Luckily for Erik, he'd found the ticket barely a day before the due date. So instead of having the media camp out in front of his house like a pack of vultures he'd gotten away with not saying anything at all. Instead he decided to just show up right before they were to go past the gates.

His mother and grandfather couldn't make it to see him off unfortunately.

But it was for the best since the large crowd of people assembled out in front of the factory looked more like an out of control mob than anything else.

He knew that his grandfather was disappointed since he couldn't be out here standing in front of the gates with everyone else. To watch as his grandson walk through the gates that had been closed for so long, but with the state of his legs as they were it wouldn't have been advisable even if there had been less plushy people around.

Maneuvering his way through the small gaps in the crowd he ignored the buzz of conversations from different sources as people speculated on who the mysterious final winner of the last golden ticket was. It had come out on the previous evening news that the man in Russia had tried to pass of a forgery as a real golden ticket and that some lucky young man from the very city that the factory resided in had found the last ticket instead.

Luckily for Erik no one had recognized him in that small corner shop yesterday, so he was still anonymous for now.

Making his way towards the small corralled area where the other four winners stood in place he pulled out his ticket for validation.

After a whole song and danced for the officials, he was finally able to join the others in line. He made sure to ignore the reporters and officials that were throwing question after question at his face.

As he stood there at the end of the lineup he felt relief when after only a long, hard stare the others left him alone.

Looking down at his old wrist watch he squinted through the sun glare to check the time.

10:00

Show time then.

As if in accordance to his thoughts the gates gave a loud creak as they opened by themselves, startling everyone into a hushed silence.

"Will the five winners please walk forward." A crackling voice echoed over a hidden loud speaker.

Erik took a deep breath, letting it out slowly he followed the others. It was surreal in a way, to walk through the gates he'd passed right by for years now.

"The gates will now be closing, thank you everyone who showed up for today's events. Have a good day." Once again, the voice echoed in the open air.

It was hard to characterize the voice because of the static sound that buzzed in the background but to Erik the voice sounded young and male.

The two other boys pushed on ahead, elbowing the girls rudely and jeering.

Erik looked at them and tried to connect their names and faces from what he could remember from the news over the past few weeks.

"Ugly brutes." The dark-haired woman sneered unattractively and wiped away some imaginary dirt off her bare shoulder. Erik felt uncomfortable just looking at her, since she was wearing less clothing then he felt was decent for a girl her age. Although that may just be his mother's way of thinking invading his own thoughts.

A strapless tube top and mini skirt with fishnet leggings and boots. Erik felt his face blush as he turned away from her to inspect the others, he would do well to stay away from that one, she had the look of a women on the prowl and he wanted no part of that.

Let one of the other boys fall prey to that.

The blonde-haired women narrowed her eyes at him, in a way that caused a shiver of alarm to course through Erik's body, unlike the other girl this one was in a blue track suit with her hair pulled in a tight pony-tail. It was her eyes that gave him pause though, a feeling of danger echoed through them and he made a vow then and there that he wouldn't cross these girls if he could help it, girls were vicious when they wanted to cause you imaginable horror as his mother taught him.

It was a quick walk to the large factory doors, Erik could still hear the crowd behind him but he declined to turn around. He'd rather the reporters not get a good look at him since he was still contracted to Mr. Shaw and had a job to do even with this once in a lifetime opportunity.

His lips turned down into a scowl at the thought of the other man.

"Now then, before we meet. I'd like you to enjoy a little song and dance that I've composed for you all."

Erik felt the small space above his left eye twitch as section of the front wall slide away and reveled a small stage of brightly painted puppets.

"Holy fuck…" One of the boys whispered loudly. Clearly as horrified and amused as the rest of them as the puppets began to dance and sing in sync.

"Charles Xavier! Charles Xavier! The amazing Chocolatier of this age. Charles Xavier! Charles Xavier! Everybody give us three cheers!" To everyone's continued horror, the dolls mouths began to move to the words.

The last sentence repeated three times before the short red headed boy caught on and gave three quick cheers to the amusement of the others.

"He's modest, clever and so smart! He barely can restrain it! With so much generosity, there's no way to contain it, to contain it!"

Erik sniggered at the egoist personal theme song. This was not what he expected, things had already gone sideways and passed weird and he hadn't even stepped inside yet. Luckily for him his grandfather had warned him that Mr. Xavier may pull something like this, since the man himself was exceptional to say the last.

"Holy fucktard, what is all this." the redhead boy whispered loudly. Erik really needed to remember what their names were before he made an ass out himself. At least he could take pleasure in that no one knew his name.

As the song finally ended the dolls moved aside and an empty chair rose up from a trapdoor under the floor. A host of sparklers began to shoot out around the puppets.

Which had them catching on fire. Erik closed his eyes as the smell of burning plastic filled the air.

"Wicked." The other boy smirked as the dolls continued to burn and melt into hard puddles of waste.

The sound of excited clapping sounded right behind Erik, since he was supposedly the last in line he turned his head sharply to glare at the person for startling him.

He also chastised himself for being completely absorbed in the horror show in front of him that he had someone sneaked up without him hearing them.

"Wow! Magnificent! I was afraid that it was getting a bit doggy in the middle but that finale was perfect!" A wildly grinning man continued to clap for several more seconds as everyone turned to him. As soon as Erik had turned around the man turned that blinding smile on him.

Erik was able to contain the blush that wanted to rise by blinking rapidly for a second, as if blinded by the man's bright smile.

Which in hindsight wasn't much better then blushing.

The man continued to smile as he walked up to a part of the small stage that wasn't on fire, completely ignoring the fire hazard that continued to hungrily consume his toys and stage.

"Who are you?" The blonde woman asked rudely, smacking her gum loudly and chewing with crassness.

"He's Charles Xavier." Erik scolded. He didn't bother to explain how he knew that, only that it felt instinctive.

That this strangely dressed man in his velvet caerulean floor length coat and top hat with the crazily bright smile was the man they had all come to meet.

"That's not possible. This guy's too young to be the old, fat geezer who owns this place, plus he's dressed like some kind of circus freak." The dark-haired woman sneered, sure of herself.

"I assure you, this man is Mr. Xavier. Please avoid being unnecessary rude if you can help yourself." Erik said gravely and glared her down when she tried to protest, since he knew he could be frightening when he turned his gaze cold he wasn't surprised that she didn't argue.

Everyone was standing in stunned silence as the man just continued to stand there grinning at them until the silence finally seemed to get to him as well because the smile was soon replaced with uneasiness.

"Hello star-shine, the earth says hello!" Mr. Xavier tried to say brightly but it was clear to Erik that the man was beginning to get uncomfortable with everyone's unimpressed stares.

Erik sighed lightly before deciding that he didn't need his dignity.

"Hello Earth, good day to you." He said drolly but it seemed to be worth it because the bright smile returned to the man's face. He ignored the snickering from the others around him.

Mr. Xavier then pulled out some note cards from his coat and shuffled them for a second before reading off them without looking up.

"Dear guests, greetings to you all. I welcome you to my factory on this day. I shake you warmly by the hand." Mr. Xavier then paused and slowly put his hand out uncertainly.

Unfortunately for him everyone but Erik was either too busy laughing, the boys, or rudely sneering at him for his fumbling, the girls. Once again it looked like Erik had to be the only adult in this group, he stepped forward before their host could drop his hand.

"Hello, Mr. Xavier. Thank you for your warm greetings." Erik said seriously, while shaking the chocolatier's hand firmly, the gratitude in the man's smile was unnerving.

Mr. Xavier went back to his speech, it seemed that he'd acquired a newfound energy as he practically bounced in place as he finished with a flourish.

"My name is Charles Xavier and I promise you this will be a day for you all to remember." He announced with zeal. "Now let's get moving, daylight's being wasted." He gestured for them to come forward as he walked to the doors, avoiding the areas on fire.

Everyone looked at each other with uncertainty but still hurried to catch up. Walking through the open doors they passed by a large curtain and found themselves in a long, large hallway. The large doors closed behind them, closing them to the outside world.

"Just drop your coats anywhere." Mr. Xavier spoke, not taking his own advice and leaving his on. The temperature inside was hot so everyone who had jackets and scarves, which was everyone but Erik, took them off and laid them gently on the ground near the entrance.

"Don't you want to know our names?" Asked one of the boys as he shed his bulky parka.

"Not really." Mr. Xavier answered absently, leading the group as he walked down the hallway to another door.

The blonde-haired woman gazed at their host with a calculating eye for a moment before coming in close and hugging the startled man coyly.

Mr. Xavier froze with a look of horror on his face as he squirmed in place, he was clearly uncomfortable and Erik was barely able to stop himself from snorting out loud in dark amusement.

"My name is Raven." Raven said as she pulled back, a wide shit eating grin on her face.

"I don't care." Mr. Xavier said, with a flushed face as he turned back around to continue on. He was moving even quicker this time, more than likely so he could avoid getting touched again.

Erik wondered absently what Mr. Xavier would do if Erik decided to hug him spontaneously like Raven did.

Probably have a heart attack.

"Well you should care because I'm the one who's going to win that special prize at the end." Raven said confidence ringing clear her voice.

"Well you seem to be very confident and confidence is keen." Mr. Xavier said inattentively.

The other girl suddenly popped up and pushed Raven roughly out of the way causing her to stubble into Erik as they all hurried after the chocolatier.

Erik placed his hands lightly on her shoulders to help her regain her balance but made sure to not touch her more then was necessary, he didn't want those power legs of hers to kick him.

"You alright?" Erik asked.

"I'm fine." Raven fumed as she stared angrily the retreating backs of the others. She gave Erik a small but real smile before moving to quickly going after the others.

Erik watched her for a moment to make sure that she was really okay, but once it was established that the only thing bruised was her pride he turned his attention back to the others.

He managed to catch up just to catch the tail end of another introduction.

"-always thought of angels as big blurry men with swords and spears, wreaking havoc on everyone else." Xavier said with naïve charm as the boys and Raven snickered behind their hands.

The other woman, who Erik now remembered was named Angel, frowned heavily as she seemed at a loss for words.

The red-haired boy laughed loudly before putting himself quickly in front of Mr. Xavier, once again stopping everyone in their path.

"I'm Sean. I love your candy, I eat it every day." He said as he pulled out a melted bar of chocolate from his back pocket and shoved a large piece into his mouth. His face already had signs of smeared chocolate on his cheeks and chin.

"Ah I can see that." Xavier replied awkwardly. Before continuing he seemed to pause in thought before turning to the other boy with an expression of annoyance.

"And that would make you Alex, wouldn't it? You're the little…kid who thinks he cracked the system."

Then he turned to Erik, a small smile grew on his face as Erik shuffled his feet awkwardly.

"And you…well you're just lucky to be here aren't you." He said, not unkindly. Erik couldn't find it inside himself to be angry, it was true after all.

It was pure dumb luck that got Erik to find the last golden ticket.

Not that he wouldn't have had to find a way into the factory anyway. Even without the ticket Mr. Shaw had made it clear to him that he had no choice in the matter. Still Erik decided he would enjoy himself for as long as he could before the prefect opportunity presented itself.

As they all walked through the entry hallway Erik began to feel like something was off. He looked around carefully and noted with fascination that the walls and ceilings were getting smaller and smaller the longer they walked forward. It seemed like no one else noticed though until it got to the point where they were bending their backs to avoid hitting the ceiling with their heads. The doorway to the next room which had seemed so large from far away was now the size of a child's playhouse.

To say that the outsiders were confused would be an understatement.

If Erik was to believe in his grandfather's stories this kind of thing was quiet common place and things would just continue to become more bizarre the further they explored into the factory.

"Now beyond this door is one of the most important rooms in the factory."

"So why is the door so small?" Alex sneered with a whine in his voice.

Erik didn't know why he was complaining since Erik was the tallest he was the one who was practically on his knees, if anyone should complain it would be him.

"It's to keep the great big chocolate flavor inside from escaping." Charles said brightly before taking out a giant key ring from his coat and after several long seconds selected the correct key to unlock the door. He pushed the door open and somehow the door looked big enough to fit them. Erik figured it must have been some kind of optical illusion that made them only think that the door had been so small.

"Now don't get over excited, just enjoy yourselves without worry." Charles said as the rest of the group walked inside the room.

It was…awe inspiring to say the least.

The room looked like it could go on forever. Fields of what looked like green grass and trees filled with candy scented fruit covered the room.

Cutting through the room was a giant river that looked to be bursting with…was that chocolate?

"It's beautiful." Erik said and it was only when everyone looked at him that he realizes he'd spoken out loud. He glared until the other's amused looks faltered and everyone turned away.

"Oh, you think so?" Mr. Xavier hummed thoughtfully. "Yes, I haven't thought about it that way for years but it is quite lovely." He said as his eyes roamed the room with a twinkle.

"The entire river is made out of the finest chocolate. Pipes from all over the factory come here and take the chocolate away and disperse it to the rooms that need it. You see that chocolate fall over there?" Mr. Xavier pointed to a rather large waterfall.

"That's my chocolate mixer; it mixes the chocolate and keeps it light and creamy. No other factory in the world mixes its chocolate by waterfall."

Mr. Xavier showed them the wide path that lead down a small hill towards a patch of the trees. Sean's face was red with excitement while Alex looked like he was about to break out into hives from all the chocolate that surrounded him.

Angel and Raven didn't really have much expression at the moment although if you looked into their eyes you could tell that they were listening.

"Why don't you try the grass? Please take a blade, or some of the flowers. Doesn't it look delicious?" Mr. Xavier teased as he plucked a small flower from the ground and held it out for someone to take.

"You can eat the grass?" Sean asked as he took it with shaking hands.

"Of course, everything in this room is eatable, the grass, flowers, trees, and even the very ground itself is made out of crushed cookies." He seemed to finally take notice of Alex's unimpressed stare because he added cheekily. "Even you're eatable. But I wouldn't recommend it as I heard that cannibalism is frowned upon in this country."

Erik raised an eyebrow at that but refrained from commentary while the others stared at each other with suspicious eyes.

"Why don't you all go enjoy yourselves, shoo." Mr. Xavier made shooing motions with his hands as he leaned against one of the candy trees.

Sean didn't need to be told twice and was off like a rocket and after some hesitation, Raven was next to leave the group with Angel followed slowly behind her.

Alex just crossed his arms and sat down on a rock, clearly unwilling to explore the room. As Erik examined the rock out of the corner of his eye he noted that it wasn't really a rock but some kind of hard candy growing out of the ground.

Erik was the last to explore, but he felt Mr. Xavier's piercing gaze a little to unnerving to stand under for long.

Wandering over a small hill he took stock in all the candy and sweets around him. The room was filled with so much sugary and overly sweet treats that he could feel his stomach twisting at the thought of overeating all of it.

While he knew that he couldn't put off stealing something he wasn't sure if Mr. Shaw would accept anything from this room. The candy, while original in shape and origin was still ordinary and wasn't anything new and inventing.

Besides he knew that Mr. Shaw wanted a formula or receipt of something no one had ever seen before, and while he had told Erik that he wouldn't have minded a piece of actual candy to reverse engineer Erik knew better then to think the man wouldn't take out his anger at him for not giving him exactly what he wanted.

Erik wasn't sure if sneaking off right off the bat would be a smart move either. Maybe once they got deeper in the factory he could excuse himself to the toilet or something similar and find what he needed before either making his own exit or finding the group again after becoming conveniently lost.

As Erik absently planned he walked towards what looked like an apple tree, although instead of juicy fruit the apples hanging from the brances were covered in different sauces, candy apples.

Erik reached out and plucked one that had a simple caramel covering, instead of the dozens covered in sprinkles, nuts or chocolate.

He took a small bit and barely contained the moan that purred from his chest. It was easily the best thing he'd ever had the pleasure to taste. The apple was juicy without being overly sugary and yet the caramel was just the right amount of sweet to balance the tartness of the apple.

"Are you eating that or making love to it?" The question came suddenly from nearby. Amusement clear in the voice.

Erik hadn't even realized he'd closed his eyes as he enjoyed his treat. Opening them up he glared down at Raven as she stood a few feet away with a smug expression and a smear of what looked like raspberry jelly on her lips and chin.

Erik took his time chewing and swallowing before asking dryly if he could help her with something.

"Nope." She smirked as she reached out and plucked her own apple.

She took out her piece of gum and to the complete disgust of Erik, placed it behind her ear to save for later.

"Why do that? Why don't you start a fresh piece?" Erik asked, honestly confused as to why anyone would want to continue chewing on a stale piece of gum.

She glared at him with a flush staining her cheeks, it was clear that she had taken offense at something he had said but for the life of him Erik couldn't figure out what he'd said that made her angry.

"Because then I wouldn't be a winner, I'd be some poor loser like you." She took a rather big bite of her apple and sauntered away.

Erik stared after her for a second, feeling slightly shocked over her rudeness but he couldn't take any real offense since he'd rather be poor then some kind of spoiled ill-mannered brat like her.

Better to be poor and wise then rich and a fool as his grandfather liked to say.

Erik stared at the apple in his hand and placed it gently on the ground near the tree. He didn't feel like enjoying the sweet anymore and while his stomach was cramping a bite due to not eating much in the last day he'd rather not risk being sick later on.