’t know how, but we have to make this work. We have to be together. For Hunter,” he joked and Ruby matched his laugh with her own.

“He would miss you terribly,” she agreed in a soft voice.

“Oh, and the baby,” Graham added, in case she was ever in any doubt of his intentions. Ruby rolled her eyes and gave him a playful tap on the cheek. “And I love you. With everything I have and everything I ever will have. I can’t promise it will be easy-”

“What, you mean a human and a werewolf? Pfft. It’s always been so easy for those sort of couples before,” Ruby teased, the truth in her words hitting them both hard. There would only be so long they could joke about this until they had to come up with a viable solution. “On second thought,” Ruby said suddenly, her smile fading.

Graham jumped to his feet and his panicked gaze flitted over her features. He saw her pain, he smelled her fear and there was nothing he could do to take it away. “Ruby, If you say no, I’ll still fight tooth and nail to protect you with everything I have,” Graham told her earnestly, cupping her face in his hands. He pressed his mouth to hers, his bottom lip shaking a little against hers. “I will give up everything I’ve ever known to protect you and our child.”

“Really?” Ruby breathed, looking up at him through her eyelashes.

“Really,” Graham nodded, resting his forehead against hers. “I’ll even move in,” he laughed weakly. A single tear rolled down his cheek when he pinched his eyes closed and the lump in his throat made it hard to breathe.

“Okay, ask me again,” Ruby whispered, her hands clutching the fabric of his shirt and holding him to her. Graham’s eyes opened to meet hers and she gave him a small smile.

“Ruby Lucas, Will you-”

“Yes,” she grinned as she cut him off, pulling his shirt hard until their lips met again.

Alii dimidium Lunam - flails/questions/comments this way!

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The Geek's Guide To Movies In 2020

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The Geek's Guide To Movies In 2020

With 2020 looking to be a great year for video games, we wanted to look ahead at all of the movies plotted out for the new year. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe is in a state of refresh following the cataclysmic events of Endgame and Star Wars is taking a breather on the heels of The Rise of Skywalker, there are plenty of films in nerd culture to look forward to this year.

Check out our list below and start planning which ones you’re going to leave the comfort of your house for, and which you’ll probably wait until they’re streaming to see.

Winter

Dolittle – January 17

We’ve previously seen the likes of Eddie Murphy and Rex Harrison take up the role of Dr. Dolittle from the Hugh Lofting children’s books, and now we get to see how Robert Downey Jr. handles the role of the doctor who gains the ability to communicate with animals. Downey is joined by Antonio Banderas and Michael Sheen as live-action actors, while a star-studded cast with the likes of Rami Malek, John Cena, Emma Thompson, Kumail Nanjiani, Selena Gomez, and more handling the animal voices. Fans of Marvel movies will even be able to enjoy a psuedo-reunion between Iron Man and Spider-Man, as Tom Holland plays Jip, a dog who wears glasses.

Bad Boys for Life – January 17

Nearly 17 years later, the long-awaited conclusion to the Bad Boys film trilogy is finally here. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return for one last action-packed showdown, this time taking on a cartel mob boss before retiring from their jobs at the police department.

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) – February 7

The prevailing notion of 2016’s Suicide Squad is that while it wasn’t a great film, Margot Robbie does an excellent job giving Harley Quinn her live-action silver-screen debut. While 2021 will bring a new take on the Suicide Squad with a mix of new and returning cast members, in the meantime, Robbie returns as Harley in Birds of Prey. The storyline follows the crazed clown princess after she breaks up with Joker. However, she hasn’t completely escaped trouble, as Black Mask (played by Ewan McGregor) starts stirring things up. This film promises appearances from other beloved female superheroes like Black Canary, Huntress, and more, but according to Robbie, we shouldn’t expect to see Jared Leto’s Joker appear at all.

Sonic the Hedgehog – February 14

After outrage ensued following the reveal of the original design of Sonic the Hedgehog for the upcoming live-action film, Paramount pushed the release back to February 14, 2020 to create the version of Sega’s iconic blue hedgehog you see above. In addition to Ben Schwartz voicing Sonic, the live-action cast features James Marsden as Sonic’s friend Tom and Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik. In typical Sonic fashion, the story revolves around collecting rings and stopping Robotnik from conquering the world. Here’s hoping it can defy the odds and continue the trends set by live-action, game-inspired properties like Detective Pikachu of delivering an enjoyable end-product.

Onward – March 6

As the magic-using power of society diminishes thanks to the convenience of science, two teenage brothers set out on an adventure to recapture the abilities their world once wielded in order to save their father. This Pixar adventure stars Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and more.

Bloodshot – March 13

While Marvel and DC may reign supreme in the comic-book movie world, Valiant Comics is trying its hand at producing a blockbuster based on its property. Vin Diesel already looks and sounds (and has a name) like a comic-book character, but to this point, he’s been relegated to voicing a single line of dialogue for a sentient tree in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Bloodshot brings him out of the voice booth and into the spotlight as the eponymous technologically augmented killing machine on a quest for vengeance.

A Quiet Place: Part II – March 20

The tense first part, which stars John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, delivered a compelling and daunting tale of a family trying to survive in a world invaded by blind extra-terrestrial hunters who will tear anything they hear to shreds. Krasinski returns to the director’s chair once more, with Blunt joining the remaining cast in front of the camera.

Mulan – March 27

Disney’s live-action remakes with Aladdin, Dumbo, and The Lion King have consisted of varying degrees of quality, but everything of Mulan looks terrific. Those familiar with the source material will revel in seeing iconic scenes recreated in stunning live-action sequences, while the uninitiated will be able to enjoy the tale of Hua Mulan overcoming obstacles put in her way as a result of the Imperial Chinese Army’s perception of women as she strives to join the ranks of the military in place of her ailing father.

Spring

The New Mutants – April 3

Though Disney is poised to absorb the X-Men property into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a part of its acquisition of Fox, the final 20th Century Fox Marvel film is set to release this April. The New Mutants was originally supposed to be a jumping off point for a trilogy based on the comics of the same name, but with the acquisition and Disney likely already putting things in motion to bring mutants and the X-Men into the nearly all-encompassing MCU, we’re not so sure how this fits into the Marvel puzzle.

No Time to Die – April 10

Daniel Craig takes up the mantle of 007 for the fifth time in No Time to Die. This time, he’s opposite Mr. Robot, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Until Dawn star Rami Malek. The story centers on a post-retirement James Bond who, predictably, gets sucked back into the secret agent lifestyle through the abduction of an important scientist.

Black Widow – May 1

After the events of last year’s climactic Avengers: Endgame (and the wrap up in Spider-Man: Far From Home), the Marvel Cinematic Universe has slowed down just a bit while it readies the stage for its next major narrative arc. Despite being set immediately after the events of Captain America: Civil War, Black Widow is said to serve as the jumping-off point for the next phase of the MCU. Whether that comes in the form of villain Taskmaster or some other way remains to be seen, but it will be great to finally see Natasha Romanoff take the spotlight for a long overdue solo film.

Scoob! – May 15

This origin story tells the tale (tail?) of how Scooby-Doo met the Mystery Inc. gang. With movie posters featuring puppy Scooby-Doo and the film possessing an endearing computer-generated art style, Scoob! looks like a cute and fun adventure for theater-goers of all ages. Throw in a voice cast featuring Will Forte, Zac Efron, Amanda Seyfried, Tracy Morgan, Ken Jeong, and Mark Wahlburg, and you can see the studio is hoping to create something more than simply another adventure with these beloved characters.

Fast & Furious 9 – May 22

For a series that started as a story about Paul Walker and Vin Diesel racing cars illegally at night with an occasional high-speed truck heist, the recent movies sure veer closer to the superhero genre than anything else. Who knows what we’ll see in the ninth mainline entry of the series: Tanks flying through the sky? Cars backflipping over bodies of water? Vin Diesel punching through a nuclear reactor? Sure. Why not? None of the plot matters, but that doesn’t mean these movies aren’t relentlessly entertaining thrill rides, and we can’t wait for the next entry. Oh, this one has John Cena and Cardi B.

Artemis Fowl – May 29

Based on the books from Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl is about a 12-year-old genius who comes from a family of brilliant criminals. However, when his father mysteriously vanishes, Artemis must investigate the disappearance, which kicks off an adventure. Disney has brought in a supporting cast that features Judi Dench, Josh Gad, and more to help tell the story.

Summer

Wonder Woman 1984 – June 5

As the sequel to the best film in the DC Extended Universe, Wonder Woman 1984 has lofty expectations placed on it by fans. Gal Gadot has shown to be the perfect casting for Diana Prince, and with Wonder Woman set to face off against both Maxwell Lord and Cheetah with a 1980s backdrop, it’s easy to see why this is one of the most anticipated DC live-action films in years.

Soul – June 19

Pixar makes this list for the second time with Soul, a film that features Tina Fey, Jamie Foxx, Questlove, Phylicia Rashad, and Daveed Diggs in both writer and voice-actor roles. The story is set to tell the tale of an aspiring jazz musician whose soul gets separated from his body. The dynamic duo of Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor are set to provide the score in what is sure to be a crowd-pleasing animated film.

Top Gun: Maverick – June 26

Set 30 years after the events of Top Gun, Maverick looks to do for the Top Gun series what all direct sequels that come 30 years later do: revitalize the series with a mix of heavy-handed nostalgia from the original cast while giving the audience reason to be excited for the future thanks to a charming cast of new characters. Top Gun: Maverick places a keen focus on Maverick, reprised by Tom Cruise. With a story that involves the son of Maverick’s late best friend Goose, and Val Kilmer returning to the role of Iceman, this sequel has all the nostalgic trappings fans of the original are likely looking for.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife – July 10

Set 30 years after the events of Ghostbusters II, Afterlife looks to do for the Ghostbusters series what all direct sequels that come 30 years later do: revitalize the series with a mix of heavy-handed nostalgia from the original cast while giving the audience reason to be excited for the future thanks to a charming cast of new characters. As you might expect, much of the core original cast returns in unknown capacities, but we’re just excited to see Bill Murray as Peter Venkman once again – we just hope he has a bigger role in Afterlife than Luke Skywalker had in The Force Awakens.

Purge – July 10

With creator James DeMonaco saying the 2020 entry will be the final entry in the series, those who have been following the franchise are hoping the team can close it out in a satisfying manner. Unfortunately, not many details are available at the moment, but Everardo Gout is set to direct.

Tenet – July 17

Christopher Nolan films always garner a certain level of attention, but Tenet was off many fans’ radars until IMAX theatergoers were treated to an extended Prologue for the film before screenings of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. A secret agent with the ability to time travel must use his powers to prevent World War III in what is sure to be a mind-bending, action-packed film that hits way too close to home in 2020.

Bob’s Burgers: The Movie – July 17

After the success of The Simpson’s Movie, Fox hopes to effectively transition another one of its beloved animated series to the silver screen with Bob’s Burgers: The Movie. The voice cast from the popular show returns for what is being described as a “musical comedy.”

Jungle Cruise – July 24

Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt headline the newest Disney film to be based on a Disney ride – hey, it worked for Pirates of the Caribbean. The group heads out into the jungle in search of the Tree of Life while avoiding dangerous wildlife and racing a rival expedition.

Morbius – July 31

Jared Leto may not be in the Birds of Prey film, but that doesn’t mean comic book fans will be completely deprived of his acting. The Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman and (former?) Joker actor steps into the role of Michael Morbius in the newest film in Sony’s Marvel Universe based on the characters surrounding Spider-Man.

Bill & Ted Face the Music – August 21

Set 30 years after the events of Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, Bill & Ted Face the Music looks to do for the Bill & Ted series what all direct sequels that come 30 years later do: revitalize the series with a mix of heavy-handed nostalgia from the original cast while giving the audience reason to be excited for the future thanks to a charming cast of new characters. This August, Keanu Reeves will take some time out of running around Night City in Cyberpunk 2077 with us to join Alex Winter on yet another nostalgic time-travel romp.

Fall

Monster Hunter – September 4

If Capcom has demonstrated one thing with its loose game-to-film adaptations, it’s that it loves Paul W.S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich. The spousal combo that ran and starred in the Resident Evil films respectively returns to similar roles in Monster Hunter. Milla Jovovich stars as Natalie Artemis, a captain in the United Nations military team. Her team falls into a portal that leads to an alternate world full of giant monsters, and the adventure begins to save Earth from the invading beasts. Did I mention it’s only loosely based on the games?

The King’s Man – September 18

A prequel to the over-the-top action franchise Kingsman, The King’s Man tells the story of a man who must stop a group of history’s worst tyrants and criminals in order to save the world from a devastating war. If you’ve seen the first two movies, you probably have an idea of what to expect, but having it set in the early 1900s and starring a completely different cast gives us something new to look forward to.

Venom 2 – October 2

Two years after one of Spider-Man’s biggest rivals kicked off Sony’s Spider-Man-less SpiderVerse, Venom is back for a direct sequel. Tom Hardy returns to the role of Eddie Brock, while Woody Harrelson looks to deliver on the post-credit tease of his interpretation of the popular and brutal villain Carnage. Additionally, rumors have circulated that Tom Holland could have a small role in the film, which would connect Spidey (and potentially the MCU) to the Sony SpiderVerse.

Snake Eyes – October 16

The G.I. Joe film franchise has been dormant since Retaliation in 2013, so it would make sense to bring it back with a prequel film telling the origin story of one of the most popular characters in the series. Previously played by Darth Maul actor Ray Park, the titular character is now portrayed by Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding.

The Eternals – November 6

While Black Widow kicks off Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in May, The Eternals looks to continue it by telling an extraordinarily different kind of story. Taking place over the course of multiple millennia, theatergoers will learn about this immortal alien race created by the Celestials. The Eternals also signals the entry point to the MCU for several high-profile actors including Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, and Kit Harrington.

Holiday

Godzilla vs. Kong – November 20

Legendary’s MonsterVerse comes to a head with Godzilla vs. Kong, the fourth film in the franchise. Bringing the Godzilla that has starred in 2014’s Godzilla and 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters face to face with the King Kong from 2017’s Kong: Skull Island should be an exciting cinematic affair for those who love kaiju films. The human actors are often meant to convey that everyone is afraid and things are out of control, and Legendary has tasked Alexander Skarsgård and Millie Bobby Brown in those roles.

Dune – December 18

Based on the classic novel of the same name, Dune adapts the first half of the iconic science-fiction book with a star-studded cast. Those who watch the film will see the novel brought to life by actors like Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, and Stallan Skarsgård.

West Side Story – December 18

The beloved musical gets a modern interpretation. Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler, this story of forbidden love is said to follow the original script more closely than the 1961 film many know.

Coming 2 America – December 18

Set 30 years after the events of Coming to America, Coming 2 America looks to do for the Coming to America series what all direct sequels that come 30 years later do: revitalize the series with a mix of heavy-handed nostalgia from the original cast while giving the audience reason to be excited for the future thanks to a charming cast of new characters. Eddie Murphy returns to star, joined by a star-studded cast featuring Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, Wesley Snipes, James Earl Jones, and more.

Tom and Jerry – December 23

The timeless and iconic dynamic of Tom and Jerry makes its way to the big screen just in time to close out the year. This time, the classic animated series joins the trend of animated characters joining the live-action world. It will be interesting to see how the eternal game of cat and mouse translates to this latest cinematic trend this holiday season.

For our list of the games coming out in 2020, check out our constantly updated list.

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[weirdowithaquill]

Traintober 2023: Day 13 - Something New

Gordon Starts Something New:

Gordon slept in for the first time in nearly eighty years. He was able to doze while the other engines rose and began their duties, not being needed quite yet even as James grumbled away and Henry blew steam at everyone who tried to bug him after pulling the Flying Kipper. Gordon only had to awaken when his mid-morning train was due out, yawning and stretching his piston rods as he slunk through the yards to where his coaches sat waiting at the platform. On the opposite platform, Emma looked exhausted.

“Aren’t you High Speed Trains built to go this speed?” asked Gordon with a chuckle. “We… we… aren’t used to this schedule…” wheezed Emma. “How did you… do it?” Gordon hummed, as if considering the question.

“I suppose, I put in a lot of effort,” he said eventually, smirking cheekily. Emma stared at him, gobsmacked. Gordon just smiled innocently back. Ah, so this is why Thomas enjoyed teasing him – the look on poor Emma’s face was priceless!

“Though it is nice to retire to these slower trains,” Gordon conceded. “It does make my joints feel stiff though – how about you?” “What about me?” “Surely the slower timetable must make you feel grumpy?” hummed Gordon. “I know it was for me when I moved here.” Emma spluttered in horror.

“Slower?! If anything, we’re going faster than ever on this railway!” “Oh? Then the Mainland must be truly decrepit,” sighed Gordon. “Decrepit?!”

Gordon’s guard blew his whistle, and the big blue engine steamed away, leaving behind two stunned HST powercars.

The truth of the matter was that Gordon would have kept his express if he could have – but the Other Railway wanted it to meet them at Preston, and they wouldn’t allow him to run that far. Gordon thought it very unfair; malfunctioning diesels and shoddy electrics got to run on the mainland, but a steam engine pulling a regular revenue-earning service was too much. It was very rude, especially considering how reliable he was.

So engrossed in his thoughts, Gordon almost missed the platform at the junction. He did his best to break gently, but it still felted rather jolty. Thomas looked over from the other platform. “How’s the slow life treating you?” asked the blue tank engine cheekily. “I got to sleep in,” Gordon replied excitedly. “I’ve not slept in since that strike we pulled back in the thirties! The firelighter even came to me last – can you believe it?”

Thomas chuckled – it was unusual to see the big engine so excited, though it made sense. He’d been wound so tight, doing his best to uphold the railway’s image and pull the express and live up to the rules imposed on him by his designer.

“Well, you enjoy your slow day,” said Thomas kindly. “But don’t forget to stop in the platform!” Gordon rolled his eyes and watched as Thomas steamed away.

All day the former express engine enjoyed the slower runs – until late that afternoon. He had just arrived at Barrow with a goods train (and he didn’t even complain once!) when Sir Stephen Hatt strode out of his office.

“Gordon! Thank goodness you’re here. Pip and Emma have broken down at the Big Station in Preston, and I need you to go rescue them.” “Of course sir,” grinned Gordon.

The big engine gathered a brakevan and headed out to the foreign Big Station. When he got there, everything was in confusion! And none of it had to do with Pip and Emma, who were quite safely out of the way in their platform. No, the confusion was caused by several freight trains scattered about the yard. Gordon didn’t comment on it, using a triangle to turn around and back down on the emergency coupler fitted to Pip.

“Time for a good run home!” grinned Gordon. The moment the guard blew his whistle, the big engine was off. He was certainly quite a sight! Smoke and steam billowed out of his funnel, while the furious whirring of his piston rods as he picked up speed drew everyone’s attention. A diesel even stared, gobsmacked.

Gordon charged up the West Coast Mainline, thundering along at well over the usual speed that steam engines were allowed.

“This is new!” laughed his fireman, watching signals whir past. “I checked with the stationmaster,” Gordon’s driver replied, shouting to be heard over the wind. “They didn’t recode us to heritage tour – Gordon’s cleared for express speeds!” Gordon was overjoyed to be going at top speed. His speedometer climbed higher and higher, the big blue engine sprinting past started EMUs and roaring through sleepy stations. Everyone heard him for miles, and came out in droves to watch the display of a bygone era brought back to life.

Gordon eventually slowed for his run along the Furness line, and then gently braked the train in Barrow.

“What a run!” cheered Gordon excitedly. “I feel so energetic!” “How?!” spluttered Pip from behind him. “It’s in my cylinders,” Gordon said. “I was built for this, and really letting loose is an incredible feeling. Sure, I am ready to move onto something new; but at the end of the day I will always enjoy coming back to the Express.”

The big blue engine collected a rake of coaches for his passengers to ride in on the rest of their journey to Tidmouth, leaving Pip and Emma with a lot to think about.

Back to Master Post

[maritimemanual]

Largest Ship Propellers In The World

Humans are always fascinated by the biggest and the fastest. Ships which are some of the most mammoth structures made by us provide us plenty of opportunities to be awed. Have you wondered how these giants on the sea move? Propeller is the answer. And to move the biggest ships in the world, we need the largest ship propellers in the world!

Propellers are generally used to make an object move forward. The thrust produced by the rotation of propellers drives the ships or aircrafts.  Propellers are used in aircrafts and ships. In our childhood, we all have played with small boats having a small fan-like structure on the back and on rotating that fan our boat would move in the water. Now imagine, for making a huge ship move forward we need a huge propeller.

Largest Ship Propellers In The World

Here are some ships having the biggest propellers in the world:

1) MSC OSCAR

MSC Oscar’s Propeller in Action (Photo courtesy: MSC

MSC Oscar, built by Daewoo in South Korea, is one of the largest container ships of the world. The total length of this ship is 395 meters. The propeller consists of five blades, each blade measuring 10.5 meters. The main engine of this ship is MAN B&W 11S90ME-C, which enables the maximum speed of this container vessel is 22.8 knot. The 45,300 ton steel MSC Oscar cost US$140 million to build.

The propeller of MSC Oscar

It measures a whopping 395 meters long, 59 meters wide with a draught of 16 meters which is equal to the size of four combined football fields. Obviously, such a massive ship needs the biggest propeller.

2) EMMA MAERSK

Emma Maersk Propeller ( Photo courtesy Maersk)

Before the manufacturing of Triple-E-Class ships, Emma Maersk was the biggest ship in the world. Being one of the oldest and largest ship containers (1302 feet long and 207 feet wide), Emma Maersk has one of the world’s largest ship propellers. This propeller, having a diameter of 9.6 meters and weighing 130 tons, is owned by A. P. Moller-Maersk Group. It is a six-blade propeller made of an alloy of copper, aluminum, nickel, iron, and manganese.

Emma Maersk Propeller In The Shipyard ( Photo courtesy Maersk)

Emma Maersk has Wartsila-Sulzer 14RTFLEX96-C 199,000 horsepower engine, the world’s largest single diesel unit, which burns 3,600 gallons of fuels per hour. This gives it a speed of about 31 knots.

Propeller made by MMG ( Photo courtesy Maersk)

3) MT FRONT CENTURY

This vessel is a Crude Oil Tanker, built-in 1998 by Hyundai Heavy Industries. The owner of this ship is Frontline Ltd. This ship is powered by MAN B&W-Hyundai 7S80MC engine. It has four-bladed key-less 6.46-meter pitch propeller with 9.7 meters of diameter.

4) MOL TRIUMPH

MOL Triumph Propeller (Image courtesy MOL)

This container ship was built by Samsung Heavy Industries in 2017 and it is one of the four ultra-large ships built for MOL of Japan. It has a high-efficiency propeller. It can give a maximum speed of 24 knots by driving a single five-bladed propeller of the 10-meter pitch.

5) MV BARZAN

MV Barzan Propeller (Photo Courtesy Technolog)

This ship was built in South Korea for the United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) by Hyundai Heavy Industries. It is 18,800TEU container vessel ship with propellers weighing about 110.2 tons. The propeller has a diameter of 10.4 meters.

6) ROYAL CARIBBEAN OASIS CLASS SHIPS

Royal Caribbean Azipods (Photos Courtesy: Royal Caribbean)

These ships are one of the largest cruise ships in the world. The first two ships in this class are Ocean of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. Propellers in these ships have a diameter of 6 meters. The propulsion is provided with the help of three 26,800 hp  Azipods, ABB’s brands of electric azimuth thrusters.

Royal Caribbean Propellers

7) HAMBURG EXPRESS

This container vessel ship is owned by Hapag-Lloyd AG (a German-based transportation company). It is a 13,177 TEU container vessel built-in 2012. Its propeller is six-bladed. With a diameter of about 9.1 meters and weight of 101.5, this propeller is one of the largest propellers of the world.

8) TITANIC

Titanic’s Propeller

We all know the story of Titanic of how the biggest ship of its time sank after it struck an iceberg. There were three propellers in this ship weighing 38 tons each. Each propeller was operated using separate engines. The propellers measured 7.2 meters. The propellers were made of bronze.

9) SEAWISE GIANT

Seawise Giant was the longest ship ever built. It was a ULCC supertanker, twice as big as titanic. This ship was sunk during the Iran-Iraq war and was named Happy Giant after repairing. The ship had five-bladed propellers, weighing 50 tons, with a diameter of 9.14 meters.

10) QUEEN ELIZABETH 2

Queen Elizabeth 2 Propeller (Photo courtesy QE2)

Queen Elizabeth 2 is a floating hotel and retired ocean liner which was built for Cunard Line. Since 2018, the ship has been operating as a floating hotel in Dubai.

QE2 has two huge variable pitch propellers each having a diameter of 22 feet and weighing 43 tons. The propellers are fitted with “Grim Wheels”. These are free spinning blades that are fitted behind the main propellers. This design was used for recovering the propeller thrust and reducing fuel consumption.

11) PALMER

Nathaniel Palmer Ship Propeller

Icebreaker, Nathaniel B. Palmer, is a ship made for the navigation through the ice-covered water and is mainly used for the research purposes. For making a ship to move through the ice-covered water propeller with high strength are needed. Therefore, the propellers of this ship are made up of a sturdy alloy.

This ship has two four-bladed propellers that are about 4 meters long.

12) ELATION

Elation Propeller

It is a Fantasy-class cruise ship owned by Carnival Cruise Line. Its service speed is about 22.3kt. It is the world’s first to use a unique electric azimuthing Azipod propulsion system in which ship is pulled rather than being pushed by the propeller. Elation has two 14MW Azipod propulsion units.

13) BISMARCK

Bismark’s Propeller

Bismarck was a battleship built for Nazi Germany’s Kriegsmarine before World War II. The ship had three manganese bronze propellers each having its own engine. Each propeller had three blades. The diameter of the propellers was 4.7 meters and the volume was a 2.4-meter cube.

This huge German battleship was sunk on 27 May 1941.

So, these were some of the biggest propellers in the world.

from WordPress https://www.maritimemanual.com/largest-ship-propellers-in-the-world/

[jaigeddes]

Murphy makes switch to cleaner fuel on HS2 site

Murphy and Sons Ltd has become the first contractor in the UK to use a new cleaner burning diesel alternative.

The Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) fuel from Shell is supplied exclusively in the UK by Certas Energy.

It helps to reduce emissions and improve local air quality through improved combustion properties inside standard diesel engines.

The fuel has been proven to immediately reduce local emissions of air pollutants including nitrogen oxide and particulate matter.

This fuel can be used as a direct replacement for conventional diesel and is suitable for both on-road and off-road applications without the need for engine modifications.

It also improves working conditions for operatives, producing less smoke, odour, and can also reduce engine noise.

Murphy took its first delivery of GTL is in Harefield, West London.

The project involves the diversion of two existing high pressure gas pipelines to facilitate the construction of the new High Speed Rail 2 railway.

Murphy CEO John Murphy, said: “We’re extremely proud to be the first in the UK construction industry to use Shell GTL Fuel.

“This is a huge step towards helping to reduce the impact of engineering and construction works on the environment, and demonstrates the ongoing commitment Murphy has for delivering safely, reliably and sustainability.”

Emma-Jayne Brown, Construction Marketing Manager at Certas Energy, added: “We are delighted to be the fuel supplier of choice for Murphy, supporting a forward thinking organisation in utilising alternative fuels in their journey towards a cleaner, safer and healthier construction industry.”

James Lyon, GTL Market Development Manager at Shell, said: “By switching to this cleaner-burning diesel alternative, Murphy will be able to make an immediate and lasting difference to emissions of local pollutants without impacting site productivity”

[ndbasilica]

Murphy makes switch to cleaner fuel on HS2 site

Murphy and Sons Ltd has become the first contractor in the UK to use a new cleaner burning diesel alternative.

The Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) fuel from Shell is supplied exclusively in the UK by Certas Energy.

It helps to reduce emissions and improve local air quality through improved combustion properties inside standard diesel engines.

The fuel has been proven to immediately reduce local emissions of air pollutants including nitrogen oxide and particulate matter.

This fuel can be used as a direct replacement for conventional diesel and is suitable for both on-road and off-road applications without the need for engine modifications.

It also improves working conditions for operatives, producing less smoke, odour, and can also reduce engine noise.

Murphy took its first delivery of GTL is in Harefield, West London.

The project involves the diversion of two existing high pressure gas pipelines to facilitate the construction of the new High Speed Rail 2 railway.

Murphy CEO John Murphy, said: “We’re extremely proud to be the first in the UK construction industry to use Shell GTL Fuel.

“This is a huge step towards helping to reduce the impact of engineering and construction works on the environment, and demonstrates the ongoing commitment Murphy has for delivering safely, reliably and sustainability.”

Emma-Jayne Brown, Construction Marketing Manager at Certas Energy, added: “We are delighted to be the fuel supplier of choice for Murphy, supporting a forward thinking organisation in utilising alternative fuels in their journey towards a cleaner, safer and healthier construction industry.”

James Lyon, GTL Market Development Manager at Shell, said: “By switching to this cleaner-burning diesel alternative, Murphy will be able to make an immediate and lasting difference to emissions of local pollutants without impacting site productivity”

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/06/22/murphy-makes-switch-to-cleaner-fuel-on-hs2-site/

[rudizzlefoshizzle]

1: My name? - Rudy Jay White

2: Do I have any nicknames? - At my old job they used to call me Rude Dog, Whitey, Rudy Rude

3: Zodiac sign? - Libra

4: Video game I play to chill, not to win? - I rarely play video games nowadays. The last game I played was Left 4 Dead 2, about three weeks ago. 

5: Book/series I reread? - I reread The Notebook recently. But I usually reread Jurassic Park and The Lost World every so often. 

6: Aliens or ghosts? - Ghosts? 

7: Writer I trust enough to read whatever they write? - Is this asking about an author? If so, then  Michael Crichton, or Jack London

8: Favourite radio station? - 101.5

9: Favourite flavour of anything? - I usually get strawberry flavored stuff.

10: The word that I use all the time to describe something great? - Awesome

11: Favourite song? - Master Of Puppets is my all time favorite.

12: The question you ask new friends to get to know them better? - What do you do when you’re not working/in your free time

13: Favourite word? - Awesome, probably

14: The last person who hurt me, did I forgive them? - Yes.

15: Last song I listened to? - Beast and the Harlot. I finally downloaded Avenged Sevenfold on my phone and I forgot how awesome they are

16: TV show I always recommend? - Inuyasha

17: Pirates or ninjas? - Ninjas

18: Movie I watch when I'm feeling down? - Jurassic Park 

19: Song that I always start my shuffle with/wake-up song/always-on-a-loop song? - Party Monster

20: Favourite video games? - CS:GO, MW2 when it first came out and I was in my gaming/tryhard years, Halo 2 and 3. 

21: What am I most afraid of? - Being single for the rest of my life, honestly. I see older guys with the same job as me, that are single, that just work and work and work. They try to get all the overtime they can. Sure, they have a shitload of money, but I don’t know how they do it, I don’t know what motivates them. Maybe it’s just because I just recently got out of a relationship, but I can’t imagine myself just working and going home to an empty house, with no one to come home to, talk to, and spend my life with. 

22: A good quality of mine? - I think before I talk/act. So I rarely do stupid shit.  

23: A bad quality of mine? - I’m too quiet. I’m awkward. My social skills are lacking.

24: Cats or dogs? - Dogs

25: Actor/actress you trust enough to watch whatever they're in? - Emma Watson probably. Or Leo DiCaprio.

26: Favourite season? - Summer

27: Am I in a relationship? - Nope.

28: Something I miss? - Looking forward to seeing/spending time with someone, and using that as motivation to get through a shitty or hard day at work.

29: My best friend? - I don’t have a best friend anymore. Lol I only have friends and acquaintances. 

30: Eye colour? - Brown

31: Hair colour? - Black

32: Someone I love? - My nephew is one of the people I love.

33: Someone I trust? - My dad

34: Someone I always think about? - N/A. 

35: Am I excited about anything? - Having my own room again. Looool

36: My current obsession? - Doing everything I can to stay positive. 

37: Favourite TV shows as a child? - Inuyasha

38: Do I have someone of the opposite sex that I can tell everything to? - I used to.

39: Am I superstitious? - Yes. For example, in high school, for soccer games, I’d make sure to wear the shinguard sleeves and socks that I played well in, and if I didn’t have a red bull before a game, everything was ruined. Lol

40: What do I think about most? - Just staying positive. 

41: Do I have any strange phobias? - Nope

42: Do I prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it? - Behind it. 

43: Favourite hobbies? - Soccer

44: Last book I read? - The Notebook

45: Last film I watched? - Moana

46: Do I play any instruments? - Nope, but I wish I could play guitar

47: Favourite animal? - Bald Eagle cuz Murica

48: Top 5 blog on Tumblr that I follow? - sex, allxfoo, fusterclucked, fuckyeahmanchesterunited, kayytam

49: Superpower I wish I could have? - Teleportation? Or super speed or flying. Something that I can move from place to place very fast.

50: How do I destress? - For the past two months I’ve been writing everything down to vent and organize all my thoughts. I still am not sure if that helps me, since it makes me think about things I want to forget, but I still do it if the urge/anxiety is too much.

51: Do I like confrontation? - No. I hate that I don’t. My personality just doesn’t like it. I wish I could stand up to people. 

52: When do I feel most at peace? - If I had to answer this question five months ago, it would be a very different answer. But now, it’s when all my family is home, my parents, my sister and my nephews, and I know they’re all safe. 

53: What makes me smile? - Spending time with my nephew.

54: Do I sleep with the lights on or off? - Off

55: Play any sports? - Soccer

56: What is my song of the week? - Lol I was singing along to The Middle when it was playing on the radio on my way home from work on Thursday, and I actually listened to the lyrics and laughed my ass off. 

57: Favourite drink? - Alcoholic drink? STP

58: When did I last send a handwritten letter to somebody? - Last handwritten one was 11/24/2016.  

59: Afraid of heights? - A bit.

60: Pet peeve? - Lack of communication.

61: What was the last concert I went to see? - Lol I guess it was Esta

62: Am I vegetarian/vegan/pescatarian? - Nope.

63: What occupation did I want to do when I was younger? - Paleontologist

64: Have I ever had a friend turn enemy? - Yup

65: What fictional universe would I like to be a part of? - The wizarding world

66: Something I worry about? - Never moving on.

67: Scared of the dark? - I little bit.

68: Who are my best friends? - No more

69: What do I admire most about others? - Their ability to think quickly, and explain everything that is on their mind effectively.

70: Can I sing? - Noooooooo

71: Something I wish I could do? - Be charismatic. 

72: If I won the lottery, what would I do? - Get a GMC Canyon Denali Diesel. And lift it. Buy a house for my sister. Probably give the rest of it to my parents, since they’d probably have a better idea of what to do with all of it.  And I’d also pay for someones tuition. 

73: Have I ever skipped school? - Yes

74: Favourite place on the planet? - Again, very different answer if I was asked this five months ago. Lol. But probably in my bed now.

75: Where do I want to live? - Preferably here on Oahu. But if I gotta move then I would. 

76: Do I have any pets? - Two dogs, one bird.

77: What is my current desktop picture? - I have it cycle between a picture of Old Trafford, the Manchester United logo, and a picture of me kicking a ball.

78: Early bird or night owl? - Really depends. As long as my mind and body stay stimulated, I’ll wake up early or stay up for a very long time.

79: Sunsets or sunrise? - Sunsets

80: Can I drive? - Yes

81: Story behind my last kiss? - A kiss on a forehead to say goodbye.

82: Earphones or headphones? - Headphones. Earphones if I don’t have my headphones. 

83: Have I ever had braces? - Yes

84: Story behind one of my scars? - I slipped.

85: Favourite genre of music? - Heavy metal

86: Who is my hero? - My dad

87: Favourite comic book character? - Deadpool

88: What makes me really angry? - Me.

89: Kindle or real book? - Real book

90: Favourite sporty activity? - Idk soccer? Lifting?

91: What is one thing that isn’t tight in schools that should be? - Idk. Teaching things that people will actually use in the real world.

92: What was my favourite subject at school? - English

93: Siblings? - Two older sisters

94: What was the last thing I bought? - I ordered a yeti roadie. Lol

95: How tall am I? - 5′7″

96: Can I cook? - Lol no. I can cook like three dishes.

97: Can I bake? - Nope

98: 3 things I love? - My family, soccer, Manchester United

99: 3 things I hate? - How slow time is, but at the same time how fast it is, how socially awkward I am, myself.

100: Do I have more girl friends or boy friends? - Dudes.

101: Who do I get on with better, girls or boys? - Idk I guess guys. I don’t talk to any girls. Lol

102: Where was I born? - Honolulu, Hawaii

103: Sexual orientation? - Straight.

104: Where do I currently live? - With my parents? Lol.  7EwaFKNBeach6

105: Last person I texted? - My mom

106: Last time I cried? - Last week Monday or Tuesday I forget.

107: Guilty pleasure? - CHEEZ IT

108: Favourite Youtuber? - G18

109: A photo of myself. - I’ll post it after if I remember.

110: Do I like selfies? - I don’t take much pictures of myself.

111: Favourite game app? - I used to play tsum tsum a lot.

112: My relationship with my parents? - Pretty good I guess? 

113: Favourite accents? - British

114: A place I have not been but wish to visit? - Old Trafford

115: Favourite number? - Either 2 or 7

116: Can I juggle? - Nope

117: Am I religious? - Nope

118: Do I like space? - I like looking at it.

119: Do I like the deep ocean? - Lol dark blue water is scary af

120: Am I much of a daredevil? - I would say that I’m a lot more cautious than most people, because I’ve been taught to see all the hazards and worst possible scenarios that can happen and that kinda stuff, but I can be very reckless with my own well being.

121: Am I allergic to anything? - I can’t wear metal necklaces or stuff like that. The back of my neck would breakout in a rash. Idk. 

122: Can I curl my tongue? - Sure

123: Can I wiggle my ears? - Nope

124: Do I like clowns? - Don’t really care for them

125: The Beatles or Elvis? - The Beatles

126: My current project? - Staying positive

127: Am I a bad loser? - Mmmmm depends. If I really worked and tried my best and wanted something then yeah, I’m salty af when I lose.

128: Do I admit when I’m wrong? - Yes. 

129: Forest or beach? - Beach

130: Favourite piece of advice? - Everything happens for a reason. Everything will work itself out in time. 

131: Am I a good liar? - No. Which is why I don’t really ever lie. Lol

132: Hogwarts house / Divergent faction / Hunger Games district? - I think I took that test online and I ended up in Slytherin?

133: Do I talk to myself? - A lot.

134: Am I very social? - Noooope.

135: Do I like gossip? - Lol nope.

136: Do I keep a journal/diary? - I was writing everyday for a month and a half. But I stopped that. I only write now if I cannot handle the anxiety. 

137: Have I ever hopelessly failed a test? - Lol when I took the test for the shipyard I was dying

138: Do I believe in second chances? - Yes. People change. People learn. 

139: If I found a wallet full of cash on the ground, what would I do? Probably turn it in. 

140: Do I believe people are capable of change? - Yes. If they really want to change, or things happen that causes them to change.

141: Have I ever been underweight? - Idk I’ve always been skinny

142: Am I ticklish? - A bit

143: Have I ever been in a submarine? - Yes

144: Have I ever been on a plane? - Yes

145: In a film about my life, who would I cast as myself, friends and family? - This question is dumb. Lol. But I would be Jay Baruchel from She’s Out of my League

146: Have I ever been overweight? - Nope.

147: Do I have any piercings? - Nope

148: Which fictional character do I wish was real? - DOBBY

149: Do I have any tattoos? - Nope

150: What is the best decision I have made in life so far? - Mmm I would say just doing my best to not be a cunt. Lol. Not to burn bridges, not to ruin friendships or relationships with moments of stupidity or frustration.

151: Do I believe in Karma? - I do. Which is why I do what I said in the last question. 

152: Do I wear glasses or contacts? - Nope

153: What was my first car? - I guess the car I drive now, which is my moms car technically. 2005 Nissan Altima

154: Do I want children? - In like ten years.

155: Who is the most intelligent person I know? - My dad is really smart, and all his old coworkers, which are now my current coworkers, tell me that all the time.

156: My most embarrassing memory? - Not really but I still cringe, when I sang karaoke. Anyway you want it, that’s the way you need it! T_T Looool

157: What makes me nostalgic? - Living by my elementary school again. Living in the house I grew up in. Every time I walk by the school, all the memories come back, and I wonder where all the time went.

158: Have I ever pulled an all-nighter? - Many.

159: Which do I value more in others, brains or beauty? - Brains

160: What colour mostly dominates my wardrobe? - Black or blue

161: Have I ever had a paranormal experience? - Nah not really

162: What do I hate most about myself? - Well shit. The fact that I lost the girl that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, because I treated her poorly, because I was getting used to my new schedule at work, so I had a short temper with her, and I took her for granted, always thinking I could spend time with her another day. It really was my fault that she decided to ask for a break. It really was my fault that she thought about a life where we weren’t together, a life with less stress and less bullshit.  

163: What do I love most about myself? - Lol fuck now I gotta think about this. I guess how I’m loyal. And how I don’t talk shit about people, or do anything behind people’s backs. 

164: Do I like adventure? - Sometimes. If I’m in the mood. Lol

165: Do I believe in fate? - Yes. Most definitely. 

166: Favourite animal? - See #47

167: Have I ever been on radio? - Nope

168: Have I ever been on TV? - Not that I know of

169: How old am I? - 22 years old

170: One of my favourite quotes? - “ The people who are meant to be in your life will always gravitate back towards you, no matter how far they wander”

171: Do I hold grudges? - Nooooo

172: Do I trust easily? - Mmm, no not really. I guess that’s why it takes forever for me to open up to people, or get comfortable with people

173: Have I learnt from my mistakes? - Yes. I have.

174: Best gift I’ve ever received? - I guess it would be the friendship and memories and lessons that I have learned in the past three years. 

175: Do I dream? - Every so often.

176: Have I ever had a night terror? - As in sleep paralysis? I haven’t had that in a very long time. 

177: Do I remember my dreams, and what is one that comes to mind? - Yes. A dream I don’t want to dream for awhile, since it only makes me hurt after. 

178: An experience that has made me stronger? - The last three years. The last two months. 

179: If I were immortal, what would I do? - Dumb shit. Lol. If I was gonna live forever, I probably would make an effort to make other peoples lives better, or their day brighter in some way. 

180: Do I like shopping? - I spend too much money on things I don’t need.

181: If I could get away with a crime, what would I choose to do? - Something that I would acquire a lot of money.

182: What does ��family” mean to me? - Being completely comfortable with them, being able to tell them anything, and going through shit with them and still being able to make things work afterward. You can trust them. It doesn’t have to be blood related. It could be friends that you just get super close with, and then you can say that they’re family. 

183: What is my spirit animal? - Sloth. Lol. Idk maybe a wolf. 

184: How do I want to be remembered? - That guy that kept his head down and did his job and didn’t do any dumb shit. Lol

185: If I could master one skill, what would I choose? - SOCIAL SKILLS

186: What is my greatest failure? - Probably not going to college and playing soccer in college. That’s what I wanted growing up, and that’s what my dad pushed me for, and sent me on all those trips and spent those thousands and thousands of dollars on me for. I think about that all the time. How it seems like a waste of money now. Idk. 

187: What is my greatest achievement? - Idk. Maybe getting this job.

188: Love or money? - Love.

189: Love or career? - These two questions are kind of the same. But I would pick career, for this one. I know that’s what I did four months ago. And I know that the way I went about it was wrong. I was focused too much on my job. I was so happy I had a job that I could be proud of. But I didn’t balance it out. I didn’t balance work and my girlfriend. I put all my energy into work, because of the hours, and the learning, so I didn’t have energy for her. In spite of all that, after losing her, I still pick career, because I’m still young, because I learned my lesson, because I still have time to make a relationship work. I still have time to make it all work. I don’t wanna end up old and alone. And also, because I lost her, I really really can’t lose this job. I really don’t know what I would do if I did. 

190: If I could time travel, where and when would I want to go? - Three years ago, when I got home from the hospital after I had surgery on my arm. I would gladly start over from there. 

191: What makes me the happiest? - My nephew. He makes me happy.

192: What is “home” to me? - It used to be someplace else, but now, it’s the house that I live in with my family. 

193: What motivates me? - The fact that I’m still young, I have a good frickin job, and I’m decent looking. Lol. And that I wanna work to get better everyday, for myself, for my family, for her

194: If I could choose my last words, what would they be? - “lol fuk.” Nah umm probably still “Forever and Always.” Just cause

195: Would I ever want to encounter aliens? - If I don’t get abducted

196: A movie that scared me as a child? - Signs

197: Something I hated as a child that I like now? - Onions

198: Zombies or vampires? - Zombies are easier to kill I think

199: Live in the city or suburbs? - Suburbs

200: Dragons or wizards? - I like be one wizard

201: A nightmare that has stayed with me? - I used to have dreams where I’d be driving a car and I guess I’d go off a cliff or something and I’d be falling in the car. But the dream would always end before impact or whatever.

202: How do I define love? - This is gonna suck. Love is when you look forward to seeing them, every second of the day. When you already miss them, five seconds after walking out the door, after saying goodbye for ten minutes. When their voice, and their laugh, sounds so beautiful, like the sweetest and most uplifting song, and instantly brightens your day. When you memorize everything they talk about, what they like, dislike, and every comment and every random story they say that they think is irrelevant, but you still memorize and take to heart. When you memorize every little detail of their face. When you look into their eyes, and it entrances you. When you look into their eyes and you can’t imagine doing that with anyone else. When you look into their eyes and see everything you want and need. When you hold them, and they’re holding you, and you feel so happy, so content, that it feels like home. But love is also when you still want to do all that stuff, you still want to hold them, after they have been stressing you and frustrating you. After disagreements, after fights. Or after a long shitty day at work. Love is hard. It’s complicated. And it takes a lot of work and communication.

203: Do I judge a book by its cover? - When I was younger, yes. But I’ve learned a lot, and I’ve met  a lot of people that have changed my views

204: Have I ever had my heart broken? - Yes.

205: Do I like my handwriting? - Lol it’s ugly. I write really small.

206: Sweet or savoury? Savoury

207: Worst job I’ve had? - I guess that would be my first job. Hard labor, low pay. But I could call in sick like once a week at that job. Lol

208: Do I collect anything? - Naaah

209: Item of clothing or jewellery you’ll never see me without? - I feel so naked without a watch on when I’m out of the house. 

210: What is on my bucket list? - Go to Old Trafford and watch Manchester United play

211: How do I handle anger? - I do my best to chill and think about why I’m getting angry.

212: Was I named after anyone? - Not that I know of.

213: Do I use sarcasm a lot? - Not as much now. I’m really boring now. Lol. I’m too serious now.

214: What TV character am I most like? - Either Ross Geller or Ted Mosby

215: What is the weirdest talent I have? - My ability to be so nonchalant about a lot of stuff, but super crazy serious about other stuff. Idk. Lol

216: Favourite fictional character? - Snape

[joezworld]

More Sodor Shenanigans

Not every prank on Sodor involves strategically used F-bombs. Sometimes your appearance is enough...

2015

“No! An’ that’s final! I hate paper mache an’ you know it!” Douglas said finally as Henry rolled into the shed. 

“What is it now you two?” He asked  - hoping he wouldn’t be involved in yet another daft argument about some intricate Scottish custom.

“The daft basterd over here disnae’ like my idea of a halloween costume!” Grumbled Siobhan. She’d been driving Donald and Douglas since the early 90′s, and the trio were so used to each other that they acted like they were fathers and daughter rather than engines and driver. Including the arguments.

“What costume?” Henry asked, wearily - he really didn’t want to be the replacement for Donald in tonight’s bickering. 

“I wan’ to do this wit’ him or Donnie and they both think it’s daft!” Siobhan stuck her ‘smart-phone’ in front of Henry’s face. A looping video was playing, showing an engine dressed up as a “ghost train”. The costume was quite frightening, and looked like it would scare children and adults alike. 

Henry told Siobhan this and she threw up her hands in irritation. “It’s a halloween costume ya great green wedge! O' course it’s supposed to be scary! People are supposed to get the piss scared out o’ themselves!”

“Well, I don’t think that sounds very fun.” Henry said finally. 

“Lands sake! You’re all a bunch o’ sissies!” Siobhan finally gave up and went home, grumbling the whole way. 

Douglas chuckled as she left, and went to speak to Henry. Before he could so,  he was rudely interrupted by the arrival of James and Gordon, who had decided that ‘waiting until they got into the shed to start an argument’ was out of date, and were therefore already bickering as they pulled in. 

-

The details of their argument were so mind-numbingly stupid that they don’t bear repeating, but they managed to keep going all through the night. 

Douglas and the other engines managed to eventually tune them out, and fell asleep around midnight. 

Henry, on the other wheel, was a very light sleeper on a good day, and was acutely aware of exactly when the Dynamic Duo stopped arguing. 

It was at 2:30 in the morning.

The Flying Kipper left at 3:15. 

As Henry blearily backed down onto his train at the docks, he began to plot an idea for revenge. 

-

Later that morning, Henry cracked open an eyelid as Siobhan wandered in to raise Douglas’ fire. 

“Siobhan - about that Halloween costume...”

-

October 30th

A good prank was not done alone, and Henry made sure to rope in Bear to ensure maximum efficacy. 

He chose the diesel hydraulic because unlike Edward and BoCo, who both had massive reserves of Tact and would therefore skimp on the truly messed up scary stories, Bear had no opposition to scaring the unprepared into a frightened, whimpering, traumatized stupor. 

It was actually a quite horrifying story that Bear ended up telling - about an (hopefully fictional) engine that was caught in a chemical spill, and was forcibly mutated into a ghostly monster as result - and Henry had to school his expression so as to not appear like a psychopath when he gleefully realized exactly how scared James and Gordon were. 

-

Halloween

On the night in question, everything was ready. Siobhan and her husband had spent most of the last week manufacturing a large amount of decorations that could be mounted to Henry’s boiler and tender, along with a giant, skull shaped mask that fit over Henry’s smoke box. It had red lights in the ‘eyes’ and belched ‘smoke’ from a fog machine under the jawbone. Henry saw himself in a reflection and agreed with the stationmaster’s assessment that he looked like he’d escaped from the bowels of hell.

A whistle had been sourced from America - a loud, deep, “hooter whistle” that the ‘ebay listing’ had said could be heard for miles.  

Finally, as the sun fell, Henry was ready. 

Siobhan had managed to get Henry on an empty stock train from the Crovan's Gate Works all the way to Arlesburgh, meaning that they’d pass through Tidmouth just as the other engines were returning for the night. (Dulcie and Isobel were thrilled to take part, and assured the pranksters that they knew how to scream and wail like they were being eaten - much to Siobhan’s delight!)

Just as the sun set, the signal dropped, and train 666 left the works, bound for Arlesburgh via all 7 Circles of Hell.

-

Their first “victim” came much sooner than they’d planned - roaring around the blind curve near Kellsthorpe Road station in a whoosh of steam, a high-pitched scream could be heard from the ‘up’ line. As his vision cleared, Henry could see a line of High-Speed coaches roll by, and realized that he must have given Pip or Emma a huge fright. 

“Sorry!” He whistled to the other power car - he thought it was Emma - as he went by. 

Of course, Henry hadn’t realized exactly how frightening his new whistle was, and proceeded to scare Emma just as much as he had Pip. 

“HOLY FUCKING SHIT LET’S GET OUT OF HERE!” Was the only response he got as the HST sped up and raced out of sight. 

Henry felt a little bad - he had no quarrel with the HST - but Siobhan, who could barely see through her laughter-induced tears, thought it was hilarious. 

-

Next up was Wendell, the works diesel. 

He had been hauling a rake of hoppers back to the works, and saw something coming towards him on the ‘down’ line. 

It whistled hello at him in a deep, demonic pitch, looked at him with beady red eyes, and whooshed smoke at him as it rolled by. 

Wendell stopped where he was - and neither he, nor his trucks, nor his crew, said much of anything for the rest of the night. The rescue engine sent out for them tried to get answers out of them, and only got: “I saw the devil, and he greeted me like a friend...”

-

At Knapford, Daisy was taking part in the station’s annual trick or treat festivities, when The Train roared past. 

The children were delighted to see an engine taking part in the costume competition, and immediately decided to award the ‘scariest costume award’ to the mystery engine. 

Nobody noticed until much later that Daisy had been so frightened that she’d burst an oil line. 

-

Tidmouth

The station’s annual Halloween celebrations were in full swing, and the humans were enjoying themselves. 

The engines? Not so much. 

“What a bunch of hoopla over nothing!” Grumbled Gordon. “Why would anyone ever admit to being scared?” 

“And why would anyone ever want to hide what they look like?” James said, clearly more horrified at the thought of people being unable to see his shiny red paint and dashing facial structure. 

“Because not all of us are emotionally bereft sticks-in-the-mud like you two.” Said Bear thinly. He had dressed up - in full British Rail Diesel Locomotive Green with the Double Arrow logo - and was very annoyed that none of his coworkers had noticed. 

“Aye.” Said Donald, who was eying the festivities with suspicion. Siobhan hadn’t made an appearance yet, meaning that she either wasn’t showing up - a statistical improbability - or she’d found someone to rope into her daft ‘ghost train’ idea. 

“I will say, Gordon,” Put in Duck. “For someone who speaks so definitively on not being scared, you seemed very frightened last night.” 

“Stow it.” The blue engine snapped. “You were scared too!”

“Yes I was, and I admitted it.” Duck said. “Although I believe you just admitted it as well...”

“Why you!” Gordon wheeshed and dissapeared in a cloud of steam. 

-

On the platform, The Fat Controller (the third) stared at the engine yards. 

“I do wish that more of the engines would get into the spirit of things.” He said to his wife, who was struggling to contain her mirth at the clash between her husband’s dour face and his absurd clown costume. 

“Just leave them Stephen,” She said. “Halloween isn’t for everyone.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re r- what the dickens?!”

He was cut off as a very loud whistle sounded in the distance.

It was long, it was low, it was loud, and it was ghostly. 

It stole the attention away from everything else in the area, and drew eyes to the station throat. 

In the yard, most of the engines began babbling to each other about something - they were inaudible over the confused murmuring of the crowd. Stephen noted that the only ones who didn’t seem frightened were Bear and the Scottish twins, who seemed eager and disbelieving, respectively. 

-

As they passed through the final signal before the station, Siobhan couldn’t help but keep a smile on her face. “Ready Henry?!” She said as she pulled down her skeleton face mask.

“Let’s do this!”

“Atta boy!” She crowed as she hauled back on the whistle cord, allowing the American whistle to bellow its haunting note across Tidmouth. 

Her fireman grabbed the paint-pot full of sawdust and chucked it into Henry’s firebox, while Dulcie and Isobel began screaming like banshees.

Henry, overcome with the absurdity of the situation, began cackling like an engine possessed as he rolled into sight of the platforms. 

-

It was a train. Right?

Right?

Stephen Hatt couldn’t be sure as the demonic, skull-faced, fire spouting monster rolled through Tidmouth. It was cackling madly, and hauling a train of the damned that squealed and shrieked as it went by. The monster, crewed by skeletal beings, rolled through the freight platforms without stopping, its glowing red eyes casting odd shadows on the terrified partygoers. 

He was sure that people were screaming, but the beastly whistle emanating from the ‘train’ was so loud that he couldn’t be sure. 

When it finally passed, disappearing into the distance like the Flying Dutchman of old, dead silence reigned over the platform. 

Then, a child somewhere on platform two spoke up: “That was bloody amazing!” 

The platform broke out in cheers, and Stephen collapsed onto a bench. 

“Did you plan that?” His wife whispered in his ear. 

“No!” He said at last. 

-

The shed

Gordon and James eventually stopped screaming around midnight, falling into a whimpering fugue state before finally passing out. 

Duck was paralyzed with fear, and the next morning he had to be hauled out of the shed and pushed onto his train before he started moving again. 

BoCo - who had been sleeping in the back of the shed, woke the next morning and told his co-workers about the horrible nightmare he’d had that night. When he was informed that it was no mere nightmare, he left the shed a wide-eyed, quiet, and subdued engine. 

A visiting diesel from a mainland freight company who had been parked by the diesel pumps said nothing for the remainder of his time on the island. When his story was confirmed by an equally frightened Pip and Emma in Barrow the next morning, he left the island, never to return. His tale of the ‘Ghost Train of Sodor’ spread far and wide across the British Isles.

Donald and Douglas, who noticed that the ‘demon train’ looked a lot like Henry, said nothing that night. The next day they privately told Henry that it was the greatest prank they’d ever seen, and never turned down one of Siobhan’s Halloween ideas again.

Bear was amazed to see one of his scary stories come to life, and was practically beside himself with pride at a job well done.

-

Arriving at Arlesburgh about half an hour later, Henry was greeted by horrified screams from Oliver - before he passed out in fright - and astonished looks from the small railway engines, who immediately knew it was Henry and demanded to know how he did it. 

Siobhan showed their controller the video she’d based the costume on, swore the small engines to secrecy, and was able to remove most of Henry’s decorations before Oliver woke back up. 

Isobel and Dulcie laughed themselves silly at a prank well pulled, and all parties settled down for a well-deserved sleep. 

-

The next day

“I can’t help but feel like I’m forgetting something...” Henry said to Siobhan as she drove him down to Tidmouth the next morning. 

“Me too.” She said as they pulled into the passing loop at Haultraugh. 

A very pale looking Duck rolled in with the morning’s train. He whistled a weak hello to Henry, and practically jumped off the rails when Henry’s ‘hooter’ whistle replied. 

“WHERE Did yOU geT ThAT?!” He demanded shakily. 

Henry now knew exactly what they’d forgotten. “I found it on the ground.” He said quickly. 

Duck looked more horrified than before. “It was REAL!” He said, scuttling away in terror. 

Fin.

--

Henry’s appearance is based off of the following ideas: 

https://youtu.be/8grHpQAB1jA?t=205

https://youtu.be/zBm-ONvNhS4

https://youtu.be/ZB1rTgUesDc?t=64