Archive of Our Own

Rosie was at the steamworks.

Which was quite odd. She wasn't there a minute ago. The last thing she could remember was pulling a load on the track. The weather had been atrocious, and the constant rain made the track slippery. The tremendous winds made it hard for her to keep her eyes open. A massive tree had fallen across the line-

Oh. That's what had happened.

That would explain the horrific pain coursing through her whole body. She hadn't felt anything like it before. She wheezed and spluttered, but she could barely hear herself think with all the noise going on around her. The steamworks could be a very loud place indeed. Today, it seemed louder than ever. Was it busier than usual? Or was the pain causing everything to sound louder?

A particularly loud clatter not too far away made her wince.

'SORRY, BOSS!' Kevin said.

Rosie, despite herself, was able to laugh at Kevin being Kevin. Until the laughter turned into a horrible cough. Right, no laughing for her. She felt a strange tickle on her underside, and only then did she realise that she had been hoisted up. The workers had already started the job.

Beyond the pain, Rosie couldn't be sure what her injuries were or what repairs she'd have to undergo. But she did know that she was at the steamworks. Safe and sound. In capable hands.

'Remember to be gentle! The job may seem tough, but you'll get it done faster if you take care.'

The sound of that voice made Rosie smile. Victor. Sure enough, she could see him on the tracks below, looking up at her with a smile of his own. He had to have been the most amazing engine on the whole island. Well, second most amazing, second only to Thomas of course. Just like her, he had come from somewhere other than Sodor. Except she came from the USA, while he had arrived from a place called 'Cuba' in the 'Caribbean'. And he was one of the nicest engines she had ever met.

With his friendly demeanour and lofty patience (required when working with Kevin), Victor was the only engine for his job. Which was a bit of an oddball job, to be sure. While the other engines worked by pulling passengers, shunting trucks, or hauling freight, Victor rarely did the 'typical' engine work. His job was at the steamworks. Many newcomers to the island were confused as to what an engine would be doing at a job that usually required hands, but his job was special.

He was the leader. One of the only engines on the island who told the people what to do, not the other way around.

'Ah, Rosie!' He said. 'I'm glad to see that you're finally awake.'

'Hello… Victor…' Rosie spluttered, finishing off with a nasty cough.

'You were in a terrible accident, but don't worry. You're here, and we'll take good care of you.'

Rosie didn't need to be told that. Victor always took care of everyone who arrived at the steamworks. His presence alone made going there so much nicer. Much less scary.

'The damages are pretty bad,' Victor said. 'But they're nothing we can't handle. You'll be back on the rails in no time!'

Rosie wanted to thank him, even though work had just begun, but she couldn't quite manage it. All that came out was a steamy wheeze. It hurt. It hurt so much. More than anything she had ever felt before. She was usually so good at avoiding major accidents (the 'Funfair Incident' aside), but Lady Luck caught up with any engine who was on the railway long enough.

'You'll be alright,' Victor said, softly. 'Conserve your strength. You'll need it. But that won't be a problem for you. You're a strong engine. Much stronger than your size would have others believe. You can make it. I have no doubt about it.'

Rosie managed to smile through the pain. Victor's voice was so gentle and sweet. Not quite soft-spoken like Henry or Hiro, but still calming to the nerves. More calming than a wash-down.

'Kevin!' He called. 'You've got the new parts for Rosie, right?'

'Got 'em, Boss!' Kevin said.

This was immediately followed by another horrible clatter. The sound reverberated through Rosie's smoke box and made the dull pain in her 'head' even worse. She had to close her eyes to block out the light of the world, which suddenly seemed so much brighter.

'Uh, I did have them, Boss,' Kevin said, sheepishly.

Most engines would get very frustrated when dealing with Kevin. Even Rosie herself was groaning a little. But Victor wasn't like most engines. That's why she liked him so much. He wasn't like he never got annoyed. On the contrary, a few workmen had remarked that the guy 'really needed a cup of coffee' or sometimes even 'a good glass of wine' (not that said drinks would do anything good for an engine).

But, when met with such a situation, he didn't yell or grumble. He just sighed, rolled his eyes, and chuckled.

'The railway keeps growing,' He remarked. 'Engines come and go. New liveries are painted and old parts are replaced. But Kevin will always be Kevin.'

Rosie chuckled too. She couldn't laugh too loudly, or she'd start to wheeze again, but laugh she did.

'I know it hurts,' Victor said. 'Lady knows that I've had some nasty crashes in my day. But you're still puffing. And if you're still puffing now, I have no doubts that you'll make it. Just hold on.'

Just hold on… Rosie had no intentions of letting go. Not now. Not ever. Victor's soothing voice made it too easy to hold on. He was almost like an anchor. Or, perhaps more fitting, like a brake van. A very strong brake van that never failed to stop you in time, and whose voice kept you company during those long drives.

Rosie would've loved it if Victor stayed by her side the whole time, talking to her about anything. It'd help her forget the pain. Time would pass by faster than she knew it. But, of course, Victor couldn't. With a few dozen steam engines on the island, it was inevitable that he'd have a lot of work to do. Sure enough, another engine pulled it. Rosie tried to see if she could make out who it was, but her vision was blurry and the lights felt too bright.

But it wasn't difficult at all to see that bright, brilliant, and splendid red.

Victor puffed away to deal with the newest arrival, leaving Rosie in the hands of the steam workers. They wasted no time getting to work, slowly taking her apart so they could replace her old broken parts with new ones. It didn't hurt when her parts were removed. In fact, she didn't feel anything but simply… nothing. An emptiness. Like a part of her had gone missing. That's how it was when the engines had parts removed. No pain. Just a feeling that something that should've been there wasn't.

'Hello, James!' Victor said, greeting the new engine. 'What's the problem today?'

'Can't you see?' James said, with the smallest whine in his voice. 'I had an accident at the coal hopper, and now my lovely red paint is all scratched and chipped! I need a new coat of paint, and now.'

'Of course. And hopefully, you won't be called away to an emergency while you've only got an undercoat on again!'

'Oh har har har, very funny. Let's see if you like puffing around Sodor half-naked!'

Rosie smiled, and certainly would've laughed if she could have. Just like Kevin being well-meaning but clumsy, James being obsessed with his paint work would never change. Apparently, he had been just as bad when he was painted black.

'Don't worry, James. We have plenty of red paint, just for you. You'll be looking as splendid as ever!'

'I better be!' James said. 'As the only engine on the island who's nearly as splendid as me, I must stay splendid for the sake of the railway!'

'Mm-hm. Right.'

Actually, that got Rosie thinking. It wasn't like there was much as she could do while the workmen tore her apart to put her back together again. According to Thomas, James had arrived on the island painted entirely black with red stripes. But then, after a horrible accident, he decided to have himself be painted red instead.

It wasn't too often that engines changed their liveries, and even more rarely was it long-term. The only time she could think of when she saw it first-hand was Bill and Ben, when one (which one was it again? Bill? Ben?) was forcefully painted blue so they were different colours. It had been to stop their pranks. Unfortunately, the other twin (Ben? Bill?) had been crafty and gotten himself painted blue too. Pretty soon, the Fat Controller gave up and let them both be yellow again.

She had heard that Victor himself used to be painted yellow too, but decided to be red instead. As soon as she got the opportunity, Rosie was going to ask him about it. It was such a fascinating thought. An engine choosing to paint themselves a totally different colour, permanently? It wasn't as if the engines didn't have a choice in the matter. The Fat Controller was totally fine with engines choosing to paint themselves a different colour, as long as they let him know first.

'You know, James,' Victor said. 'I don't think you look so bad in pink. Maybe you could-'

'Absolutely not!' James yelled. 'I'd rather throw myself into a smelter than wear a pink livery!'

'James. Rosie is right there.'

'Ros-? Oh! Uh, b-but it looks good on her!'

Rosie didn't take his remark very seriously. He'd say that about any colour that wasn't red (or maybe black). Green, brown, blue, yellow, purple… As long as it wasn't red, it was worse than getting scrapped as far as he was aware. Still, it got her wondering…

Even though she was stuck waiting for repairs, the time didn't seem so slow with Victor around. His calming voice helped the time fly. It helped that he took any opportunity he had to chat with her. Their chats were brief, since he still had work to do, but they were lovely all the same.

She waited until night fell upon the island of Sodor. The deeper into the night it became, the more workers left home. The less engines arrived. Very soon, it was just Rosie, Kevin, and Victor. Kevin was racing around the works as always, since he seemingly didn't need to sleep, just to 'clean' things up. Most of his cleaning consisted of knocking things over, but his heart was in the right place. Victor, meanwhile, slowed down. As much as he loved the hustle and bustle of the steamworks, he liked the peace and quiet after it closed for the night. A little break from his chaotic job.

'Hey, Victor…' Rosie said.

Everything had been so quiet that Victor had almost forgotten there was another engine there. He jumped just a little. Rosie could tell by the sudden screech of his wheels.

'Yes, Rosie?'

'If you don't mind me asking,' She said. 'I heard that you used to be painted yellow, but you decided to paint yourself red instead. Is that true?'

She wasn't sure if he'd want to tell the story. If he was willing to change himself so much, there must've been a big reason for it. Imagine her relief when Victor chuckled.

'It's true,' He said. 'When I first arrived at Sodor from Cuba, I was painted yellow.'

'So what happened?' Rosie asked. 'Why'd you repaint yourself?'

'Well, my arrival on Sodor is an interesting story. I arrived by boat, with an engine from Ireland. You may know him. His name is Luke, and he works at the Blue Mountain quarry. The problem was that the chains holding me in place had broken. I tried to tell everyone what had happened, but at the time, I only knew Spanish. And no one in Sodor could really understand me.'

Rosie had never thought about that. She knew Victor could speak Spanish, but it was easy to forget that since he usually only spoke English nowadays. The thought amazed her. An engine who could speak two different languages with ease? Exactly the kind of feat that only someone like Victor could pull off.

'I ended up in the water,' Victor said.

Rosie gasped. 'I-In the harbour?'

'Luckily, I had landed on a jetty, so I wasn't totally submerged. But they couldn't save me for days because of the bad weather, so by the time I was fished out, I had taken heavy water damage. I was sent to the steamworks right away, and they fixed me right up.'

'Is that why you chose to work at the steamworks?'

'Of course. It was here that I realised just how friendly and helpful the island of Sodor is. The people here are wonderful, and so are the engines. For the most part. I can hardly stand that Spencer. The workers really made me feel like I was at home. And I was. I do miss Cuba sometimes, but I don't think I'd ever leave Sodor.'

Rosie stayed quiet, letting every word sink in. She never gave much thought to the pasts of the engines around her. Not because she didn't care, but because it just never really came up. Victor's story was truly fascinating. It took her some time and courage to speak up again.

'Yeah,' She said. 'I know what you mean. I had a good time in the US, but I much prefer it here on Sodor.'

'I know!' Kevin piped up. 'Sodor is such a wonderful place!'

Victor chuckled. 'Indeed it is, Kevin.'

'So… why'd you repaint yourself?' Rosie asked.

Now this was the exciting part. With nothing else to distract her, she put all of her attention onto Victor.

'It's simple, really,' He said. 'It was the start of a new life for me. And since they had to repaint me anyway, I thought… why not do it? After all, people change their appearance all the time. If they can do it, why can't we? So, when it came time to repaint me, I saw them about to open their cans of yellow paint, and I said my first ever word in English… RED!'

Rosie's jaw dropped.

'Wow,' She said. 'You were so determined to paint yourself a different colour, that you learnt a whole new language just to tell them!'

'That's certainly one way to look at it,' Victor said with a quiet laugh. 'It was a new me. A new Victor who lived on Sodor and learnt how to speak their language. As for why I chose red, well… It felt like the right colour. Not much else to it.'

'And it's a great colour!' Kevin said. 'I think red suits you a lot better than yellow anyway. Yellow looks much better on me.'

Though a wonderful story that she would always remember, it hadn't full sated Rosie's curiosity. Hearing about Victor's story just made her want to know more. After all, he worked at the steamworks. That must've meant that he had seen a lot of engines get new liveries.

'Has any other engine wanted to change their liveries?' She asked. 'I know about James, and also Bill and Ben, but has there been anyone else?'

'Not many engines want to paint themselves a different colour,' Victor said. 'James wanted to be repainted into a colour that would help him stand out, and red is as stand-out as it gets. Bill and Ben were… a special case. And one I think the Fat Controller would rather not think about. Thomas-' You should've seen the way Rosie lit up at the sound of that name. 'Was actually green when he first arrived, but he was repainted the North Western blue so he could be more like Edward.'

Imagine that. Thomas, one of the best engines in the world and iconic for his bright blue paint, used to be green! Rosie could hardly imagine him in any other colour. Especially not green. That wouldn't suit him at all.

'Henry is an interesting case too,' Victor said. 'When he was let out of the tunnel and helped to pull the express, the Fat Controller offered to give him a brand new coat of blue paint, so he'd fit in better with Gordon and Edward. I wasn't there to see it, but from what I've heard… Henry rejected the offer immediately.'

'How come?' Rosie asked.

'He simply loved being green. To him, green was his colour. He didn't mind that he was the only green engine on the line before Percy came along. Green reminded him of his favourite place on all of Sodor. And I'm sure you can guess where that is.'

'I know. Henry's Forest. He loves it so much that we all named it after him!'

'Exactly. He believed that if he was painted blue, he would lose that connection to his favourite place. He's quite the tree hugger, you know. Twice, he caused confusion and delay on purpose to make sure his favourite tree wasn't cut down. So you can see why he'd refuse to be repainted any other colour but green.'

'We just, uh, have to be careful,' Kevin said. 'His paint is the same kind of green as the special glow-in-the-dark paint. It's, um, a little easy to confuse the two.'

Rosie laughed a wheezy laugh to herself. Ah yes, the 'ghost train' that had appeared on the island a while back. A terrifying glowing engine with the horrible whistle (Henry's whistle was not that bad). She had been frightened by the rumours as well, until everyone found out that the so-called 'ghost train' was actually the gentlest engine on the island painted in glowing paint.

'There are so many reasons why engines choose their livery,' Victor said. 'For some, like Henry, they feel it represents an important part of themselves or something they love. For others, like Duck, it reminds them of where they used to be. Many engines, like Bash and Dash, like to share livery colours so they match in some way. Skarloey and Rheneas aren't the same colour, but they like to be very similar. And a few others,' He chuckled. 'Just stick with whatever paint they came in. To them, there's no need to fix what isn't broken. For every engine, it's a different story. And every story is wonderful.'

'They really are!' Kevin said. 'I wanted to be yellow cos it's the brightest, happiest colour of them all! And also, I was already yellow when they made me. So it worked out really well!'

Rosie let every story sink in. It wasn't something she had ever stopped to think about before. The liveries of every engine was something she had accepted. Some were blue. Others were green. A few were red. Yellow, purple, brown… She never really thought about how every one could have a story behind it.

'Hey!' Kevin said. 'How'd you end up being pink, Rosie?'

'Ooh, that sounds like it could be another interesting story!' Victor said. 'If you want to tell us, of course.'

After Victor and Kevin told her their own stories, along with so many others, there was no way Rosie was going to let her story go untold. Even if it wasn't exactly exciting.

'It's not much of a story,' She said. 'It's a little silly, actually.'

'Nonsense!' Victor said. 'Every story is amazing. Besides, I've heard some very silly stories myself. Like Murdoch. He's painted yellow because it was the closest colour to him, and he figured it would help him get out of that noisy factory as soon as possible. Or Marion. She once knocked over a bunch of orange paint on herself by swinging her shovel around a little too much, but she loved the look so much that she kept it anyway!'

Rosie giggled. Yep, that definitely sounded like something Marion would've done.

'Okay, maybe it's not that silly,' She said. 'But it's still pretty silly. You know how James once left the steamworks with just his undercoat on? I did the same thing. I, uh, rushed out of the works as soon as they were done with the pink undercoat because I didn't realise that it was just an undercoat.'

Kevin couldn't help laughing. Which was fine by Rosie.

'I didn't get very far,' Rosie continued. 'Before they brought me back to get painted. They put a mirror in front of me so I could see what I looked like, and… I actually liked it. I liked the pink. So, I made that my real livery. I guess it's become more lavender-y over the years, though.'

Victor smiled. 'And you told me it wouldn't be much of a story!'

There was no hint of irony or sarcasm to be found. He meant it. It really was a fascinating story. Perhaps one he didn't see or hear of very often. Rosie could still remember that day like it was yesterday, despite happening years and years ago. When she was young, the soft pinkish-purple seemed just right for her.

But, after hearing all those wonderful stories of how each engine got their colour - whether there was some deep meaning behind it, they liked the colour itself, it was just the colour they were given to begin with, or even something they got splashed in by accident - made her wonder…

She looked at Victor's gorgeous red paint again. When she dazed upon that livery, all she could think about was him starting off as yellow, and repainting himself red as a sign that it was a new 'Victor' in a new place. And she thought of James, who arrived on the island painted all in black, before getting into a horrible accident and repainting himself an especially splendid red too.

Hmmm… Both the red engines she was close to weren't always red, but chose to be repainted into that colour after suffering a horrible accident.

She looked at Victor's livery again.

With that, she made a decision.

She didn't have to worry about changing her mind. After all, she had plenty of time to change it.

'Just one last step to go, Rosie!'

Victor hadn't left her side the whole time, except when he had to deal with another patient. When she was getting almost every part replaced - to the point where she began to wonder if she was even the same engine by the end of it - he was the one element that stayed the same. That, and Kevin dropping things all the time.

Her vision sharpened.

She stopped wheezing.

The pain went away.

But Victor stayed the same.

That wonderful, kind, calming red narrow gauge steamie stayed with her.

Some might say that it was merely his job. That he had to stay around and help out his patient. But Rosie knew he wasn't just doing his job. There was more to it. So much more. He cared about his patients. Maybe more than any other doctor in the world.

And that sweet smile stayed with Rosie the whole way through.

The workmen approached her with paintbrushes. It was pretty obvious what the next step was - her coat. First, came the undercoat. Obviously. The thick layer of pink meant to protect both the engine under it and the colourful paint above it. Kevin delivered the pots of undercoat paint, and this time, he didn't drop anything or knock anything over!

The brushes tickled Rosie's 'skin' as they lathered her with the undercoat. If you can believe that an engine could be 'ticklish' there.

'We're running a little low on mauve paint,' Victor said. 'But we should have just enough to paint you back to your old self again.'

They had to wait for the undercoat to dry before they could start painting her livery. It gave her plenty of time to think about her decision. Yep. This was something she wanted.

'Actually,' She said. 'Maybe, I… I should be painted in a different colour.'

She knew she had nothing to worry about. Still, it took some effort to get the words out. Her mauve livery was iconic. But, of course, Victor replied exactly how she expected.

'That's wonderful!' He said. 'No wonder you asked me about the other engines and their liveries so much. You've been thinking about this for a while, haven't you?'

He wasn't acting like this was some earth-shattering revelation. Just a perfectly normal thing for an engine to say or want. No big deal. It wouldn't be for him. He'd probably seen lots of engines asking for a new coat of paint. One time, he had even given Rheneas a coat of yellow paint just for a little joke on Thomas and Luke!

'Actually,' Rosie said. 'It was all those talks that made me think about it. I heard your story, and James's, and Henry's, and… and I think I want to try it.'

'So, do you have a colour in mind?' Victor asked. 'Or do you want to be surprised?'

'I do have a colour in mind…'

Rosie got one last really good look at Victor's livery. This time, she let herself admire every square inch of that gorgeous red. It wasn't as bright or as splendid as James's, but she thought it was so much more beautiful. Red was the colour of the engine who had stayed with her. Who had offered her fascinating stories to help her through the pain. Whose sweet and calm voice kept her anchored, even as her parts were removed and replaced.

'Ooh, is it blue?' Kevin guessed. 'You know, like Thomas?'

Rosie chuckled. 'No. I want to be painted… red.'

'Good choice!' Victor said. 'So, you want to be as red as James?'

'I suppose it could be funny for James to deal with another standard gauge red engine on the railway. But that's not what I had in mind. I'm choosing to be red because it's your colour, Victor.'

Oh, you should have seen Victor's face. Never before had he been so flattered. In fact, his cheeks went as red as his livery! He wasn't sure what to think. Rosie couldn't help grinning at the sight of him looking so sheepish.

'O-Oh!' He said. 'I… I'm flattered, Rosie. But, uh, why me?'

'This is the first big crash I've ever had,' Rosie said. 'And you were there for me the whole way. I don't think I could've handled it if it wasn't for you. Just hearing your voice calmed me down and made me feel safe.'

Victor blushed even harder. Kevin stared at him with his eyes as wide as they could go.

'I don't think I've ever seen you blush like that before, Boss!' He said. 'You're almost as red as your paint!'

'W-Well,' Victor said, still rather flustered. 'You don't have to change yourself for me, you know. Just because I repainted myself red doesn't mean you have to.'

'I know,' Rosie said. 'But I want to. I just want to give it a try. Besides, I only chose to be pink because of a silly little mistake. It might be time for a little change, you know?'

'Ooh, I think you'd look great in red!' Kevin said. 'And even if you don't like the look, it doesn't matter. It won't be forever!'

'Um, yes,' Victor said. 'I'll just, uh, have someone make a call to the Fat Controller first.'

Rosie frowned. 'Do you think he might say no?'

'Don't worry. He'll say yes. He just likes to know when an engine is getting a new livery. Otherwise, he might get confused if he's looking for a lavender engine when he should be looking for a red one.'

'Oh, right. Of course!'

Victor puffed away to find a worker who could call up the Fat Controller. Still with that bright red blushing on his face. The workers must've noticed, because many of them couldn't help laughing under their breaths. Victor didn't mind it. He wasn't upset by it. But, it did make him blush even harder.

Kevin, too, laughed. 'I think you really flattered him, Rosie! I've never seen his face so red before.'

'I didn't mean to,' Rosie said with a smile. 'I didn't think Victor could even blush that hard.'

'Neither did I!'

The Fat Controller said yes. Just as Victor knew he would.

Red paint it was.

Rosie's boiler bubbled with anticipation when Kevin brought over the cans, and it bubbled even more when the workers pried the cans open. They must've been using the same red they used for James, because it was so vibrant. Nothing like her usual pastel lavender.

'Remember, Rosie,' Victor said. 'It's not forever. You can always change your mind.'

Even now, his comforting voice was helping her through difficult times. The workers got right to work, their brushes lathered in bright red paint. Rosie couldn't help giggling a little as the brushes tickled her 'skin'.

It was a long process, of course. Painting an engine wasn't as simple as just slathering it on and calling it a day. The process had to be taken slowly and carefully, with multiple coats being applied to assure the brightest and longest-lasting colour.

Victor was there through the whole thing.

Eventually, it was over. Rosie had gotten so used to the feeling of brushes that it was quite surprising when the job was done.

'Woah…' Kevin said, eyes wide. 'Rosie, you look… you look…!'

'Go fetch her a mirror, Kevin!' Victor said. 'So Rosie can have a look at her gorgeous new livery.'

'R-Right, on it, Boss!'

It didn't take Kevin long to get the mirror, but it felt like an eternity for Rosie. She could hardly even picture herself in any other livery. Would she look nice? Or would the colour look atrocious on her? Her boiler continued to bubble from the anticipation.

But soon enough, Kevin returned with the mirror in hook. He, slightly clumsily, placed it down in front of Rosie, angling it somewhat so she had the perfect view of her new livery. And when she saw the red engine in the reflection, she gasped.

It was perfect.

She couldn't take her eyes off her reflection. Was that really her? She hardly even looked like the same engine anymore! But that livery was gorgeous. It was so bright and splendid. No wonder James always gloated about being red so much. It really was beautiful!

'Wow…' She murmured.

It wasn't just that gorgeous shade of red that left her almost totally speechless. The painters had gone so far as to add a number to her cab. HER number. 37. There weren't many engines on Sodor that had one of those. And, even more amazingly, were the NWR initials on her side.

'Red suits you so well!' Kevin said. 'Well, the lilac-y lavender looked nice too, but this… I think this looks even better!'

'I couldn't agree more,' Victor said. 'It looks beautiful. But what do you think of it, Rosie?'

The formally-lilac engine beamed like the sun. That glossy red stood out so much. And the shade was so bold and free.

'I love it,' She said. 'I… I think I'm going to keep it.'

'That's great to hear!' Victor said. 'A brand-new Rosie.'

'Yeah. Just like a brand-new Victor.'

'You wear red almost as well as Boss does!' Kevin said, still stunned.

'You're right,' Rosie said. 'I don't think I could ever wear it as well as Victor does.'

Victor blushed away. Still not used to compliments, it seemed. Rosie giggled. It was almost weird just how adorable he looked when he was flustered. Much unlike the proud engine he usually was.

'W-Well,' He said. 'I wouldn't say that. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that Rosie wears red better than any other engine on the whole island.'

Now it was Rosie's time to blush. As red as her brand-new livery.

She chuckled. 'James won't be very happy.'

'Nope,' Victor said, with a little laugh of his own. 'No, he will not.'