Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

            The yard at Apollo-Victoria only ever went quiet just before the sun came up. Even after midnight, you'd still hear the sounds of the freight cars laughing and drinking and the coaches gossiping in their shed. However, they'd all eventually pass out or fall into slumber after a few hours. Sleep comes over train-folk very easily when they've worn themselves out, you know.

            Tonight, there was one small noise in the otherwise silent yard.

            The pitter-patter of a well worn pair of sandals lightly sounded as either foot hit the gravel, only stopping for a moment when the boy went to cross one of the many empty tracks. The flickering lamps occasionally provided a glimpse at the child when he moved into the right position. His clothing was heavily faded and torn in several places. His hair was dirty, as if it hadn't been washed in several months - if ever.

            He stopped, pausing to look around. At last, a freight tarp laying on a nearby crate against one of the buildings caught his eye. Warmth. He dashed over to the crate and snatched the tarp up into his hand before running back into the direction he had come from. The tarp was too large to carry anything else with it.

            Hopefully he could grab a few more things before sun came up and the railroad awoke.

            Ashley was always the first to awake out of the four coaches. She needed a smoke when she woke up. Habit. Usually the noise of the smoking car stirring and heading to the patio was enough to awaken the other three coaches in the berth. Next to get out of bed was usually Buffy, off to say good morning to her lover outside. Pearl would usually be off to wake up Rusty after that. Young love was quite a thing to see.

            Dinah, on the other buffer, was a heavy sleeper. She always had been. This had managed to make her late for trains a few times, and despite her promises to set an alarm to try and redo her sleep schedule, she always failed. The others had gotten used to it at this point. Poppa had even told her not to worry about it - Belle was much worse when it came to sleeping too much.

            The dining car finally came around about an hour after the other coaches had gone off for work. She was lucky her usual consist was in it's off season - seeing as it was a summer train and the cold Autumn winds had begun to blow. She didn't have to change into train form today as far as she knew. A relief.

            Despite not being required to leave her cozy bunk, Dinah came to the conclusion that it would be best to head out into the yard. There had to be something interesting or someone to talk to until the others returned. She got to her wheels and messed with her hair a little bit before locking the berths and rolling her way outside. The cold Autumn air wasn't much to train folk anyway.

            The freight tarp had done wonders for Marcus's little home. To him, it was a sturdy roof to keep him dry when it rained. The PVC pipes and sticks that held it up were the inviolate foundation. The cardboard was the impenetrable walls of his fortress. The foam and blankets lining the interior was a queen-sized bed to keep him warm at night. The disused freight shed he had set it up in was his yard. This was his home.

            Another cold rush of air persuaded Marcus to climb into his fort and try and warm up a little bit. There was no way he could find or run a space heater, and candles would risk burning down his creation. He had his blankets, dirtied and torn over the years. It was okay. He had found them all by himself! He was proud! The old radio he had found one morning had said the winds would die down in a few hours anyway. Then he could play with his toy trains!

            Marcus's toy trains were what any collector would consider junk. Lamps and handrails were snapped off. None of them would move an inch had a bit of electricity met their wheels, if said wheels weren't missing. However, they were Marcus's toys. His toys. That was enough talking to himself. It was time for the 5:50 Express to Candy Land to leave !

            "Choo choo!" He whispered to himself as he ran the toy engine along the blankets. This time, he didn't even feel the cold gust of wind.

            "Watch this one!"

            Rocky 1 darted towards one of the makeshift ramps he and the other freight cars (sans Dustin and CB) had made for themselves. His wheels traveled up the metal at high speeds, sending him airborne for a second or two as they left it. He landed perfectly, doing a hairpin turn to come back to the other freight cars. Flat-Top clapped as the other two Rocky brothers whooped.

            "No, watch this." The flatcar turned to the two boxcars. "Lay down right after the ramp."

            The two cars were hesitant, but ended up lying on their fronts just after the metal ramp, Flat-Top began to speed forward, knowing what he wanted to do. He reached the ramp as he expected. However, a stone in front of the ramp that he hadn't seen tripped him up. His left foot carried him up the ramp, only for him to fall down and slam into the two boxcars.

            "Watch it!" Rocky 2 groaned as the three of them winced in pain. Rocky 1 began to laugh his couplings off. Dinah, who had been watching from afar, put a hand to her lips and let out a small giggle.

            "It wasn't my fault!  It was the damn rock!" Flat Top began to shout at the two Rockies.

            "Yes it was! You were stupid enough to try it!" Rocky 3 retorted.

            "Well you were stupid enough to do what I said!" The argument quickly devolved into firing nonsensical verbal shots at each other.

            While it had been funny to watch, Dinah did not find talking to the freight cars particularly desirable right now.

            The 5:50 express to Candy Land had arrived right on time. Marcus had gotten off the train and begun to look around. A gingerbread conductor had handed him a bag of cotton candy to keep him from getting hungry, which he had eagerly scarfed down.

            "Marcus!" A voice called out to the boy, causing him to turn and look to his left.

            "Mommy!" Marcus shouted and began to run towards his mother. Oh boy! He had finally found her after all this time!

            He had just reached her when another gust of wind knocked him out of his daydream.

            Marcus only knew his mother through a old photograph. The orphanage workers would tell him that it was left along with him at their doorstep one winter evening. Whether it was actually his mother or not, they didn't know.

            He wasn't even at that orphanage. A staffing crisis had resulted in a newer staff being brought in - one that didn't care much for the children and cared more for getting a paycheck at the end of the month. Marcus had run away because of that. It'd taken him a while to find a new home. Eventually, he had found his disused shed at the AV. He had always liked trains, so why not settle in a bustling yard where trains were organized and the trainfolk hung out?

            Marcus would have liked to get up close to the trains, but it really was trespassing however he looked at it. Getting kicked out now that he had settled here wouldn't be good. They wouldn't give him time to collect anything. Even if they did, he couldn't carry everything that made up his home.

            Why had the Starlight Express let this happen?

            A good hour of looking around the yard, and Dinah hadn't found anything to do. The clock tower visible from the yard showed that it would still be a good few hours until the other coaches returned. Of course, there was still a few people she considered. One, however, she couldn't bear to look at.

            Things hadn't worked out in the end for her and Greaseball. Sure, he had apologized after Rusty became the new world champion, and they had attempted to pick up their relationship where it left off. However, a few weeks time showed that they really weren't meant for each other. Dinah didn't feel that spark she had when she had first met GB.

            It was inevitable, but Dinah had to end it. Greaseball seemed to be a little bit distraught, but had since returned to normal.

            The dining car was once again U. N. C. O. U. P. L. E. D., but this time she had done it herself. It didn't break her like it had the first time, it almost felt like a load had been taken off her wheels. Still, Dinah felt a little bit empty. She cried about it the night after, and the other coaches had consoled her. As Buffy had put it; there were 'plenty of stock on the rails'.

            Dinah set down on the platform at the old freight shed. It had been left abandoned after the new warehouse had been built not far from the AV. Now freight was unloaded and put directly onto trucks that would carry it there. Now the old brick building was quiet.

            Except for a sobbing that echoed from the inside.

            That wasn't normal.

            The old metal doors of the building had long been since knocked off their hinges, allowing Dinah to take a peek inside the brick walls. She couldn't see what was producing the sound from this angle, so she quietly skated inside. Who knows what creatures could have settled in here since the building went quiet. She'd walked into a spider web once. Not fun.

            The old shed was mostly empty, the dirty concrete floor seeming barren, Light shone in from the smashed or missing windows, providing just enough visibility for her to look around. At last, she spotted what looked like an old crate on one side of the room. A tarp lay over the box, preventing her from seeing what was inside. Despite that, the tearful sobs were definitely coming from within.

            Quietly, Dinah rolled herself towards the box. Part of an old blanket spilled from beneath the tarp, and a toy train had been left just outside it. Was someone living here? Dinah crossed her fingers it wasn't an old homeless man like those who were often removed from the AV by railroad police.

            Hesitantly, Dinah brought herself onto one padded knee and slowly lifted the tarp.

            She had been partially right. Inside was a person. However, it was not a grimy man like she had been thinking about. It was a young boy with his face buried in his hands and knees. His sobbed were muffled, but loud enough to be heard from where she had been sitting. Toy trains and blankets were scattered around where he sat.

            Dinah quickly learned that even trainfolk have maternal instincts.

            "Are you okay?" She reached out a hand and softly placed it on the boy's head. The boy continued to cry, but looked up. His eyes widened as his sobbing ceased. The blonde woman looking at him with worry had figured out where he lived. Her shoulder pads and wheels quickly gave her away as one of the trainfolk.

            Marcus felt scared that she would give him away to the railroad company, but at the same time, she seemed to care. For the first time since he was younger, Marcus opened up.

            "I-I'm not." He began to cry again, his face returning to his palms.

            "What's wrong then?" Dinah tilted her head, still talking softly as to not frighten him.

            "A lot of t-things are wrong..." He sobbed. "I want to go home..." His words became incomprehensible as he broke into full-on tears again.

            Dinah paused. Sure, the homeless people who had been kicked from the yard had caused a bit of trouble with stealing freight or being disruptive, but this boy hadn't taken anything valuable, and she had never seen him before this. He was just a defenseless child.

            An idea ran through her head. She had to go through with it. How could she leave him here.

            "What's your name?" She continued to run a hand through his scruffy hair - much like Rusty's when he wasn't wearing his little cap.

            "M-Marcus..." The boy sobbed.

            "That's a very nice name, Marcus. My name is Dinah." Dinah smiled at him, hoping to cheer him up in some way. To her delight, Marcus's sobs began to become few and far between. At last, he looked up at her again. Streaks from the tears still glistened on his face, but he had finally begun to smile.

            "N-Nice to meet you." Marcus said through a final sob. Even though Dinah was not his mother, and a trainperson at that, he had already begun to latch onto her. She was as kind to him as she was pretty. Nobody had been that nice to him in all his life.

            There was a brief silence, which the dining coach broke.

            "Marcus-" She started before getting what she wanted to express into words. "If you'd like, I can take you back home with me. Would you like that? Living with trainfolk? It would be better than this, honey." She smiled at him. Marcus didn't respond with words, but finally nodded. He grabbed a small box from within the tent and slowly placed his toy trains inside.

            Dinah initially turned around to let him couple on before she remembered that he was human. He had no wheels. For the first time in a long time, she'd have to walk back to the coach shed on her toe-stops.

            Marcus walked alongside Dinah, smiling up at her as he held the box of toys under his arm. Dinah reached down and took his hand in hers, slowly beginning the walk back to the coach shed.

            It was the right thing to do, but Starlight forbid Control found out about this.

Chapter Text

            Dinah and Marcus managed to get back to the coach shed about half an hour before the other coaches returned. Nobody had seen them on the way back, which was a miracle to both of them.

            Marcus had not been in any kind of warm building for a long time, and immediately began to roll around in the nearest bunk he could flop onto. Unfortunately for Dinah, that bunk was Pearl's.

            "W-Why don't you play with your trains for a bit, Marcus?" Dinah suggested as she began to think about how having four coaches and a human boy all in the same shed would work. There was barely enough room in the sleeping area for the four of them, and now she'd have to adapt for a fifth.

            "Okay!" Marcus chirped and began to look through his box of trains. There were many different kinds of trains within the box, but he picked out his favorite steam engine. He'd found it in a trash can a few months ago. Someone must have decided it was broken and threw it out. It was certainly far from broken in his standards! He hooked up a few freight cars and began to roll it along the floor.

            "Whoo-oo! Whoo-oo! Nobody can do it like a steam train!" He sang as the squeaky wheels of the train rolled along the floor. Dinah turned to face him.

            "Where did you learn that song, Marcus?" She asked with a curious tone.

            "I heard one of the engines singing it one day." The boy replied as the train 'chugged' along.

            "I think you heard my friend Rusty!" She smiled as the boy perked up.

            "He's your friend?" Marcus exclaimed. Dinah nodded.

            "I can introduce you to him soon, but I need to get this place ready for you to live in right now, okay?" She explained before going back to her brainstorming.

            Dinah continued to think about how to rearrange thing as Marcus played with his trains on the floor. Things remained generally silent until a familiar whistle sounded from within the yard. The evening train was just returning, which meant the other coaches were just getting off work. Dinah jumped.

            "Um... Do you mind cleaning up your toys, Marcus?" She shakily asked. There was the chance that the others would be mad about her bringing home a child of all things. Marcus looked up in confusion, but began to clean up like he was asked. He wasn't going to bite the hand that was giving him a home.

            A bead of sweat ran down Dinah's forehead as she debated how to hide the boy. What did humans do? She quickly got an idea, spotting the closet of extra wheels and parts off to the side.

            "Marcus, let's play hide and seek!" She smiled and clapped to get his attention. "You hide first!"

            Marcus smiled and looked around for a moment, also spotting the closet and climbing inside. Dinah counted down, but didn't immediately begin to look. At that moment, the lock to the shed jiggled and the door open.

            "We're back!" Pearl sang as she and Buffy entered the shed, Ashley having stopped outside for a smoke break.

            "W-Welcome back!" Dinah stammered, seeing that she was holding the illusion well enough. Strangely, that wasn't what threw the others off.

            "Dinah, sugar, I don't smell dinner." Buffy noted, seeming concerned for her cohort. Dinah was almost always cooking for them when arrived off the evening train this time of the year. However, there was no scent of food in the air tonight.

            "O-Oh! I must have forgotten!" Dinah tried to look surprised that she had somehow forgotten, rolling into the kitchen to start cooking.

            The moment Dinah turned away, the illusion broke.

            "Ahhhhhhh!"

            Marcus had managed to continue hiding for a few moments, but his desire to meet the other trainfolk who had just entered the shed had become too much for him. He had stepped out as soon as Dinah went to cook.

            Dinah rolled back into the other room, fearing for the worst. Thankfully, the other coaches weren't trying to kick the boy out or report him to Control. They were acting like he was the cutest thing they'd seen in a long time - which was enough to make Ashley put out her cig before she'd finished it and check out the commotion.

            "Oh Starlight, what's your name?" Buffy squeezed the boy's cheek, causing him to wince a little bit.

            "M-Marcus, ma'am." Marcus replied as she let go, only for the hand of the parlor car to reach out and ruffle up his hair more than it already was. The observation car was clearly the youngest of the group, and despite still gushing and baby-talking, she kept her distance.

            Dinah watched from sidelines, relived that they at least liked him, but still fearing what could happen. The freight cars liked CB until they found out he was breaking the rules, and he was punished accordingly. Who was to say the same couldn't happen to the poor boy?

            Dinah decided honesty was the best policy in the situation.

            "I brought him home." She sighed and admitted, the other coaches turning to look at her, Ashley's hand still in Marcus's hair.

            "Why?" The smoking car asked as Dinah sighed again.

            "Look girls, he's homeless. I offered to let him live here. I know it's going against Control, bu-"

            Buffy placed a finger over Dinah's lips before she began to ramble.

            "Sugar, it's okay. I would have done the same thing." She smiled, the other two coaches following suit. "Besides, I think Control is softening up. CB wasn't scrapped and Electra was let back into the yard after what happened a few months ago."

            Dinah nodded, seeing as both of those statements were true. Electra seemed to be sorry and was allowed to work as a regular engine. CB was banned from trains for a while, but could still wander the yard.

            The conversation was interrupted by Marcus's stomach growling.

            "I-I'll get to dinner. Can you play with Marcus for a while?" Dinah asked before rolling towards the kitchen. The three coaches nodded.

            Dinah returned with a steak dinner to find the three coaches playing trains on the floor with Marcus. She had to admit, it was quiet adorable to see. From what she could tell, the three locomotives were racing and Pearl was playing the part of narrating said race.

            "Steamy wins!" Pearl announced as the three trains crossed the finish line. This was followed by clapping from Buffy and Ashley.

            "I knew he could do it!" Marcus added before noticing dinner on the table. "Food!" He darted from his spot and flopped down into a chair, followed by the other coaches finding their seats.

            Marcus seemed to almost inhale his food. It was rather heartwarming to watch, seeing as he hadn't had a proper meal in quite some time. Dinah briefly thought on what he must of had to eat to get by, but quickly shook the thought away.

            Despite that, something else struck all four coaches.

           Marcus was dirty. He clearly hadn't had a bath in a long time, which was understandable given his situation, but the issue still had to rectified.

            "I think we should take Marcus to the washdowns after dinner." Ashley commented before taking a bit of her steak.

            "Seconded." Buffy chimed in, Pearl nodding in agreement. All three turned to look at Dinah, who nodded. Marcus wasn't paying any attention, only continuing to scarf down the steak.

            "Done!" He exclaimed, showing off his empty plate.

            The four coaches walked Marcus to the humanoid washdowns. It felt unnatural to walk after being used to rolling for so many years, but Marcus had no wheels to speak of. He wouldn't keep up.

            Seeing as there was nobody around, Dinah slipped Marcus into the female washdowns and shut the door.

            "Take your clothes off, Marcus. I need to wash you." She told the boy as she began to slip off her dress without concern. Marcus was clearly too young to have sex on his mind, and likely wouldn't see her as a woman just yet.

            "I've never gotten a proper bath before!" Marcus exclaimed as Dinah washed his back. She giggled. It was cute how even the most mundane things were a whole new world for him. She finished his back, shampooing her hands and digging her fingers into his hair. It was full of dirt and grime, but washed out surprisingly easy.

            "You really needed on-" Dinah was cut off by Ashley bursting into the washroom, already having removed her clothing.

            "I need to shower." She commented before stepping over to one of the empty shower heads and turning on the water. Dinah always wondered how Ashley washed her hair with that style. Was it an actual exhaust pipe? Was it just how she did it up? Nobody had asked.

            At last, Dinah finished cleaning Marcus up and went to turn off the water. For a moment she swore she saw Flat-Top peeking in one of the glazed windows, but she really didn't care at this point. After what happened earlier today, he didn't need any more loads on his wheels.

            Dinah let Marcus go get changed first before putting her usual attire back on herself. She thought about how easy it was for humans to get changed. Trainfolk had to put all of their bulky equipment back on so they could change form properly. It was part of them.

            The two of them returned to Buffy trying to debate with Pearl as to whether taking Marcus into the girls washdown as acceptable. Upon seeing the dining coach and boy return, they quickly ceased.

            "You guys can back without me." Buffy brought Dinah and Pearl close for a moment. "I need a bit of private time with Ms. Smoking Car." She giggled.

            The two other coaches gave Buffy a mildly concerned look before returning to the coach shed with Marcus for the night.

            The coach shed was rather quiet with only two coaches and a boy lounging within. Marcus quietly played trains while Pearl and Dinah  rested their wheels by watching some human TV. There wasn't much trainfolk could relate to, but it was entertaining.

            After a few moments, Marcus came up between them, smiling happily.

            "Look what I have!" He giggled and handed Pearl a toy observation coach. Marcus wasn't sure of what kinds of coaches his new caregivers were, except for pear. The silver 'OBSERVATION' lettering just below her neck was hard to miss.

           "Is this for me?" The young coach asked and smiled at the boy. "Thank you!" She patted Marcus on the head, feeling how much softer his hair had gotten now that he had been bathed. Sure, Dinah going into the washrooms with Marcus was wrong, but it had paid off.

            At that moment, a knock sounded on the door. Dinah wasn't annoyed to have to be getting up. Desperate Housewives was too strange to pay much attention to. She rolled up to the door and opened up to let Buffy and Ashley in.

            However, she was greeted by a black diesel engine. Almost everyone in Greaseball's 'gang' had identical paint schemes, but she could tell by face.

            "What do you want, Tank." Dinah spoke in an unamused tone. Tank seemed to fidget awkwardly as he stood the doorstep.

            "Ms. Dinah, Greaseball sent me." He spoke. Dinah rolled her eyes. Of course it was Greaseball. He was trying to crawl back. (Go away you B. A. S. T. A. R. D.!)

            "Oh yeah? What does Mr. Union Pacific have to say." She placed a hand on her hip, beginning to scowl at the incompetent diesel.

            "Mr. Greaseball wants to say he's sorry, and he wants me to say that you can come back to the diesel sheds for a massage if you'd like!" Tank smiled. He wasn't interested in bunking with Dinah or anything, if it made GB happy, it made him happy.

            Dinah scoffed. "Tell Greaseball he can fu-"

            "Are you a diesel train?!" Marcus stood next to Dinah in the doorway, looking excitedly up at Tank. Dinah jumped and initially tried to cover up the child, but realized that Tank had seen everything.

            "Oh, hello!" The diesel came down onto one knee. "Yup! A fine work of modern machinery!" He retrieved his helmet and put it on, turning on his headlights. Marcus's eyes lit up.

            "Cool!" The child jumped with joy. Dinah looked down at Marcus with concern.

            "Go back inside, Marcus. Pearl might get lonely with nobody else on the couch." She suggested. With that, Marcus ran back inside.

            "Why is the kid there?" Tank asked with genuine curiosity, removing and stowing his helmet. Dinah was silent for a moment, but there was no lying about it.

            "Look, I took him in because he was homeless. I saved him." She skated a bit closer to the diesel. "Control can't know. He'll kick him out. Yard rules, you know."

            Tank nodded, agreeing to the vow of silence. "I see. I best be off now. GB expects me back." He turned and prepared to skate away.

            "One more thing, Tank." Dinah stopped him for a moment. "I think big GB's having a lonely night. It will pass. Don't listen to him if he whines about wanting me back."

            Tank stopped and nodded, skating away with a blast of his horn.

            Buffy and Ashley finally returned a while later, both blushing and winking at each other. Dinah and Pearl weren't clueless as to what had likely gone down in the washdowns, but Marcus was too busy playing trains to notice.

            The coaches decided to hit it for the night around 10 o'clock. Pearl, Buffy, and Ashley had to go on the same run tomorrow with Rusty. They needed to sleep.

            Upon heading for the bunks, the question was asked. Marcus needed a place to sleep. There were only four beds. A bit of silence passed before Dinah spoke.

            "Marcus, you can sleep with me tonight, sweetie." She suggested. Marcus agreed and quickly flopped into her bunk. Dinah removed her skates and tucked them in as Ashley shut off the lamp.

            Without much of a thought, Dinah wrapped her arms around Marcus. He probably wanted the warmth. The boy sweetly settled against her body, cooing slightly as he rested his head. The dining coach's hand lightly brushed through his hair.

            As Marcus began to enter slumber, Dinah opened her mouth and began to softly sing.

            "Starlight Express... Starlight Express... Are you real? Are you near?"

Chapter Text

            "Control! Control! Will Dinah the Dining Coach please report to organization track two! You are needed for an unexpected run!"

            Dinah awoke with a start. The voice of Control calling her out into the yard was unmistakable.  Any other day she'd groan and head out after messing with her hair a bit with no other issues. Now, she had Marcus to look after.

            The other coaches had left for the daily seasonal rail-tour train earlier that morning, leaving Dinah and Marcus to sleep in. Now with this coming up, there was no way she could leave Marcus at home by himself.

            Dinah shook Marcus's arm, causing him to stir and rub his eyes.

            "Mommy?" He whispered in a groggy voice, still adjusting to lodging with the coaches. When his vision cleared and he saw Dinah staring down at him, Marcus went red in the face.

            "It's alright, Marcus. Please get up. I need to do something today." Dinah took the boy's hand and guided him to his feet. All the while, she was thinking about babysitters. Who was around who could look after this boy?

            The freight cars? No.

            Electra? No.

            Greaseball? Starlight, no.

            At last, Dinah got an idea. "Come along, sweetie. I need to find you babysitter." She explained as Marcus took her hand and they walked off across the yard. Dinah really only knew of one engine she could trust.

            Poppa sat on the old buffer outside of the shed where he and Belle lodged. Belle was still sleeping late as usual, but that never stopped him from playing his harmonica before, and it wouldn't now. With that, the sound of blues filled his corner of the yard as usual.

            However, Poppa noted that the blue-clad figure approaching him was rather unusual. Not many people approached him at his shed, and never at this time of the morning. He adjusted his glasses and got a better look at his visitors.

            "My my my, if it isn't Dinah." The old steamer laughed in his gruff voice. He had initially thought it to be Rocky 3, but the dining coach was a nice surprise. "Didn't I just hear Control call you out for a run?"

            Dinah quickly strolled to the old engine, not wanting to waste much time. "Yes. Poppa, I need you to a big favor for me." She asked in a concerned tone.

            It only took Poppa a few moments to spot the small elephant in the room. "Oh ho ho, who's this?" He looked down at the human child. Poppa had never really followed a few of Control's rules strictly. He knew what could actually be harmful and what was just there to avoid lawsuits.

            "I'm Marcus." He whispered shyly. Poppa laughed in a friendly manner.

            "Marcus! My name's Ramblin', but you can call me Poppa." He smiled at the boy.

            "Poppa, I need to leave him with you for a few hours while I'm on this run. You're not busy right?" Dinah seemed anxious.

            "Child! Relax." Poppa attempted to console the anxious carriage. "I don't do anything around this here yard now! Why wouldn't I have time to watch Marcus here!" He patted the boy's head.

            "You're a Starlight-send, Poppa." Dinah kneeled and took Marcus's hands in hers. "I'll be back later, okay Marcus? Will you be good for Poppa?"

            Marcus nodded. Dinah said goodbye and quickly  headed off to the yard. She'd likely get some smack from Control, but it was better than leaving the poor boy at home.

            "Belle? BELLE!" Poppa called from his perch, Marcus standing silently to the side. "Wake up girl! We have a visitor!"

            A groggy "Give me a moment!" sounded from within the shed. At last, the sleeping car emerged from the shed, still rubbing her eyes.

            "We're looking after Marcus here for Dinah." Poppa explained and put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

            "Since when Dinah have a kid?" Belle asked in confusion. She decided she must have slept through something. "A human kid at that?"

            Poppa shrugged. "She didn't say, but there 'oughta be a reason."

            Marcus and Belle exchanged introductions, Poppa suggesting Belle whip up a bit tea for the three of them. It only took a few moments for the sleepy coach to return with three glasses of tea.

            Marcus pressed the cup of cool liquid to his lips, his eyes widening as he took a large gulp. "This is really good." The boy proceeded to down the entire glass, holding it up when he was finished. "More please!"

            The following silence from Poppa and Belle prompted a "Thank you." from Marcus.

           To satisfy the curiosity of the two older trains, Marcus did his best to explain the events of the previous day. How he'd been found, the bath he'd had, and (in a bit too much detail) how he'd played trains with the other coaches. Poppa and Belle sat quietly and listened to the boy's entire ramble.

            Marcus's eyes briefly glanced across Poppa's skate, which reminded him of something else that had puzzled him.

            "If everyone has wheels, why do they walk when I'm around?" He asked after getting halfway through another cup of iced tea. Poppa laughed.

            "I think that'd be because you don't have wheels!" The old engine laughed as Marcus looked down at his worn sandals and bare feet. If everything else somehow didn't give away that he wasn't one of the trainfolk, that would.

            "I think I see..." Marcus seemed to put on a small frown, starting to feel like he didn't belong her after all. Dinah already had to keep him here in secret. He was no more than a misfit.

            Poppa noted the young boy's saddening expression, suddenly getting an idea. "Belle, get those old set of wheels from the shed."

            "Whatever you say, Poppa." The sleeping car disappeared into the wooden building, returning with a dusty pair of skates - clearly a very old and worn out set. She set them down in front of Marcus, who looked at them with a confused expression.

            "Throw 'em on, Marcus. I'm taking you for a ride." Poppa laughed and hoisted himself off of the buffer, straightening his back and loosening whatever joints had become stiff since he sat down.

            Marcus's eyes lit up almost immediately as he slipped off his sandals and put his feet into the skates. Although Belle had to aid him in actually tying them, he was soon ready. The sleeping car pushed him up behind Poppa, and he grabbed onto his couplers tightly.

            "Watch the place til we get back, Belle." The old engine requested, although fully expecting her to have fallen asleep by the time they returned. "Ready to go, Marcus?"

            The boy nodded, and with a short toot of Poppa's whistle, they were off into the yard.

            Riding behind Poppa was like nothing Marcus had ever experienced. Sure, the old steamer wasn't as fast as the other engines in the yard, but to Marcus it felt like they were dashing along at the speed of light.

            The smooth tracks for engines and rolling stock in humanoid form had to bob and weave around the full size railroad tracks that took up a large chunk of the yard, but they were enough to get anyone to where they needed to go.

            Marcus and Poppa briefly passed by a group of freight cars attempting do tricks with a small metal ramp. They both said hello and Marcus got a few funny looks, but thankfully they didn't question a human boy's presence in the yard.

            "You hanging tight back there, Marcus?" Poppa asked as they turned to pass by the diesel sheds. Marcus nodded, briefly spotting the diesel from the other night sitting outside. He waved, but the diesel didn't notice him.

            Rolling along in coach form was usually easy for Dinah. All she had to do was relax and let the locomotive do the work. Today, however, she couldn't keep her thoughts away from her little boy. Although she was sure Marcus would be perfectly fine with Poppa and Belle, what if Control found out while she was away? He'd be shipped off without even seeing his new caregiver for the last time. She would have ruined him.

            Dinah held back her tears, seeing as she knew none of the other coaches on the train today. In fact, the only one she recognized on the train was Turnov, the Russian engine who she didn't particularly care for. That meant there was officially nobody to vent her feelings to. Starlight, this was irritating.

            Marcus's train ride with Poppa finally came to an end when they arrived back at the wooden shed. As the old engine expected, Belle had laid down in the nearby pile of coal and fallen asleep. Again. No use disturbing her this time. Too much effort on his aging frame.

            Marcus let go of Poppa's couplings, almost immediately losing his balance on the skates and falling on his rump. It didn't hurt at all, and he even shared a laugh with the aging engine - who had opened up his chest and was shoveling in a bit of coal.

            At last, Marcus yawned, tuckered out from the excitement of the train ride, and content inside from the tea.

            "Rest your eyes, child." Poppa suggested, coming back with a pillow and a blanket from his own bed. "I'll wake you up when Dinah gets back."

            Marcus sleepily nodded laying down on the nearby bench and resting his head on the pillow. It was a bit dirty, but cleaner than what he had at his own home.

            As he drifted off, Poppa retrieved his harmonica and began to quietly play the blues. The soothing sound quickly put Marcus into a pleasant sleep.

            The moment the train was unloaded and Dinah was able to change into humanoid form, she dashed straight for Poppa and Belle's.

            She was panting by the time she arrived, a result of the sheer speed she had been traveling at.  Her eyes darted around the area. The lights in the shed were on, but neither Poppa or Belle were outside. Even worse - there was no sign of Marcus.

            "Marcus!" She called out, hoping the boy would poke out from behind a rusty barrel or something. Nothing. He'd been found. Control had sent him away. She'd failed as a caregiver.

            Just before Dinah could fall to her knees and begin to cry, Poppa emerged from the shed.

            "Ah, there you are." He laughed and rolled over to the bench, shaking something laying down on it. At last, Marcus sleepily poked up, yawning. His eyes twinkled when he saw Dinah standing there, quietly getting up and walking over before hugging her waist. There was a bit of silence as both engine and coach took in the scene.

            "Thanks, Poppa." Dinah finally spoke. The old steamer smiled.

            "Don't mention it." He laughed, looking down at Marcus. "See you soon, Marcus." He gave a small whistle.

            "Bye... Poppa." Marcus sleepily said goodbye. Without another word, Dinah lifted Marcus onto her back and set off for the coach shed. The other coaches would likely be back by now.

            Dinah arrived back at the shed, telling the other coaches to keep it down as she softly set Marcus, now fast asleep, into her bunk for the night. He looked so peaceful. The look was enough to make Dinah forget all of her previous worries. She looked to either side before giving the boy a soft kiss on the forehead.

            "So you got called out on a train?" Buffy inquired as she did her nails up, Ashley painting her own off to the side. Pearl sat and continued to watch Desperate Housewives, much more enthralled in the program than the other coaches.

            "Yeah. Had to leave Marcus with Poppa and Belle. He survived." Dinah chuckled as she took a spot on the couch next to Pearl. She could finally take the rest of the night to relax, seeing as Marcus was out cold.

            The chatter among the coaches continued as if Marcus had never been taken in. That is, until Dinah broke a period of silence.

            "Girls, I really don't know how long I can keep him from Control." She sighed. No matter who was hiding something in the AV, Control would eventually find out. He was the all-seeing eye of the rail yard, after all. The other coaches gave her a solemn look. They all came to same conclusion as their friend.

            "Look, girl." Ashley stopped painting her nails long enough to speak. "We're just looking after him til we can find a nice human mom for him, right?" She suggested, the other coaches nodded.

            "It's the most we can do." Pearl commented as Desperate Housewives went to a commercial break.

            Dinah looked down at her skates. It really was all they could do if Marcus wasn't going to be thrown on to the streets. She'd eventually have to say goodbye to the boy she'd bonded with in such a short time.

            "I need a smoke." Ashley interrupted her thoughts, grabbing a white and brown stick from a box in her pocket and rolling outside.

            The 5:50 express to Candy Land had arrived right on time. Marcus had gotten off the train and begun to look around. A gingerbread conductor had handed him a bag of cotton candy to keep him from getting hungry, which he had eagerly scarfed down.

            "Marcus!" A voice called out to the boy, causing him to turn and look to his left.

            The railway carriage he had come in had become the pretty woman he had come to be very attached to.

            "Mommy!" Marcus shouted and began to run towards his mother. Oh boy! He had finally found her after all this time!

            This time, there was no gust of wind to interrupt him.

Chapter Text

            Dinah had had the dream again.

            She was walking with Marcus win the AV, when she looked to her side and noticed he was missing. She looked behind her to see a massive, shadowy hand with Marcus in its clutches. The boy was clearly struggling to break free and in pain.

            "Mom!" He cried as the arm dragged him back into the abyss.  Dinah tried to catch up, but it only disappeared, taking her child with her.

            And then, the voice.

            "Engines must obey Control! Engines must obey Control! DO! WHAT! YOU'RE! TOLD!"

            Every morning, it was a relief to see the boy still snuggling to her body in the bunk. To see his little chest rising and falling against her own. To know that despite all odd, he was still there.

            Yet, even if they kept him secret, eventually he wouldn't be. Sure, he'd go off with a nice human mother to care for him until he truly grew up, but Dinah was still going to miss her little boy. Plus, who knew what would happen to him once they let him go? What if his new mother was two-faced like CB?

            No. She shouldn't be worrying. Marcus wasn't her child. She and the other coaches were just keeping him out of the rain, clean, and fed until they found him a home. That's it.

            It felt like one half of her mind was arguing with the other with no foreseeable end.

            Marcus awoke to the sweet smell of food coming from the kitchen of the shed. It was obvious that the other three coaches had left for the day, leaving him and Dinah alone. He didn't mind. He didn't want to part from Dinah for too long anyway.

            "Good morning." He said sleepily as he walked into the kitchen. He found his caregiver to be making those pancake things she promised to make on their walk home last night. Marcus had never had pancakes before but they looked and smelled really good.

            "Did you sleep well, sweetie?" Dinah questioned, hoping that her rude awakening from her nightmare hadn't disturbed the boy. To her relief, he nodded, yawning again and smiling at her.

            "What kind of coach are you?" Marcus asked as Dinah drizzled maple syrup on the now finished pancakes.

            "Me? I'm a Dining Car. A mobile kitchen, essentially." She explained, watching the boy's eyes light up in excitement.

            "That must be why you cook so good!" He laughed as Dinah set the plate in front of him, sitting at the opposite end of the table. Marcus dug into his food quickly and viciously as her had the past few days. Dinah understood. He hadn't had any real food to eat for as long as he had been on his own, presumably.

            It wasn't that he had been fed, Marcus looked like a much more well groomed child now that they had taken him in. The past few days had the coaches managing to secure a small wardrobe for the boy, finally allowing him to discard the torn garments Dinah had found him in. You'd never know he was homeless by look.

            "Done!" Marcus exclaimed, pulling Dinah from her thoughts. She giggled and took the empty plate to be washed.

            Ashley had managed to secure a DVD for Marcus to watch, a children's video about a talking blue steam engine and his cohorts. Dinah had to laugh, it seemed like such a familiar concept, yet they had gotten it all wrong. Despite that, it was enough to keep Marcus from leaving his toy trains all over the floor. He'd just roll his favorite engine along the couch as he watched the TV.

            Sure, Marcus was treated well and remained happy, but Dinah couldn't get the future off of her mind.

            The list of things CB regretted could easily fill a freight train. One that wasn't so great, that is.

            A few months ago, he'd finally met the consequences of what he'd been doing over a period of years. Hell, he'd killed many an engine and many a railroad man. All in the name of his own entertainment.

            Of course, he'd seen the light at the end of the tunnel and finally blurted out all of his past sins to Control. In the faceless voice's own words, he'd 'gotten off lightly'. Sure, he was banned from trains for the next year and would be under a close eye even after that, but it was better than the scrapheap or being converted into a yard office.

            Further more, he was now almost universally despised by the whole yard. It was obvious as to why, and he understood it himself, but it left him what he thought to be the loneliest car on the rails. He'd even gone to apologize multiple times. Apparently, nobody thought he was being serious.

            In all, there was only one thing that kept CB going in such a desolate time.

            That was Dinah.

            He'd check up on her from a distance when he had the chance - just making sure that she was still okay. News about her ending it with Greaseball had spread quickly, and initially he thought that he'd get a chance with the lovely dining car.

            Then his past came back to haunt him.

            For all she cared, CB was a two faced bastard who would probably kill again if he was given the chance. He wasn't going to change if it was to save the world.

            He said he'd always be there in her time of need, and then he'd betrayed everyone at once.

            CB slumped down against the old buffer he usually hung out around, at one end of the caboose siding. The more he thought about how things were now, the more worthless he felt. He doubted the others would look at him positively again, even after his ban was over.

            Once he'd been high styles and wide smiles. Now he was just the red caboose.

            Dinah had taken it upon herself to teach Marcus how to make his own lunch. He'd made a comment about wanting to be just like her when he got older, and she wasn't going to let that spark die. Starting off simple, she instructed him on how to properly make a sandwich.

            "You don't want to use too much of any one ingredient, and use your condiments spari-" She began to say before Marcus squirted out half the mayonnaise bottle on to the sandwich in progress. There was a silence before both of them broke out laughing.

            "We can always try again." Dinah smiled and put the ruined sandwich in the bin. There was always the second time.

            Marcus was about due for another back, so Dinah had taken him down to the washrooms to clean him up. It was a massively easier process this time around, seeing as there significantly less dirt to scrub off of the boy.

            The two were generally quiet until Marcus broke the silence, his hair still full of suds.

            "Do I belong here?" He asked in a sadder tone than normal. He'd had the question on his mind since he'd been with Poppa and Belle a few days ago, and he couldn't shake it out of his head. Dinah turned, still lathering up her body.

            "Of course you do! What makes you ask that?" She inquired, now feeling concerned for her child.

            "I mean, you're all trainfolk. I'm a boy. I don't even have wheels." Marcus described how he was feeling the best he could. "You have to walk instead of roll when I'm around."

            Dinah didn't want to say it, but Marcus was kind of a misfit in the train yard. That was why they wanted to find him a human mother in the first place. She set down the bar of soap and came down to his level, placing a tender hand on his shoulder.

            "Human on trainfolk, you'll always be rolling stock to me." She whispered, leaning in and planting a soft, motherly kiss on the boy's cheek. Marcus quickly went as red as CB. In all his years, he'd never been kissed like that - or at all, for that matter.

            Dinah pulled Marcus into a tight hug, which the child quickly returned. Neither said a word, only holding each other closely.

            At this point, the fact that both of them were nude and covered in suds didn't matter.

            The walk back to the coach shed was mostly uneventful, aside from Dinah walking back with her skates in her hand rather than on her feet. Walking on her toe stops had begun to hurt, and it seemed to make Marcus a little more like he belonged as well.

            "Marcus, why don't you go inside and get ready for bed? I'm going to stay out here for a bit, okay?" Dinah suggested as they stepped onto the patio. Marcus nodded and headed inside to put on his pajamas.

            Dinah looked up at the moon, taking a few moments to organize her thoughts. Starlight, she had a lot to think about. It all related back to Marcus. In honesty, her life felt more like bedlam than it had before she'd taken him in. Even so, it felt so right to have him under her wing.

            Dinah had just begun to think about if she was over attached to Marcus when a voice rang out from a few meters away.

            "Having a nice evening?"

            Dinah looked over at the source of the voice, seeing the unmistakable red-bodied piece of rolling stock sitting just before the steps. He was holding his signature lamp to illuminate the darkness around him, despite the various light poles around the yard being enough to see at night.

            "What do you want, Caboose." Dinah rolled her eyes. Unlike some other trains in the yard, the coaches were usually willing to hear CB out. Not that any of them trusted him very much after what came out a few months ago.

            "I just wanted to know how you were doing is all? Can't a caboose want to know if everything's okay?" CB responded, trying not to come off as creepy. Dinah sighed.

            "If you really need to know, I feel conflicted." She sighed and fluffed hair a tiny bit. CB chuckled.

            "What, about Marcus?"

            Dinah almost jumped and ran back inside the house. Of all the trainfolk the news could have leaked to first, it was the starlight-damned red caboose. CB saw the coach's worried, slowly maddening expression and shrugged.

            "Relax, relax! I'm not gonna tell Control about that!" He laughed, Dinah turning.

            "Look, what do you want for silence? Money? Favors?" She began to ramble, the caboose quickly shushing her.

            "Nothing at all." He assured. "Blackmail wasn't my style, even back then."

            Dinah's expression slowly began to change to relief. The red caboose smiled at her in a friendly way.

            "You know, if you ever need someone to look after the kid, there's always me."

            The dining car took a hard look at the train staring back at her. Even she had to admit, he seemed to have changed since he turned himself in a few months ago. He'd seen the light like all the rest of them. At last, she sighed.

            "CB, look. I'm willing to give you another shot," She spoke at last, seeing the caboose's smile only widen. "but if you want me to trust you..." She stopped and began to head back inside, turning to face him.

            "Show me I can." With that, she closed the door, leaving CB on his own.

            "Mhm? You'll think about it? Oh, I can't thank you enough! Alright, bye for now."

            Ashley hung up the phone, turning to Buffy and nodding. The two squealed in joy and pulled each other into a hug. Concerned about the sound, Pearl entered from the next room. Dinah was too busy putting Marcus to bed to comment.

            "What's got you two all riled up?" The first-class girl asked, a confused look on her face.

           "We might be able to look after a little trainlet of our own soon!" Buffy's grin seemed to go from ear to ear. Ashley rolled up from her rear and proceeded to hug her from behind. Pearl remained silent.

            "Who's pregnant?" She asked. The two other coaches broke out laughing.

            "No no no! We're gonna be looking after one of Ashley's little cousins if we're allowed!" The buffet car continued, still almost jumping for joy.

            Dinah sat on Pearl's bunk, keeping Marcus company as he tried to fall asleep in her own. Tonight, the child seemed to be more restless than usual. Despite his attempts to let himself drift off, he remained a wake.

            "Dinah?" He asked at last.

            "Yes?"

            "Can you tell me a story?"

            "Of course." Dinah replied with a smile, trying to think of what to tell him. It didn't take very long for her to figure one out.

            Once upon a time, in a far away train yard, there lived a little steam engine. He was smaller and rustier than all of the other trains, and they all made fun of him because of it.

            One day, all of the trains had decided to have a race. The other trains told the steam train he shouldn't enter, because he was only going to lose. The steam train entered anyway, because he was sure that he could win!

            At last, the race started, and all the trains were heading down the track at top speed. The little steam train was left way out in back, but never gave up. One by one, he slowly passed all the other trains.

            Despite all odds, the steam train won! All of the other trains were jealous, and he was pronounced king of the train yard! He thought he could win, and he did!

            By the time Dinah had finished her story, Marcus was fast asleep.

Chapter Text

            On a cold morning at the tail end of Autumn, a brown van pulled into the AV through the road entrance, stopping in front of the coach shed and delivering a brown box before driving away. The knocking at the door had awoken Dinah before Marcus, just as she had hoped. The coach slowly got to her feet, making sure not to disturb the sleeping child before heading out to the front door, pulling the package inside.

            Marcus slowly came to after another peaceful night's sleep, immediately noting that Dinah was not there to cuddle him close and say good morning. She couldn't have gone out on a train - there was no way that she'd leave him home alone. She must have gone out into the kitchen to cool breakfast.

           The boy rubbed his eyes and got to his socked feet, sleepily moving his way into the dining room of the shed. He could smell breakfast cooking, as he expected. Eggs and Bacon. His new favorite. However, something was certainly not of the usual this morning.

            A medium sized. wrapped present sat on the dining room table! Upon closer inspection, it even had a little tag on the bow that addressed the gift to him. Marcus found the box to be funny, seeing as it definitely wasn't his birthday. As he began to slightly fiddle with the paper, a familiar giggle came from the kitchen.

            "Good morning, sweetie." Dinah smiled as she walked in from the kitchen. Since that night, she had taken it to not wear her skates in the house - leaving them at the door unless she needed to go out on a train. It seemed to make Marcus feel a little more like he fit in.

            "Good morning." Marcus replied quickly, shaking the box to try and figure out what was inside. Dinah giggled at his curiosity.

            "Breakfast is almost ready. We can open it after you eat, okay?" She picked up the box and set it down on the floor beside the table, quickly replacing it with a plate of sizzling bacon and warm eggs. Marcus, not being the one to wait patiently for anything, almost inhaled his breakfast.

            "I'm done! Can we open it now?" He exclaimed the moment the last bite went into his mouth. Dinah smiled and set the box on the table again, making a 'one moment' sign with her finger as she put the dirty plate in the sink.

            The moment she returned and nodded, Marcus dove into the packaging like a rabid boar. His eyes lit up as he saw what lay under the paper -  a brand new pair of roller skates that were just his size.

            "So you can have wheels like the rest of us!" The dining coach giggled before being tackle-hugged by the boy. She didn't mind almost losing her balance as a result a bit.

            Purse stumbled into Electra's shed, almost collapsing before the electric engine's makeshift 'throne' in the center of the room. He'd been standing in the cold for almost 4 hours, starting from daybreak and only going back when he was sure that nothing was going to happen.

            "...and what did you see?" Electra tapped his finger impatiently on the chair. It'd been a few weeks since he'd been able to return to work at the AV following his little tantrum when coming in second at the races. He didn't mean any harm this time around, but was still full to the brim with his image.

            With Electra came his components. He now allowed them to roam the yard freely as they wished, the exception being if he needed them for something. Each had developed a bit of personality in the process, compared to their almost mindless past selves, who lived for nothing more than to help show him off.

            "They... got a package." The money truck panted, sprawled out on the floor as he tried to catch his breath. Electra made a mildly sour look. It wasn't Purse's fault that he hadn't seen anything interesting, but he'd been expecting a little more.

            Electra had been watching from afar when Poppa rolled by with a human boy in tow. In any other situation, the boy would have been kicked from the yard for trespassing. Instead, Electra continued to see the boy on occasion when he left the shed. By that point, he had to know what was going on.

            He watched one evening as Dinah, who had been his racing partner for a brief time a few months ago, picked up the boy from Poppa's shed and walked with him back to where the coaches slept. The dining coach seemed to be caring for the boy.

            Electra knew he'd likely get some kind of reward for turning the coach in, but he had learned not to play so dirty after that little accident involving CB and Greaseball. Starlight, his everything ached for weeks after that. The accident had cost him the race, too.

            Although, if he had to be honest, Electra felt a little relieved that Rusty had taken the title of champion. For one thing, he didn't have to worry about trying to be the fastest engine in the yard anymore. After all, going too fast could cause an accident and ruin his paintwork, in his own words.

            The electric paused before nodding at his exhausted component. "You may rest, Purse. I'll have Krupp keep an eye out." He smirked.

            Dinah had taken Marcus for a few practice laps around the coach shed, making sure he was used to balancing on his new wheels. It warmed her heart to have her boy properly coupled behind her at last. Of course, she didn't expect him to wear the skates all of the time, but it would help to make him fit in a bit more and cover distances across the yard in a shorter time.

            She could feel that Marcus was occasionally quivering in the skates, nearly falling several times. Oh well, he hadn't been used skates in general for long, and he'd never been in his own pair. He'd get used to it with a bit of practice.

            "Just push yourself forward, sweetie." Dinah encouraged from a few meters away, waiting with her arms out in case Marcus were to stumble. The boy seemed hesitant to move forward, but finally touched a toe stop to the ground and propelled himself towards his caretaker. His arms were held out to his sides as he tried to stay balanced.

            Marcus did make the distance he intended to, but ended up stumbling and falling into Dinah arms. The coach let out a giggle.

            "It's okay, we'll just keep trying until you get the hang of it." She kissed his forehead, hugging him tightly.

            It took a few hours for Marcus to figure out how to get himself going forward, although still unable to turn or properly stop himself. That and the occasional stumble were all that kept him from dashing around the yard like any other train. Dinah figured that was enough for now and took the boy inside for lunch.  She didn't want him to exhaust himself.

            "Pearl, Dinah, Marcus -

            Gone to pick something up from a few states over. Be back soon!

            - Ash, Buffy."

            CB sat on his buffer, resting his head on his arms as he thought over what Dinah had said a few evenings ago.

            "If you want me to trust you, show me I can." played over and over in the Caboose's mind. He knew he could show that he was trustworthy, the question was how. He couldn't just go out on a train and give it the brakes when it needed, it would be a few months until his ban would end. It's not like anyone would ask him for a smaller favor either.

            It would be months before he could possibly show that he had turned a new leaf, and who knew if that would even be enough for Dinah?

            Karma wouldn't let CB get a break these days.

            Marcus was restless. Though he had not made that much progress on learning to skate earlier today, he still wanted to keep trying. Unfortunately, by the time dinner had finished, it was too dark to go back outside and try again. Marcus was upset, but seemed to accept that it would have to wait til morning.

            Patience only lasts so long in a child.

            Luck have it that he had fallen asleep on the side of the bed that didn't run against the wall, Dinah accommodating and climbing in behind him. It wasn't much to softly move the sleeping coach's arm and slip out of bed, tiptoe to the door and grab the skates before heading out into the sleeping train yard.

            Marcus hadn't been scared of the dark for many years now, seeing how often he needed to search for food and supplies under the cover of night before Dinah took him in. Although he commonly associated the moonlight with his desperate attempts to stay alive, those thoughts had begun to fade in his new home.

            Slipping on his skates, Marcus began to roll along one of the humanoid tracks and away from the coach shed. Being by himself made him feel like he was big and independent. All he needed was the hum of the wheels of his skates on the track. He was going on an adventure all on his own.

            Marcus arrived at the locomotive sheds, taking a look around to see if any were out and about. Unfortunately, even that section of the yard seemed to be dead for the evening. Even with an attempt to look in the window for any sleeping diesels, Marcus found he was too short. He quickly lost interest and turned himself in another direction (by stopping, manually turning himself to whatever angle needed, and skating forward again).

            The overhead wires near a smaller shed indicated that an electric engine lived here. Marcus had overheard conversation about this engine, but didn't know all that much. Again, the lights were off and nobody was to be seen. Disappointment was left and right tonight, it seemed.

            Giving up on seeing a locomotive tonight, Marcus took himself farther away from home and out into the freight yard. Maybe the freight cars he had seen a few weeks ago with Poppa would be out and about? They seemed to be the rowdy type from what he saw. They'd be up late, right?

            Although Marcus could see a dim light from one of the freight sheds, accompanied by the sound of a harmonica, he knew better not to barge in on people's privacy. He was at the AV in secret, anyway. Best not tempt fate.

            At last, Marcus had given up on having any kind of exciting adventure his evening. All he had found was a quiet train yard with nobody around to talk to or go with. At this point, there was nothing better to do than go back to the coach shed and sleep until morning. Besides, Dinah would be rather worried if she woke up and found him missing. With that, Marcus began to head back.

            Wait, was that the way back to the coach shed? Marcus had lost track of what direction he had come into the freight yard from. Every way he looked, it was the same. Lines of tracks and dimly lit or dark buildings. There weren't any particular landmarks he could use to guide himself back with.

            He was completely lost.

            "Engines must obey Control! Engines must obey Control! DO! WHAT! YOU'RE! TOLD!"

            The dream again. No matter how many times Dinah assured herself that Marcus would be alright under her care, she always had the dream.

            It shouldn't matter, she thought, he's right here next to me, and that's what really matters. The dining coach rolled over and wrapped an arm around Mar-

            Nothing.

            Air.

            Dinah shot up and looked around the room. Pearl had gone to sleep at Rusty's shed, leaving the room completely empty aside from herself. The kitchen and dining room were also barren, meaning that the boy had either disappeared or left the house.

            Then, she saw it. Or, the lack of it.

            Marcus's skates were nowhere to be seen. In addition, the door hadn't been shut properly, leaving it hanging open and letting in the cold Autumn chill. Dinah grabbed her skates and rolled out onto the patio, cupping her hands around her mouth.

            "MARCUS!"

            But the boy was too far away to hear.

            Marcus had gone around the freight yard at least twice now, still not having any recollection of the way he'd come in. He'd even looked in the old building to see if his old home was still there to stay the night in, but somebody had come along and thrown it out while he was gone.

            His last shimmer of hope had gone out.

            The boy fell to his knees, a tear beginning to run down his cheek. He'd become his own downfall. He'd never get back now. He'd made himself homeless again.

            For the first time in weeks, Marcus began to cry.

            CB had been sleeping against the buffer, still thinking about what he was going to say to Dinah or do to gain her trust. Every option he thought of had led to dead ends or would take those few months before he could do. Nothing seemed to be possible.

            Then he heard the sobbing from his left. It started quietly, but slowly began to increase in volume. CB couldn't recognize the voice through the tears, but got to his feet and looked over the crate that blocked his vision when slumping.

            Marcus kneeled on one of the humanoid tracks, crying his eyes out. On his feet were a shining new pair of skates, presumably ordered by Dinah from the internet.

            CB waited a moment, wanting to see if anyone would come for Marcus before he leaped into action. Anyone that stumbled across him comforting the child would likely get the wrong idea.

            Nobody did.

            As soon as he was sure nobody had heard the child's sobs, CB skated over to the crying boy. He stopped just beside Marcus and got down onto one knee, placing a hand on his shoulder.

            "What's wrong?" The caboose whispered.

            "I wanna go home!" Marcus wailed and sniffled from behind his hands. It seemed as he had wandered away from the coach shed and gotten lost.

            There was a pause before CB calmly picked up the crying child, who was clearly in no mood to walk home, and began to head back towards the coach shed. He'd known the yard for years and knew how to get about.

            As he walked back on his toe stops, CB began to softly sing.

            "All alone...

            You think you're on your own.

            You think there's no one in the world

            who cares for you.

            That isn't true.

            There's me.

            I may not be

            the one you want to see,

            but if you need someone who's kind,

            then look behind,

            and then you'll find,

            There's me.

            I'll be near,

            standing by.

            Never fear,

            you can cry.

            In a while,

            then you'll smile,

            and I'll be there to see.

            By yourself,

            you have to cry yourself.

            Nobody else can cry the tears you have to cry.

            I will try.

            There's me.

            Until then,

            when you're okay again,

            you look around

            find I'm no longer there,

            I'll still be near somewhere.

            You're not alone, there's me.

            There's always me."

            Dinah was crying.

            She'd given herself one bright little responsibility, and she'd gone ahead and completely screwed it up.

            Poor little Marcus was all alone in the world, all because she was incompetent.

            Her sobs completely drowned out the approaching footsteps.

            "Dinah, I believe this is yours?" said a voice.

            Dinah looked up, immediately seeing Caboose. Her face turned to a scowl as she prepared to scream about how he was kicking her while she was down.

            Then she saw the sleeping boy in his arms, completely worn out from crying.

            "He was in the freight yard. You 'oughta keep a closer eye on him." CB chuckled as the coach ran down and took the sleeping boy from his arms. Her lips curled into the most sincere smile he had seen directed at him in a long time.

            "CB, I..." A tear once again ran down Dinah's face, although this time it was not a tear of sadness and desperation.

            "I said I'd show that you can trust me, right?" CB winked. The coach nodded.

            There was a pause.

            "Yes, and you have." Dinah smiled before carrying the sleeping boy into the house and closing the door behind her.

            CB felt like he had been reborn in a way.

Chapter Text

           Saying the news about Dinah and CB spread around the AV quickly would be the understatement of the year.

           Considering Krupp was willing to stay up all night to capture the final moments of their encounter last night, it was rather easy to blame Electra. It was hard for him to stay out of gossip, after all.

            People seemed to barge in on Dinah's privacy just to ask her what had gone down that night between her and the red caboose. Although she couldn't say exactly what had happened, she would say that he returned something dear to her and she had forgiven him.

            Dinah would have to chew out the nosy electric another time, because something else new had arrived in the coach shed.

            "Duvay, please get off the counter."

            "No!"

            "Duvay."

            "I want cookies first!"

            Pearl and Dinah had expected that the other two coaches had gone off to some couple's retreat for a few days and were trying to make it look like they hadn't done such a thing. They were both wrong. Ashley and Buffy had arrived home with a trainlet.

            This was Duvay, a young sleeping car and a cousin of Ashley's. She and Buffy had been permitted to take the girl under their care for a few months. Despite neither coach wanting to say - it was evident they were trying to subside their jealousy of Dinah having Marcus.

            However, Dinah and Pearl felt that the two had brought home - for lack of a better term, a brat.

            Duvay would only settle for what she wanted at that moment and nothing less. More often than not, that would be sweets. Even worse, sweets made the little trainlet hyper (which had made Pearl begin to call her the anti-Belle).

            Although the two lovers had anticipated Duvay would get along well with Marcus, things didn't work out as they hoped.

            While the two would at least talk and occasionally play while at the shed, Duvay was much more outgoing and often tried to rope Marcus into things he didn't particularly want to do. Mostly, these were elaborate schemes to get what she wanted, or games that would likely result in the misfortune of one player.

            That was the reason why the coach shed now had a naughty corner.

            At least the two lovebirds could flaunt Duvay in front of Control and get off scot free.

            The encounter the previous night had finally turned over the new leaf that CB had been struggling to on his own.

            Although his train ban was not entirely lifted just yet, he was allowed on trains from local yard to local yard as a transfer caboose for the time being. It was better than nothing and allowed him to finally stretch his wheels.

            Further than that - the rest of the yard had begun to look at him positively again, as if he had never came out about what he had done in the past. It felt just like old times. When he didn't have a worry in the world.

            It was like being a whole new caboose.

            CB arrived at the coach shed one winter's day after Buffy and Ashley had taken Marcus and Duvay to play in the snow. The walk across the yard had nearly frozen his couplings off, and he was glad to be out of the heat.

            Dinah brought the two of them hot chocolate to sip on before sitting down across from the caboose at the table.

            "I really can't thank you enough for your help that night." Dinah broke the silence, recalling back to the night a few weeks ago. Since then, Winter had taken the AV firmly in its clutches, regularly coating the yards in sparkling sheets of snow. CB pushed a hand forward and shook his head.

            "No, it's fine. I wasn't going to leave the poor boy to freeze in the cold all by himself." He smiled, replaying what had happened in his head. Had you compared him to how he was during and before the races, you would have sworn he was his own evil twin.

            "Still," Dinah started again "a lot of us are still wondering what drove you to do all of those things a few months ago." She remembered how the original final had been called off early because of what happened. There was no more anger because of it - Rusty had personally forgiven CB a few weeks ago.

            The caboose sighed, trying to recall what his mindset was back then. "You see, if you saw me when I was a trainlet, you'd say I was the last car on the rails - no pun intended." He chuckled, causing Dinah to tilt her head. CB paused.

            "I was bullied a lot when I was real young." He continued on. "My brothers would do a lot of not-so-nice things. I didn't like any of it. Eventually, I just kinda... snapped."

            "Whaddya mean?"

            CB closed his eyes, remembering the first time he hadn't given a train the brakes.

            Ol' 97 was a mail train. I didn't like him - none of us liked him. Imagine Poppa had gotten abusive as he got older - you'd have Mr. 97. He was rough with every car that ever had the 'pleasure' to be pulled behind him.

            One of the days that he did his work, I'd spent all day being tossed around by my brothers and some of the engines in the yard. I was about ready to explode by the time I had to change form and hitch on.

            97 was running late that evening, and he was pissed about it. He flew out of the yard thinking he was some of automobile. Of course he was roughhousing and yelling at me and the few vans behind him.

            We were coming up on one of the curves. I was ready to just about hurt something, and the damned engine had pushed me over the edge. I heard him call for the brakes from up front as we came to the corner.

            I didn't give him any.

            Dinah initially sat in silence at CB's story, as did its teller.

            "I hadn't intended for the derailment to be as bad as it was. I was hoping to knock him off the rails and have the crane have to come get him." The caboose paused, both of them already knowing the end of the relatively famous story.

            "I came back to the train yard after the accident, and my brothers actually started cheering for me for getting rid of the old man. For once in my life, I felt like I mattered. I felt powerful." CB sipped from his cocoa. "You already know the rest."

            Dinah nodded as a stray snowball splattered against the window of the shed. "You know, I think I was doing the wrong thing back then too." She watched the caboose open his eyes and motion for her to continue.

            "You already know about... me and Greaseball." She started off, CB already knowing the whole ordeal that had occurred with them during the races. Dinah stopped for a moment and collected her thoughts. It was almost painful to talk about.

            "Truth is, I knew what GB was up to. I knew our relationship was unhealthy, and yet I stayed with him."

            GB would come back with other engines, Mostly diesel and electric streamliners that he had met in other yards over the year. They'd have some one night fling and then they'd leave. The whole time, I was there. I heard every last peep and moan coming from that bedroom of his.

            I wasn't afraid of Greaseball. In fact, he was probably the last thing I worried about the whole time. I was worried about myself. I had seen coaches uncouple from engines when I was younger, and they all seemed to be ridiculed or socially exiled afterwards. I was afraid that would be me. I couldn't lose the other coaches.

            I was almost relieved when Greaseball uncoupled me that day, yet I ended up crying. I didn't care who had done it, the other coaches were going to hate me for not being good to him. Through some miracle, they actually helped me through it.

            I tried to reconnect with GB, seeing how he'd changed after the races, but things still didn't work out. We weren't meant to be.

            CB could hear Dinah beginning to sob from across the table. Her past with Greaseball was nothing something she liked to talk about. He knew Greaseball was a much better engine after they'd all seen the light, but him and Dinah were never in a healthy relationship.

            Dinah had been about to burst into tears when she felt the pair of arms hug her from behind. She turned to see the caboose hugging her tightly, almost not wanting to let go.

            Dinah broke down. She turned her back to the table, standing up and crying into CB's chestbox. Finally, she had been able to talk about those times to someone who'd be willing to listen.    

            Neither of them cared about Ashley and Buffy wiping away the frost on the window and squealing at the sight as Marcus and Duvay played behind them.

            "There's always me."

            The snow had eventually begun to frostbite Marcus and Duvay, so the four came inside to sip on some hot cocoa and watch a bit of TV. Pearl was off at Rusty's shed, presumably in a similar mood and cuddling up to her boyfriend.

            "Thank you!" Marcus said politely as Dinah set the mug in front of him, Duvay digging into her cookies that she'd been given with the cocoa without another word. Ashley and Buffy were describing digging the boy out of the 'Snow Marcus' that Duvay had made just for her aunties.

            "Christmas is coming up." Buffy commented from the other side of the room. "Polar Express trips. Whoopee." She continued sarcastically while kicking off her snow-covered skates. The Santa themed trains were popular with families, but not so much with the coaches and engines who had to go out in the cold.

            "Polar Express trains don't have any kind of dining cars, Buffy." CB commented from his spot next to Dinah.

            "Not if they want the hot chocolate. Me specifically too. Damn that microwave." Buffy flopped down and quickly cuddled up to Ashley beneath a warm blanket. "You don't even go anywhere nice! You leave the yard and come back by the time they've finished the book."

            The buffet car continued to ramble about the cold excursions as Dinah quietly took a nap against CB's side. Finally, she had nothing to worry about. She had no more pent up feelings and Marcus was fine - although still in secret.

            Dinah and CB stood alone on the porch a few hours later, the caboose being about ready to head back to the caboose shed - which had been constructed as a small reward for turning over his new leaf.

            "Be careful out there, make sure to watch for ice." Dinah warned from the doorway, watching the caboose tie his skates.

            "Relax, I got it." CB turned and did his signature salute before waving and heading off into the cold. Flurries had slowly begin to fall from the night sky. Marcus and Duvay had been put to bed and were now fast asleep, allowing Dinah to watch CB disappear around the corner - just to make sure that he would be alright.

            Dinah closed the door and turned around to find Buffy and Ashley staring at her with wide grins on their faces.

            "So..." Ashley started before giggling to herself.

            "When's the wedding, Sugar." Buff finished, humming a snippet of Here Comes The Bride before laughing alongside the smoking car.

            Dinah blushed as red as CB's paint and ran into her room. Marcus surely needed company, right?

Chapter Text

            Christmas Eve had seemingly snuck up on the AV that year - or at least it snuck up on Dinah. She'd only become aware of it when Marcus began to sing about the date while playing trains on the floor that morning. Duvay had seemingly gone off with her aunts to get the main goods shed ready for tonight's party - one they had been planning for a few weeks now.

            Dinah had continued to train Marcus in skating via the empty freight shed where she'd first found him. With a bit of cleanup, it was close enough to a human roller rink for them to use. Over a few weeks, Marcus had improved in turning and stopping, although still a bit shaky on his wheels.

            CB stopping by the coach shed was now a common sight as well. It was rather ironic, considering that he'd only gotten his own shed built. That afternoon with hot chocolate two weeks ago had deeply strengthened his friendship with Dinah, and the two could often be seen together while out and about. Ashley and Buffy would make constant comments about the two beginning to date, but both had learned to ignore them.

            It seemed as if all the effects of the last set of races had finally subsided.

            "Come on Marcus, get changed. We have to go." Dinah instructed Marcus while tying her skates. If she'd learned one thing about raising a human child, it's was that humans were much more affected by the cold than trainfolk. They had to bundle up in warm clothes when they went out.

            Marcus had donned a woolen sweater with a train pattern - knitted by Belle in her spare time as a gift. In her own words, it was a good thing to have before 'lil boy starts gettin' chilly'.

            "It's a little itchy." Marcus scratched at his neck, feeling a slight discomfort in wearing the garment. However, seeing that the two of them were already five minutes late, there was no time to change. Dinah tied Marcus's skates and let him couple on before setting off. Thankfully the TRAXes had been out to clear the snow off the humanoid tracks.

            "Beep to the left and bop to the right!

            The Rockies in the house - we're here tonight!

            R-O-C-K-I-E-S

            Put your hands together - you know we're the best!"

            Flat Top seemed to be only one amused by the Rockies little act - an attempt by Ashley to liven the atmosphere of the party. Unfortunately, nobody was particularly interested in seeing the boxcars rap out popular Christmas carols.

            Marcus felt a little frightened when they entered the large shed on one end of the yard, currently crowded with trainfolk enjoying themselves. He hadn't met the majority of them yet either, although picking out Ashley and Buffy among the crowd. For now, he had decided to stick closely to his caretaker.

            Dinah spotted CB across the main hall and quickly skated over, still feeling Marcus coupled on tightly behind her. The boy had been quiet from when they'd left to now, only breaking his silence with a 'Hello 'Boose!' when he saw CB. Both dining car and caboose let out a small giggle.

            "Why don't you go find Duvay while me and Caboose talk, Marcus?" Dinah kneeled and asked. Marcus nodded and skated into the crowd of trainfolk, looking around for the young dining car. However, a familiar milky pink dining car caught the boy's attention first.

            "Hi Pearl!" Marcus waved and rolled over to the young coach, who looked down and giggled. A steam engine of about the same age looked in his direction as well.

            "Hi Marcus!" Pearl smiled. "Oh yes, Rusty. This is Marcus."

            Marcus's eyes lit up at he heard the name. "You're the world champion, right?!"

            "The one and only!" Rusty laughed and patted the golden plaque on his shoulder - put on not long after the races had ended.

            "That's so cool! You must be really fast!" Marcus exclaimed and began to ramble about various high speed trains, Rusty noting Hashamoto's name coming up somewhere in there. He had won the race through circumstance rather than speed, but it was still kind of adorable to see such a young fan. Plus - this was the human boy the yard had been whispering about for a while now.

            "Tell you what. How about I tell you the whole story next time I see you?" The steam engine suggested, watching the boy immediately stop talking and bob his head up and down in rapid succession. It was then that he remembered what he had been told to do.

            "I gotta go find Duvay now! Bye Rusty!" Marcus waved and skated back off into the crowd, completely forgetting about Pearl's presence.

            "Whaddya think?" The coach fluttered her eyes at her boyfriend.

            "I mean, he is kind of adorable." Rusty whispered in response.

            Marcus finally tracked down Duvay by the snack table, eagerly chomping down on the plate of cookies that had been intended for everyone. She was about half done eating the entire plate.

            "I think you're not supposed to eat the whole plate." He commented, causing the trainlet to look back at him, a cooking hanging out of her mouth.

            "They're good though!" She retorted and shoved another in her mouth.

            "You'll get a tummy ache." Marcus warned.

            "I don't care about tummy aches!" Duvay rolled forward and placed a finger on Marcus's lips. "I need you to help me with something big."

            "What kind of thing?" Marcus tilted his head in confusion. Duvay didn't verbally respond, just grabbing the boy's arm and dragging him backstage.

            "Dinah, I'm really sorry this time."

            Dinah had forgotten how she had ended up sitting across from Greaseball at one the tables. CB had been called out on a quick run to another yard. Just because it was nearing Christmas didn't mean traffic on the rails had much time to rest. Thankfully, he'd be back by party's end - but Dinah still found unsure about talking to the diesel.

            "I've... only really begun to understand how I made you feel back then..." Greaseball continued, solemnly sipping on a glass of wine. "Look, I understand why we don't exactly match up."

            Dinah continued to look at the frowning engine, thinking about what to respond with. After what seemed like an eternity to Greaseball, the coach opened her mouth.

            "Greaseball, I'm willing to forgi-"

            Dinah was cut off by the lights in the shed suddenly cutting out for a few seconds before quickly returning to normal operation. The Rockies' microphones had also cut out, but didn't come back on.

            "Ladies and Gentlemen..." A familiar voice rang out over the speakers. "The... Amazing... Duvay." It fluttered out.

            At that moment, the young sleeping car burst onto the stage, skating in front of the bewildered box cars.  She'd seemed to have almost dumped a tub of glitter on herself, sparkling from head to toe stop. A crude layer of lipstick had been applied to her face as well.

            "Jingle Bells! CB smells! Dustin laid an egg!" She began to loudly sing, the hopper car looking away from the corner of the room.

            Dinah quickly turned to Ashley and Buffy, who were looking up at the stage in shock and horror as the trainlet skated circles around the Rockies. However, the voice from a few moments ago had caused her to notice who was standing off to the side of the spectacle.

            "Marcus!" The Dining car stood up and shouted, not thinking. A scowl appeared on her face.

            Marcus gasped, cowered, and then skated out a back door. Almost immediately, Dinah realized what she'd done and began to pursue the child, Ashley and Buffy rushing to subdue the trainlet.

            Marcus felt like he was skating for his life. He'd barely seen Dinah begin to chase after him as he opened that back door and escaped into the open air. A light snow fall had begun to sprinkle over the yard again, only making the existing white blanket thicker. Even worse, the humanoid tracks had become icy, only make it harder to stay upright. His relative inexperience at rolling on his own wasn't helping.

            "Marcus!" He heard the voice calling from behind him again, only making him try to skate faster. Too focused on running away to look what was in front of him, Marcus slammed straight into a section of track that hadn't been cleared. The snow stopped his skates in place and knocked him off balance, sending him face first into the snow.

            Dinah rushed to her boy, kneeling down next to him and placing a hand on his back. She could already hear him sobbing into the white blanket. She'd come off too harsh when she hadn't thought. What had happened had to be Duvay's idea. It wasn't something Marcus would come up with.

            "Shh... It's okay. I'm not mad..." She cooed softly to the crying child, not seeing the brightly colored figure approaching the two of them.

            "Well well well, looks like the little boy has run away again."

            Dinah looked up into the glowing chestbox of none other than Electra. She'd noted that he had been absent from the party, although she'd seen several of his components enjoying themselves.

            "What do you want?" She said with a hint of anger, not in the mood to be talked to while she was comforting her frightened child.

            "Face it, Dinah. You can't mother a human child." The electric engine smirked, seeming to return to his old ways.

            "What?!" The dining car's face turned to a scowl as she helped the frightened child to his skates.

            "I was watching the whole time, Dinah. This is what, the second time he's run off without you? The child has no place in a train yard." Electra paused for a moment. "You know that you can't keep this from Control forever."

            "I'm not a good parent!? If I wasn't, he'd be living in a Starlight-damned box still!" Dinah scoffed, heavily offended at his comment.

            "He'll be back in one as soon as you slip up again!" Electra was shouting now, only seeming to make Marcus even more upset as he cried into Dinah's side.

            CB was only coming back into the AV when he saw Dinah and Electra facing off on another track. He changed form the moment he was uncoupled and rushed over as face as a piece of unpowered rolling stock.

            "What's going on?" He demanded to know, seeing Marcus crying and Dinah glaring at Electra.

            "Caboose? Playing daddy now are we?" Electra grinned at CB, having plenty of reasons to still hold a grudge after the crash that cost him first place a few months ago.

            "You shut up!" CB flashed his teeth and made a fist, ready to punch the electric's face in if he pissed him off any further.

            By now, several other trains were peeking out of the main shed to see what all the commotion was. The arguing had only gotten more intense and louder in volume as it continued.

            A few moments later, the yard was in chaos.

            Trains had taken sides. Many agreed with Electra and many agreed with Dinah & CB. Both sides of the debate were shouting at the other side, Marcus still scared and crying into Dinah's dress. Ashley and Buffy were absent, likely still giving the little sleeping car some proper discipline.

            Everybody was yelling at everyone else. Some believed that Marcus could easily belong in the train yard with the proper precautions, others bringing up Control's strict rules about unauthorized persons on railroad property. Dinah's thoughts seemed to meld together, becoming incomprehensible in her head.

            Then, without any warning...

            "Control! Control! What is all this nonsense!"

            The voice boomed through the speakers on the building adjacent to the fight, all trains stopping and turning to look. Usually, Control had gone home by this point in the evening, even more so considering the date. Yet, he'd just shouted at them all from his own tower.

            There was a long silence.

            "Well, I'm waiting for explanation!" The faceless voice called. "And what is a human boy doing in the yard?!"

            Marcus cowered and dug his face further against Dinah, who kneeled to try and comfort him. They'd finally been found out. On Christmas Eve.

            Everyone was staring at Dinah, expecting her to answer. Finally she looked back at CB.

            "Caboose, take Marcus for a moment?" She asked. CB nodded and let Marcus roll over, his tears beginning to stop.

            Dinah cleared her throat.

            "Sir, this boy was homeless." She looked up at the dark windows of the tower. Control was a mysterious person that no train had ever seen, but she knew he was up there. "Yes, he was trespassing on railroad property, but what else could he do? He was going to die otherwise!" She pleaded.

            Another pause.

            "I took him in because... Because I wanted him to live!" Dinah fell to her knees, still looking up at the tower. "Marcus isn't a bad boy, Control! He wouldn't hurt anyone!"

            Tears ran down Dinah's face. This was it. There was no way Control was going to accept her pleas. Rules were rules, and she knew it.

            "Dinah, I will consider your proposition. For now, all trains disperse. Please return to the appropriate sheds."

            Controls orders were final, and all engines and rolling stock headed for different areas of the yard. By now, Ashley and Buffy had rolled up behind Dinah, quickly being joined by Pearl - unable to return with Rusty.

            Without a word, Marcus coupled to Dinah, and the five set off for the coach sheds for what would likely be the last time.

            The dining coach cried herself to sleep that night.

            "Dinah... Dinah, wake up, my child."

            Dinah woke up a bright light in the room. She covered her eyes, waiting for them to adjust. Something was in the room with her. The coach finally was able to get a good look.

            Sitting on the empty bunk across from her was a glowing steam engine.

            "The Starlight Express..?" The coach asked, trying to get this through her head.

            "Yes, my child." The engine replied, reaching out and taking her hands in its own. Dinah remained silent.

            "You have done the right thing by taking that child, Dinah." The engine praised her in its soft, gruff voice (that sounded almost like Poppa). "You did that out of the kindness of your heart. Because of that, you will be rewarded."

            "In what way?" Dinah whispered, the mysterious locomotive letting go of her hands and beginning to fade away.

            "You'll see. Farewell, my child." The engine smiled before disappearing completely.

            "Dinah! Sugar! Wake up!"

            Dinah finally awoke to Buffy viciously shaking her. The coach was still tired out, and took a few minutes to fully wake up.

            "What is it?" She groaned in a tired voice.

            "Sugar, it's a Christmas miracle!" Buffy handed Dinah a sheet of paper, and she began to read.

            NOTICE

            EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY - COACH SHED 4937 IS AUTHORIZED TO HOUSE THE FOLLOWING. PLEASE MAKE ADJUSTMENTS ACCORDINGLY.

            4 FULL GROWN COACHES

            UP TO 2 TRAINLETS

            Dinah had to read the last part again.

            1 HUMAN RESIDENT

            To top it off, the notice had been personally signed by Control himself. At long last, Marcus was finally safe!

            Dinah looked around to hug the boy, but found him not to be in the bunk room. Walking out into the main room, she quickly noticed the boy playing with a train set. A brand new train set.

            A pile of presents addressed to the four coaches, Duvay, and Marcus had appeared under the tree overnight.

            "Choo choo!" The boy sang as the miniature train dashed around it's track. Duvay had gotten a full makeup kit, and was attempting to apply it to herself.

            CB had arrived at the shed as well, quickly coming to Dinah's side and surveying the scene along with her.

            "Santa has left you quite a few little gifts this year." The caboose chuckled, unaware of what Dinah had seen overnight. The coach nodded anyway, leaning against the caboose.

            Marcus walked over, ready ask if he could open the rest of his presents. Dinah wasn't ready to respond just yet, only picking her boy up and spinning in circles. Marcus laughed as he flew through the air.

            Truly, things had begun to look up.

(NOT) THE END (YET)

Chapter Text

            First, it was the Apollo-Victoria times running a small article.

            Then it was the county paper making it a front page story.

            Then it was the news reporters rushing to the AV to get their hands on this scoop.

            By the time they'd caught up with it all, it was being shown in the New York Times.

            A woman sat back in her chair, calmly sipping on a glass of red wine to calm her nerves. It'd been another long day with another lead that went nowhere. It'd been years since her search began, yet she was still determined to find him.

            "...and our top story tonight - a formerly homeless Apollo County boy who is now living with some rather unordinary caretakers."

            She'd just turned to set the glass down when the image on the screen changed. Her body shook, her hand opening involuntarily and letting it fall - causing it to shatter on the floor in a million sparkling pieces.

            "Look at me!" Marcus exclaimed as he glided around the makeshift track in the old freight shed, Dinah and CB watching from afar. The boy had almost mastered skating now - barely falling down compared to a few weeks ago. At the moment, he was trying to learn how to go backwards - something he didn't need to learn, but nothing Dinah would argue with.

            Now that Marcus was officially a member of the yard, things had quieted down a bit. He could be out in public without anyone else batting an eye. Electra had cooled his jets after the argument too. He'd seemingly been swayed to the other side following Control's decision on Christmas Eve.

            "Marcus, darling, it's getting late." Dinah mentioned as Marcus came to a stop in front of her and Caboose. "We need to head back now."

            Marcus frowned, although knowing that she was right. "One more lap?" He asked, whining slightly and flashing puppy eyes. Unfortunately, it was hard for Dinah to resist such a look.

            "Mind waiting for one more lap, CB?"

            "Not at all." The caboose laughed.

           The moment the two trains and child got close to the shed, a heavily concerned Ashley rolled towards them.

            "Something up, Ash?" Dinah asked with a curious tilt of the head, Marcus still latching to her couplings.

            "Oh Starlight, Dinah. It's getting crazy. There's a police officer and a woman at the shed." The smoking car seemed to be out of breath.

            "They looking for a criminal on the run again?" Dinah recalled one instance from several years ago. Ashley paused.

            "Dinah, they're looking for Marcus."

            Almost immediately after the group reached the patio, a voice called out.

            "Marcus!" An unfamiliar woman shouted before running towards the boy, scooping him into a hug.

            "This is the child, ma'am?" The accompanying police officer asked, writing things down on a notepad.

            "Yes, officer." The woman set Marcus down, noting he looked very confused. "What's wrong, honey?"

            "Who are you?" Marcus tilted his head. The woman laughed.

            "Do you still have the picture?" She asked. Marcus only knew of one picture he kept with him, retrieving the worn photograph from his back pocket and holding it up.

            "M-Mom?" He asked. There was a chorus of gasps before the scene fell silent.

            Those being affected by this discovery were gathered around the dining room table.

            "So, Karen..." Dinah started off, taking a sip of tea that Buffy had prepared. "It's nice of you to stop by..."

            "So... why did you leave Marcus at an orphanage?" CB asked, hoping for a decent response.

            "I couldn't take care of him at the time. I felt it was better to leave him than to not be able to feed him." Karen responded quickly, making sure her son was still sitting by her side.

            "Were you aware he ran off from the orphanage?" The coach continued, the officer still furiously scrawling in his book.

            "Not until I went back for him." Karen took a sip of her tea. It had come to a shock when she had been told Marcus had run away one night a few months before she tried to take him back.

            There was a period silence in the room. The air felt heavy on everyone's shoulders.

            "Well, do you intend to take him back now?" Dinah spoke at last, hoping for an answer that she'd like.

            "If everything goes well, yes." Karen nodded. Dinah could feel her heart sink. She was in no position to resist giving up Marcus to his birth mother. She remembered her discussion with the other coaches that night - about how they'd only keep Marcus until they could find him a human mother.

            "Well..." Dinah paused, trying to keep herself from bawling right then and there. "I guess it's your right to. I'm not his real mother or anything." She finished, looking over at CB, who had also put on a solemn look.

            "Thank you, Dinah. I promise I'll be good to my son." Karen stood. "Marcus, pack your things, please."

            Marcus looked up at his birth mother, nodding and putting his toy trains away - including the one he'd gotten on that miraculous Christmas morning. It tool all of Dinah's strength not to cry.

            Karen and Marcus, stood in the doorway, looking back at the four coaches and CB. Duvay had gone to bed some time ago, and wouldn't wake til morning.

            "Thanks again for holding on to him til I could find him." Karen repeated herself before stepping out onto the patio. "Marcus, wait here until I pull the car around, okay?"

            Marcus nodded as his mom stepped off into the winter night. The room was almost entirely silent - the exception being Desperate Housewives on TV in the background.

            "Bye, Dinah. Bye, 'Boose." Marcus said softly at last. This would likely be the last time he'd see them.

            "Goodbye, Marcus." Dinah waved at the boy as the bright headlights of the car appeared out of the doorway, followed by the sound of its horn. At last, Marcus turned and headed for the vehicle, stepping inside before it drove out of the AV.

            Dinah finally collapsed, sobbing miserably. It was the right thing to do, but it had still broken her heart. CB came down and attempted to comfort the wailing coach.

            It was over.

            "Welcome home." Karen said with a smile as she unlocked the small, 7th floor apartment. It was a little smaller than the coach shed, but Marcus didn't mind. It seemed like his mother had kept it clean for this day.

            "Come on, let's go see your room." Karen suggested, taking her son's hand and guiding him into a room off of the living room. The room was painted a light blue with his name in wooden letters on the wall - where a few train posters hung up. There was a twin-sized bed against one wall with nice blue sheets.

            "I like it." Marcus said simply before sitting on the bed. Karen smiled and sat down next to him, placing her arm around him.

            "I missed you a lot, Marcus. If I didn't have to let you go, I wouldn't of." She cooed into his ear before looking at the clock. "I think it's about your bedtime." She giggled as Marcus yawned.

            Karen let Marcus put on his pajamas before tucking him into bed, placing a small music box on the nightstand to help him while he slept. After winding it up, she turned to leave.

            "Goodnight, sweetie." She blew a kiss before closing the door.

            Marcus looked up at the ceiling of the room. Sure, it felt right to go with the mother he'd been looking for after years, but something still felt off. Like he'd left something behind, even though he had all of his things.

            As he began to drift off, the music box began to play a familiar tune.

            "Starlight Express... Starlight Express... Are you real? Yes or no?"

            Marcus began to softly weep.

            Nothing seemed to stop Dinah from crying. The coaches and CB were gathered around, all consoling her and trying to make her feel better, but none of it was helping.

            "I've lost Marcus!  I've lost my boy!" She wailed between sobs, loud enough to bring Duvay from the bunk rooms to comfort her as well. Of course, she still munched on a cookie.

            "Sugar... He's with his mother now... It's what we set out to do originally." Buffy stroked her fellow coach's blonde locks. Dinah didn't respond, only continuing to cry.

            The next morning, Karen showered Marcus in affection. She started the day with a plate of fluffy, buttery pancakes that her son quickly downed. She took him to the railroad museum on the other side of town. She rented a movie for the two of them to watch that evening. Marcus seemed to be enthralled by all of this. Any boy of his age would be.

            However, when she began to put him to bed, Karen would notice that Marcus seemed to become a little bit sad. She'd ask what was wrong, but would only get a 'nothing' in response. Karen was confused about what was going on.

            Dinah had showed up to work that morning, but Control had simply told her to go back the shed after seeing her emotional state. She was in no place to carry passengers right now. Buffy went in her place, seeing as their purposes in coach form were similar enough.

            "Dinah..." CB told her at last. "You're going to have to get over it at some point. Marcus is happy now. He's with his birth mother. We were only taking care of him until she showed up, remember?" He placed a hand on her shoulder.

            "I know..." The coach sniffled, trying to control her emotions. "I-I'll never see him again though..." Dinah didn't hate Karen, but was still distraught by the fact that Marcus had left the AV forever.

            CB could do nothing but embrace the crying coach.

            The rain was coming down one evening as Karen tucked Marcus in again. He'd asked her not to turn on the music box tonight, and although she couldn't figure out why, she granted his wishes. His solemn expression was still a mystery to her.

            "Goodnight, love." Karen blew a kiss and stepped out of the room, heading to bed herself.

            Marcus woke up in the middle of the night, hearing the distant roar of thunder outside. The storm was moving away, but rain continued to fall. Unable to fall back asleep, he reached into the box of trains next to the bed and lifted two out of the box.

            A dining car and a caboose.

            Marcus made a decision at that very moment.

            He packed his things into a bag, wrote a note to Karen in his best handwriting, and quietly stepped out of the apartment.

            The wind and rain thundered into Marcus's face. He was already soaked from head to toe, but he had to keep going. All that illuminated his was were the street lamps and the headlights of passing cars.

            He had to make it to the AV.

            He knew the way. He'd seen all the landmarks of town on the way in. All he had to do was follow them in reverse order. At last, he met the town limits and kept on running with incredible stamina.

            At last, Marcus stopped at a dark bus stop that had a roof over it. He was out of power, and only about half way there. He felt as if he'd failed. Unless...

            Marcus pulled the skates from his bag and quickly slipped them onto his feet, tying them and putting the bag on his back. Still dripping, he wheeled back into the rain and began to race towards the train yard.

            The metal fence surrounding the yard finally came into view. Marcus felt relieved. He slowly skated into the car entrance, making his way to a humanoid track and skating as fast as his legs would continue to carry him. He was going to collapse any moment.

            Dinah's tears had finally stopped, but she was still finding it hard to sleep. CB had decided to spend the night, softly sleeping on the couch in the living room.

            The Starlight Express seemed to have rewarded her and the abandoned her just as quickly. What had she done to deserve th-

            Thud!

            Dinah shot up, hearing something knock or fall against the doorway to the shed. Nobody would come out this late at night - and in the rain at that. Or would they.

            She walked over to the door, slowly cracking it open.

            Marcus stood there, absolutely drenched. A bag full of his things was slung over his back, and his skates were on his feet.

            "C-Can I come in for a bit..?"

            Dinah nodded.

            The coaches, CB, and Duvay once again stood face to face with Karen, who looked over all of them again. Nobody said a word until Karen broke the silence.

            "I made a mistake." She whispered to the surprise of the trainfolk. "I should have asked Marcus what he wanted to do." Her head hung low.

            "I'm sorry."

            Dinah, although having cried over Karen's choice for the past several days, walked over and placed a hand on Karen's shoulder. "It's okay. I forgive you."

            The woman's head shot up, her lips slowly curling into a smile.

            "Marcus, is this what you want? Do you want to live here with Dinah?" She asked after a period of silence. Marcus was hesitant to answer, but finally nodded. Karen strolled over and placed a hand on her boy's head.

            "Okay, Marcus. Mommy loves you very much, but if this is what you want, I'm not going to stop you." She assured before kissing his forehead. Afterwards, she stood up and turned to the trainfolk.

            "Dinah, keep in touch with me, okay? I can rush over here as fast as the express." Karen laughed and smiled at the coach. "I'm leaving Marcus here because he clearly has a capable mother and father to take care of him."

            "Eh? What father?" Dinah tilted her head. There was a pause.

            "Caboose? You're not his father?" Karen looked at CB, confused. The caboose went as red as his paint.

            "M-Me and Dinah aren't actually dating or anything." He laughed before adjusting his hat. The three shared a collective giggle.

            "Whatever role you all play, I'm sure he'll be fine." Karen smiled and turned to head for her car.

            "Goodbye, everyone. Goodbye, Marcus." She waved.

            "Goodbye, mom." Marcus waved back with a smile.

            With that, Karen turned for her vehicle and drove out of the AV. All watched until she was out of sight.

            At that moment, the sun broke through the remaining rain clouds and casted light onto the AV. Dinah, Marcus, CB, and the other coaches stepped out onto the patio.

            "Dinah?" Asked Caboose, looking at the smiling dining car.

            "Yes, CB?" She answered.

            "You know what Karen said about me being Marcus's father?" He continued, the blush coming back over his face. Dinah laughed.

            "Caboose, if you're going to ask me to date you, of course." She grinned and snuggled closer to him.

            Marcus looked out into the blue horizon. Sure, it had been a bit of a journey, and his life had ended out much different than he ever expected, but he'd seen what he wanted. It was a little different from what everyone else had seen, but it was still the light at the end of the tunnel.

            "Dinah? 'Boose? Can I call you Mom and Dad for now on?"

THE END