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

Double Trouble

   It was now mid-February, and STH finally deemed Maddy strong enough to do things on her own. Thank god. She loved hanging out with her friends, but she was itching for her own duties. Everyone she hung out with insisted they handle things, except for Thomas. What he would do is let her try, see her fail, then laugh. It resulted in more than one kick to the water tank. No matter how many times he pulled that nonsense, she still fell for it.

   Currently, however, everyone was waiting for the controller to arrive. Maddy figured he was running late thanks to the snow on the roads. It was a mild day, not too terribly cold, so Maddy decided to seize the day and get back on her feet. However, a certain someone was wary about her going out and about with little assistance. 

"James, I'll be fine! I've fully recovered, and it isn't even that cold outside! Quit your worrying!" she spoke, flicking his smokebox. She had decided to keep warm with him for as long as possible. 

"I'm gonna make sure we get to work together. It isn't safe."

"Why all the worrying now? I'm not gonna die."

"You've come close one too many times."

"It was only..." she paused. "Five times! Quit being a baby."

   James only scowled as he heard Thomas and Percy snickering.

"Besides, James, three of them were your fault."

   As he let out a loud gasp, those who were at the shed shared their 'ooohs' among themselves. Damn, she wasn't technically WRONG.

"I think you're a bad omen. Why do I hang out with you?"

"Why indeed..." she heard Gordon mutter.

"Well- Because...because..you..love me?"

"I dunno.."

   James snapped. After letting her fall to the ground, he swiftly picked her up with a frown on his face.

"Hey! What are you doing!? James! Put me down! Help! Someone!"

   No one bothered to help when James threw her into a snow pile next to the sheds. She sank and disappeared.

"HELP!"

"James, was that necessary?" Edward frowned. "You know she loves you. Go dig her out."

"No."

"JAMES!"

   Before Edward could properly wallop him, the controller pulled up in his car, thoroughly confused about what the hell was going on.

"Edward! James!" he bellowed. "What on earth is going on!?"

"Maddy called James a bad omen and he threw her away." Emily hummed.

"That is NOT what happened," James hissed. "She said she didn't love me, THEN I threw her away."

   STH just shook his head, looking around the sheds for Maddy. Strange, where could James have thrown her?

"Where is she?"

"HELP-" he heard a snow pile scream. As he walked over, he saw the snow move.

"Maddy?"

"I'M DROWNING- DIG ME OUT-"

   With a heaving sigh, STH pulled a shivering Maddy out of the snow. He helped brush her off, glaring at James.

"Any..way.." he stated.

   After getting her cleaned up, he assigned everyone their duties for the day. Unfortunately for James, he couldn't sweet talk the controller into letting Maddy work with him. It only soured his mood more when he assigned Maddy her job.