The days were quickly winding down to Easter. Wonka was now far too busy to take a visit outside the factory, and Veronica knew better than to try and hold his attention now. The actual production phase was winding down, as the last frantic shipments of chocolate were making their way to shops all around the world, but Veronica now had an extremely clear idea of just how much work would be going on right up until the night before the holiday. But it didn't stop the fact that her house was just about the most depressing place on earth for her to be. In fact, just that morning she had received a letter telling her that she had ten more days to agree to smuggle out Wonka's secrets, or her mother's house would be lost to her forever. She needed to go out, there was no point in staying inside, staring at the room where she and her mother had had morning pillow fights, the rarely used kitchen that had once seen the pair baking cookies… So Veronica bundled up and went out for a walk.

She seemed to be doing that quite a lot now, just walking the streets of the little British town, going nowhere in particular, and just thinking in silence. Once in a great while, these walks led her to the gates of Wonka's factory, but she never knocked to be let in. She preferred to walk alone at times like this, not dragged forward by the persistent candymaker. On this walk, however, Veronica immediately sensed that she was not as alone as she would have liked.

"Shouldn't you be making chocolate for the holidays?" She asked sourly to no one in particular. Slugworth stepped out of the shadows that lingered between houses and joined her, malice glinting in his cold dark eyes.

"Darling girl, you know as well as I do that I am not the owner of an empire of chocolate. I have no need to forget my priorities and sit alone with my machinery." He stepped closer to Veronica, and she stepped away with a snort. "What have you got for me?"

"What do you think I've got for you?" Veronica hissed.

"That's a pity… Well, Easter is just around the corner. I suppose you have plans… Plans that involve the world's largest chocolate factory? Think about it. No one will be working that day. It would be so easy to just… slip out with something. Not even your dear Wonka would notice. You wouldn't have to hurt him, and you could stay in your mother's beautiful little flat. Wouldn't you like that?"

"I couldn't do that. I wouldn't…" Veronica whispered.

"You would rather give up all your mother fought for, all those years, just to spare him? Ahh… I see. Well, then, little one, you may tell Wonka that once we've taken your house, there will be nothing left that we have the power to take from you… but we can take you. And once we do, he will have a ransom to pay. I assume he feels the same about you…" Slugworth's crooked smile broadened, "As you do for him?"

Veronica said nothing, but walked on in silence, not looking at the man beside her.

"You have ten days, child. And after that, who knows when someone will be around to collect you?" He grinned sourly and walked away, leaving Veronica alone in the middle of the street.

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

This time, Veronica did not run off immediately to seek shelter at the chocolate factory. What Slugworth had said had shaken her, and he had known it. Whatever happened, Veronica could not tell Wonka. If she did… It would be as good as asking him to choose what of his inventions he would most rather give away in exchange for her freedom. There was no way she could do that to him.

It struck her as she walked the streets alone that she didn't, in fact, have any plans for Easter. As a matter of fact, Wonka hadn't mentioned the upcoming holiday at all except to say that he was extraordinarily busy. And he definitely hadn't spoken to her lately. Not even Charlie had come around to visit, and he had been doing that from time to time since she had met them. He, too, was working round the clock. Veronica sighed. This must have been how her mother felt… Attached to a man who loved his work more than anything.

As the last few days wore down to Easter, Veronica found herself growing more and more depressed. A letter, a note, delivered by an Oompa Loompa, by Charlie on his way to school, anything… but nothing came. And the mail she DID get was becoming more and more ominous, containing vague warnings and suggestions that she keep a sharp eye peeled for suspicious characters on the streets. They were trying to frighten her, and they were doing a heck of a job. By the night before Easter, Veronica wouldn't even go out at night.

She fell asleep that night, practically in tears. Had she really frightened Wonka that badly? He hadn't acted afraid, but then again, he hadn't reacted to her little slip at all. With time to think, had he changed his mind about having her around? After all, tomorrow was a holiday. He hated to spend holidays alone. Did he suddenly decide that spending a holiday alone was preferable to one with her? Valentine's Day hadn't been that bad. And hadn't it been HE who had made the advances then? Veronica fell into an uneasy, light sleep, tossing and turning most of the night.