As life went on inside the Wonka candy factory, things outside were getting tenser and tenser. The European Health Agency had its hands tied. Despite enormous pressure from Slugworth, they simply could not get someone inside Wonka's factory. At the same time, they were wondering just how long Veronica could possibly stay inside. Sooner or later, the novelty of the giant factory would wear off, and Veronica would start missing her old life and the memory of her mother. And when that day came… He was ready for her. The house was exactly as she had left it, giant chocolate rabbit in the closet and all. Her car was still parked out front, and in it remained everything she could fit from her old life, still waiting to move into her new one. The picture of her mother and Wonka's chocolate rose still sat on her bedside table, collecting dust, and the rumpled sheets on her bed still lay there, half on the floor. There were purple foil chocolate wrappers there at the foot of the bed too. But her old house wasn't nearly as safe and cozy as she would remember it. The trap had been laid, just in case, and this time, Slugworth was prepared to handle Wonka as well. After all, how dare he challenge the status quo? Well, Slugworth would not be made a fool of this time…

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

"Wake up sleepyhead! We have work to do!"

"I want a vacation. I'm calling in sick." Veronica moaned, pulling her pillow over her head.

"Sick? Eww." Wonka shrank away for a moment. "But you aren't sick, silly, and there's work to be done! Now, up and at 'em!" He pulled her pillow off her face and tossed it over his shoulder. Veronica responded by pulling her blankets up around her face. Wonka sighed and for a moment, she thought he was going to give up and go away, but he strode to the end of the bed, seized the sheets, and yanked them clear off, dropping them in a heap at his feet.

"Up!" He said cheerfully. "The quicker you get up, the quicker you'll be done, and then you can go back to sleep!"

"That's a laugh." Veronica mumbled. "You won't let me leave until midnight, no matter when I get up."

"And it hasn't occurred to you that maybe I like you around, and so I keep you there because I can't stand to be without you?"

"Is… is that the reason?"

"No, silly! It's because we're really very busy, now let's go! Up!"

Veronica groaned and reached over the edge of the bed for her blankets, but Wonka smacked her over the hand with his cane and pulled her out of bed, grinning sinisterly. She followed him obediently, resigned to another day of babysitting a boiling cauldron of caramel. The Oompa Loompas giggled behind them as he strode ahead confidently, leaving her trotting along behind. One of these days she was going to just turn around and trot right back to bed… And that day was going to be today. But she had no sooner thought this then Wonka turned around with a funny smile.

"Don't you go getting any ideas in that pretty little noggin of yours about running away on me."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"Good, 'cause if you do, you'll likely run into some kind of trouble, and I won't be there to save you."

"To say nothing of you not having your loyal apprentice there to do all the work for you."

"Hey, I have to fix all those mistakes you make."

"At least I make mistakes that you can fix. With what I'm teaching you, and by the way, you have class at three, you can't go back and fix your mistakes."

"I don't make mistakes." He replied tartly.

"Ahh, that's right. You're perfect."

"Practically perfect in every way!"

"Practically? What's that? You mean you aren't COMPLETELY perfect?" Veronica grinned smugly.

You have no idea, lady.

"I make errors once in awhile. Hair Toffee, for instance…"

"What? Hair Toffee, a mistake? But that last test subject had a lovely handlebar mustache… and a mullet…" Veronica laughed.

"Please don't remind me…" Wonka turned back around briskly. "Moving on, we have work to do…" And he strode off down the hall, heeled boots clicking in rhythm with his cane. Immediately, Veronica ducked through a random door and disappeared. She would have to find her way back to bed via some other route than the main hall.

No more than five minutes later, she was running, shrieking at the top of her lungs, as an enormous swarm of bees chased her. Wonka appeared out of nowhere at the end of the hallway, grinning superiorly.

"I see you found the honey room…" He called.

"Some help would be nice." Veronica panted.

"Bee nice…" Wonka giggled. "Nope, you get to figure this one out on your own."

"Damn it!" She roared and zoomed past him. The bees pursued her.

Where to go? How do you lose a swarm of bees? She had seen cartoons where the pursued immersed themselves in a body of water, but there were no bodies of water in the factory that she was aware of. There was a river of chocolate, but she dreaded what Wonka would do to her if she jumped into that… Besides, they were so far from paradise, she thought she would collapse from exhaustion long before then. Where was she? Let's see, Pretzel room to the left, that was the Marshmallow fluff room straight ahead… What about the Hall of Holidays? Would the bees leave her alone to tend to fields of flowers? She shot down a long hallway, lungs screaming, legs like lead. Finally, the big round doors held promising labels. There went "Secretary's Appreciation Day" just to her right… There! Straight ahead! She prayed the door wasn't locked. The bees were closing in, buzzing loudly. She dove at the door and flung it open, collapsing on the tiled floor as the cloud of bees passed overhead, landing like locusts on the chocolate roses.

"Neat idea!" Wonka giggled. How had he gotten there so fast? Veronica clambered to her feet. "But how are we gonna get 'em back into the honey room, smartypants?"

And then it hit her… why had she not just turned around and run back to the honey room? She sighed.

"I have no idea. Don't you have some sort of brilliant invention for that?"

"Nope, but I do have this…" And he called the Oompa Loompas, an action that still somewhat surprised Veronica to watch. An Oompa Loompa arrived and, after a series of elaborate gestures, left again. It wasn't long before a small army of the little men, all wearing beekeeping suits, trooped into the Room of Roses and shut the door behind them.

"Now, no more wandering off, little Miss Smartypants." Wonka smiled, eyes twinkling. "You're lucky you just had bees chasing you…"

"What could be worse than bees?" Veronica panted.

"You'd have to get lost pretty good to find out." Wonka said, enigmatically.

"Are you mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you?"

"Well… all those kids, they didn't listen to you, and look what happened to them."

"They were completely unharmed."

"Unharmed, my ear!" Veronica said loudly.

"I wasn't mad at them, they had it coming. They did it to themselves. As would I, were I stupid enough to try an unfinished candy, or disturb the squirrels." His eyes seemed slightly darker and harsher. "Or go into the honey room smelling like that flowery shampoo." The look in his eye vanished, and he tapped her on the nose with a grin. "But I really must ask you not to go wandering off like that again. Who knows what surprises you might stumble upon?"

"Yes sir…" She said, mockingly. Seeing the look he gave her for this, she shrank slightly. "I won't…"

"Oh good! Now come on, so much to be done!"