Chapter Three: Table Conversation

Deadlyfuzzies: Thanks to everyone again for all of the great reviews! Sorry about taking so long – this chapter was really hard to write…I hate writing transitional stories! Grah. Thanks for your patience and support!

Another note- I just saw the movie again, and I think that I heard Grandpa Joe call Mrs. Bucket 'Alice' at one point, so Kaitlyn has officially changed her name until further notice (aka – until I get the dvd so I can check via subtitle).

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The delectable smells within the little shack of a house were enough to push out all the chocolaty smells from outside. Roast chicken, salad, and potato soup filled the air with nourishing, lovely aromas that were nearly as mouth-watering as the candy outside.

Veronica breathed the scents in deeply as soon as she entered, feeling her stomach growl, and very suddenly realizing that she had never even bothered to eat anything for lunch.

"Veronica!" An older man suddenly came springing over from across the room, enveloping Veronica in a large hug that seemed rather strong for one of his age. She blinked in surprise, but then hugged the old man back just as tight.

"Hi Grandpa Joe!" She nuzzled against him, smelling the musty scent of his plaid shirt and feeling the warmth of his steady heartbeat, still going strong even after all of these years. "I'm so glad to see you!" And it was true – Grandpa Joe had been a favored grandparent when she was a child. He had always given her little treats and tokens, or perhaps a pound to go down the street and buy herself a candy bar. But she hadn't seen him, or the rest of the family, since her mother and father had packed up and moved to America.

"Okay, dinner's ready, everyone!" Alice Bucket clapped her hands together and called out merrily. There was a great bustle as everyone took their seats and Alice set the platters of scrumptious food on the table. Veronica raised an eyebrow as Wonka took off his hat to reveal a haircut that, last she checked, went out of style in around the sixteenth century. However, somehow, it seemed to suit him – it didn't look bad at all. In the end, after a whole lot of shuffling and hubbub, Veronica wound up between her aunt and Wonka. She reached up, grabbing her napkin and spreading it on her lap, and felt her arm brush against his. He shifted uneasily at the contact, glittering eyes darting down towards her warily, and she raised her eyebrow a little.

A bit jumpy to the touch, isn't he?

Veronica ventured a glance back up at him, only to see that he was watching her out of the corner of his eye. The sight inspired another eyebrow-raise – his eyes were purple.

What freak has purple eyes? Are they contacts, or just…?

She looked away again, down at her plate, but she could feel his eyes drilling into the back of her skull. She gritted her teeth, narrowing her eyes down at the silverware. Augh. What's his problem?

Alice nudged her. "Hon? You want the soup?" She handed over the bowl of steaming, delicious broth. Veronica blinked.

"Oh, right." She took it, spooning some of the delicious soup into her bowl, and passing it on to Wonka. He delicately took the bowl from her, his gloved hands carefully avoiding hers in a graceful, dance-like movement.

Her eyes flickered towards him, and then back down to her plate again. She ate in silence, not speaking a word as the others chatted amiably with each other about their day.

Bartholomew suddenly spoke up. "Willy, you haven't said much. How did your day go?" He shoveled in a piece of salad, leaning forward intently. Alice poked him. "No elbows on the table, honey." She hissed under her breath. Bartholomew flushed a little, self-consciously yanking his arms off the table and rolling his eyes up at the ceiling. His son giggled a little, shaking his head and grinning ear-to-ear.

Wonka started at Bartholomew's question, apparently deep in thought. "Oh. Yes. Uh…I was working on my Snap-Bangers, and I'm…yep." He looked down at his soup with a tight-lipped smile, dipping in his spoon in a sleek, elegant movement and then lifting it to his lips. "Mm. Good." He let out a seemingly forced laugh, his eyes darting to every face at the table almost franticly.

Charlie nudged him a little with his elbow, staring up at him curiously. 'You okay?' He mouthed. Wonka grinned in his partner brightly, and quickly turned back to his plate, taking another bite of soup.

"Well…that's nice." Alice said. "Thanks." She turned and looked over at Veronica. "So, Veronica, er…I set up for you to go and meet the headmistress of Saint Catherine's School for Girls, and then we can get your school supplies and uniform, and if you want, you can start Tuesday, if you feel up to it that is." She smiled at her niece (overly optimistically, Veronica thought).

"Uh, yeah, that sounds cool." Veronica said, looking down at her plate, and then around at the shack awkwardly. "Look, I was thinking…wondering…can I…would you mind if I got a job…you know, paid for my own tuition? I don't want to impose upon you." Her face flushed hotly.

Bartholomew and Alice looked at each other and back at Veronica.

"Well, that's alright, I suppose…that is, if you're sure. We really don't mind paying for the rest of your schooling at all." Bartholomew's voice was gentle and worried-sounding.

"It's only half a year," Alice added.

Veronica shook her head. "No. No, I mean…you're already paying for Charlie."

Wonka suddenly spoke up, cutting Charlie off as he was about to open his mouth. "Actually, Charlie doesn't go to school. He works with me. You see, I don't believe in school." He smirked a little, almost arrogantly. She raised both eyebrows. "What's your reasoning behind that?"

He shrugged, chewing on a piece of chicken. "It's so constricting." He said simply, his mouth full.

Veronica nodded once, eyebrows raised ironically as she looked away from him back down to her plate. "O-kaaay…." She whispered under her breath, then looked back up at her aunt. "Erm, anyway, it's not like I don't appreciate what you're trying to do for me, it's just…" She sighed, rolling a chicken leg between her fingers. "I'm going to be on my own in a year anyway, and I want to be self-sufficient. I don't want to be leaning on anyone."

Alice looked over at her husband, and then back at Veronica, her eyes warm. "Alright then. If that's what you think is best, then we'll back you on it. But!" She held up a finger to silence Veronica. "If you ever need anything, feel free to come to us. And I insist on making your meals for you." Her slender hand covered Veronica's, giving it a gentle squeeze. Her niece smiled up at her gratefully, and for a moment, Alice thought that she saw the girl's hazel eyes water for a moment before Veronica looked away again quickly.

"Well, I think that's a perfectly sensible way to look at it." Grandpa George wiggled a finger at Mr. and Mrs. Bucket. "Kids these days never think about what it'll be like on their own, and it makes them stupid and lazy." Grandma Georgina was nodding contentedly to what he was saying, but Veronica wondered if she even realized what the topic of conversation was about.

"You might want to work here, Veronica," Grandpa Joe piped in. "It's certainly close to home." He looked hopefully over at Charlie.

His grandson shook his head. "Don't look at me – I'm still just an apprentice. I don't know anything about business."

All eyes turned to Wonka. He was looking sidelong at Veronica, eyes narrowed.

"No." He finally said, once again making it sound amazingly simple. "There's just no vacancies anywhere. The Oompa-Loompas take care of everything, you see." He beamed at her. "Sorry."

Veronica shrugged, thinking to herself that he did not, in fact, look in the least bit sorry. "S'okay." She replied, inside breathing a sigh of relief.

"Well, there's plenty of other places to work," Charlie gave his cousin an apologetic smile. "I can help you look, if you like."

"Sure, I guess." Veronica gave Charlie a warm look.

Alice stood. "Well then, who wants dessert?"

"Oh!" Wonka's hand shot up, bumping his silverware and sending it clattering in the process. Veronica winced.

Yeah, okay, I can get used to this.

Maybe.

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Mrs. Bucket's apple pie had been swiftly devoured, and everyone was sitting around the table, laughing and chatting away about everything and nothing. After a while, Mrs. Bucket looked up at the clock. "Alright, Charlie, it's past your bed time. If you want you can walk Willy home, first, though." She patted her son on the back and stood, stacking the plates and carrying them to the sink. Charlie nodded and jumped off his chair. Likewise, Wonka stood, taking his hat and jacket from the rack and putting them on with practiced dexterity.

"Thank you for dinner," He said, giving Alice a slight bow and taking his cane from where it leaned against the wall.

"Of course, Willy." Bartholomew grinned at his friend, carrying some dirty trays over to his wife. "We'll see you tomorrow, then."

Wonka nodded, his violet eyes darting with an uneasy look over to where Veronica sat, talking softly with her grandmother. He smiled back over at the Buckets, and swept out the tilted door into the powdered-sugar snowflakes that were now falling outside.

Charlie followed his friend outside, having to jog over the sweet-grass to keep up with the chocolatier.

"Are you okay?" He asked, shivering a little. Wonka had the temperature lowered at night in the winter-time to simulate actual winter, and then raised it again in the morning when the Oompa-Loompas came in to harvest the sweets.

Wonka shrugged a little. "Sure I'm okay. I'm okay as okay can be, and you know what? I'm okay."

"Liar."

The older man paused for a moment.

"Yeah."

"So…what's going on?" Charlie tucked his hands under his armpits to keep them warm as he walked with his friend.

"It's just…well, it's your cousin."

"What about her?" Charlie's brows furrowed as he looked up at the man.

"Well…" Wonka looked around, hissing a breath in between his teeth. "When I said your family could come in, I never thought that would mean more than, y'know, your family."

"She is my family."

"Yeah, but she wasn't part of the original set." Wonka waved his cane around a little. "How do I even know if she will keep her mouth shut or not! And she's going to…" He swallowed disgustedly. "She's going to school, and there's tons of people at school that will be begging to come over and she'll be asking me and…well, you know."

Charlie sighed. "You didn't even want to let her in here, did you?"

"No." Wonka said sourly.

"She's got no family."

There was a long silence. There was a vacant look in Wonka's eyes that Charlie knew meant his friend was thinking. However, whatever Wonka was thinking was cut short as he promptly tripped over the very same lollipop bush that Veronica had earlier. He toppled forward, landing face-first in the grass. A moment later he picked himself up, looking warily back at the bush. "Who put that there?" He muttered, dusting off his jacket with a few swipes of his gloved hands. Charlie snorted a little, swiftly disguising it by coughing.

The two walked the rest of the way to the elevator in silence. Wonka pressed the button to open it and stepped inside, looking back at his little friend. "Well, she can stay, but make sure you don't let her make any trouble." He waved his cane jokingly at Charlie, but the smile on his face still didn't fully masked the distant, slightly troubled look in his eyes. He jabbed the button that would take him to his private quarters, and nodded at Charlie, smiling a little. "Seeya tomorrow, pardner."

"Bye." Charlie gave his friend a small wave, and turned, trotting back across the factory to his warm, lit house.

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Deadlyfuzzies: Phew! So, in the next chapter things can actually get interesting! Sorry if this chapter was a bit on the boring side, and thanks for the great reviews so far!