Chapter 2: An Introduction to the Best Darn Guy that Ever Lived

To start off – thanks to everyone for the great reviews! I'm glad you enjoyed!

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The first thing that hit Veronica when she stepped outside of the car was the smell. It hit her head-on, infiltrating her every pore and melting itself in, making the very air around her warm and thick and going on to heat every inch of her shivering body. Although she wasn't at all hungry, her mouth began to water at the very taste of the snowy air.

This smell…it's…it's…

"Chocolate," she whispered aloud.

It was true; she had never smelled something more heavenly – she'd never even smelled chocolate like this, let alone tasted it.

Bartholomew had gone over and opened a small door in the side of the factory, and more delectable smells ushered them inside, the waves of warm, chocolate-saturated air practically dragging her into the factory.

Once inside, Veronica stood, looking around. She barely noticed her uncle taking her coat, but managed to thank him softly as she gaped at her surroundings with wide eyes.

They were in an immense hall; the floor was carpeted in crimson, and the ceiling seemed to be miles high. She stepped softly across the carpet, almost afraid to make any noise.

Bartholomew smiled at her. "Like it?"

All she could manage was a nod and a "Yeah".

He grinned wider. "You haven't even seen 'home' yet." He excitedly guided her down the hall and towards a little door that couldn't have been more than a half a foot high. She watched, utterly mystified, yet awed, as he bent down and unlocked the tiny door, and then pushed on the wall, which opened up (with another wave of warm chocolate air) to reveal the most amazing thing she had ever seen in all seventeen years.

Fields of lush, perfect green stretched out in front of her, foliage of every sort growing in all directions. But the flowers weren't flowers at all – they were candy! Candy of all colors, glittering in the lights of the high domed ceiling, shining so invitingly that even people that hated sweets would have been immediately seduced. Gigantic mushrooms and pumpkins of every shade and size were in every nook and cranny, shadowed by trees bearing candy apples and gummy fruits. And, the most amazing thing, a gigantic waterfall roared in the background – a gigantic waterfall made entirely of chocolate. It was the sweetest, loveliest chocolate Veronica had ever seen, melted and warm, hitting a running river of even more chocolate that frothed and churned, letting forth yet more of that heavenly aroma. The dark brown river ran directly through the enormous indoor park, right past a little shack that would have seemed out of place, but instead added a rather homey, fairytale-like touch to the place. Smoke rose from the chimney and lights glimmered cheerily from inside.

Veronica stood, speechless, her senses going into overdrive. "Is it…it's all real?" She finally stuttered out.

Bartholomew nodded. "Yeah…that's, well, that's Mr. Wonka for you." He laughed. "He's, well, he's a miracle-worker I guess you could say. If there's anyone who can work real magic, it's him." His eyes were filled with a sort of awe as well, as if even though he lived there, he still couldn't quite wrap his mind around his new home.

Just then, the door to the little house burst open, and a young boy, no more than eleven, came rushing out, across a bridge, and towards Veronica and her uncle. A warmly smiling woman followed him, walking slower to help an older woman across the way.

The boy rushed up as if he was about to hug Veronica, but skidded to a halt right in front of her, a gigantic grin lighting up his entire face. That smile of his made Veronica want to smile herself, it was so infectious. There was no getting around it; the kid was absolutely adorable.

"Hi! I'm Charlie." He stuck out his hand, and she took it, giving a small shake, and smiled weakly at him. "This is my mom," he continued, "and that's Grandma Josephine."

Veronica's face immediately brightened; she hadn't seen her grandmother in…well…thirteen years now? The old woman hugged her tightly, and then pulled her back, shaking her head, a sad smile on her face.

"Oh, dear little Veronica…" She looked her granddaughter up and down, and laughed. "You've certainly grown!"

Veronica laughed a little. "You too, Grandma Josephine." Suddenly, she felt something come up into her chest, squeezing her ribcage and making a space somewhere behind her eyes tighten for a moment. She swallowed hard and it was gone.

Kaitlyn Bucket smiled and kissed her husband. "Grandpa Joe is back in the house; he's getting a few last things together. He's very excited you're here and it's sending him right up the wall with preparations." She laughed a little. Ever since Bartholomew Bucket had gotten that new job and things had been going better with both his and Charlie's salaries combined, the Buckets had been doing much better- she herself was filling out, no longer gaunt and hungry-looking, and she wore a new dress and apron.

Charlie nodded. "Oh, and Mr. Wonka is just working a few last things out on his latest project. He should be here soon." He looked over at his parents to explain. "He came up with the idea, so I let him have it to himself; I'm working on a few things myself anyway."

Veronica watched this interchange, slightly confused, but nodded a little.

Very suddenly, a loud explosion resounded throughout the factory. Veronica let out something that sounded very much akin to a squawk, and stumbled backwards, falling over a lollipop bush to land flat on her behind in the candy grass.

A few moments later, the door to the room opened, and a bunch of tiny men in orange jumpsuits stumbled in, all of them covered in ash, some of them with their hair smoking. Closely following them was a man (normal-sized) wearing a long plum overcoat and a matching top hat, apparently completely unscathed by the blast. He nodded at the tiny men. "Better go get yourselves cleaned up and then get back to that mess in the inventing room," He said in a light, jovial voice. The men crossed their arms in a strange sort of a salute, and filed away.

Although he seemed to be around Mr. Bucket's age, the man's eyes shone with a light like that of a child's. He strolled over to where the Buckets were standing, twirling his cane a bit and smiling merrily at all of them, seeming to take absolutely no notice at all of Veronica half sitting, half lying in the grass.

"Sorry 'bout that explosion. I was just working on my new invention – Wonka's Fudgealicious Chocolate Snap-Bangers. There's still a few bugs needing to be worked out, though." He gave the others a wild grin, and then took notice of the girl on the ground. He leaned over her curiously. "Hey, why're you sitting on the ground like that? There's plenty of other places to sit that I'm sure would be much more comfortable, y'know."

Veronica stared up at her, completely weirded out. What is this guy – some sort of psychopathic man-child?

"I didn't mean to sit here." She said, her voice rather curt.

The man gave her a bemused look. "Well then, why'd you do it?" He giggled rather impishly as she stood up and brushed herself off. "You're kinda silly, ar'ncha?"

Veronica just stared at him, one eyebrow raised and the corner of her mouth twitching a bit.

The strange man ignored her silence and turned to the Buckets. "So, what's she doing here anyway?" He gestured at the newcomer with his cane. Veronica flushed indignantly.

"Eh, she's my niece, Mr. Wonka," Said Bartholomew, "She's come to stay with us for the time being."

Wonka blinked a little, looking back and forth from Bartholomew to Veronica. "Why? Doesn't she have any pa…puh…per…moms and dads?"

Mr. Bucket shifted uncomfortably. "Uh…well…."

He risked an apologetic glance at his niece, who looked stonily back at him, and drew Wonka aside. "Y'see," he said in a low voice, "They…they've just died."

Trust Wonka to forget something like this at the most inopportune time…

Wonka nodded slowly, comprehension sinking in, and looked over at Veronica seriously. "That's a bad thing." He stated, as if halfway reminding himself, like a child going over a school lesson.

Bartholomew nodded awkwardly and turned, going back over to his wife.

"So…dinner ready yet, love?" He said, trying overly hard to sound cheery.

She started a little. "Oh. Oh, yes. Come along everyone. Mr. Wonka, you're staying for dinner, right?"

"Oh, yes please!" Wonka's face brightened, and he followed her towards the house.

Oh, joy. Veronica thought. Well…this is an…interesting first impression. She grimaced a little. She had known what her uncle was saying to Wonka. Why couldn't anyone just come out and say it as if it wasn't some sort of dirty secret? I'm not five, for heaven's sakes. I know my parents are dead.

That squeezing feeling started up again for a minute, but she swallowed it back down and followed the others into the house.

Charlie, who had watched the entire conversation in a thoughtful silence, gave his cousin a sad, worried look, and trailed after her, biting his lip a little in thought.

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Deadlyfuzzies: Well, off to a kind of a rocky start in the relationship, aren't we? I think there's going to be a lot of them getting on each other's nerves before they can reconcile and continue on. Any helpful ideas are appreciated, and thank you again!