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Thomas may not always be the most observant fellow, but this, he finds, is way too hard to ignore.
And the most annoying part? Nobody else has noticed except for him!
“Pssshaw,” Gordon says. “Why should I care what Edward gets up to? I have more important matters to attend to, such as the Express! I’m a busy man, Thomas, and Edward is not of my utmost concern.”
James will just shrug. “Well, I don’t think any of it is a big deal. You're just causing trouble again, aren't you?”
Henry gives Thomas a warning look. “Don’t be so judgmental. If Edward is happy, why is that a problem?”
Yep. Everybody has brushed Thomas off and headed on with their day. They all think he’s crazy. But he knows he isn’t. Maybe it’s because of his proximity to Edward, his tendency to choose the older man for company over the likes of Gordon and Henry, or maybe it’s because Thomas doesn’t have his head totally up his ass the way they do.
He hates to say it, but he thinks Emily might have something to do with it.
The rebuilding of Tidmouth Sheds was essentially the peace treaty in the battle against drivers, steam versus diesel. Emily has adjusted relatively easily to her new life in the accompanying house that all main line drivers reside in. The house is big enough for seven, and Toby would rather live with Henrietta anyways, so she’s not really intruding at all.
If anyone had taken a shine to her, it was definitely Edward. That was impossible to ignore. It did initially seem cute, Thomas will have to agree with Percy on that. Now, it’s almost strange. Edward is always bringing Emily presents. Chocolates. Trinkets. Nothing too fancy, but it probably adds up. Who knows how much of his paychecks he's spent on her alone!
Thomas is washing coffee cups in the kitchen sink when he hears the sound of a hushed conversation behind him. He’s too busy to look around, pretending not to be eavesdropping.
“For you,” Edward says, and the gasp that emits from Emily’s mouth seems to indicate he’s given her something yet again. The sound of crinkling tissue paper.
“Me? Oh, Edward! You shouldn't have!” Emily giggles nervously. “Is this from that new jewelry store by Vicarstown? That has to be worth a pretty penny.”
“Don’t worry about it!” Edward’s tone is different. Thomas doesn’t know how to quite put it into words, but Edward usually doesn’t sound so…suave? “Anything for you, darling.”
“Thank you, Edward. You’re such an amazing friend.” Emily heads upstairs and Thomas finally chances a look behind him, just in time to see Edward sigh.
“You bought her jewelry now?" Thomas asks. “That’s expensive. How do you even know what kind of jewelry she likes?” Thomas can’t recall ever seeing Emily wear any precious metals or gemstones. It’s not really encouraged on the railway, to prevent it from getting dirty or tangled, so if Emily has any, it probably stays in her bedroom.
“I know her tastes,” Edward says simply, before giving Thomas a strange look. There’s a sense of defensiveness to his tone, almost as though he wants to combat Thomas’s words. Edward isn’t usually combative. That’s also peculiar.
“Oh-kay.” Thomas is suddenly feeling very awkward, like a deer caught in headlights. He isn’t sure how to bring this topic up, but it might drive him crazy if he doesn’t. He and Edward are best pals, right? When he first came to the railway, Edward was his mentor and helped mold him into the really useful driver he is today. Don't they tell each other everything?
“Edward…do you like Emily? As in, more than a friend?”
Now it’s Edward’s turn to look like a deer in headlights. “I…well…she’s quite an amazing young woman. I enjoy her company greatly and…it’s…and why should it be a problem if I like to spend time with her?”
Thomas hesitantly takes a step back. Edward glares at him with a fierceness usually only reserved for when he really messes up. But he hasn’t messed up, has he? He just asked a simple question!
“It’s not a problem!” he says quickly. Edward huffs, satisfied, and leaves. Thomas goes back to washing dishes, lost within a trance. He feels scolded, like a helpless child. He's never liked this feeling.
“Slow down!” Henry shouts out as Connor and Caitlin’s streamlined engines come zooming into Tidmouth Sheds. “You’re going to derail!”
Caitlin laughs as she disembarks from her engine. “Don’t worry, Henry! This isn’t the fastest I can go! I won’t be derailing at this speed.”
Henry grumbles as he carries his new plants back inside the house. Thomas lazily watches the whole scene as he cleans his engine. Caitlin and Connor are here to pick a few things up for their own engines before they have to head back to their own sheds for the night.
“Hey, Ems!” Caitlin calls out as Emily pokes her head into the sheds out of curiosity. “Long time no see, girl! How have you been?”
“Caitlin!” Emily runs up to the taller woman and gives her a tight hug. “I wish we could’ve hung out more back at Knapford, but I was running on a tight schedule.”
“Aw, no problem at all!” Caitlin chuckles. “I just wanted to ask you, did you want to come to the Sodor Track and Field Festival on Saturday? I’ll be running some of the races!”
“Well, that sounds amazing! I’ll certainly be there to cheer you on.”
Thomas gets a weird pit of dread in his stomach as he listens to Emily and Caitlin chat. Edward is standing nearby, pretending to be polishing his engine’s whistle. He’s clearly listening in on the conversation. And he looks angry.
At the Sodor Track and Field Festival, Caitlin is nowhere to be found.
“I’m so confused,” Emily frets as she, Edward, and Thomas are all idling about in the kitchen. Edward has poured her a mug of her favourite tea. Thomas is making hot chocolate on the stove. “She wasn’t anywhere to be found. She missed all her races!”
Edward gently pats Emily’s shoulder. “I’m sure she’ll be alright, darling. It’s quite kind of you to worry, though.”
“Of course I’m worried. She’s a very good friend of mine.”
“I see.” Edward pauses for a second, jaw tighening. “Well, I know what will cheer you back up. How about we go out for another picnic tomorrow?”
“That would be lovely.”
Thomas pours his hot chocolate into a cup. He glances idly at the kitchen table, only to see Edward staring back at him. The older man is practically clutching Emily’s shoulder with an iron grip. His smile is deceiving, pretending to be kind but Thomas knows Edward enough to see the message behind those curled lips: Beat it.
“See you guys later.” Thomas quickly heads to his bedroom. Something is clearly wrong.
Within a few days, Edward and Emily announce their new relationship to the rest of the team.
Thomas can’t take it anymore. He corners Emily one day as she’s preparing to take her coaches out; Edward is already at Wellsworth so there’s no way he can hear them. “Emily, can we chat real quick?”
“Sure?” Emily asks in confusion, climbing into her engine’s cab. “I don’t have much time, though-”
“It’s really quick, I promise!” Thomas steps into the cab himself, so there’s no escaping this conversation. “Um, I know that you and Edward are dating now…”
Emily nods, her cheeks flushing. “We are. And it’s quite lovely.”
“Are you sure?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
Thomas sucks in a shaky breath, unsure of how to convey his thoughts into words. “You don’t think that Edward’s acting a tad…strange around you?”
Emily hesitates, but then confusion spreads all over her face. “Strange? No, I don’t think he is. He’s such a gentleman, really.” She chuckles. “Perhaps it’s…oh, what does Rosie call it…puppy love?”
“Right.” Thomas sighs. “Emily, I’m a bit worried about him. And you, by proxy. I think Edward might be a little jealous or something? It’s not really like him to get jealous. I’ve never seen him act like this before. And I know he’s really nice to you, but if you ever need to talk to someone…”
“That’s awfully kind of you, but I really need to get going now.”
“Hold on-”
“Sorry, Thomas. I can’t afford to be late!”
Her engine takes off, leaving Thomas standing behind in a cloud of steam. Alright, fine. If nobody will listen to him, he's gonna take matters into his own hands.
“Are you really sure we should be doing this?” Percy asks as Thomas slips on a jacket and shoves a couple of flashlights into Percy’s satchel. “You don’t even have any facts!”
“I don’t need facts. I can prove that something happened to Caitlin, and that Edward’s behind it. Are you coming or not?”
Percy winces. “I…I guess I’m coming? Give me a second to get my engine in steam and then we can-”
“No engines.”
“You can’t expect us to just cross the whole island on foot!”
Thomas shakes his head. “No engines, Percy! I don’t want anybody to know that we’re doing this and alerting Edward so he can hide the evidence! Taking one out of Tidmouth will make too much noise.”
He makes a beeline for the door. Percy groans, but follows him anyway.
Most engines don’t run at this hour, leaving the island relatively dark and quiet. Thomas has to admit, he’s not really sure where to go. After some careful consideration, he decides to head in the direction of Wellsworth. It’s not actually a lead, but since Edward has to spend most of his time there anyways, it could be worth a start.
“How do we know we’re actually gonna find anything?” Percy asks him, struggling to keep up with Thomas’s sprint. “Don’t you think you’re kinda being too mean to Edward? You’re accusing him of hurting someone! He’d never do that! This could damage his reputation and job. ”
“Which is the problem,” Thomas hisses. “I don’t know what’s wrong with Edward. And…I really don’t want to think he’d hurt Caitlin. But he’s been acting so strange lately that I have to do something about it. Even if nobody believes me.”
“...I believe you, Thomas.”
Thomas doesn't look back to see Percy's reaction. “Thanks.”
They’re going to run out of road soon, and Thomas isn’t sure what to do next. They’re nowhere near Wellsworth, instead finding themselves in an abandoned industrial yard. A couple of large warehouses sit untouched in the darkness. Ugh. This place is a total dump.
Percy shivers. “Can we leave now? This is spooky.”
“Well, we need to get to Wellsworth,” Thomas insists. “So let’s find another road and…”
He trails off when he sees a sneaker lying outside one of the smaller warehouses. A dirtied running sneaker, discarded seemingly by accident, with familiar magenta stripes running down its side.
Thomas immediately runs towards the warehouse, which has a side door slightly ajar. He slips inside and is immediately overcome by the darkness. Only broken windows by the ceiling let in any sort of light. But what is sitting in the middle of the warehouse is still easy to spot.
Tied to a chair, Caitlin’s form sits with her head lobbing forward. Her clothes are dirty and torn, and dried blood clings to both fabric and skin. She appears to have been stabbed multiple times in the chest, stomach torn open to reveal the guts inside. Someone has wound tape around her lower jaw, likely to keep her from screaming out in fear or pain. Snot and dried tears cling to her face. Her hair is messed up, falling down the sides of her neck, but a significant clump in the back has been torn out. Who knows when she met her horrific fate, but it easily has to have been a little while ago, given the way the blood has gone from deep red to dull brown.
Behind Thomas, Percy retches and pukes all over the ground. Thomas can’t bring himself to tear his eyes away from Caitlin’s lifeless form. This couldn’t have been Edward’s work, right? It can’t be! He’s the most reliable person Thomas knows, he’d never stoop so low as this. He's not a bad person, he's not...
Percy gives Thomas’s sleeve a sharp yank. “Thomas! We need to report this to Sir Topham Hatt!”
Thomas swallows, mouth dry, and manages a nod. “Let’s go,” he says quickly, not wanting to stare at Caitlin any longer. His heart is pounding and he wants to cry, to give up his tears for Caitlin whose only crime was just being a good friend.
Percy opens his mouth to speak as they both make a beeline towards the door…then something is thrown across the warehouse and strikes the younger man in the head. Hard. Percy lets out a spluttered gasp before his eyes roll over and he slumps towards the ground. Thomas just barely manages to catch him in time. “Percy! Percy!? Are you okay!?”
He’s still breathing, thank the heavens. Thomas hefts Percy to his feet, slinging his unconscious friend’s arm around his shoulder, and then suddenly having his collar grabbed and yanked forward just in time to lock eyes with Edward.
“You’re not supposed to be in here,” Edward says evenly, disappointment lacing his voice. As though Thomas was just being careless with shunting instead of stumbling across a literal crime scene. As though nothing serious has happened at all.
“Did you do this?” Thomas whimpers. He doesn’t think he’ll like the answer, no matter what he hears.
“I had to,” Edward continues, in that same unassuming tone. “She was getting too close to Emily for my liking. I certainly couldn’t have that.”
“That doesn’t give you the right to kill people!” Thomas isn’t sure where he suddenly found the courage, but he’s livid now. All this unnecessary bloodshed, the literal taking of a life, all because Edward was fucking jealous. “Edward, what’s gotten into you!? Just because Emily’s friends with someone doesn’t mean you can-”
“You couldn’t possibly hope to understand!” Edward suddenly snaps.
“What is there for me to understand!?”
Edward bristles, before violently dropping Thomas to the ground. Both he and Percy land in a tangled heap at the older man’s feet. Thomas tries to sit up, as Edward rummages through a bag he has slung over his shoulder.
“Seriously, I don’t understand. You’re hurting others, just because you want Emily’s attention all to yourself? How do you think she would feel about this? She’d be horrified! She'd feel guilty, like this was all her fault.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Edward insists, pouring some kind of liquid into a washcloth. “I’m just doing what’s best for us. I’m protecting her. She needs me.”
“She doesn’t need you!” Thomas snaps, before a dreadful realization strikes him. “Are…you’re not going to kill us, are you?”
“Thomas, I could never.” Edward’s tone is deceptively gentle. “I’m sorry it had to come to this, I really am…but I really need you out of the way until you learn your lesson. I can’t have you scaring Emily like that.”
“What are you-” Thomas is suddenly cut off by Edward pressing the chloroform-soaked cloth against his nose.
He wakes up thirty minutes later locked inside the warehouse’s broom closet. Percy is there with him, still unconscious. Thomas desperately hopes his friend will wake up soon. He doesn’t think he could stomach seeing a second dead body tonight.
“Edward! Let me out!” Thomas desperately jiggles the lock, but to no avail. He tries shoving himself at the door, throwing his whole frame against it, kicking it, sticking smaller items into the lock in hopes of something happening. Nothing happens. He's trapped here. And he doesn't know what to do.
He needs to get out. He needs to warn Emily, before heaven forbid Edward hurts her too. It stings so much to see his first friend on the railway become so corrupted. Edward was his mentor, his introduction to the world of Sodor steam engines. How could someone so kind suddenly behave so horribly?
But if he can’t get out of the warehouse, then nothing is going to happen. Nobody will stop Edward. He could hurt other people, hurt Emily, just in an attempt to feed his strange delusions.
Thomas runs out of energy too soon, and slumps to the floor as tears run down the sides of his face.
Edward hums to himself as he finishes giving his mustache a careful shave, fixes the collar of his shirt, then grabs all the gifts he has lying prepared on his bed. Emily is waiting outside, watching birds fly over Tidmouth. It's a lovely day outside.
“To the most beautiful lady on Sodor,” Edward declares, pressing the presents into Emily’s hands. A bouquet of flowers, all her favourite ones, a box of chocolates he got specifically imported from Scotland, and even a beautiful necklace from that famed expensive jewelry store. It’s a thin but elegant gold chain, complete with a bedazzled letter “E” pendant hanging off it.
“Edward, this is all too much!” Emily gasps. “Oh, how you spoil me. I feel like the luckiest girl on Sodor!”
“When I’m with you, darling, I feel like the luckiest man on Sodor.” Edward carefully links his arm with Emily’s. It feels so nice to have her close to him, to feel the warmth radiating off her body. “Shall we?”
Emily nods, and the two head off for their first official date as a couple. What a brilliant day, Edward thinks. He’s worked so hard for this moment, and he’s not going to let anybody ruin it for him.