Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Patch dipped his rag in his pail of water as he scrubbed the muck off the Shining Time Station sign. Every year, after the final day of school, he would head down to the railway station and do odd jobs for Stationmaster Stacy Jones, often his first task would be to clean up the sign that greeted people as the spring rains tended to make a mess of it. Today was no different, except for one small matter. After the summer was over, he wouldn’t have to head back to school. The night before, Stacy, Mr Conductor and the Engine Driver of the line’s only engine, Billy Twofeathers, celebrated with him on his accomplishment of graduating and surviving high school. Now, with a full job on the Shining Time Station’s staff, Patch was quite content with his life for the most part.

The sounds of chuffing broke Patch out of his reminiscing as he took in the Rainbow Sun coming into the station. It was then that he recalled the other good thing about the day: Lily was coming.

Thinking of her always brought a smile to his face, much to the amusement and interest of Stacy and the others. Ever since Lily first entered their lives, Mr C, Stacy, even Mr Stone had “subtly” been dropping hints that he should ask her to the Summer Festival’s dance, and every year he’d get cold feet before asking her. You see, it wasn’t that he wasn’t attracted to her, quite the opposite, he thought she was the most beautiful woman on the face of the Earth, he just didn’t know how to broach the topic to her.

Putting his heart aside for the moment, Patch walked to the front of the train as it pulled into the station to help the passengers disembark from the train. Only a few people got off at Shining Time since it was morning and most people at the station were heading out for work or some other reason. However, the one person that could bring a smile to his face did step off the train. “Lily!” he shouted, barely audible over the Rainbow Sun, “How was the trip?”

Waiting a moment for the train to pull away so they didn’t have to shout, Lily turned to Patch and gave him a hug, as she always did when they reunited. “The Rainbow Sun part wasn’t too bad, though, for some reason, it felt shorter and yet at the same time, longer than years ago,” she replied.

Patch didn’t comment on this, figuring it was something he wouldn’t understand anyway. Picking up her extra bag, receiving a mouthed thanks from Lily, Patch walked with her to the station building, “How long are you here for this year Lily? You staying the whole summer or leaving before its end?” he asked.

Lily smiled at him, “Actually, I’m here to stay. Mom and Dad don’t seem to be concerned for Grandpa even though he’s been in the hospital twice this year already.”

Patch grimaced, remembering the concern Stacy and Mr C had for Mr Stone’s health. “Well, I’m glad you’re here in any case,” he replied.

Lily smiled, while her grandpa’s condition was a large factor in her decision, it didn’t take her long to realize that being closer to Grandpa would also bring her closer to Patch and there was little she could find wrong with that. Bidding Patch farewell at the station door, Lily went inside to telephone her grandpa that she arrived. Before she could reach the telephone, however, Stacy called out to her, “Lily! Could you come here for a moment?”

Turning to face the Stationmaster, Lily nodded, “Of course, Stacy. What’s the matter?”

Stacy took in the young woman that Lily had become, feeling no small amount of pride. While she knew that Lily had her family, unlike Patch who had been orphaned, there was still a part of her that viewed Lily as a sort of surrogate daughter. It was that that prompted her now, “I was speaking with Burnett the other day when he came down and he mentioned that you were moving in with him and were going to be looking for work that would keep you close to him. What with his medical scares these past few years.”

Lily nodded, knowing that Stacy was perhaps the most connected person in Shining Time. “Yes, would you happen to know of any openings anywhere?”

Stacy smirked, “Well, we’ve got one. You’d be supplementing Patch and Mr C on the platform and would also be helping me as my assistant of sorts.”

Lily thought for a brief moment, “If I can commute between home and here without getting up before the sun, then I’m sold.”

Stacy waved off her concern, “Your hours would start at ten in the morning and finish at five in the evening, just after the last train leaves if you’d take a six-day workweek?”

Lily thought for a moment before nodded her head, “Alright, do I start tomorrow?” she asked.

Stacy nodded, “If you are settled by then. I know you’ll want to be with your grandfather a while, especially after the scares he’s given us this year.”

Lily nodded and bid her farewells to Stacy, she even managed to catch up with Mr C before her grandpa arrived. Seeing her grandpa looking haggard brought a touch of concern to her, but she didn’t let it show as she embraced him. Even though his heart attack back in April was a minor one, she still pursed her lips as he drove them back to his home in Muffle Mountain. The rest of the day was spent setting her things in her room and catching up with her grandpa and letting him know of her employment at the station.

To her surprise, he didn’t say anything more than that he was glad that she was already set in things. Though she could have sworn that he had a glint in his eyes, but she chalked it up to a trick of the lights.

Back at Shining Time, Patch remained on the platform for a little while after the noon train left for Harrisburg. He did a little touching up before heading inside for lunch since the train wasn’t due back for another hour. Making his way to Stacy’s desk, he found her already in chatting with Mr C. “How’d things go in here?” he asked.

Stacy smiled, “Quietly, to be frank, though I did manage to recruit another person to help out your workload.” she replied.

Mr C looked intrigued, “Good timing since I do have to leave for Sodor Sunday morning.” he remarked. “Who’d you hire?”

Stacy just smirked, “You’ll have to see in the morning, she agreed to start then.”

Both Mr C and Patch shared a look. A secretive Stacy was a rarity and a concerning fact at that. She was, by far, the worse gossip in Shining Time, so for her to be keeping a secret was an oddity.

Shaking the matter off, they continued to gossip over lunch. The rest of the day passed rather uneventfully, discounting the slight delay on the one o'clock up train due to a senior citizen group boarding and the subsequent delay on the two twenty-five down train for their disembarkation. Patch then returned to his small two-room home and settled in for the night. As he thought about the day, he found that, like every year around this time, he couldn’t stop thinking about Lily and seeing her that morning only would deepen how he felt for her. Cursing his lack of courage he resolved to try and tell her sometime this year, if he saw her often that was. Little did he know of her employment at the station and the chain of events it would kick off…

Chapter Text

When Patch awoke the next morning, he thought that it would be a relatively normal day, the train would come and go and he’d be training the new staffer in how to safely perform their duties around the station. With that thought in his mind, Patch bit the inside of his cheek in anger. Despite the best efforts of the staff of the station and the railroad, there were seemingly more accidents now then there had been years ago.

To the credit of the people of Shining Time, the majority of them respected the rails and the ones who didn’t tend to stay far away from them in the first place. Tourists on the other hand were all sorts of trouble, the only reason they were worth the effort was because they made up much of the railroad’s revenue.

Shaking his head of those thoughts, Patch shaved and dressed for the day. He was on the platform quite a while before the eight o’clock train arrived. From what Stacy had said the day before, he’d handle the first Up and Down trains as he had done before and then after that, he’d have the new staffer joining him. What he didn’t expect was Stacy to join him on the platform just before the nine twenty-five Down train arrived. “Patch, I have to head in for a meeting in Harrisburg so I’ll be catching the first Down and be back on the last Up,” she said.

Patch raised an eyebrow, “Without overseeing our newbie's training? You seem confident in their competency.” he remarked. “What is this meeting about?” he inquired.

Stacy shrugged, “That they did not tell me, just that every stationmaster of the local area would be there.” she replied

A sudden whistle rang out and they both noticed the Rainbow Sun coming down the line. Taking her leave, Stacy quickly boarded the train and Patch set about loading baggage and assisting people on and off the train. Looking up and down the platform, Patch then looked to the engine, “Right away driver!” he shouted, waving his green flag.

Billy let out two toots of the whistle as he began pulling away from Shining Time. Patch watched as the train left his view, his mind momentarily thought of the work he’d have to do to train the new staffer but he soon turned away and tended to the platform. A few minutes later, a bicycle bell rang and Patch looked to see who was trying to get someone’s attention and was stunned to see Lily riding up. “Lily!” he called, pleased when she smiled at him, “What brings you down from the Mountain?” he asked.

Lily’s smile grew ever larger, “Why I work here now Patch.” she replied, “Didn’t Stacy tell you?”

Patch frowned slightly, “She said that she had hired someone but she didn’t mention that you were the one hired.” he replied before growing a wide grin, “Though I am thankful it is you and not someone just looking for temporary employment.”

Lily nodded and looked around, “What are the new duties that I’ll have beyond what I’ve done every summer?”

Patch thought for a moment, “You were Stacy’s assistant so that’ll be useful since she’s left for a meeting already.” he replied before waving off her concern, “Nothing much, I’ll handle the platform today and we’ll work things out tomorrow with Stacy.”

Nodding, Lily entered the station and took up the Ticketmaster’s duty that Stacy had. Since the midday trains were always the busiest trains on the line, both were worked to the bone. Neither noticed how quickly the day passed, not until Stacy arrived on the final train. Just from her face, Patch knew that things were about to get interesting, so he wasn’t surprised when she called Mr C, Lily and him in to discuss it.

“The higher-ups had a very imposing agenda that they want done.” Stacy began. “The first thing on their wishlist is that they want a second engine and to run it at the same time as the Rainbow Sun.”

Jaws dropped, but Stacy wasn’t done, “Then they want to double-track the line, after extending it to Pittsburgh and potentially eastwards. So I think that there will be more than just the two engines.” she continued before thinking for a moment, “They also want to run a freight train on top of the passenger services and they also want a nightly post train.”

Patch rubbed his brow, “I mean… it’s possible. I guess… but I would think that all that they want would bankrupt the railroad.”

Stacy sighed, “Many of my peers brought that argument up, but the board wouldn’t hear any of it.”

Mr C thought for a moment, “The line is only sixty or so miles long already. This would see the line nearly quadruple in size.” he said before sighing, “We’re gonna need a lot of engines to cover the services to keep up the turnover we already have.”

Lily nodded, “And it’s not like steam engines are in production nowadays, where are we going to find enough engines?”

Stacy rubbed her brow, “I have no idea what the board intends to do, all we can do is proceed as normal and take the things as they fall.” she replied, before looking at Patch and Lily, “I will do my utmost to ensure that you both will never have your jobs under threat.”

With that, they thanked Stacy and left for their homes. Neither realizing just how far the future would take them…