CONFUSION WITHOUT DELAY

One day, Thomas pulled into Knapford station to exchange passengers with the express.

"I'm here, Gordon, I'm-" He broke off, noticing that the platform Gordon usually was at was empty.

"That's strange," Thomas muttered, "Gordon's usually here before me." Just after Thomas said this, Gordon's whistle blew and the big engine pulled into the station, trying not to be noticed.

"Well, well, well. I beat you here today!" Thomas grinned. Gordon glared.

"Don't you start, Thomas. It wasn't my fault. There were so many passengers at Barrow that they couldn't fit into my coaches, and I was delayed as that silly shunter brought me more." Thomas smirked.

"Oh, is that it? Too many passengers for you? You must be getting old then, Gordon. Why not let another engine pull the express?"

"Rubbish!" hissed Gordon, "I can handle the express just fine on my own!" The guard's whistle blew and Gordon rumbled out of the station, grumbling to himself. Thomas chuckled and set off back down his branch line. Neither of them noticed the Fat Controller standing on the platform.

"Hmm…" He swung his office door open and walked inside, thinking of an idea.

A few days later, the Fat Controller had called a meeting at the Shunting Yard. The engines who could come waited for him to arrive. Minutes passed, and Gordon was getting impatient.

"Where is he? I can't just sit here in the yard all day!"

"Why not?" Thomas asked innocently, "Give yourself a rest to ease your aging wheels, and Henry can take over as express engine!"

"I wouldn't mind that," put in Henry brightly.

"Shut up!" Gordon fumed, "I'm not old, and I'm not giving up my express!" As the engines were talking, Emily noticed Winston rolling into the yard, jerking about as usual.

"Everyone, be quiet!" she gasped, "The Fat Controller's coming!"

"Finally," Gordon huffed. The engines quieted down as the Fat Controller waved at them.

"Ah, good evening, everyone!" he called, "I have an important announcement to make!"

"Another one," muttered Gordon, unimpressed, as Winston barely screeched to a stop just in front of him. The Fat Controller stood up and cleared his throat.

"Gordon, I see that you've been having some trouble with the express as of late." Gordon gaped.

"W-What?! That's not true, sir! There's just so many passengers, but I swear I can make up the time-"

"Now, now, Gordon, I'm not blaming you, but it is becoming an issue. You've been delayed every day for the past week, and it's apparent that you need help."

"Me, sir?!"

"Yes, you. Tomorrow, a new engine will be arriving to pull a secondary express service to help ease the load of your passengers. I expect you all to make her feel welcome." Unbeknownst to the Fat Controller, a large, yellow tender engine was puffing up behind Winston, looking very anxious.

"I'm slowing down, I'm slowing down!" Her brakes came on with a groan. The engines looked on in surprise as she bumped into the back of Winston, causing the Fat Controller to nearly fall over.

"Ouch! Mind the fenders, if you please," Winston grumbled, "I just had them mended. …again."

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, little car-"

"Winston."

"-Winston. I miscalculated how long it would take to stop by, uh… quite a lot." The Fat Controller straightened his top hat.

"I'll say! You nearly bumped me off the rails! What are you doing here already? I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow." The new engine smiled nervously.

"I, um… wanted to get here early, sir. Wouldn't want to be late, would I?" The Fat Controller raised an eyebrow.

"I see." He turned to the other engines.

"Well, since you're here now, may as well introduce you. Everyone, this is Rebecca!" A chorus of greetings came from the crowd, with Gordon noticeably silent. He narrowed his eyes at Rebecca, making her feel uneasy.

"H-Hi everyone!" she smiled shyly.

"You will start tomorrow morning," the Fat Controller told her, "Get a good night's rest, Rebecca, and welcome to the railway." He was about to pull Winston's lever when Winston interrupted.

"Um… I'm boxed in, sir." Rebecca blushed.

"Oops, sorry!" She quickly reversed to the points, allowing Winston to get out. With the Fat Controller out of sight, Gordon started rolling out of the yard, glaring at Rebecca.

"I can't believe this is what I was brought aside for…" Rebecca couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Oh, have I done something wrong?"

"Don't worry about Gordon, Rebecca," reassured Henry, "He's just a bit upset right now, he'll get over it. Say, do you have somewhere to sleep for the night?"

"I, er… don't think so?"

"In that case, come stay with us at Tidmouth Sheds tonight! Percy's pulling the mail train, so there'll be a berth open for you." Rebecca gasped in excitement.

"R-Really? Thank you!"

"Come on, I'll show you the way." Henry started reversing, and Rebecca eagerly followed. The remaining engines glanced at each other in bemusement.

On his evening express, Gordon had been delayed again by all of the passengers and didn't come back to the shed until nighttime. He rolled onto the turntable and yawned. As Gordon got turned, his eyes shot open as he spotted Rebecca.

"You! What are you doing here?" Gordon barked. Rebecca grimaced.

"She's sleeping here, of course. Why do you ask?" Henry cut in.

"Because it's not dignified!" Gordon complained as he backed into his berth, "First, I have to share my express with another engine, now that same engine is sleeping in the same shed for the night!"

"It doesn't have to just be for the night." Henry winked at Rebecca, though she didn't understand and just became confused.

"Perhaps she could stay here forever! Wouldn't that be nice?"

"W-WHAT?!" Gordon spluttered in horror, "S-She can't do that! Other engines have to sleep in that berth!"

"Oh?" Henry smirked, "Like who?"

"Like, um… Percy!"

"There's always Ffarquhar."

"Duck!"

"He sleeps at Arlesburgh."

"Donald and Douglas…?"

"Also sleep at Arlesburgh." Rebecca watched the two go back and forth with interest.

"Alright," Gordon said desperately, "so none of those engines stay here permanently, but… you do!"

"That could change," Henry grinned.

"You… leave? You'd never dare!"

"I could!" Gordon, now visibly nervous, harrumphed and reversed all the way into the shed. The shed doors slammed shut with a bang. Rebecca winced.

"You're not serious about leaving, are you, Henry? I don't want you to leave just so I can stay here…"

"Of course not! Teasing Gordon is just good fun."

"I heard that!" came Gordon's voice from inside the shed. Henry chuckled and closed his eyes.

"Does this sort of thing happen all the time?" Rebecca whispered to Emily. Emily sighed.

Early the next morning, Rebecca was peacefully sleeping when a loud whistle woke her up with a start.

"Deary me, have I overslept?" She then saw a still-grumpy Gordon roll towards the turntable, only to be cut off by James puffing out of the shed. Gordon gritted his teeth.

"Don't worry, Rebecca. Everyone's just up early today," Henry explained.

"Oh! Does that mean my express is due soon?"

"Gordon should be the one telling you this, but since he's being a crosspatch, I may as well tell you. I've pulled the express before, so I'm just as much of an expert as he is."

"No, you're not!" Gordon retorted as he rolled forward again, "I am the fastest engine on the whole railway- Hey!"

"Excuse me, Gordon! Wait your turn!" Emily laughed as she puffed away. Gordon groaned.

"Anyway," Henry continued, "you should leave a couple of hours after Gordon does. You stop at one station from Knapford: Crovan's Gate. Then, your terminus is at Vicarstown, where you turn around and come back."

"How do you remember all that?"

"You'll get used to it, it really isn't so hard. Just be glad you aren't pulling a local like Emily - those stop at every station."

"Wow! Emily has her own train? Everyone here does such important work!"

"You could say that," Edward chuckled, "They've been on all sorts of adventures. Why, Gordon, James, Emily, Thomas, and Henry even went to the Great Railway Show." Rebecca gasped in amazement.

"You, Henry?" Henry blushed.

"Oh, erm… Yes, I did. I competed in the strength competition, but I didn't actually… win, so-"

"Amazing! You all are incredible!" Rebecca whistled and rolled forward onto the turntable, cutting off Gordon once again. Gordon's eye twitched as Rebecca hurried away. Henry and Edward chuckled.

"Everyone's already proven themselves so much," Rebecca thought aloud as she pulled into the yard, "and I've… only just arrived. I better work extra hard in order to fit in here."

"Who are you talking to?" Rebecca jumped as a small green-and-yellow boxcab rolled up alongside.

"Um, nobody," she chuckled awkwardly.

"Oh. Well, now you can talk to me! I'm Philip!"

"My name's Rebecca! It's nice to meet you! Say, do you know where my express coaches are?" Philip thought for a moment.

"Express coaches…? I just shunted Gordon's. You just missed him! What do you want express coaches for?"

"I'm the new express engine," Rebecca smiled, "I'm supposed to have my own coaches."

"Ooh! That explains that shipment of new coaches that came the other day! Don't worry, I'm on it, Rebecca!" Philip honked his horn and scurried away. Rebecca grinned as she puffed to the station.

It wasn't long before Rebecca collected her coaches and set off down the main line. She was determined to be as fast as she possibly could be. She roared past some workmen who were on their break, nearly making them fall over. The foreman checked his watch in bewilderment. When she got to Crovan's Gate, there wasn't a narrow gauge engine there.

"Hmm, there aren't any passengers on the platform. I'll just keep going then! Must keep to time, after all!" she decided. Just as she disappeared from sight, Peter Sam puffed into the station with his coaches, only to find no connection waiting for him.

"What? The Thin Controller told me there was a new guaranteed connection!" Peter Sam spluttered before pausing.

"Didn't he?"

Rebecca was so fast, in fact, that she made it to Vicarstown extremely early. However, she wasn't supposed to be there yet.

"All aboard, everyone!" Rebecca called to the waiting passengers on the platform. The passengers seemed to be disappointed as they boarded the train. Rebecca gasped.

"Oh no, was I late? I must've been late! Why else would they be upset? Dear oh dear, I need to be even faster now!" Rebecca's worries were interrupted by a whistle she hadn't heard before. She looked ahead to see a series of red coaches backing towards her, at the front a big, green engine that looked similar to Gordon.

"Who's that?" Flying Scotsman queried suspiciously, "Excuse me, do you mind?"

"Oopsy! I'll be out of your way in just a moment!" Rebecca said apologetically as she reversed.

"What are you doing at my platform? For that matter, where did all of my passengers go?" At the sound of their actual engine's voices, passengers began swarming out of the coaches and onto Flying Scotsman's train. Immediately, Rebecca realized what had happened.

"Oh no, I think I picked up your passengers by mistake! I'm sorry!"

"What? Who in the blazes are you?"

"Rebecca?" Flying Scotsman and Rebecca glanced over to see Gordon pulling in on the platform next to them.

"How did you get here before me? I didn't even see you pass me!"

"I must've been going so fast that you didn't see me, and I didn't see you! Oh, that must be impressive, right?" Flying Scotsman raised an eyebrow at Gordon.

"Oh, I thought you were behind me."

"You thought what? Do I look like an amateur to you?"

"Hmm…" Flying Scotsman smirked, "Compared to me, I'd say yes, little brother." Gordon gnashed his teeth.

"Why can't you call me Gordon?"

"Because I'm your big brother, which makes you my little brother… little brother."

"You think you're so amazing, don't you?"

"Well, my fans certainly do," Flying Scotsman chuckled as the passengers inside his coaches cheered for him. Not wanting to intervene, Rebecca quietly reversed away.

Soon, Flying Scotsman and Gordon had left the station while Rebecca stayed behind to pick up her passengers.

"Whoopsy, off I go again! I wouldn't want to be late on my first day!" With that, she hurried away, not noticing a bemused Rosie watching her leave. At Crovan's Gate, Peter Sam was most indignant as he waited with another connection.

"Doesn't even wait for me! Huh! At least Gordon bothers to stick around if I'm late, but I wasn't even late!"

"Give it a rest, Peter Sam, ye've said this nonstop," grumbled Duncan, who was having a rest in the nearby shed. Just then, Rebecca pulled in, much faster than Peter Sam had expected. She screeched to a halt at the platform and started talking to herself.

"All the other engines are so fast and strong… and even compete in competitions! I hope I won't be known as a nobody… Am I a nobody? No, no, I won't be, as long as I'm on time." Peter Sam and Duncan shared a look as Rebecca glanced at the clock.

"Hmm, I know! I'll leave straight away, so I won't be late!" Peter Sam gasped as Rebecca departed too soon.

"Whoa!" cried a man who was about to get off and gripped the door, "Stop, stop!" People from Peter Sam's train ran across the bridge, shouting. One elderly man waved his cane around, accidentally knocking the stationmaster on the head. But it was no use - Rebecca had gone.

"…what just happened?" Peter Sam asked.

Rebecca made her way back to Knapford, eager to check the station clock. But before she could, she had to cross the junction and gasped as a moving train was in her way. She slipped on the rails but managed to brake in time.

"Watch where ye're going, ye clumsy engine!" scolded Donald.

"Oops, sorry!" Rebecca called, but Donald just snorted and continued on his way. Rebecca then heard a bell and saw she was blocking Toby's track.

"Excuse me," Toby said as politely as he could, despite clearly being annoyed.

"Oops, sorry!" Rebecca cried again and she tried to reverse so he could pass. Toby sighed and rolled forward to the station. Henrietta gave Rebecca a sympathetic look.

"Oh, my name's Rebecca, by the way- oof!" She looked back and saw a small, black shunter with a small train had bumped her from behind.

"Oi, get moving! There isn't supposed to be a train here, Rebecca-by-the-way," the shunter snarled, before chuckling to himself.

"You clever old engine, you…"

"Oh dear, I'm sorry, um… I don't know what to call you."

"My name's Diesel, I think you'll find."

"Oh, okay!" Rebecca saw that her path was clear and started off.

"Sorry, Diesel-I-think-you'll-find! I'll be out of your way just as quick as I can!" Diesel growled.

All day, Rebecca continued in her way, confusing and annoying the other engines. She had less and less passengers throughout the day, though she was too busy trying to be early to notice. That evening, Rebecca panted into Vicarstown again. The moment waiting passengers saw her, they ran into Gordon's coaches.

"I'm sorry I'm late!"

"Late? Late? Rebecca, I don't know what you're trying to pull, but you are not late!" Gordon scowled, "Are you trying to show me up?"

"What? No, I-"

"The whole day, Rebecca, you've been early! I've been getting more and more passengers throughout the day, and I've had to have even more coaches added on! I thought you were supposed to be helping!" Gordon realized what he said and looked away.

"…not that I need help."

"That's enough, Gordon." Gordon subsided into grumbling as the Fat Controller walked up to Rebecca.

"But all the same, he's right, Rebecca. You have been showing up far too early. You have caused confusion and delay- oh. Um… Confusion and… Well, you've certainly caused a great deal of confusion!"

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir…" Rebecca sighed.

"All day, I've been getting countless complaints from passengers who were late because you either didn't pick them up or let them off," the Fat Controller added sternly, "If you are to work on my railway, Rebecca, you have to follow the timetable."

"I understand that now, sir. I haven't realized how early I've been. I just wanted to be noticed, sir," Rebecca said sadly, "All of your engines are so incredible, and I didn't want to be seen as just a nobody…"

"You are just as useful as any of my other engines. However, to prove it, you have to stick to the timetable." Rebecca smiled sheepishly.

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

"You'll soon get the hang of it, Rebecca. I'll be sure to tell the passengers you've learned your lesson," the Fat Controller chuckled as he walked away. Gordon couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt in his boiler and was about to say something when Flying Scotsman rolled in between them.

"Well, hello, little brother. Still delayed, are we?" Gordon grunted and looked away. Scotsman then noticed Rebecca.

"Ah, hello again, new engine."

"My name's Rebecca! I don't understand why you keep calling Gordon 'little brother', though. You look the same size to me. If anything, I think Gordon looks bigger!" Flying Scotsman looked at Gordon in horror.

"Huh?" Gordon, however, was delighted. The guard blew the whistle and Gordon started puffing off when a thought struck him.

"Say, Rebecca? Do you have a place to spend the night?"

"I don't think I do, actually. I haven't found a permanent shed yet."

"Then, why don't you stay at Tidmouth for the time being? I'll tell Percy he can stay on the branch line."

"R-Really?"

"Why not?" Gordon whistled and smirked at Flying Scotsman.

"See you later, little brother." Flying Scotsman was speechless as Gordon steamed away, laughing. Rebecca whistled and hurried to catch up.

"Oh, wait for me, Gordon!"

When the two reached the shed that night, Henry was surprised to see them together.

"What's this, Gordon? I thought you didn't want Rebecca here."

"Nice tact, Henry," reproached Emily quietly. Gordon smirked.

"I've changed my mind. I've decided that if another engine must help me with the express, then she will do." Rebecca gasped excitedly at what she thought was praise from Gordon.

"Wow! Thank you, Gordon!" Henry raised an eyebrow at Emily but said nothing as Rebecca happily backed into her temporary berth. She was very happy that on her first night on Sodor, she would be surrounded by her new friends. knew she would have to find a permanent home soon, but she was happy to stay here for now with her new friends.

Author's Note: Well, here we are. For the first batch of rewrites, they'll all be Sodor episodes from Season 22. From there, I'll figure it out. First, there's Confusion Without Delay. Why not Forever and Ever? Will explain that in a bit. I originally wrote this back in September 2018, but didn't think of posting it here until now. I have a few S22 rewrites written at this point, but felt it fit to post this one first, since Rebecca also pops up briefly in A Damper on Duncan, and I figured it best to adapt her introduction into my universe. Speaking of which, Nia isn't present in this version, nor will she be in any of the rewrites. This isn't due to prejudice of the character, but more so that since the rewrites' main purpose is to adapt these plotlines to align with my original stories and Nia isn't going to be a part of them. Also, Edward and Henry haven't left Tidmouth Sheds, so you can expect them to still pop up. Another small note: Despite what order these rewrites end up being, they're still in the same chronological order as they are in the official show, unless I say otherwise for whatever reason. I think I've rambled long enough for now, will have more to say next time when another Sodor newbie joins the fray. If you've watched the season, you might already know who it is.