Disclaimer: I own Snow and no one else.

Snow Falls
Chapter Twenty

And so Willy Wonka set about finding a date when Charlie could visit. Admittedly, he was not overly excited about his heir visiting his private home. He felt that Charlie might make Snow yearn for a life outside of her currently caged existence, and this did not help when it was already hard enough to convince the Buckets that no harm was being done to her. For once in his life, he wished Charlie and the rest of his family were not quite so smart as they were. It only complicated things for him.

Another reason he was uneasy about Charlie's upcoming visit was that the boy had been acting differently the last few days. Now, Charlie was not one for brooding and sulking, but he certainly seemed to be angry about something. This made the time that the two of them spent in the inventing room often uncomfortable, and Willy wished more and more that he could make himself scarce without great suspicion on Charlie's part. But that simply wasn't possible.

So he endured the boy's cold shoulders and prolonged silences as best he could for those long hours. But there finally came a time when he could no longer stand it, and he blurted out, "Charlie, what's wrong?"

The boy was surprised at Willy's voice coming so suddenly from the silence, but he was too mad to show it. He merely asked, "What have you done with Snow?"

"Nothing," Willy replied immediately, refusing to look at the boy as he poured the contents of a nearby beaker into a large vat. The bright pink liquid simmered and spat. He backed away quickly.

But Charlie did not move. "She disappeared after she fell in the chocolate river, and I've only seen her once since then. And when I did see her, she was dressed funny and had half a dozen little Oompa-Loompas fluttering around her like ladies-in-waiting. You must have done something with her."

Willy sighed and set aside the eye dropper he had been preparing to use. Then he turned to Charlie and said, "You're right, I have done something with her. But she's fine, with no harm done to her." The boy looked skeptical. "Fine, if you don't believe me, you can see for yourself. How does Saturday sound?"

Charlie was surprised at this, as well, but now he showed it. Of all the things he had expected to come out of Willy Wonka's mouth, an invitation was not one of them. On the other hand, it would be a perfect opportunity to see just what was going on. So he grinned up at the chocolatier and said, "Great."

So Saturday came, and Charlie found himself standing in the entrance hall of Willy Wonka's vast Victorian house. There were portraits and colorless photographs lining the walls, and ornate pieces of furniture in every room. And everything was spotless, undoubtedly thanks to the Oompa-Loompa maids that seemed to be constantly bustling about. Most of them had miniature feather dusters in their tiny hands.

But all of that was nothing when compared to Snow, whom they met in the parlor. She looked something out of a dream in her ensemble: A wine red velvet reception dress with a satin overskirt and matching bows on the cuffs. Once Charlie got over the shock of seeing his cousin in such a flattering outfit, he was horrified at how easily walking around in it was for her. There was a bustle in the back of the dress, making her rear end look rather large, yet she strode about the room and sat down as though it were no trouble at all. It bothered him, surely, but he could not place why.

"Charlie, I'm so glad you could come," she said, forsaking all Victorian propriety and embracing the boy. "You've no idea how much I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too," he said, and managed to give her a smile, something he hadn't done in a number of days.

"Uh, Snow?" Willy said, waving at her slightly from beside Charlie. "Hi. Hate to break up the reunion, but how are the Oompa-Loompas coming along with lunch?"

"Oh, I don't know," she said. "I'm not sure when they started preparing it."

"'Kay," he said after a moment. "Well, I'll go check on that. You two be good while I'm gone." And he left.

Once they were both absolutely sure he wasn't lingering just on the other side of the door, Charlie sat down opposite his cousin and took her hands in his, a worried expression on his face. "Snow," he said, "what's happened to you?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean why are you going along with this? Can't you see what's going on?"

"No, because there's nothing going on."

He sighed. "Snow, I think it's rather easy to see that you've become a pawn in some bizarre game."

She quickly drew her hands away, scowling. "When did you become so cynical?"

"After you fell in the chocolate river. Everyone got scared, and it hasn't been the same since. We were worried then and we're still worried now. I think it would help if all of us could see you, just so we know you're safe."

"You're seeing me now. You know I'm safe."

"But I don't think you are." She remained silent, still scowling. He sighed again. "Snow, do you even know today's date?" She did not answer for a moment, then began to look contemplative. Then uneasy. "It's the fifteenth."

"Of June?" she asked hopefully.

"Of July," he corrected. She gasped. "You've been in here for a long time, Snow. Your summer vacation is almost half over, and you've spent most of it pent up in here."

She didn't say anything, but tears formed in the corner of your eyes. "I thought Willy was your friend."

"He is," Charlie assured her.

"Then why do you doubt his intentions so?"

"Because you're family," he said. "And nothing means more than family." He fell silent for a time. Then, in a quiet whisper, he said, "I'm just worried about you is all. I know Mr. Wonka means well, but sometimes he just doesn't show it in the safest or most sensible ways. I know he would never hurt you, but I don't want you to get caught up in his fantasy. I just want you to be safe, all right?"

After a long moment, she nodded. Then she looked up at him, and a tear rolled down her cheek. "You're not a kid anymore, Charlie," she whispered. "You've grown up since the last time I saw you. I'm sorry."

"Snow, don't blame yourself," he said, and reached out a hand to her.

But she very suddenly stood, stony-faced and expressionless. "No, you're right. I should be careful. I should be mindful of myself, and make sure that I don't get lost in his world. Thank you, Charlie. And now I'm going to go to bed." With that said, she walked out of the room.

Just then, as the boy was gaping at the door through which Snow had just left, Willy burst through another, cheerfully announcing, "Lunch is on the way." Then he noticed that Snow was absent and that Charlie looked stupefied. "What happened to Snow?"

"She went to bed," Charlie answered.

The blood is the life, Sikerra.