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Chapter 13: Bullies & Ideas

--Willy Wonka's POV--

"She's asleep." Will realized noting Odette was curled up against his shoulder and sleeping peacefully after staring into the fire for several hours in silence. Willy felt oddly comfortable and smiled faintly wrapping his arm tighter around her hearing the door to the room creak open and seeing Iris studying the room cautiously. Willy motioned Iris into the room and watched her for a long while listening to the various useless theories the detectives had spoken to them about earlier and frowning in annoyance. Willy decided that the police were useless in this matter and all things now concerning Odette and what was happening was now something he would deal with, one way or another. Charlie was well aware that Willy had been scheming since Odette had returned to the factory and had been avoiding him for the day to do his own thinking. This chaos all started when someone discovered Charlie had friends outside the factory, which meant someone had to know about his past associations with Odette and he had to tell Willy of his idea.

"Charlie's been thinking more so then usual Mr. Cocoa Bean." Signed Iris looking oddly concerned for the girl using his shoulder as a pillow. "I think he has a theory on how this mess may have started, but hasn't shared it with you until you are ready to listen." She signed thoughtfully aware Willy had become oddly angry in the short time everything had happened and it had made her nervous.

Contrary to belief of the Buckets Willy Wonka had a very bad temper, when provoked and would only allow himself to be pushed so far before a darker side he kept well hidden would emerge and make those around him nervous. Willy had gotten annoyed, upset, frustrated, and agitated around Charlie but he had never shown his anger and now he was currently seething and didn't want to concentrate on theories. Willy wanted to know who this Ambrose Ramone character was and why he had suddenly made his life and his friend Charlie's life so miserable, he also wanted, no demanded to know why they would drag a newcomer into the middle of everything. "Charlie doesn't need to see me fuming." He thought shaking his head cautiously before becoming aware of Odette shifting in her sleep and sliding closer against him, this brought him from his darker thoughts and he glanced at a nervous Iris thoughtfully.

"Go get Charlie…I'm ready to hear his theories." Willy whispered seeing Iris nod and bow before rapidly disappearing from the room almost in relief. "What do I do with you?" he wondered studying her sleeping form against him and smiling faintly watching her shift again.

Willy very carefully slid from Odette and turned lifting her into his arms careful not to wake her and then carried her slowly into her room placing her on the bed, grasping a blanket and tossing it across her form. Willy couldn't understand why someone would be interested in hurting an artist other then the fact she was tied in with Charlie and himself then and what annoyed him in the whole situation is somehow, even though he didn't want to admit it to himself for a long time, this strange girl had gotten under his skin and was now not just a random infatuation but someone he found himself carrying about greatly. "Charlie." He noted hearing a familiar whispered voice talking with whom he assumed was Iris and walking quickly out of the room shutting the door quietly behind him. Charlie glanced up seeing Willy exiting the room and watching Iris explain he was tending to Odette who had fallen asleep, they then gathered around the stairs to the balcony slowly climbing up to them. Willy sat down on one of the couches seeing the other two seat themselves in random chairs near him.

"Iris said you had an interesting theory to share with us Charlie?" Willy questioned studying his protégée and smiling faintly seeing the familiar thoughtful look crossing his face.

"Sort of." Charlie offered not entirely sure with why he had been avoiding Willy most of the day. "Before I came to the factory I had a lot of bullies after me…I got to thinking about some of them and how it would be an advantage to them to use knowledge of those from my past. Odette was a guardian in more ways then one…she often confronted parents with the encouragement from my mum and dad…she was very convincing, short temper and all." He offered seeing Willy was taking his theory into serious consideration and suddenly appeared to have an idea.

"You mean their parents might have an idea…or been offered something valuable in return for information." Murmured Willy watching Charlie nod studying him closely seeing an odd dark look in his normally amused eyes and shivering. "He didn't stammer." Charlie noticed nervously studying Iris who apparently had picked up on this as well. "Thank you for sharing your theory with me Charlie…feel free to discuss it with those wonderful detectives who are attempting to be helpful." He stated softly attempting to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

Charlie quickly left the room feeling oddly proud of himself deciding that the change in Willy was just due to the fact he was tired after the strange day they had. Willy pondered over Charlie's suggestion for a long moment and remembered vaguely discussing Charlie's bullies in the past with Odette and realized that he would have to discuss certain aspects and names with her once she woke up. "This is a match of wits…and I am far from the loosing end." He thought aware Iris was checking in on the sleeping girl that had seemed to become a part of his strange world. Iris started to move her hands in an odd panicked like state alerting Willy who quickly climb to his feet and walked into the room. The bed was empty all that remained was a spot in the bed where a form had once lain and the blanket missing as well.

--Original POV--

"Ouch." I thought sitting up aware of an odd panicked sound and staring across the bed I had once occupied. To my surprise Iris was bouncing around in an odd frantic state and Willy's head was swiveling about like one of those odd bobble head dolls you see in a car. I motioned my hand hesitantly and noticed the pair suddenly become almost deathly calm before Willy suddenly started laughing at the current situation seeing Iris did not find it at all amusing at the moment.

"I rolled." I muttered from the floor managing to untangle myself from the blanket and seeing Iris standing there with an odd sour look on her face. "Did I scare you?" I questioned watching the annoyed woman and noting her wave her hands in an annoyed fluid motion.

"You scared her into words I would care to not repeat." Willy remarked softly watching Iris still waving her hands around irritably. "She overreacted…admittedly I did as well, but I'm not going to repeat those awful words she's signing." He murmured sighing watching Iris pause aware of the discussion around her and give him a very irritated glare. "Gobstoppers." He muttered startled when Iris smacked at his leg and hurried from the room, hands still waving madly after her.

"Apparently she hasn't learned of my less then graceful nature." I muttered aware of twinkling violet eyes studying me with amusement clearly in his expression. I stood tossing the blanket on the bed and was suddenly aware of whom had put me to bed, to put it delicately and studied his curious expression. "I fell asleep…sorry to have left you high and dry Willy." I stated studying the barely lit room and watching him stand there leaning on his cane.

"Don't worry about it, Charlie come by with some interesting theories about bullies and par-pa-mums and dads." Willy muttered seeing her offer him an amused smirk before tilting her head in thought. "Any suggestions on some of those less than amusing bullies you might want to share?" he questioned. "Like the greedy type that like money and join in helping those candy thieving cads?" he thought seriously about adding that remark but refrained seeing her thoughts were already spinning and had caught onto the underlying issue with the question.

"That's how I got in the middle of this." I mumbled startled when Willy was standing in front of me apparently I had tuned out his approach with my intense thoughts.

"Mumbler." Willy remarked watching as I rolled my eyes and gave him a look of contempt. "Can't decide which of my quirks annoys you most?" he questioned noting her half amused look as she attempted to scowl at him.

"I can think of two." I muttered poking at him watching him step back rapidly in case I decided to continue my tickle attack. "Charlie had a lot of bullies…I…um…let my temper get away with, especially their parents. None of them were overly violent though except for Jacob's family and two others…for the life of me I can't remember their names." I grumbled placing my hands against the sides of my face and sighing irritably.

"Jacobs's family was the first on my list." Willy stated recalling the incident at the dance and how conveniently Mr. Ramone was the last to join the little disaster. "Of coarse this Mr. Ramone or whomever he is…is just a bit smarter then allowing the obvious." He said thoughtfully.

"Unless he wants us to think that…Jacob is a fairly good place to start, his mother took a plastic baseball bat to my head…or at least until I ripped it from her grasp and tossed it on their roof. Luckily I didn't get to meet the father…I get the feeling it would have been aluminum." I muttered glancing up and seeing Willy had disappeared out into the main room pausing aware I hadn't followed.

"Miss sassy…are you coming or not?" Willy remarked waving his finger in a familiar annoying fashion noting my scowl from across the room.

"Only if I can glue your hands together." I retorted sticking out my tongue and following him from my familiar sanctuary into the hall pausing in the middle of the hall. "Where did you sneak off too now?" I questioned staring around the hall and nearly screaming when a hand grasped my arm from the right. "Eep…don't do that." I muttered taking a deep breath and noticing he was clearly amused by scaring the crap out of me. "You are still an enigma Willy."

"Thank you." Willy stated studying the hall carefully before leading me down toward the other end, which I found just a tad bit odd.

I hadn't been anywhere else around the entire hall and wasn't really sure if all the rooms were guest quarters or other things. Willy paused in front of one of the several familiar tan doors and opened it pulling me into the room behind him, temporarily blinding us both with a dull light that lit up to my surprise a massive library. This particular library could put any library to shame and was so vast I could spend months among the dark wood bookcases and still never reach the end. The whole room was decorated in rich dark wooded furniture, deep emerald green carpets, along with matching couches, chairs, and even beanbag chairs all in the same emerald green. "I'm good…don't bother dragging me from here." I thought feeling a tug on my arm and following Willy across the massive library in front of an intricate set up of computers. Without a word he pulled out a chair pointing ignoring my quirked brow, before sitting at the computer and starting to type even faster then I thought possible. "He's a hacker too…this reminds me of an espionage movie, rewritten for candy land." I thought stifling my amused giggle at the reference and studying Willy intensely going through links and sites so fast I felt dizzy. Clearly Willy had done this before and decided it necessary to bring me in to help this time, but as to help with what I was still a bit fuzzy. After nearly ten minutes of a steady speedy tapping there was a sudden silence, which alerted me to return my attention back to Willy instead of staring around the massive library.