Disclaimer: I do not own Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
A/n: This is my first fanfic, so please be kind when reviewing! Flames will be thrown in the Chocolate River! Also, I apologize in advance if Willy seems OOC. I'm trying my best to keep him in character, but that guy's personality is extremly difficult to write! Well, that's it. Enjoy!
Chapter 1: Willy's Nightmare
The final bell had just rung, and Willy Wonka and his classmates were getting ready to go home. Willy hoped that the bus would hurry up and come, before… "Hey, look! It's Weirdo Wonka!" teased one of his classmates. "You mean Wonky Willy!" teased another. Too late. Every day, the other kids teased and made fun of poor Willy. They seemed to love tormenting him about his huge, ridiculous looking braces and headgear. The fact that he was a little on the eccentric side didn't exactly help, either. "Hey, metal head, how many radio stations do you get with that thing?" yet another one of Willy's classmates asked. For about the millionth time, Willy wished that his father hadn't insisted on putting that…that…monstrosity on his mouth and face. "Want some chocolate, tinsel face?" asked another of Willy's classmates, holding out a chocolate bar. "Sure!" replied Willy. The kid pulled the chocolate bar away from him. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot. You can't have any candy, because daddy won't let you!" the teaser said in a singsong voice. Willy could feel tears welling up in his eyes, and quickly turned away before the other kids had a chance to notice and call him a crybaby. Luckily, the bus pulled up at that exact moment. Gratefully, Willy hopped on.
Soon, Willy was home. After checking to make sure his father was busy seeing a patient, Willy grabbed a box of chocolates and a small notebook (both of which he kept hidden from his father) and went outside. He opened the box of chocolates, selected one, and began to eat. As he ate it, he took notes. He ate another candy, and another, and another…"Willy Wonka!" a voice bellowed behind him. Willy jumped about a foot into the air. "D-d-dad?" he stammered. "Have you been eating candy again?" Wilbur asked sternly. Then, he spotted Willy's notebook. "And what's this?" he asked, picking it up. He flipped through it, and (if this was even possible) began looking even angrier than before. "You know you're not supposed to eat candy!" Wilbur shouted at his son. Willy cringed. "But, dad…" he protested. "No buts, Willy! All candy will ever do is rot your teeth! Besides which, it's just a silly waste of time!" Wilbur sternly told his son. "I can't help it, dad! I love candy!" Willy protested. This time, Wilbur didn't speak. Instead, he raised his hand. Willy squeezed his eyes shut, but that didn't stop him from feeling the painful sting of the slap on his face. For the second time that day, tears welled up in Willy Wonka's eyes.
"No! Dad, don't!" Willy cried. At that moment, the Chocolatier's eyes popped open, and he woke up in a cold sweat. He had been having another flashback nightmare. Unfortunately, these nightmares were not an uncommon occurrence. Willy sighed. He knew there was no way he was falling asleep again any time soon. "I guess I might as well work on some candy ideas," he muttered to himself as he got out of bed. Then, he put on his slippers and walked down the hall to his study.
"Charlie! Wake up, sleepyhead! Mr. Wonka will be here soon!" It was the next morning, and Mrs. Bucket was trying to wake up her son. A few minutes later, Charlie came downstairs. "Don't worry, Mom, I wasn't going to oversleep!" he assured his mother. Mrs. Bucket just smiled. "So, Mom, what's for breakfast?" Charlie asked. "I'm making a special treat, chocolate chip pancakes," said Mrs. Bucket. "Mr. Wonka'll love those!" Charlie said happily. The Buckets always invited Willy to join them for breakfast; most of the time, he accepted the offer. Mrs. Bucket laughed. "I'm sure he will," she said as she tousled her son's hair. Just then, Grandpa George mumbled something about, "crazy candy man!" "Now pops!" warned Mr. Bucket. "Speaking of Mr. Wonka, where is he?" Grandpa Joe wondered aloud. Charlie checked the clock. It was a quarter after eight. Willy usually arrived at the Bucket cottage at 8'oclock sharp, but Charlie wasn't too worried. He figured that Willy had probably been delayed somewhere. Maybe he had suddenly had a breakthrough on a new candy idea. Or, maybe one of the Oompa Loompas needed to talk to him about something. Whatever the reason was, Charlie was sure Willy would be knocking on the door any second. "He's probably just running a little late," Charlie assured his family. "But Mr. Wonka is never late!" replied Grandpa Joe. "Relax! An Oompa Loompa probably needed to ask him something," said Charlie. By 9'oclock, however, Willy still hadn't arrived. "If Willy doesn't get here soon, his breakfast is going to get cold," said Mrs. Bucket. Even Charlie was a little worried now. "I'll go find him," he said.
Charlie opened the door to his cottage and stepped out into the Chocolate Room. Then, he opened his mouth and let out the weird, high-pitched sound that Willy used to call the Oompa Loompas. Almost immediately, an Oompa Loompa appeared at Charlie's side. "Hello. I was wondering if you could tell me where Mr. Wonka is," said Charlie. The Oompa Loompa made motions indicating that Willy was still in his private quarters. "Thank you," Charlie told the Oompa Loompa. The Oompa Loompa crossed his arms and bowed, and Charlie did the same. As the Oompa Loompa ran off, Charlie headed for the Great Glass Elevator. Ordinarily, of course, he made a point of staying out of Willy's private quarters (in fact, he made it a rule for himself). However, something told him that he needed to break his own rule. By jumping up, Charlie could just barely reach the elevator button marked: Residence. The elevator zoomed off. Several minutes later, it came to a stop.
Nervously, Charlie stepped out of the elevator. He found himself in what he assumed had to be Willy's living room. It was as wacky and unique as the Chocolatier himself. Charlie, however, didn't spend a lot of time looking around. He knew he had to focus on finding Willy. He looked around and found a door that was slightly ajar. Cautiously, he peeked in.
The sight that met Charlie's eyes was so funny; he had to put a hand over his mouth to keep himself from laughing. Willy Wonka was sitting at his desk, wearing his pajamas. He was slumped over, his head on the desktop. His mouth was open and he was snoring loudly. "Mr. Wonka?" Charlie whispered timidly. Willy, however, didn't stir. "Mr. Wonka!" Charlie said, a little louder this time. Willy didn't even flinch. "MR. WONKA!" Charlie was practically yelling by now. Surprisingly, Willy kept right on snoring (obviously, he was a very heavy sleeper!). Charlie sighed. He knew that Willy hated physical contact, but he didn't really have much of a choice. "I didn't want to have to do this…," he said as he walked over to the sleeping Chocolatier. Charlie put his hands on Willy's shoulders and began to gently shake him. "Mr. Wonka!" he said loudly.
Willy awoke with a start, nearly falling off his chair. Looking embarrassed, he plastered on a fake smile and said, "Good morning, star shine! The Earth says hello!" Charlie giggled, making Willy turn an even brighter shade of red. Guiltily, Charlie clapped his hand over his mouth. "Sorry, Mr. Wonka," he apologized. "So, uh, what are you doing here, Charlie?" Willy asked. "You overslept, Mr. Wonka," Charlie told him. "Oversleep, me? Never!" said Willy, giggling a bit. "Well, you did today," said Charlie matter-of-factly. "Oh. Well, then, let's boogie!" said Willy, who seemed to have completely forgotten what he was wearing. "Uh, Mr. Wonka…" Charlie began. "What?" Willy asked innocently. Charlie pictured Willy parading around the factory in his pajamas, and could barely keep from laughing. Since he didn't want to hurt Willy's feelings, however, he restrained himself. "I think you might want to put some clothes on first," Charlie advised his mentor. Willy looked down at his pajamas. "Oh, yeah!" he said. Charlie waited near the glass elevator while Willy went to his room and changed. A few minutes later, they were both in the elevator, heading toward the Chocolate Room.
Chapter 2 preview: Willy has breakfast with Charlie and the rest of the Buckets and some interesting things happen.