(A/N: To my readers, thanks for reading this far. I was afraid that people would think it was too cheesey and stupid, but I guess not. If anyone here is currently reading my one fic 'Bitter Sweet Symphony', I apologize but it'll take a few weeks before the next update. I'm on vacation at my grandparents right now and I completely forgot to bring the disc with that file on it. Sorry! And the sequel to Some Angel may be a few days late. Please don't hurt me! I'm really really sorry!
CYA!)

Part 3 It's Not Easy Being Blue

Well, it goes without saying that those who are born brats are usually doomed to die as brats, or so he was beginning to understand. Veruca Salt, how could anyone forget that monster? The last long line of, "I want it NOOOOOOOOW!" was still ringing in his ears. Part of him still wished the incinerator wasn't broken that day...

All he wanted now was to go back to the factory and munch it out with a large chocolate bar. So much for going through a pleasant day without being recognized by anyone. What's next? He feared to think of it, but went on silently, approaching every street with caution. "Get out of here, freak!" shouted an angry voice, and he sighed. Here we go again. He turned to see who he had offended this time, but instead found a man throwing a young woman away from him like she was a rag doll. Her body was covered from head to toe in layers, not even allowing her face to be visible.

"I didn't do anything!" she shouted back. "Just let me get something to eat and I'll go!"

"Nice try, but we don't serve animals here. Go back to the freak show!" With that, the man turned back to the door of his coffee shop and slammed it, leaving her there, fuming and staring at it, almost seeming ready to charge through it.

"I don't need to put up with you JERKS anway!" she half screamed, and turned away, storming down the sidewalk, holding her hood up so no one would look.

Oh no, Willy thought. He had that feeling, the one that always got the better of him. Pity! Argh! Why now? Besides, it wasn't safe to talk to strangers, right? He couldn't let himself give in, not this time, so he turned around, walking in the opposite dirrection to the bus stop. Time to go home! But as the large bus pulled in and he went to the back to find a seat, the pity turned to guilt, which pained him even worse.

Who was that girl anyway? And what had she done to deserve that? No! He couldn't think about it. He felt bad enough already. She was probabl standing on the street corner alone, and in the rain which had just started up again. Oh raspberries! He couldn't stop thinking about it. Sighing loudly, he stood up and got ready to get off at the next stop. But as he stood, the bus stopped and the doors opened letting in three new passengers.

Squinting a little, he saw the woman board, and take the seat across from him, the only one that had been empty. Drawing her knees up and resting them on the back of the seat in front of her, she rested her head on the window, hood drawn up to hide her face. Then, and he loathed hearing this, but she made a sound that he recognized too well. A sniffle followed by the unmistakeable sounds of crying. She seemed to be trying to muffle it out so no one would notice, but he could see it. And there it was again, the feeling of pity. Why did this have to happen now? He was almost home to the factory. In fact, the next stop was the one he was supposed to get off at.

The woman reached her hand up and brushed tears away, but still managing to keep her face covered. Oh, what did he have to loose? So far he had been soaked with rain, cornered by a fat man, nearly attacked by a crazy rich girl, what could possibly make it any worse? Turning he looked over at the woman, and cleared his throat nervously.

"Uh... are... are you alright... person?" She shifted a little, but didn't look at him.

"Leave me alone," she said in a trembly voice. Well, you heard her, he thought to himself, but knew his concience wouldn't let him off the hook so easily.

"Um... would you like a Wonka bar?" he asked, finding one in his pocket. This time she sat up and slightly tilted her head in his dirrection.

"I see, so you see a poor woman and immediatly think you have to take pity on her? Is that how it is?" she demanded. "I don't need your pity!"

I was just trying to be nice, he almost said. He turned, planning to avoid eye contact until he was back at the factory. "I'm sorry," he heard from next to him, and turned to see the woman with her face in her hands. "People are always saying mean things to me. I was expecting the same from you."

"Well that's not nice," he said softly. "Why do they do that?"

"Because I'm ugly. They treat me like this because I look different. I hate it! My mom practically drove me out of my house on a steak and I've been on my own for so long because no one understands and... and..." She stopped and sighed. "Not that you care anyway."

In honesty he really didn't, but the pity feeling was driving him crazy! "Oh, c'mon," he said, forcing a cheerful tone. "I'm sure you can't look that ugly!" She didn't respond, and now the pity was replaced with curiousity. What did she really look like? Reaching out cautiously, he pinched on to her hood and gently pulled it back revealing dark blue hair, and a blue face. She was very pretty, he thought, it was just the blue that ruined it. She looked up at him with blue eyes full of tears.

"Well?"

"It's not... that bad," he said softly, unable to stop staring. "Sort of makes you look like a blue berry."

"I was a blue berry," she muttered, wiping her eyes.

"Really?" he asked, now beginning to wonder if she wasn't all there mentally. Approach with caution.

"Remember that tour of Wonka's chocolate factory? I was there, and we went into a room where he was making a special kind of gum. I ate it and... well what happened next is obvious." His eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"Wait..." he muttered. "Valley? No... Villy... Violet! You're Violet Boure-...somethingerother."

"You know me?" she asked, looking puzzled. "Who are you?" He bit his lip, not wanting to say for fear of someone else hearing. And what would she do when she found out? He didn't want to face a near death encounter again. He had to changed the topic.

"You're kinda short, aren't ya?" he said, unable to think of anything else. Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Mr. Wonka?" she gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"I can go where I want!" he said a little defensively. "It's a free country isn't it?" He pretended to be offened so that maybe she'd think he wouldn't talk to her. The last thing he wanted to do was have another converstation.

"Wow, I thought you'd be... very very old by now."

I am, he almost answered, but turned and looked at her. "Thanks... I guess."

"At least one of us is doing good."

"Oh come on, being blue can't be all that bad."

"Tell that to my mom. She wouldn't let me compete in anything for fear of getting publicly humiliated. All she cares about is herself. If she saw how I'm doing now, she wouldn't give a rip. Champion... yeah right. More like barely survivor."

"Well, maybe your mom was protecting you because she loves you..." He froze. Did he really just say that? HE said THAT! Oh dear, he felt like he was losing it now.

"I thought you hated parents," she muttered.

"I uh... did." Well, he had already said so much, might as well go on. "Listen, maybe you just misunderstood each other? You see how people treat you now, maybe she was trying to prevent that from happening in competition." Violet had no answer to this. "Maybe you should... talk to her?"

"It's not like I can just waltz up to the door and talk to her like it was old times. It's not that simple."

He sighed, knowing what was coming next. "Want me to go with you?" he asked before he could stop his own mouth. She looked at him and half smiled.

"Sure," she said, shrugging. He smiled and rode with her to her mother's house. This whole thing was just flat out weird, but part of him wanted to do it. And this would leave stories to tell to Charlie. How would he react when he found out he, Willy, had seen these three kids?

Time went quick, and soon they were there. Violet was very silent as they aproached the door, and he had to knock on it for her. When Mrs. Boure-... somethingerother answered, Willy noticed the Violet was practically hiding behind him.

"Can I... help you?" she asked, staring at him curiously.

"Oh, not me," he said, and stepped to the side. Violet stood there fidgeting and looked completely frightened. He placed his hand on her back and lightly pushed her foreward. Her mother stared her down for a minute and her eyes widened.

"Violet?" she asked softly.

"Hi... mom." There was an awkward silence... and then...

"Oh, honey!" Her mother ran to her and threw her arms around her, holding her close. Violet began to cry and laugh at the same time. Willy smiled, knowing there was no room for him to be there now, and left silently, unable to wipe the smile off his face. It was only then that he learned the bus was done running for the day.

"Oh, bugger!" he muttered.
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