Several days later, Wonka found himself back on his 'real' therapist's couch. Frank, the Oompa Loompa sat with pen and paper in hand as his boss, friend, and client rattled off the week's activities… and mused what had happened to him.

"I can't explain it… I mean… I thought I had trouble those weeks before Charlie and his family came to live here… Boy was that a walk in the park compared to this! First of all, the more I walk through this place, the more I realize that I'm completely alone. Sure, Charlie and his family keep me company some times, and yeah, the Oompa Loompas are always good for a laugh, but then I pass the rooms in the back hall, the hall of holidays… All the ones with the roses and the mushy Valentine's Day…stuff… and all the other rooms… Christmas, Secretary's Appreciation Day… and I realize that I can't remember a time in my life that I've ever spent a holiday with someone. Sure, I spent Christmas Day with Charlie and his family… but before that I always worked through the holidays…"

Frank nodded, silently making notes and peering over his glasses at the chocolatier.

"And then there's Veronica…" Wonka shivered. "I never knew anything could be better than chocolate… But she touched my hand and… it was like chocolate didn't even exist."

Frank was still nodding, still scratching notes onto his paper, still peering over the rims of his glasses, and still conspicuously silent.

"I've never felt like this in my whole life! Right after she leaves, I feel like I could rush into the inventing room and come out with the best candy the world has ever tasted, but by the time I get there, the only thing I can think about is when she first saw the river… And nothing gets done. And the longer she's gone, the worse I feel until there's no point in even trying to brainstorm new ideas. And now I'm leaving it up to Charlie, but he's barely been here a year and…" Wonka sighed. "I just… I don't know what to do… I feel like I've been abandoned."

Frank looked up from his nodding and scribbling. Wonka was looking over at him uneasily.

"Is that a… tic tac toe board? You're not helping me at all! You weren't even listening! And here I thought you helped me so much during my first crisis…" The candymaker stood and prepared to leave.

"Isn't there anyone here who can help me?"

He didn't notice that Charlie Bucket was peering around the door at them. Nor did he know that the boy had heard almost the entire confession. But before he had left the room, Charlie took off running, and didn't stop until he was pushing open the factory gates. If the great Willy Wonka was in such a state, he would definitely need a little help from his friends.

Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka, the amazing Chocolatier...

"Please, Miss Veronica. Mr. Wonka needs help. You have to come to the factory and help him think up a new kind of candy. If you don't…" The boy was looking with large, pleading blue eyes at Veronica.
"But I don't know the first thing about candy… except that his is magical."

"Then you can help us!"

"Charlie… I don't know anything about making candy… It's not that…" But she stopped midsentence and looked at the boy, who now seemed near tears. "Alright, I'll come."

"You might want to pack, Miss Veronica. If you're headed for a brainstorm session with Mr. Wonka, you're likely to be there for awhile."

"…How long?"

"I'd expect about a week… you can have supper with our family, Miss Veronica. Mr. Wonka usually does. But he's been acting so strange lately… for him, that is."

"How do you mean, strange?"

"Well, he walks the factory every day, like usual. But now he spends a lot more time in the hall of holidays… And he talks about you a lot… not to me or my family, but to the Oompa Loompas. And he hasn't had a new idea in over a week." Charlie said soberly. Veronica was moved by what the boy before her had said.

"Well then, I must come right away and help him. We can't have the most famous chocolatier in the world moping about and not inventing new candy now can we?" And then she sighed. "Funny, and I thought that a visit from the health inspector would help him stay in business longer… Well… I won't be a health inspector any more by the end of this week now, will I?"

"I'm sorry Miss Veronica. But I wouldn't ask unless I thought it was important. And…" Charlie dropped off suddenly.

"And what, Charlie?"

"I think he's in love… with something other than chocolate, I mean…" The boy looked very seriously at Veronica now. "I think he's in love with you, Miss Veronica."

Veronica froze, looking down at Charlie, sincere blue eyes meeting her own worried grey ones.

"That's why I came here. If you can help him with the chocolate, then everything can go back to how it used to be. If you can't… no one can."

"Nothing's impossible, Charlie." Veronica said suddenly. "I'm sure we'll find a way to help Mr. Wonka. And I promise I'll do my best."

"Thank you, Miss Veronica. I expect you want to get ready now. May I ask you to be there first thing in the morning?"

"Of course Charlie."

And with that, the young boy left Veronica. She looked around her room with a sigh. She didn't know anything about candy. All she knew was that now she had to try. She sighed. Besides that, by the end of the week she would be unemployed. Well, maybe Wonka would do good on his promise and let her stay… if she was helpful and didn't just get in the way. She seemed to be doing a lot of that, lately.

She dragged out a small suitcase and began throwing things into it. The sensible flat shoes, in case they ended up wandering the factory, the black stiletto heels if she needed to exert her authority, as it were, and keep him on task. Finally, she closed the bag with a snap and went to bed, wondering sincerely what the next day would bring. Things were unpredictable and strange enough in the Wonka factory on a good day. But now things were rushing towards disaster and Veronica wondered how she could possibly keep her head and help.