Sodor's New Worker (Semi-Hiatus Due to an AO3 rewrite)

Where?

   It was the next day. Then the next week. Then the next month. What was it now..? Month five since Maddy went missing. Eventually everyone had to get back to work, but STH ordered them to all be on the lookout for her, or D10. It broke all her friends, but among them all, Edward and James took it the worst. James was a wreck without his other half. He didn't know how to be fine by himself ever since she confessed over two years ago. Half the time he refused to leave the sheds. STH understood, and let him be. Edward, however, was an emotional wreck. He wept for his adopted daughter every night. He just wanted her safe and sound and back home. Who knew what she was enduring. Could she handle it? Or was she already gone..? Thomas seemed to have a bad end too, but he forced himself to believe she was out there, that she was okay. However, Henry and Gordon noticed tear stains on the little engines face every once in a while, even if he was smiling his cheeky smile. Everyone was worried to some extent, even those who didn't know who she was. If it affected their friends, it affected them, too.

"Edward..come on now.." BoCo hummed. "I'm positive your daughter is safe."

"How do you know that, BoCo, how does anyone bloody know that?" he snapped. BoCo sighed, ever since the second month of this girl's disappearance, kindly old Edward's personality took a negative turn. Even the mischievous little twins were worried about it.

"BoCo..is Edward going to be okay..?" Bill asked, puffing up behind the diesel.

"It's best to leave him be, Bill.."

"What's so special about this girl..?" questioned Ben.

"She's a happy little ray of sunshine you little goose!" Old Iron snapped. "She brought happiness to those around her with her antics and now someone wants to be rid of her!"

"Edward..calm..down.."

"You calm down, BoCo!" he steamed, puffing away to do his duties.

"..Cancel the pranks for today, Ben?"

"..Yup."

   The twins puffed away to, for once, properly do the jobs within the quarry they were meant to do.

"Donald, Douglas, are you okay..?" the number 11 engine asked.

"..It's jus' one of them days, Ollie.." one twin muttered.

"..Is it the girl..?"

"Aye.." they said in unison. "Duck's the same way..he's not too happy today either..."

"This..er..girl must mean a lot to you three, huh..?"

"Well of course she is..! She's like a long lost sister..!" Donald chuffed.

"Even..if she instigates arguments between us..she always has a good laugh at them..!"

"You should see James..the way we handle it is nothin' compared to 'im.."

"..Oh?" Oliver questioned. He hadn't seen James in a while. Maybe that was part of it. "What's with him..?"

"'ell, the lass is his little girlfriend..I think Emily said the two had been an item for around two years. Purest thing we've ever seen. The others have said they've nev'r seen the red fellow that happy with somethin' other than 'imself. Since she vanished..'ell..the lad usually stays at home, either sleeping o' crying. It's such a depressing sight, really. We've nev'r seen an engine so sad in our lives."