Back inside the factory

Willy looked at the walls that surrounded them. He had really enjoyed his trip out into the fresh air, and it had reminded him about all he was missing. The rooms which mimicked the outdoors were fabulous, but they really couldn't compare with nature itself. Of course, he wouldn't choose to be out in every kind of weather – though he loved watching storms, and usually found that they drove his creativity into overdrive, he preferred to observe them from the comfort of his cosy viewing platform. Days like today had been, sunny and warm with a slight breeze, and signs of birds and butterflies, were a real joy to experience fully however.

His experiences in the world outside had been overwhelming. He'd quickly realised that the route to Charlie's paper round took them past Bill's candy store. With the memory that it was Bill who had given Charlie the chocolate bar which had ended up introducing the pair, Willy insisted that they enter the shop for a short while so that he could thank his old friend.

Thankfully the post school rush at the shop had long since concluded, and Bill had had a quick chat with them both – congratulating Charlie on being the lucky winner, and on his subsequent job as Willie's apprentice. Willy had made sure to invite Bill up to the factory for a catch up the following Sunday. Bill was thrilled with this – more often than not, Willy visited him in his shop – usually at times when there were few customers around. Bill had always treasured the way that Willy opened up to him, knowing that it was difficult for the other man to trust people now. Similar to James, Bill was one of the few people in Willy's past life he still kept up with. Bill had taken over the job of managing the shop when Willy opened the factory. He had known Charlie's family well, and had been sorry to lose touch with them all, but with Willy out of action for so long he had needed to spend all his time looking after the shop – something which was twice as important with so many of his employees being unable to work anymore.

When the factory shut down, Bill had purchased the shop from Willy, on a long term mortgage, sending Willy a monthly 'rent' which Willy used as a mortgage, finally stopping them when he said that the value of the shop had been more than covered. Even when he wasn't supplying any other shop, Willy had always made sure that Bill had a healthy stock of Wonka products. Bill had blessed his foresightedness as his shop instantly became one of the most popular candy stores in the country when people heard it was still possible to purchase Wonka produce there.

Now he was a successful businessman, and his shop was still extremely popular. However, he always remembered what Willy had done for him, and would have done almost anything for the man who ended up starting him off. He was overjoyed with the invitation to the factory, and the possibility that he would be put in touch with his old friends from before. The fact that they were Charlie's family was simply an extra incentive towards it all.

Once they had done there, Charlie and Willy had gone onto the newspaper stand, where Charlie had introduced Willy to Mr Jopeck. Willy had stood with the man while Charlie sorted himself out with his newspapers. The two men had had a brief conversation about how good an employee Charlie was, and how he'd enjoyed his factory tour. Ears burning, a somewhat embarrassed-but-pleased Charlie pulled Willy along with him on his paper route. Willy threw a laughing glance to Mr Jopeck before he was hurried along.

There were so many streets on the route, and so many houses that didn't get a paper. Willy's head spun as Charlie chose the specific houses to get the paper. How did the boy remember it all? He seemed to know at a glance what needed to go where.

Then, almost before he'd had time to breath, they were entering the factory gates again. True to his word, Willy had made sure that they stopped at the 'wouldn't it be nice if' room, and had Charlie write down his idea in relation to the memory-boosting-lozenges, and then he took them along to the kitchens, where he asked Mampa for a snack for Charlie to have before he did his homework. Mampa had smiled, and informed Willy that Ellie had requested that Charlie get back to the suite for around 8pm to spend some time with his family before bed.

Willy had been surprised, but pleased with the extended time limit. At 4:30m he had suspected Ellie would want Charlie home by 6:30 at the latest, to have his evening meal and then spend what was left of the day with his family. This permission meant that even having spent more than forty minutes outside of the factory together, Willie and Charlie could get through the boys homework at the club before getting some proper food, and then they could spend around an hour on that Latin work before simply relaxing together.

When Willy mentioned this idea to Charlie, the boy looked thrilled. He wasn't overly pleased to have to do yet more learning, but knowing he would be pleasing Willy, and learning things he would need to help him in the future, he agreed it was a good idea. The idea of simply relaxing with Willy really appealed to the boy.

Charlie had quickly eaten his snack, and then the pair had walked through the factory to the library – to discover that the other club members were just arriving and starting to unpack their things. It had been pandemonium there for a while, when they realised that Willy was joining them. James was also in the room, and the two men spent a few minutes catching up with each of the Oompa Loompa children, getting to know them, and making sure that they seemed well, before the club started in earnest. Three adult Oompa Loompas were also in the room, helping to supervise the club, and being there to answer any questions that anyone might have about their homework.

Charlie hadn't had much homework, but Willy could instantly see how he struggled with it. The boy hadn't been lying when he said that his memory for school work wasn't the best. However, he worked hard, and with a little extra help from most of the adults in the room, he completed the work just before the time for homework club finished. Charlie had seemed surprised when Willy and James commended him for his work, and Willy began to suspect that his teachers didn't offer the boy much encouragement – something the man decided would have to change.

Food had been filling, very tasty, and incredibly nourishing. Willy had made sure that while being what he would call a 'light snack' it also had a good mix of nutrients that he hoped would help Charlie become stronger, and develop a better memory. He had also arranged an appointment for the boy with the medical Oompa Loompa's for a check-up the following day – as soon as he got back from school and his paper round. Willy would make sure that there was a nourishing snack for him to have as soon as the Oompa Loompa's were finished with him. He also made sure that the Oompa Loompa's would arrange a good time for the rest of Charlie's family to visit them. He wanted their health to be a top priority, and while he knew he was probably overstepping the line somewhat, he needed to know that this happened as soon as possible. He wrote a note of apology to Ellie, explaining his concerns, and asking her to join her son at the appointment, hoping that this would help her to feel that she wasn't being completely bypassed. He also asked Mampa to make sure that Charlie had good filling meals with him at school for lunches, and something enjoyable for other breaks.

Once that was done, he pulled out his old latin books, and began to come up with a fun way to teach the boy Latin. He had also decided to use more Latin phrases when talking with the boy – ones which were close enough to English that he'd be able to pick up on the meaning easily.

Now the two of them were sitting on Willy's sofa relaxing. They had another ten minutes before Charlie had to be home when Willy moved to stand up, shifting the boy who had been curled up into his side.

Willy went to the sideboard and picked up a bag he'd had sitting there. "Charlie, while you were at school, I picked these things up from the Oompa Loompa's for you." He stated.

Charlie looked up at him. "but you've given me so much already!" he pointed out. Willy looked at him quietly. "I know I've overwhelmed you with things Charlie" he admitted with a gentle smile, "but these things are special. They're a special Oompa Loompa product that's meant to help calm the emotions and let the person carrying them feel at peace. I want you to have them so that you have something to hold when you're feeling overwhelmed and I'm not available." Before Willy had finished speaking, he'd had to adjust his balance again as he suddenly had an armful of sobbing boy.

Thanks to Turrislucidus for letting me know how this chapter first came out, hopefully it's better now, and to Turrislucidus, Linkwonka88 and WonkaDepp1 for the reviews. Finally managed to locate a good point to continue the story. :)