Reya opened her eyes when she felt something rough rub against her nose. She had fallen asleep in the dome room and it was dark now. She saw two small eyes glowing in the dark, and she sat up with a gasp. There came a small meow, and she smiled. "Cujo!" she muttered and picked up the kitten, patting it and snuggling with it.

"I dropped by the chocolate factory for a few minutes to get him," said a soft voice. "The poor thing was so lonely." Reya looked up at Wonka and smiled.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Seven thirty," he answered. "I ordered a pizza so it should be on its way." She scratched Cujo behind the ears and looked up at Wonka. "Your mother called an hour ago. I didn't want to wake you though."

"How is she?" she asked.

"She misses you, hopes you feel well enough to come home soon." Reya groaned, rubbing her forehead.

"That's right, I have to go back to that," she muttered. "Ugh, I really don't want to."

"You can't avoid it forever," said Wonka, sitting down next to her. "I don't really blame you for wanting to try though."

"Do you realize what a pain it's going to be to go through this?"

"I know," he said softly. "But at least you don't have to go through it alone." She nodded, but didn't smile, so he put an arm around her. He smiled at her, winking and stood up.

"That'll be the doorbell," he said, and two seconds later the doorbell rang. Reya looked at him funny, and he tipped his hat, heading out the door. She laughed and shook her head.

As she turned to face him, someone stepped out from the shadows, pointing a gun at him and fired. She saw him fall over and her jaw dropped. She slapped a hand over it to prevent the scream from coming out, and watched as the person with the gun pointed it at her. "Reya?"

She snapped out of it and looked up at Wonka, who was standing completely unharmed. Reya looked around. The whole thing had seemed so real, and she was feeling confused. The confusion made her angry, and she stared at him, tears in her eyes. "Reya, what's the matter?" She walked up to him without saying a word and hugged him briefly. "Reya, what's wrong?" He felt her body trembling, and he wrapped his arms around her. "Why are you shaking?" She didn't answer and he sighed, closing his eyes. "Reya, please tell me!" She stepped away and walked off to the bathroom, and he stood there, not moving until the doorbell rang again.

"I'm fine," she said softly. "I just had a flashback and freaked out. That's all." She reached for a slice of pizza and set it on her plate.

"What sort of flashback?" he asked, taking a bite of pizza.

"I saw the gun pointed at your head again," she muttered. "Only it fired this time."

"You've been through a trauma," he said softly. "I wouldn't expect you to be over it in a minute. In fact, if something like this hadn't happened I would've suspected something to be very wrong."

"Why, have you?" He didn't answer her, which seemed to answer the question. ''If I have another flashback like that, I'll lose it, I swear."

"Next time, close your eyes, count to five, and it'll stop. Everything will be back to normal." Reya looked at him in surprise.

"You already knew that? Or did someone teach you how?"

"It was something I learned on my own, whenever something like this happens." She took a sip of her drink and looked him in the eye.

"This hasn't been your first trauma, has it?" she said, more as a statement than a question. His eyes were dark again, the way they were when he spoke of his mother. She knew this had something to do with that. She stared him down, feeling like an interrogator staring down a criminal. Only, if this situation ever happened, she thought their spots would have been switched. After a minute he cracked and showed it by shifting in his seat, and looking away from her.

"My mother didn't die of cancer," he said at last. "She was in a car crash and recied a nasty brain injury. Somehow that turned into a form of schizophrenia. She suffered for three years until if finally stopped." He looked up at her with tears in his eyes. "I was six," he spat. "She was coming to tuck me in for the night and took a detour to the bathroom to get be a glass of water. I waited... and waited. And then there came a loud crash. Well, come to think of it, it was more like a loud boom, considering what it was."

"What was it?" He ran a hand over his eyes uncomfortably, and took in a deep breath.

"It was a sound no one should ever have to hear. Deary me, I still remember it so well... Dear, dear."

"What was it?" she asked again, as he continued muttering like this.

"It was the sound of her putting a hand gun in her mouth and pulling the trigger." Reya's eyes widened and she placed a hand over her mouth as tears rolled down her face. "I got in there first to see what happened. I was the first one to find her, laying on the ground with blood everywhere."

Reya burried her face in her hands, not wanting to hear anymore. She had nearly lost him by a gun, and she could envision him now, the way he had seen his mother that night. Laying on the ground, wide-eyed and bleeding. Not breathing.

"I was in counseling for two years, and replaced pain with anger. That was when I started blaming my father," he said softly. "The rest, you already know about." She cupped a hand over her mouth to muffle out sobs, and half hugged herself with her free arm. He walked over to her and sat down next to her, rubbing her back comfortingly.

"How did you cope with it?" she asked, looking at him with teary eyes. "I would have gone over the edge with something like that."

"I still struggle with it to this day, my dear," he said softly. "Anyone who says I have it all together... I really don't, Reya. There are times when it hurts so bad that I can't function enough to leave my room. At least you have a family to turn to. My father... he lives too far away to help, and I don't want to burden the oompa-loompas with it. Heaven knows, they have plenty to handle in the day."

"I'm always here," she said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "No one's expecting you to just carry the ordeal on your shoulders and move on on your own, even though you're an adult. It's okay to turn to other people for help. I mean, look at me!" He smiled and nodded.

"I'm afraid situations are a little different with the two of us, my pet."

"Not really... no. We both are considered crazy. We're both missing a parent. And we both have a lot to deal with. The pain pretty much adds up the same."

"Then perhaps we're meant to have known each other," he said, looking at her.

"Hey, not to get religious on you here, but I believe pretty much everything happens for a reason." He smiled and nodded.

"Sometimes, I wish I could escape it. That's mostly why I sent out the golden tickets. To move on, try to find more to my life. I mean, I love my life a lot, don't get me wrong. But I decided a long time ago that it was time to move on." She smiled and took a bite of pizza. He walked over and brought his plate over to the seat next to her.

"When I was little," started Reya, once he was sitting next to her again. "I used to dream about being whisked off by prince charming and being taken to his castle far away, where it was just me and him. But let's face it, fairy tales are called fairy tales for a reason. They never happen." He patted her shoulder.

"They can... if you don't stop believing." She looked at him for a minute. Something in his warm smile made her feel closer to him, and the dark conversation they had just had seemed to vanish. Actually, having their emmotions turned slightly raw helped to build the feelings they were having now. "What sort of castle?" he asked after a minute.

"What?" she asked, not expecting him to get hung up on such a mundane detail.

"Well, you have to have at least thought about what you'd want this grand castle to look like. Is it big? Small? Riding on the back of a giant turtle?" She chuckled and shook his head. "Well, give me ideas here."

"It's big," she said, smiling. "With stone angels, two in front of the door, and a few inside and outside like on the walls and stuff. It's on an island that's not on the map so no one will come looking for it. There's forests, and it's in the trees, sort of like the elven country, Lothlorien, in Lord of the Rings. There's not too much sunlight, mostly because I'm more of a night time person. There's dolphins in the water that you can swim with, and there's cliffs that you can sit on and watch the sunset." She thought for a minute and shook her head. "Actually, I want there to be people around. Like a small village or something. Let's face it, I can't stand being isolated."

"Understandable," he said, chuckling. "Now what about this prince charming? What would he be like?" She blushed a little, but decided to be honest since she never really had been able to talk about that with anyone.

"Like, even though I'm not a queen, my husband, my prince charming, would treat me like royalty. Like there was no one else in the world he cared about more. I'd like to have a sense that he needs me almost as much as I need him. That, even when I'm old and have more wrinkles than the Crypt Keeper, he still looks at me and sees his queen. He also has to be a very physical person, like, not uncomforatble with holding me when I need him to, and gives me at least five hugs a day. Not a quick, reach over and pat your back hug. I mean a bear hug. I'd have to feel safe and secure with him. Really secure. And he has to have the decency to ask me what's wrong if I seem to be having a bad day, but gives me my space when I need it." He smiled, nodding, and didn't say anything. "What about you?"

"Oh, I'm not looking for a man in my life," he answered and she laughed. "But for a woman... she has to be crazy. Not afraid to stand out an be herself. Some sense of humour, and have some sense of morality. I don't want to go out with a skank."

"I don't want to go out with a man whore," she said, causing them both to laugh. "Something about knowing they waited just for you, that they loved you enough to wait... it's just something most people don't understand."

"I know what you're talking about. And you're religious, so chances are your parents taught you to put some things off until you're married, correct?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said softly.

"I don't have a religious upbringing... in fact, I'm more of an agnostic."

"What's that mean?" she asked.

"I believe in a higher power, I just have decided for myself what it is. And it's alright because that's what works for me."

"Just like my beliefs work for me."

"But that's not what we were talking about. Now what was it? Oh yes! I've decided a long time ago to wait. Not necesarily till marriage, but until I know the time is right. And who knows, it might be after I'm married."

"Well, I have this theory that helps me stay pure, and you'll be able to relate to it. It's like buying a box of chocolate." He started laughing and she chuckled. "No, really. When you go to the store to buy chocolate, or anything for that matter, you're not going to drawn to the one that's already had the wrapper torn off and everone's dug into it and what's left has been used or deformed or whatever. You're going to go for the one that's still wrapped up, sort of like it was saved for you." He nodded.

"That's a good anology," he said. She took another bite of her pizza and sat back.