It was the second week of March. All the snow had melted and the grass was showing everywhere across Sodor, slowly but surely becoming green. And today would be a very special day for two particular engines. Thomas had been visiting China ever since January, and now, he was due to return to Sodor for the next few months until his planned adventure to India.

The Fat Controller came to Tidmouth Sheds that morning, looking quite excited. "Good morning, everyone. I have big news for all of you. I've just received word from the harbour manager…Thomas is coming home from China today!"

All the engines gasped, then whistled and cheered in rejoice. Especially Emily.

"Ha-ha! My cobalt star returns!" she whistled. "I can't wait!"

As soon as the time came that evening, Emily found David at Knapford Station, who was most pleased to hear of Thomas' return and accompanied her to Brendam Docks. There, they could see the ferry on the horizon, slowly, but steadily approaching the docks, making her beam buffer to buffer. Cranky, Carly and Big Mickey all looked out to see to the ferry with Emily. The Fat Controller and Lady Hatt came along in Winston to see Thomas return after they saw him off back in January. David stepped out of Emily and stood beside the Hatts. After what felt like too long to wait, the ferry stopped right at the docks. Emily looked carefully, and was sure she could see a short stumpy funnel, a short stumpy boiler and a short stumpy dome peaking over the deck of the ferry.

Carly got to work lowering her hook down to the ferry. Emily watched as her hook lifted up again…and there was Thomas. He had come home again. Now, Emily could look forward to a few months with her cobalt star again, as well as some tales of China he'd have to tell.

"Welcome home, Chuck!" Carly exclaimed. "Had fun, did you, Thomas?"

"Lots, Carly!" Thomas remarked as he looked down and saw the Fat Controller and Lady Hatt waving to him. Then Thomas gasped when he saw the love of his life, ready and waiting.

"Hello, and welcome home again, Thomas!" Emily rejoiced as he touched the rails again.

"Hello again, my precious Emily!" Thomas beamed as Carly unhooked from him and went back to business.

Emily gazed at Thomas for a moment, realizing the next few months they'd have together. Then she suddenly rushed up to Thomas and buffered to him so quickly, he jolted back a few yards. Then Emily pressed her lips right into his, kissing him quite strongly before she opened her eyes and let go, feeling a little awkward with herself, while Thomas held a big smile and popped, dazed eyes.

"Hm-hm! Uhh…y-yes," Emily said shyly. "I'm so happy you're home again, Thomas…and I…"

Thomas slowly buffered to Emily and drew her into another, deeper kiss. This time, they kissed happily and passionately until they gently let go…only for them to realize someone had been watching.

The Fat Controller, Lady Hatt, and David were all standing there. David held a coy smile and narrowed his eyes at the two engines. Thomas and Emily both blushed and giggled at the situation.

"Well, Thomas. We're most delighted to see you home again," said the Fat Controller.

"Hello again, sir," said Thomas. "Oh, the stories I can tell Emily…"

"Oh, yes, Thomas!" Emily puffed gleefully. "I'd love to hear it all!"

"But before that, I think it's only right you say hello to the rest of the Steam Team," suggested David as he climbed back onboard Emily.

"Splendid idea, David!" Thomas whistled.

At Tidmouth Sheds, the other engines had finished their work early so they could welcome Thomas home. Soon enough, they heard Emily's whistle, and then Thomas'. They all looked up and saw Emily reach the turntable first and turn to her berth. Then they all saw Thomas huff toward them and settle on the turntable himself.

"Welcome back, Thomas!" they all whistled together.

"Hello again, Steam Team!" Thomas whistled back.

"Thomas! You're back!" Percy wheeshed.

"Here's Thomas!" announced James.

"Very happy to see you home, Thomas," smiled Nia.

"Very good to see you back, Thomas," said Gordon, then he added jokingly, "Be sure to have my coaches ready tomorrow."

"Hi, Thomas! Any stories to tell Emily?" asked Rebecca.

"Oh, there are, Rebecca," said Thomas as he turned to Emily's berth. "I wish I could tell you all, but as you know, Emily and I need our time to catch up together after quite a while. I'll gladly tell you all another evening."

"Of course, Thomas. You and Emily deserve a catch-up together," said Nia. "Off you go now."

Emily smiled big and huffed across the turntable to Thomas, buffering up to him. "Off we go!" they whistled together.

"Enjoy the stories, Emily!" Rebecca called.

"Welcome back, Thomas!" they all called after him.

Thomas and Emily huffed along the line together, smiling endlessly to each other until they came to the Whistling Woods, right where they shared their first big world adventure and Sudrian stories. As the evening slowly fell, David got out of Emily's cab, then settled on her running plate to listen. Now it could begin. Thomas had returned, and he had quite the stories to share with Emily.

"I'm so happy to be back again, Emily," said Thomas. "Back with you for the next while."

"So am I, Tommy," Emily smiled happily. "So, Thomas…you're back again for the next few months until your journey to India. What tales of China do you have?"

"Oh, there's a lot to tell, Emily," said Thomas. "I've never seen anything like China before, now that I had a better chance to enjoy it there compared to the first time I went there to find and save Nia."

"Well, I'm ready, Thomas. Please tell me your tales of China," said Emily.

David smoothed down his hair and got comfortable where he sat on Emily's running plate.

So Thomas began. "Well, the first little adventure began just a day or two after I arrived. One day, I was running a little late after taking a wrong turn in a siding, since China was all-so new to me. I rushed back to Yong Bao's shed and bumped into him."

"He has a shed?" asked Emily. "What are they like?"

"There are four berths at his shed," said Thomas. "And each berth is much wider than ours at Tidmouth Sheds. When I returned to Yong Bao, it turned out he had two coaches ready for me. Annie and Clarabel are my coaches here…but now I have coaches of my own in China! An-An and Yin-Long. I took them out for the day, telling them about Annie and Clarabel, and how I was No. 1 here. But then, to my surprise, China's No. 1 came up right beside me."

"China has a No. 1 Engine too?" said Emily. "Who is it?"

"Another blue tank engine named Hong-Mei. She has No. 1 too, only it's written how it is in the Chinese language. She looks rather like Rosie, and she was fun. She liked racing, and racing is something I know all about. But like Rosie, she is very, very quick! She had stones from her goods train flying every which way. Even if I didn't have to stop for my red signal, I think she still would have beat me!"

"Goodness, Thomas. China's No. 1 certainly sounds like a solid, hard-working engine," said Emily.

"Later that day, I thought I could beat her on a second race. But she was still too fast for me. An-An and Yin-Long told me about a shortcut I could take. It was very winding track, through mist and cliff sides everywhere. And then…we came to such a long bridge over such a high, misty drop! But I wanted to win this race and show Hong-Mei I was No. 1. But as I came out of the tunnel on the other side, I hit a rock on the line and came off the track! Both coaches called for help, and I felt it was my fault. All because I wanted to be No. 1…but as luck would have it, Hong-Mei reversed down to us. She had taken the shortcut too…and she realized that rock must have fallen out of her trucks."

"I see," said Emily. "You probably would have done well to understand that you can't be No. 1 everywhere, Thomas."

"I agree with Emily," added David. "You're Sodor's No. 1, Thomas. And China has theirs; Hong-Mei."

"I know, David," said Thomas. "But she did help me back on the line, and she even called me No. 1 afterwards. I think Hong-Mei and I make a great team in China. After all, what could be better than two No. 1's?"

Emily gave Thomas a playful look. "Maybe the two of us…when I had 'GNR,' painted on my tender, and No. 1 added to my cab?"

"And have several engines and passengers tease and pester you all over again?" Thomas teased before softening. "You're lovely as you are, Emily."

Then Thomas' driver stepped down to show something to Emily and David. Throughout their stay, he had kept a few photographs given to him and Thomas by people in China.

"Here she is, Emily. This is Hong-Mei," he said as he showed her the picture. David's eyebrows raised with intrigue and interest.

"Wow! She really does look like Rosie!" Emily beamed. "And she looks like a lot of fun! So, there were two No. 1's in China during your stay. What next, Thomas?"

Thomas went on. "Sometime later, just at the very end of January, right before February, it was time for the Spring Festival. The trees were absolutely full of peach blossoms. Very beautiful and pink everywhere along the river! As Yong Bao and I passed by the village, I saw several people carrying lanterns for the party. Yong Bao loves the New Year, but for him, the best part of all is the dragon!"

Emily gasped. "A Dragon! Really, Thomas?"

"Not a real dragon, Emily," said Thomas. "Although…quite ironically and childishly, that's what I was afraid of. I knew dragons weren't real on Sodor, but I did know they are a huge part of Chinese mythology."

"Yong Bao told me that when I first met him at the Great Railway Show," Emily remembered. "He told me that he usually takes the Dragon to the Town Square."

"Did he? Wow," said Thomas. "Anyway, Yong Bao told me that as I was a guest on their railway, he thought I could have the honour. But as I was right in China, where the myth of dragons was at its peak, I was worried. The more I thought about the dragon, the more I started to worry there might be one around every corner. Hong-Mei said I was lucky to be given the job. I didn't feel lucky. I couldn't stop worrying about the dragon. I imagined something big and loud and scary. I couldn't help but drift off into my inner fantasies. I saw myself huffing through the same valley as my shortcut with Hong-Mei…but it was red and misty. Until I reached the tunnel, and saw him! A large green dragon flying everywhere I went and breathing fire…until I regained myself and saw Yong Bao right in front of me!"

David shook his head. "Goodness me, Thomas. Dragons are merely mythical pieces of unique art and imagination."

"I was simply too nervous to take the dragon," said Thomas. "So Yong Bao agreed to take it himself, while he told me to take the lion. But since I was all the way in China, I definitely knew it wasn't the Lion of Sodor, which only made me nervous again. I picked up some passengers and continued on my way, but I still didn't see a lion. An-An and Yin-Long reminded me I was indeed collecting the lion. When I picked up my passengers, I certainly didn't see one. When I arrived at the Town Square, I felt relieved."

"Well, what did the square look like, Thomas?" asked Emily.

"Oh, Emily! I wish you could have seen it! It looked so beautiful! Lanterns were lit everywhere, there was a beautiful fountain in the square, so many different sorts of food, and such merry, new music I'd never heard before. I apologized for not bringing the lion…but when Yong Bao and Hong-Mei told me that I had, I looked…and it was simply people dressed up. And as Hong-Mei explained to me, it ate the lettuce and scattered the leaves for good luck. And then, Yong-Bao announced the arrival of the Dragon. At first, I was frightened…but then, I saw it. I thought the Dragon was great! The best thing about New Year was the Dragon! And as the fireworks lit up the sky, the Chinese New Year officially began!"

Then Thomas' driver showed Emily three more pictures he managed to keep. One of the square, another of the lion, and lastly, of the dragon.

"Wow! Thomas!" Emily exclaimed. "This all looks like quite an experience! What an adventure! What could be next?"

"I made lots of new friends and saw many new things. I had to learn new things too, as you're about to hear!" Thomas proclaimed. "A few more days later, I was huffing along the same snowy mountain where I rescued Nia with Yong Bao's help. It was a much sunnier day and now snow was falling…but then, I heard panic higher up the mountain. I could see a runaway truck whizzing down the curves, followed closely by Yong Bao! The truck's name was Lei, and I felt as if he needed my help. I rushed to the rescue and ended up flipping him right over, but I did stop him. Yong Bao, however was disappointed. He told me he would have stopped Lei in a better, and right way."

"I see. And what is the right way for him?" asked Emily.

"It's a Chinese exercise called Tai Chi. I knew nothing about it and apologized to Lei. The next day, Yong Bao took me to see the people in the square. There, he explained Tai Chi to me. As I watched the people performing the exercise, they were all moving together, slowly and calmly, in union. Instead of crashing into Lei, I could have backed up with him, then both of us could have slid down gently, moving with him. So Yong Bao and I practiced in the yards with Lei. But being the shunter that I am, my instinct was always to huff forward, which kept knocking Lei over. Using the motion of Tai Chi, I started moving backward with him."

"Interesting," said Emily. "Moving with the energy…"

"But then, as I pushed Lei on toward Yong Bao again, we didn't see that the points had turned and Lei was sent flying along the line by himself. Yong Bao sent me after him. This time, it was my turn to rescue him from the curves on the mountain! This time, I remembered what Yong Bao told me. To stop a moving truck, don't block it. Move with the truck. So, I switched in front of Lei, carefully slowed down until he buffered to me and I carefully braked until we stopped altogether. Yong Bao was proud of me. I had learned one of the guiding principles of Tai Chi. To move with the flow of energy, not just block it.

Emily suddenly remembered what else Yong Bao had told her at the Great Railway Show. "Moving with the flow of energy, not blocking it. That's just what Yong Bao did when he saved all those passengers!"

"What passengers, Emily? And how would you know?" asked Thomas.

Emily told her own little story about Yong Bao. "He told me this story during the Decorated Engine Parade at the Great Railway Show, Thomas. See, he became famous after saving hundreds of passengers from a terrible accident. It was a very windy day. The engine he saw couldn't get up a very steep hill. Then a tree branch blew through the air and crashed against the engines' wheels. That sent the train sailing all the way back down the hill. Yong Bao left the dragon behind and rushed to the rescue. At first, he moved up the hill…then before the coaches could hit him, he began reversing back down the hill, so when the coaches buffered to him, they didn't crash. No one was hurt, and the steep hill pushed them gradually back down together until they stopped altogether. After the storm, he took all the passengers home."

"So…he must have used Tai Chi to save them!" whistled Thomas.

"Yes, Thomas," said Emily. "He moved with the coaches instead of blocking their movement!"

"Amazing! I never knew that!" Thomas exclaimed. "I'd have to ask him more about it if I ever do return to China."

"Most interesting, Tai Chi," David said to no one in particular. "A very admirable practice I must say."

"Well, what happened next, Thomas? Is there more to tell?" asked Emily.

"Then came a rather interesting adventure for me. One about animals, in fact. One morning, I had to take a filming crew to the Nature Reserve, a special place where animals and plants are looked after and protected by the community. Everyone is very proud of it. I gathered An-An and Yin-Long and we were soon on their way. The crew was to film the Panda bear, the national animal of China. I had never seen one before, as Yong Bao explained that they are quite rare. An-An mentioned they are very cute. I was greatly excited to see one, but An-An told me that trains can't go inside the reserve. I still thought I might see one in the forest. But the coaches told me that in their long time working on the Chinese Railway, they've never seen a wild giant panda at all. I was still optimistic. As I made my way to the Nature Reserve, I kept looking for giant pandas. The first time I stopped, I thought I saw an animal, and I was right. It was a panda for sure…but a little red panda. The crew was happy to film the red panda, but I really wanted to see a giant panda. As much as An-An and Yin-Long insisted that I wouldn't see one, I wouldn't give up."

"Giant panda bears…what do they look like, Thomas?" asked Emily.

"Their fur is white like snow, and black like shadows," he replied. "Everything An-An and Yin-Long said just made me more determined than ever to spot a giant panda. So I kept looking everywhere for a black and white animal. Eventually, we spotted an Asian black bear. I was sure we were very close to seeing a panda. Finally, as evening was closing in, I thought I saw one more thing. I stopped once again…and there they were…two giant panda cubs!"

Emily gasped, and Thomas' driver showed her a photograph the film crew had given him. There were the two panda cubs and their mother.

"Ohh…Thomas!" Emily bubbled with overflowing delight. "They ARE cute! Absolutely irresistible!"

Thomas leaned in toward her. David stepped down as Thomas kissed her cheek. "They really were cute, Emily. We stayed to watch the giant pandas in the wild, until they disappeared back into the forest. And so, I could finally make my way to the Nature Reserve, and there were three more pandas…people dressing up like them. I had not given up until I had seen one. Th film crew was thrilled to have seen so much of China's wild life, and so was I."

"Oh, Thomas…my goodness! You learned quite a lot in China!" exclaimed Emily.

"There's one more tale to share from my China adventure, Emily," said Thomas. "My last tale is all about a water wheel. I woke up one morning and saw the flatbed with the wheel, and soon I was off on my way. I was not very happy because this wheel didn't look impressive to me. But then when I saw Hong-Mei pulling An-An and Yin-Long, she told me about the water wheel. The old water wheel at the village of Tu Zi Quan was broken. They use it to bring water to the paddy fields where they grow rice."

"Here it is, Emily," said his driver, showing her the last photograph. There was the water wheel.

"Hmm. That's nothing like any water wheel I've ever seen," said Emily. "What is it made of?"

"Well, I told Hong-Mei about the water wheel on my branch line. Made of wood and quite strong. But this water wheel was made of bamboo. Very strong, and very light too! As we passed by the village, I saw that bamboo is used for so many things. Repairs, flutes, furniture, even bikes! I was so fascinated by the use of bamboo…I imagined myself made of bamboo! So tough, but so light, and even floating on water! Once I was out of my daydream, I remembered that Tu Zi Quan needed the water wheel. I decided to take Hong-Mei's racing shortcut once again…but I failed to notice that the water wheel had gotten loose and started rolling all over the place, all across the railway!"

Emily suddenly remembered. "Just like my giant globe. It came off my flatbed and rolled everywhere! My most exciting delivery!"

"You're right, Emily!" Thomas smiled. "Now I know what it must have been like for you to chase it around! I chased the water wheel all over the railway…all the way back up the mountain where I saved Nia and Lei, only for it to slide right back down, past the peach blossoms, until at long last, it fell into the river! When I reached the paddy fields, I tried to explain what happened…when we all saw the wheel floating down the canal toward us. In spite of all the confusion and rushing about, you could say I brought the water wheel in…by water!"

Emily and David chuckled together as Thomas finished the tale.

"I helped the villagers pull the water wheel into place. The water wheel took water from the rivers, sending it to the paddy fields where the rice is grown, because rice needs water to grow, just like steam engines need it to go. I guess you can call it…wheelie useful!"

Thomas, Emily and David all laughed together. And so, Emily had now heard all the tales of China from Thomas.

"And that is all my tales of China, Emily. What did you think?" asked Thomas.

"They were all such lovely stories, Thomas," said Emily. "I'd absolutely love to see China myself if I ever could…"

"Maybe, Emily. Maybe it could happen. We never know…anyway, did anything happen here during my adventures?"

"Hmm. It was mostly a simple, quiet passage of time for me, Thomas. Nothing too exciting happened, but there are three stories I can tell…and David might have a few little things to tell you."

"Too right, I do, Emily," said David.

"Well, Emily," said Thomas. "I understand I wasn't here for Valentine's Day, and again, I am very sorry I couldn't be here. But…how did it turn out for you?"

"Well, Thomas," said Emily. "Valentine's Day was a little bit of a challenge not to have you here with me. When I woke up that morning, I began to wish you a happy Valentine's Day…but you weren't there.

Thomas suddenly felt quite sad as he remembered not being there for Emily. "I'm very sorry, Emily," he whispered, staring down at his buffers.

"You don't need to be, Thomas," said Emily. "You're home now, and as it turned out, it wasn't completely miserable. I was feeling rather sad and left out throughout that morning, until I met Stanley and found out that he was trying to arrange something for Rosie at Vicarstown so they could have a happy Valentine's Day. I decided to help them in the hope that it would keep my mind off feeling so lonely without you. So…I visited Susan Kyndley at her Florist Shop and asked her for the perfect Valentine's gift…and when I met Stanley again and gave him the gifts, he was so delighted!"

"What were the gifts, Emily?" asked Thomas.

"When he and I arrived at Vicarstown and greeted Rosie…he gave her a bouquet of red and pink roses to place on her buffers and front…and a lovely wreath of roses around her funnel! She was so perfectly happy. You would have loved to see it!"

"I'm sure I would be, Emily. Thank you so much for giving my little sister figure such a happy Valentine's Day."

And he leaned in and kissed her nose. Emily blushed and giggled.

"He-he! Thank you, Tommy. But as I watched them share kisses together, it reminded me of how you weren't here for us to share our own Valentine's Day this year. I decided to return home to my berth and lament more…until David came along. He had a little Valentine's Day gift for me."

"Yes, Thomas. I did," said David as he climbed onto Emily's running plate again. "I had stopped by Susan's shop just after Emily did, and after I heard what she was doing for Rosie and Stanley, I decided to get her a gift. A handful of freshly picked red roses. I met her that evening and cheered her up a little with my gift. She looks absolutely beautiful with red roses."

And he turned around and gently trailed his fingers along her face, tickling her gently.

"Hm-hm! David!" she giggled.

"Aww," said Thomas.

"So, Valentine's Day wasn't the best one for me, but I did make another couple very happy," said Emily. "Then, sometime later, I met David at Knapford Station after a fair day's work…and something came to me. A certain time I had mostly forgotten about."

"What's that, Emily?" asked Thomas.

"When the Logging Locos were being rewarded for their work on the island. Don't you remember my little adventure with Dash?"

Thomas thought for a moment. "Wait…yes, Emily. I do remember! Where you got to see their little game, 'Warbling Whistles.' And you were there at the Fair!"

"Yes…when my whistle twittered and tweeted, just like Dash's. Well, I took David to Knapford Sheds and shared the whole story with him."

"Say what you may about the Logging Locos, but in my opinion, they just sound a little too goofy and quirky for me," said David. "But Emily's story with Dash and 'Warbling Whistles,' I think it's weird but cute."

"Yes. I agree," said Thomas.

"Especially when Emily warbles her whistle!" David exclaimed joyfully.

"What do you think, Tommy? Do I look adorable?" And she bulged up her cheeks and warbled her whistle. Thomas suddenly remembered that look from all those years ago.

"Cinders and Ashes, that is adorable, Emily!" he wheeshed.

"What about the joke I told Emily that made her whistle twitter and tweet again?" said David.

"A joke? It must have been very funny to make her laugh that hard. Please tell it, David," said Thomas.

Although he had no balloon this time, David told the joke to Thomas, just as he did with Emily. By the time he concluded the joke, Thomas suddenly burst into roars of laugher, as did Emily until her whistle tweeted again, like it did before.

"Wow, David!" Thomas laughed. "That is certainly funny!"

"And the third story of mine is actually a very innocent, heartfelt and fun one, Thomas," said Emily. "Several days before you came back, Percy and I both had a very, very rough day with the Troublesome Trucks. They gave us both such a hard time and we could hardly make them behave. As such, I decided we both needed another night at Knapford Sheds so we could wind down together."

"And what did you two do that night?" asked Thomas.

"We had a very playful and then very heartfelt night together. I wanted Percy to perk up again after such a rough day, so I tickled him, nibbling his face until he smiled again. It made me so happy that I could tickle him and make him feel so much happier after all the trouble he had dealt with."

"Aww, Emily, that sounds so cute!" Thomas chortled.

"And then…he asked me if I was ticklish," said Emily. "I know how you and I tickle each other…" And she licked her lips to prove her point.

"Anyway," she continued. "As I love Percy as my son figure, I thought of a much more innocent way to do it with him. So, I let him kiss and nibble my cheeks like I do with him. And he know just how to do it like a perfect son."

"Pure, unwavering cuteness is all I can say about it, Emily," Thomas grinned.

"After we had such a playful time tickling each other, we calmed down…and he asked me for a hug, with my steam. My bond with you can never be equaled, Thomas, but I don't think Percy or I ever felt such a strong mother-to-son bond. He was so happy, and soon we were both fast asleep. And that is all the stories from Sodor for you, Thomas."

"Very nice, Emily," said Thomas. "I'm very glad to have heard all that."

"Thank you, Thomas," said Emily. Then she looked around. The sun had gone down, and night had fallen.

"Well, it's dark now," said Thomas. "What do we do?"

"I know," Emily said smoothly and seductively.

David returned to her cab while Thomas winked and they set off together. On their way, they stopped at Ffarquhar Station to drop David off on his way home.

"Goodnight, David," Thomas and Emily called together.

"Goodnight, you two," he called back with a wave as he walked into the night.

"I love you, Emily," Thomas smiled as he kissed her lips, giving her a loving nibble while he did. Emily moaned softly as she kissed and nibbled him too.

"I love you too, Thomas," she smiled. "Now…time for our own playful night…"

And so, the two engine set off for Knapford Sheds after Thomas' adventures in China. Now, Thomas and Emily had plenty of time to look forward to…and to experience a few rather interesting events.

Right, so that's the China portion of Series 22 covered. Next story is gonna be really interesting as we are adapting the popular free to adapt story "Steamed Hams" by fandom members The Buried Truck and Derek (RightOnTracks). The story has been adapted before, the most famous, and best example being Carson's version, check out video, it's great. So yeah, leave your reviews and we'll see you next time.