Authors Note: This is the second installment of my Wonka x OC fan fiction. Hope you like. Oh yeah, and someone kindly pointed out that Willy Wonka isn't young, he's old. Well, in this story, I adjusted both of their ages to fix the awkward problem of a 40 year old dating a 11 year old. So therefore, a 25 year old dating a 17 year old is slightly less awkward. At least in my mind it is. Oh yeah, and I made him less eccentric, a little more normal. Deal wid it. XD
Oh, and I do realize I didn't make it "Mrs. Teevee". I forgot, considering I haven't watched the movie in almost five years. Anyway, I can't change it. So just pretend Mike Teevee came here with his dad instead of his mom, okay?
Summary: Charlie explores the Factory with Willy Wonka, and Wonka starts to appreciate how pretty this unusual girl is.
Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own it. Ronald Dahl does.
Charlie liked being arm and arm with Willy Wonka. This was the first famous person she had met, and he was…well, handsome. His gold curls framed his handsome face and he strode alone the colorful hallways with a youthful vigor that was infectious. He was tall, taller then Charlie, and this was aided by the black boots he wore. Charlie scooted herself closer to Mr. Wonka as they arrived at a small, circular room that had a huge piece of paper on the only piece of furniture in the room, which was a small, sturdy table. The paper was very long, and trailed on the ground, but there was something different about it. At the beginning, the print was very large, but when you went all the way down to the bottom the print was miniscule.
Mr. Wonka released himself from Charlie, and skipped over to the paper. He picked up a large fluffy quill pen and handed it to Veruca, who had once again shoved her way to the front of the line. "Sign here, dear girl." he said.
"Wait a second, Veruca!" Mr. Salt said, pushing his way up to the front. "Don't sign anything unless you've read it first!"
"Why?" Veruca said scornfully. "I'll sign whatever I want. Don't tell me what to do, Daddy." She signed the paper with a flourish, and handed the pen back to Mr. Wonka with a simpering smile. He nodded brusquely at her and handed the pen to Violet.
"Vi, don't sign it!" Mr. Beauregard ordered. "What exactly do you want her to sign, Wonka?" he demanded. Mr. Wonka smiled that cheerful, happy smile that Charlie was beginning to like very much. He winked at Mr. Beauregard.
"Oh, just a little contract," he said airily, trying to get Violet to sign the paper. Mr. Beauregard balled his fists and jutted his head forward defiantly. Charlie was suddenly reminded of an angry bull.
"Don't tell me about contracts, Wonka. I work with them all the time. Contracts are strictly for suckers." he snapped. Charlie almost laughed aloud, but Mr. Beauregard's face was so red and angry she didn't.
"Daddy, I'll be fine," Violet said around a mouthful of gum. She signed it in a messy scrawl, and Mr. Wonka whisked the pen away from her quickly and handed it to Augustus. He signed it without saying a word. Charlie decided that Augustus preferred eating to talking.
Mike Teevee had to put down his guns to sign the paper, which made him complain for a moment, but he signed it all the same, then went back to blasting the wall with his popguns. Charlie picked up the pen hesitantly, then glanced at Grandpa Joe. "Nothing bad will happen, will it?" she whispered in his ear. He shook his head. Charlie signed it carefully, feeling very much as though she were signing her life away.
"Excellent! Well, off to the rest of the factory!" Mr. Wonka exclaimed brightly. He spun around and hurried over to a small door. Charlie started to follow him, but Veruca pushed past her with a nasty smile on her face.
"He doesn't like you, peasant girl," Veruca hissed in Charlie's ear. "He ought to be friends with me." Charlie almost stopped in her tracks, stung by Veruca's harsh comment. She blinked hard and continued, her head lowered again in her traditional submissive stance. Grandpa Joe recognized this and wondered what that nasty Veruca brat had said.
They all crowded into another small room, and this time is was barely enough room to fit all of them. Actually, it really wasn't enough room to fit them all, and Charlie found herself quite lost from Grandpa Joe in the center of the crowd. She looked around, startled, and was about to call his name when she felt a presence behind her, and she glanced upwards. Mr. Wonka was behind her, very close, and Charlie realized she was practically pressed against his chest. She blushed furiously, and tried to move away, but the crush of the small room kept her from moving.
"The room is getting smaller!" Mike Teevee cried, his voice filled with panic.
"Don't be silly, Mike, we're getting bigger," Mr. Teevee said sarcastically.
"We'll be crushed!" Mr. Salt shouted.
"Where's the chocolate?" Augustus asked in his thick voice.
"There isn't any chocolate! We'll be lucky to get out of here alive!" Mr. Beauregard said loudly.
Mr. Wonka seemed unperturbed by all the fuss, and merely waited for it to reach a crescendo. Then he sighed and made his way towards the door they had just came into. "Why, look," he said, pushing open the door. "Here we are."
"Don't be a blasted fool, Wonka, that's the door we just came into!" Mr. Salt barked angrily. They filed outside, fully expecting to be in the small room with the contract again, but instead they were in a long, narrow hallway. They all gasped.
"What is this, a funhouse?" Mr. Teevee grumbled.
"Surprises around every corner. Nothing dangerous, I assure you," Mr. Wonka said reassuringly. Charlie tried to make her way back to Mr. Wonka's side but Veruca beat her out. Charlie saw her nestled next to the handsome chocolatier, and her heart burned with jealousy.
Wonka turned around suddenly, and they all leaned forward to hear what he said. Charlie squirmed her way to the front. "Now, we're about to enter the very heart of my factory," he said in a low, secretive voice. "No tasting, no touching, no telling."
"No telling?" Violet asked.
"There are secrets in here that nobody's ever seen before. Old Slugworth would give his false front teeth to be in here for five minutes," Wonka explained. "So, like I said…what you see here, stays here. Got it? Excellent!" he opened the door without anybody agreeing with him.
They all gaped at the scene before them.
A carpet of grass rippled down over a small, man-made hill. A set of lavender colored stairs wound lazily down to a dirty brown river, flanked on either side by candy canes. Bushes of all colors and shapes dotted the grass, which was too brightly green to be real. Huge gummy bears were grouped together, each of them the size of your fist. Gold trees were heavy with candy apples and toffee, and a large boulder appeared to be made of solid chocolate. There was the heavy, continuous sound of rushing water coming from somewhere, most likely the dirty river, which had large pipes scattered in it, and they were all sucking up the dark water quickly.
Mr. Wonka began to descend the stairs slowly, swinging his cane out every few steps, halting them teasingly. He began to sing softly, almost to himself, but Charlie could hear every word. His voice was pure and strong, a soft, silky purr that Charlie longed to hear more of.
"Come with me And you'll be In a world of Pure imagination Take a look And you'll see Into your imagination."Charlie followed the path wonderingly, ignoring the rest of the children who were whooping and shrieking excitedly. They appeared to not notice the soft song that Mr. Wonka was singing, but Charlie wished he would continue forever. Grandpa Joe was munching a huge yellow gummy bear happily, despite his false teeth, and Charlie smiled at her mentor and best friend. She eyed a large gold tree that was dangling large candy apples that were tantalizingly out of reach. She stretched on tiptoe to reach for one but couldn't quite reach it.
"We'll begin With a spin Traveling in The world of my creation What we'll see Will defy Explanation."
Mr. Wonka watched her reach for the candy apple, singing quietly to himself. She had a superior look to the others, despite her ragged appearance. He knew very well that looks were deceiving. She was so pretty - not a flaunting, haughty kind of pretty like Veruca, or a bubbly, cheerful like of cute like Violet, she was a quiet, careful kind of beauty. Her long black hair rippled over her shoulders and was tamed slightly with a gold headband that kept most of the black curls from her face, but a handful of them had escaped, and they framed her face prettily. He approached her and plucked an candy apple from the tree and handed it to her. She blushed lightly and thanked him. Charlie bit it happily, tasting the sweet, crunchy treat that she had only eaten once.
"If you want to view paradise Simply look around and view it Anything you want to, do it Want to change the world? There's nothing To it ."
Charlie blushed as Mr. Wonka gave her the apple courteously, and she watched him meander away, still humming to himself. He was very handsome, and perfectly at ease with the world. She watched him interact with the other children, and her heart fluttered. He was certainly handsome…she shook herself mentally. He was a world-famous chocolatier, and she was a peasant girl who lived in a shack. They couldn't mix. It was like oil and water. Or chocolate and…no, never mind. Almost everything went well with chocolate.
She went over to the river and knelt down, examining it. Charlie had been hoping to see through the dirty water and into the bottom, where some fish might be, but it was too dirty to see anyway. Then a thought struck her. The heady aroma of chocolate had not left - if anything, it intensified - and the nagging idea wouldn't go away. She was about to dip a finger in the river when she heard Mr. Salt's loud voice right behind her.
"Why, Wonka, you've ruined your river. Industrial waste, is it?" he said officially. Wonka smiled and twirled his cane nonchalantly, a pleasant smile on his face. Charlie got up and narrowed her eyes.
"It's chocolate," she said suddenly. "Pure chocolate."
Wonka beamed at her. "Absolutely right, dear girl! It appears you have a brain in your head - such a useful thing!" he said. She blushed again.
"Chocolate? Ridiculous." Mr. Beauregard bristled.
"Oh yes. And my chocolate river is the only one that is mixed by waterfall." he said. Then he bent down and whispered in Charlie's ear, "That's the only way to get it just right, you know." Charlie smiled at him and he nudged her towards the river.
"Why, look!" Violet cried. "It's a little man!"
"Nonsense," Mr. Salt said. "There can't be anyone that small."
"But he is," Charlie said. "Look!"
It was true; there was a little orange-faced man testing the chocolate on the opposite side of the river. He was impossibly small, only about three feet high, and rather roly-poly. His hair was green and sticking up every which way, and he had a somber expression on his face.
"What are they?" Charlie asked Mr. Wonka in a hushed whisper. He winked at her.
"Oompa Loompas," he said proudly. Charlie's eyebrows met in a confused embrace. He laughed, that merry, cheerful laugh and explained himself.
"From Loompaland," he said. Mr. Teevee interrupted angrily.
"Loompaland? Stuff and nonsense! There isn't such a place!"
"Now, see here, my dear fellow - " Mr. Wonka began.
"I am a teacher of geography, Mr. Wonka." Mr. Teevee said. Mr. Wonka looked delighted.
"Oh, well, then you know all about it and what a terrible country it is. Nothing but desolate wastes and fierce beasts. And the poor little Oompa Loompas were so small and helpless, they would get gobbled up right and left. A Wangdoodle would eat ten of them for breakfast and think nothing of it. And so, I said, "Come and live with me in peace and safety, away from all the Wangdoodles, and Hornswogglers, and Snozzwangers, and rotten, Vermicious Knids." Mr. Wonka said earnestly. Charlie giggled, and he winked surreptitiously at her.
"Snozzwangers? Vermicious Knids? What kind of rubbish is that?" Mr. Salt asked disdainfully.
"I'm sorry, my dear man, but all questions must be submitted in writing. And so, in the greatest of secrecy, I transported the entire population of Oompa Loompas to my factory." Mr. Wonka said. Charlie's eyes grew wide.
"Daddy, I want an Oompa Loompa!" Veruca squealed. "I want an Oompa Loompa right now!"
"All right, darling. I'll get you an Oompa Loompa before the day is out," Mr. Salt said soothingly. Veruca stamped her foot in frustration and a childish display of a tantrum.
'"I want an Oompa Loompa right now!" she shrieked. Violet turned to her, an annoyed expression on her face.
"Can it, you nit!" Violet snapped. Veruca looked as though she'd been slapped.
Luckily, before either of the girls could start fighting, Charlie cried out "Look! Over there, by the river! Look what Augustus is doing!"
Augustus was on his knees slurping chocolate. Mr. Wonka whirled around. "Augustus, don't! My river must not be touched by human hands!" he cried, distraught.
He ignored him and continued to devour as much of the chocolate as he could. Then he reached out just a little too far, the center of gravity dancing just beyond his pudgy nose…
SPLASH!
"Oh, help, help!" he screamed waving his arms. Mrs. Gloop rushed over, shrieking.
"Save him! Save my Augustus! Oh, my poor baby! Call the police! Call the fire department!" she called. Wonka yawned.
"Help. Police." he said unenthusiastically. Charlie laughed, despite the seriousness of the situation. He glanced at her - sure enough, that little smile was quirking the side of her mouth, creating a dimple in the middle of her freckled cheek. He was seized with an insane desire to make her laugh again, just so he could see that dimple.
They all watched as Augustus was carried downstream, then got caught in the whirlpool near a pipe. He got sucked upwards quickly, but because of his bulk he got stuck halfway up. Between Augustus's carrying cries and Mrs. Gloop's hysterical wailing, Charlie could barely hear herself think.
"Oh, my poor baby! He cannot swim!" Mrs. Gloop cried.
'Well, there isn't any better time to learn, is there?" Mr. Wonka said brightly. Charlie threw him a nasty look as Mrs. Gloop's cries intensified.
"Mrs. Gloop! Please, I know you're upset, but I'm sure Augustus will be fine. Right, Mr. Wonka?" she asked. Mr. Wonka nodded.
"Oh yes. Augustus will be fine. Unfortunately, he will be carried off to the Fudge Room." he added. Mrs. Gloop continued to wail.
"Oh, my baby will be made into marshmallows!" she cried, her accent thicker and more pronounced. Mr. Wonka frowned.
"Of course not. That's preposterous." he said. Mrs. Gloop raised her head.
"Why not?" Charlie wanted to know.
"Because the Fudge Room isn't anywhere near the Marshmallow room." he said cheerfully. Mrs. Gloop began to cry again, and he sighed. "Oh dear."
He turned to the Oompa Loompas that were standing nearby and waved his hand distractedly. "Please escort Mrs. Gloop up to the Fudge Room, if you please," he said. His voice carried a slight order, but a subtle one. Charlie caught it - she wasn't sure if anyone else did - but didn't care.
The orange-faced servants bowed deeply and led the way down the hall towards another small door marked STAIRS. Apparently the Fudge Room was quite high up. Charlie's trademark smile quirked the side of her mouth again as she thought of the chubby Mrs. Gloop trudging up all of those stairs. Mr. Wonka saw it and was pleased that he made her smile again. It was addictive, really, making that girl smile.
"Well, then, shall we move on?" Mr. Wonka said pleasantly. They all followed him down the river where they saw a bright pink yacht docked peacefully on the stream. It bobbed up and down with the movement of the river and the ropes looked as though they were made of candy floss. Orange-faced Oompa Loompas were standing at the oars, serious expression on their carrot-colored faces.
"Nice little canoe you got there, Wonka," Mr. Salt said approvingly.
"All I ask for is a tall ship and a star to sail her by. All aboard!" Mr. Wonka called.
"Ladies first and that means Veruca," Mr. Salt said sternly.
"If she's a lady, I'm a Snozzwanger," Grandpa Joe whispered to Charlie. She laughed.
Mr. Wonka stepped aside and allowed the rest of the group to climb aboard first. When Grandpa Joe had passed, Charlie made to follow him but was stopped by Mr. Wonka's gold cane. He raised an eyebrow, watching that smile creep up the side of her mouth again. "Join me at the front, Charlie? That's the best seat, you know." he said. Charlie blushed and nodded, then sat next to the chocolatier at the front of the yacht.
The Oompa Loompas began rowing in smooth, steady strokes. They disappeared into a dark tunnel, lit only sporadically by multi-colored lights. By the faint glow of the purple, blue, green and red lights, Mr. Wonka could see the enraptured look on Charlie's face. She loved being here, just smelling all the chocolate and seeing how it was made. He filed this away for later.
The rowers sped up, and the boat rocked swiftly over the choppy waves of the stream. Veruca coughed unpleasantly. "Where are we going?" she asked nervously. Mr. Wonka smiled to himself.
"There's no knowing where we're going for the rowers keep on rowing, with no signs that they are slowing!" he cried happily. The boat went even faster, and Mr. Beauregard looked positively green. Colors and lights flashed around them, and Mr. Wonka felt Charlie gripping his elbow. For a mercifully short second, he wished the boat went even faster so she could cling to him tighter.
And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped. They were at a small dock, and there was a plain metal door set into the wall. A signpost that was painted in a happy shade of yellow pointed in a dozen different directions. The Oompa Loompas pulled out a gangplank and they all shakily clambered out, all except for Charlie who looked up at Mr. Wonka delightedly.
"Thanks, Mr. Wonka! That was great!" she whispered in his ear. Mr. Wonka felt a blush rise to his cheeks and he smiled fondly at the eager teenager.
They all huddled around the plain door, and Grandpa Joe read the signpost. Charlie read it too, her forehead wrinkling in confusion.
"Vanilla cream…" Grandpa Joe said.
"Orange cream…" Charlie said.
"Whipping cream…"
"Hair cream?" They said together.
Mr. Wonka laughed, then turned serious as he faced the group. "All right, now, listen to me. Inside this place is the Invention Room, and is contains some very volatile candy inside. Do not taste anything. Got it?"
"What does 'volatile' mean?" Violet asked.
"Unpredictable and unsafe." Charlie answered. Mr. Wonka raised an approving eyebrow, then swung the door wide open.