Disclaimer: We tried to bribe Tim Burton into letting us "borrow" Willy Wonka, but it didn't work, so we (still) don't own the delicious chocolatier.

AN: Sorry this is so late, work has been a nightmare these past few weeks! Anyway, I give this story about three or four more chapters, at most, and then it's over. Sorry, but there won't be a sequel, because I just don't have the time or ability to do it. However, feel free to check out the other stories under my penname, Mystic Lady Fae, for more Johnny Depp fics. Thanks, and please review.

Chapter 8: A Sweet-and-Sour Discovery:

Much to her dismay, Danika woke feeling nauseous and spent a good part of the morning in the bathroom, cursing her endless bout of stomach flu as her husband lovingly held her hair back and sang pointless, silly songs to her. It was a sweet gesture, and she much appreciated it. Finally, when she had cleaned herself up and rinsed her mouth, Danika put on a pair of black jeans, a red shirt, and black boots. Sally helped her into a black coat with red embroidery and red silk lining before pressing a pair of black gloves into her mistress's hands for safe measure.

Danika looked down at her small helper and smiled. "Thanks, Sally."

The Oompa Loompa smiled back and bowed before heading out the tiny door that all of her people used whenever attending their employer and his fire-haired wife. Alone and still slightly queasy, Danika took a deep breath and headed out one of the many secret doors of the factory and into the bustling streets. The cold, clean air helped clear her head and wipe away the uneasy feeling in her stomach.

The town was busier than normal, since many people from around the world had come to see the Golden Ticket winners, and to try and get a glimpse of the greatest chocolatier in the world. Obviously quite a few were staying as sort of a vacation, all of them hoping to see the place where Willy Wonka had begun his journey as a candyman with a single store and developed into the amazing empire owner he now was.

"Mommy, can we go and see that place where Mr. Wonka had his shop?" a little girl asked her mother as they headed down the sidewalk in the opposite direction, going towards the factory instead of away from it.

"Now, Emily, you already saw it yesterday," the woman chided. "But if you want, we can see it again before we head home tomorrow."

"Yay!" the girl cheered as she skipped down the sidewalk.

Danika shook her head and smiled. One of the first things Willy had done after they were married was make his very first shop into a museum, just so people could see the humble beginning he had come from. The Wonka Shop still sold candy, but only the stuff that had been developed when it had first opened twenty years ago. Willy had decided this so that the local stores and markets could sell all of the other Wonka products and still make a profit, despite the existence of the original Wonka store. Besides, the shop wasn't that interesting in the first place, since no candy was made there for fear of competitors sending in spies to see the candy-making processes.

After evading gaggles of tourist groups, Danika finally arrived at her Aunt Marian's house. Taking a deep breath, she knocked and waited, smiling at the sound of running footsteps approaching. The door flew open and there stood Kylie, bright-eyed and at two inches taller than the last time Danika had seen her.

"Nika!" she cried, flinging herself at her beloved cousin. "Mom, Nika's here!"

She barely had time to breathe as Kylie grabbed her hand and hauled her into the house. Aunt Marian was on the couch, reading the morning paper as her daughter and niece appeared in the doorway of the large, airy living room.

"Danika!" she exclaimed. "How are you, sweetie? We haven't seen you since Christmas! Sit down and I'll make you some cocoa, you look nearly frozen."

Feeling rather ashamed, Danika followed her aunt into the kitchen and sat on one of the wooden stools, elbows perched on the large island before her as she watched Kylie pop onto a seat next to her, chatting away about school, her ballet classes, and how she wanted to be on the swim team but didn't have the time just now. The air was filled with the scent of chocolate and the warmth that came from being someplace that was 'home.'

It had been a couple months since Danika had last visited, since the Golden Tickets had been sent out just before the holidays, and getting away from all of the planning and plotting at the factory had been next to impossible. The only way Danika had managed to convince Willy to slip away for a quiet Christmas dinner with her family was because they both needed a break from all things candy- and chocolate-related.

Aunt Marian set a blue mug of cocoa in front of her, and Danika instantly took a cautious sip, closing her eyes as the cold faded and warmth slowly grew inside her belly. Looking across the island at her aunt, Danika gave her a suspicious look. Aunt Marian blushed.

"It's a Wonka product," she admitted with a smile. "It helps Kylie warm up after she plays outside in the snow with her dad, so I always keep the cupboard stocked with it. It helps with colds, too."

Snickering at her aunt's discomfort, Danika took another sip and set the mug down carefully on the counter. "Thanks, Aunt Marian. After all of the stuff that's been happening, I needed that."

Green eyes met green eyes as Marian looked at her. "What's been happening? Besides the Tickets, of course, but I'm getting the sense that something else is going on with you. What's up, kiddo?"

"Nika?" Kylie asked, looking worried.

Danika smiled at her cousin and aunt. "It's okay, Kylie, I just haven't been feeling too good for the past few months."

Marian frowned and pulled out a platter of roast beef sandwiches she kept handy, in case her husband or daughter wanted something to eat at an odd time between lunch and dinner. Kylie was growing like mad and always hungry, and Geoff…well, men were always after food, even when they didn't know it, and it was handy to have the sandwiches already sitting around so that Geoff didn't destroy the kitchen looking for snacks.

"How long have you been feeling sick?" she cautiously asked, looking out the corner of her eye as she poured cocoa for her daughter.

"Since…wow, I guess since early January," Nika replied, sipping her hot chocolate. "Willy's kind of worried, but it is flu season, so…you know."

At this point, Marian was starting to feel a little anxious and excited. "Danika, have you missed your monthlies?"

Her niece shrugged. "Yeah, but you know I've never been regular. What's that got to do with it?"

"Sweetheart…I think you're pregnant."

The comment was met with stunned silence as Danika's mouth opened and closed repeatedly. Finally, after several minutes, sound emerged.

"Holy chocolate donuts."


After much drinking of cocoa and a couple chocolate-covered peppermint marshmallows - all Wonka products, of course – Danika was calm. Well, relatively, considering she'd just discovered that she was pregnant. Aunt Marian had gone to the local drugstore and purchased a test, and after following the directions closely, it was confirmed to the three females hovering over the little white plastic stick.

"I'm going to be an auntie!" squealed Kylie. She was already planning out what the baby's bedroom would look like, working on two drawings so that they were prepared for a boy or a girl.

Meanwhile, Danika was starting to crave a ham sandwich, and with all of that sugar running through her veins, she desperately needed to do something while she tried to figure out how she was going to tell her husband that he was going to be a daddy.

And of course, the other problem was Charlie. Danika smiled, knowing that the charming boy had won over everyone in the factory. Willy thought of him as a great protégé, and believed that Charlie had incredible potential at being a world-famous candy connoisseur. In fact, it was Willy's hope that Charlie would outstrip him so that the factory would thrive long after it had changed hands. Of course, Danika just loved Charlie as the sweet, generous person he was, thanks to his parents and grandparents, who were trying to adapt to life in the factory as best they could.

Actually, the entire Bucket clan was fitting into the factory like a glove. The Bucket adults were accepting the eternal presence and unexpected appearances of the Oompa Loompas, and the tiny people were growing less annoyed with the fact that the Buckets wanted to do things for themselves and instead of being waited on hand-and-foot.

It had taken a while for both Mrs. Bucket and Danika to convince the Oompa Loompas to stop doing all of Mrs. Bucket's chores for her –evidently, both shared the desire to always stay busy, and not being allowed to do something was rather irritating to both the Oompa Loompas and to the Buckets. It was because of their desire to work that made the tiny people more than happy to do anything and everything they could for Willy and Danika, since –though they were loath to admit it – the Wonka's were rather lazy when it came to folding their own clothes or cleaning up any mess they made. Then again, considering that they both ran the world's greatest candy empire, picking up socks seems rather a small thing after making fantastic treats all day long.

Anyway, the point was that Charlie was now legally and officially the 'hair' to the Wonka Company, and there would be tons of trouble if Willy backed out of the deal so soon after it had been made public. People would feel that Charlie had been cheated of it, and eventually, no one would buy Wonka products because of this move of bad faith.

Eating her food, Danika was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice that her sandwich had sweet pickles on it, a food she absolutely detested. Her aunt noticed, though, and smiled, wondering when her niece would realize that the pregnancy cravings had kicked in.


Back at the factory, Willy was having troubles of his own. Well, it wasn't trouble, exactly, more like…well, there was no way for him to really categorize what was happening today. Thanks to one phone call, Willy Wonka's day had been turned upside down, and he was in a state of panic for about an hour before he managed to calm down and greet his unexpected visitor.

"Hi, Dad," he whispered, smiling shyly as the tall, thin figure of his father, Dr. Wilbur Wonka, walked into the factory.

To his credit, Willy was handling the visit surprisingly well. On his previous visit to his childhood home, Willy had given his father the direct number to his office, where a mob of Oompa Loompa assistants sat answering incoming calls from dozens of companies trying to contact Willy about some sort of business venture or another. Personal calls, however, were sent to a see-through purple plastic phone on Willy's desk that lit up whenever someone called, and those were always answered by Willy himself.

Today, that special phone had lit up, and on the other end was Dr. Wonka, wanting to come visit his son and the great factory that he had built. The call had surprised the chocolatier to no end, and almost against his brain's command, Willy's mouth had agreed to his father's request.

Now both men were standing in the front foyer of the factory, looking uncomfortably at one another because each was the polar opposite of the man they were facing.

Dr. Wonka was dressed almost completely in black, with a crisp white shirt the only spot of color on him. Both colors went well with his salt-and-pepper hair and beard, as well as his sharp black eyes that glittered like onyx.

Willy, on the other hand, was very colorful in an emerald-green coat shot with gold thread, which he wore over a white shirt and green vest covered in gold and black embroidery. His pants matched his coat, and his feet were shod in black leather boots with bright 'W' buckles on the top and center. In his hand was a green walking stick with a gold stripe swirling up to the gold globe of the handle.

"Hello, Willy," his father replied to his son's greeting.

The younger Wonka shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, welcome to my factory," he said, squeezing the top of his cane and wishing that Danika were here to help sooth him.

"Thank you." Pause. "I hope I'm not intruding at a bad time."

Willy gave a small smile. "No, no, it's okay. It was just…unexpected, that's all."

At that moment, his father's eyes widened to the size of saucers, just as Willy felt something tug on his leg. Looking down, Willy saw that it was Wendell, who appeared rather worried for some reason. This, in turn, alarmed Willy because the Oompa Loompas never looked worried or upset unless something was really, really wrong.

"What is it, Wendell?" Willy asked, trying to keep his cool.

It was about Danika, the Oompa Loompa told his employer. She had arrived back at the factory, and had gone straight to the infirmary, where she apparently still was.

Fearful about his wife's health, Willy immediately turned and began heading into the factory, completely forgetting about his father's presence until the older man was walking beside him, trying to get his attention.

"Willy, what's wrong?" Wilbur asked. "And what was that…creature?"

"He's an Oompa Loompa, imported to my factory from Loompa-land," Willy absently explained, his attention mostly focused on getting to his wife's side. "And I have to get to Danika because she's in the infirmary, which is a bad and unusual thing because the Oompa Loompas are freaked out."

Now Wilbur was confused. "Danika? Who's Danika?"

"She's my wife."

Willy stopped walking and winced at his father's cry of, "YOUR WIFE?"


Once she had finished eating her sandwich, Danika had decided it would be best to head back to the factory and have a talk with the Oompa Loompa doctors. Unfortunately, her aunt and cousin wanted to go along as well.

Now, Danika knew she would have to take a more difficult path to get them all inside. One person sneaking in and out of Willy Wonka's factory was simple to do; two was more difficult, but possible; three, however, was practically a small crowd, so Danika had to time their entrance with the scheduled truck deliveries were being made, slipping them in just as the trucks were going out.

Thanks to her knowledge of when the factory's workings, Danika was able to get them in with little difficulty. Once they squeezed past the trucks, she gave the secret signal to the hidden video cameras posted around the loading docks, letting the Oompa Loompas know who she was and that she had guests with her. A secret doorway opened under her careful fingertips, and the three women were soon in the warm hallways of the factory, being fussed over by Sally and a few other Oompa Loompas who had come to greet them.

"No, Sally, I don't need anything," Danika kindly replied to her personal Oompa Loompa. "I already had my weight in Wonka hot cocoa at my aunt's, not to mention eating two sandwiches, so I'm pretty much done until dinner. Right now I need to talk to Doctors Ed and Fred."

"Ed and Fred?" asked Kylie as she handed her scarf over to an eager Oompa Loompa..

Danika shrugged. "They're twins, and both happen to like studying medicine."

Nodding, Sally led the three Tall People to the medical wing, where Danika was instantly swarmed over by concerned nurses and the two most senior doctors, Ed and Fred. She was taken to the examination room, and once she was alone with them, Danika explained that she believed herself to be pregnant. Both doctors looked surprised and slightly skeptical until she told them that she had consulted not only her aunt, but also a pregnancy test to confirm it.

It would not be the first time we were wrong about something like this, Ed admitted via sign language, looking slightly ashamed.

Fred nodded in agreement with his brother. Although we are well-educated in matters of healing both Oompa Loompa and Talk People, we are not truly familiar with, or experienced in such matters regarding your kind.

That might be why no one noticed it when you came in last time to see what was wrong, Sally remarked in the Oompa Loompa hand signs.

"Well, you can check now, if you want," Danika told them.

The Oompa Loompas took a small blood tube of blood and went over to test it in one of their many machines. Normally, it took time for hospitals to run their patient's blood through a series of tests, but this was Willy Wonka's factory, and everything was done as fast as a person could want. Therefore, it was only moments before the results came back.

Danika Wonka was pregnant. Now all she had to do was tell her husband…


Practically speeding into the infirmary, Willy halted at the reception desk there and shot Francine the receptionist a look that she understood all too well –he wanted to know where his wife was, and wouldn't leave until he had seen her. She told him to take a seat and to wait, for the doctors were finished with her and the Fire-haired Lady would be out soon.

Instead of sitting, though, Willy began to pace, ignoring the questions his father was throwing at him about Danika. Finally, Wilbur quieted down and took a human-sized seat, obviously frustrated at not being informed that his son had had a girlfriend, but less gotten married. The two Wonka men just sat or paced in silence until Doctor Ed appeared in the doorway.

Upon seeing him, Willy stopped pacing and ran over to the little man, who had a broad smile on his small face. "What is it? What's wrong with my wife?" he asked, panic-stricken.

Nothing is wrong with her, Great One, he signed respectfully, calling Willy by the name the Oompa Loompas had given him the day he had extended his offer of taking them to his factory, which they called Paradise. In fact, I wish you much happiness, as I am sure your offspring will be a most kind and brilliant child.

The Great Chocolatier stared down at him, violet eyes blinking in a blank, dead-pan manner. "Child?" he squeaked. "I…Danika and I…together…baby…?"

With that said, Willy Wonka keeled over in a dead faint.


Danika was exiting the examination room just as Willy passed out. "Willy!" she cried, racing over to her husband. "Willy, can you hear me?" She cradled his head upon her lap, running her fingers through his hair in an attempt to sooth and wake him.

"Starshine?" he whispered, slowly coming to. "Oh, Starshine, I dreamed that someone said you were…that we were…"

"Pregnant?" she asked, amused. "Well, they're right, Willy Wonka. You're going to be a daddy."

Willy blinked up at her. "Oh." He then promptly fainted all over again.

Sighing, Danika turned towards Francine. "Could you get a dozen or so of our strongest workers to take Willy upstairs? He'll probably want something to deal with a headache later, but no liquor or liquor-flavored anything, okay?"

The receptionist nodded and began entering the orders into her computer. Not five minutes later, in came twelve strong Oompa Loompas wheeling a human-sized gurney. Carefully, they lifted up their beloved Cocoa Bean Man and gently laid him out before wheeling him off. Danika began to follow, but stopped when she heard someone clear their throat.

Turning around, she was surprised to see an older gentleman standing there, dressed head-to-toe in black except for a pressed white shirt. He had salt-and-pepper hair, and his mustache and beard were the same colors. He was going slightly bald on top, but that didn't take away from the rather imposing air he had about him. However, his black eyes clearly expressed his emotions, and right now, he appeared uncomfortable.

"Um, miss, would you happen to be…?" He trailed off.

"Oh, actually, it's Missus, not miss," Danika said, offering her hand. "I'm Mrs. Wonka, though my first name is Danika. And who would you be, sir?"

The man cleared his throat. "I'm Willy's father," he replied, taking her hand in his. "I'm Dr. Wilbur Wonka."

Danika's face lit up. "Oh, how wonderful!" she cried. "Willy told me that he visited you for the first time not long ago, and I've been dying to meet you. We can get to know each other over cocoa!"

Wilbur looked uneasy. "Well, I'm afraid that I don't drink much cocoa…"

His daughter-in-law merely smiled at him and took his arm. "Trust me, it would mean the world to Willy if he knew that you merely sampled some of his work, at least for my sake if for no other reason. What do you say, Dad?"

Something warm fluttered inside of Wilbur's chest at the idea of being called "Dad" by this woman he had just met. He was actually a father-in-law, and soon, he was going to be a grandfather because this lovely young woman was carrying his son's child! The least he could do was drink a cup of hot chocolate and chat with her.

He tucked her hand into this elbow and put a hand over hers, patting it in a fatherly manner. "I would be honored."


AN: Wow, long chapter! I hope that it makes up for the lateness; my boss at work gave me a pain-in-the-butt project, and that took up all of my writing time. All I can say is "thank goodness for weekends!" Please leave a review and let me know what you thought. Thanks!