Disclaimer: If I didn't own this at the beginning, do you really think anything's changed by now? But I keep forgetting: I own Wendy and Frankie! Go me! And I own the museum and Vivian and the people in the museum.
And yes, I have changed my name. Sorry, folks, but I really wanted to. And I also changed the rating, because it will probably go up in the near future. And I want to be able to swear.
Willy and Charlie's Excellent AdventureThe next morning, Mr. Wonka was greeted by the smell of something burning in his Chocolate Room. He was quite worried at first, concerned that something had happened to his beautiful candy plants, but then found that the odor was emitting from the Bucket's house. Willy assumed that someone had burnt breakfast and decided that he could make his own this morning, when he heard arguing coming from inside. Curiosity piqued, he opened the door of the small house and walked in.
Charlie was sitting on the bed with his grandparents, all five amusedly watching the scene that was taking place in front of them. Mr. Bucket was trying to soothe a fuming Sarah, and Wendy was scraping what looked like smoking lumps of coal from a pan that was also issuing smoke. Willy noted with some astonishment that it made a clinking noise as it hit the plate.
Wendy looked up at the chocolatier and smiled. Willy thought that she looked a bit more relaxed than she had the night before, which was good. He hoped she wouldn't ever, ever break down in front of him again. It was creepy, weird, and made him extremely uncomfortable. "Buenos días, Mr. Wonka. I was trying to make breakfast, but I think I overdid the bacon a bit," she explained. Willy raised his eyebrows. Bacon that you could cut diamonds with, and Wendy called it overdone?
"Overdid?" Sarah said in that quiet, scary voice that parents get when they're really, really angry. "If I recall correctly, it caught fire, Wendy. I know that while your cooking skills aren't that great–"
"Just because I used to be able to burn water you think I'm still incompetent in the kitchen, Sarah!" Wendy waved her spatula in the air threateningly. Willy decided to take refuge behind the bed with Charlie and the grandparents. "I told you I was sorry about breakfast! Can't you let it go?"
Sarah took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, trying to calm down. She managed a weak grin. Jacob relaxed his grip on his wife's shoulders, relief evident on his face. "All right, I'm sorry. Bringing that up was uncalled for…but when flames came shooting up out of that pan, it just really scared me, Wen," said Sarah, patting her sister's hand.
"Scared you? I nearly got my eyebrows singed off," Wendy said with a chuckle. Sarah laughed, too, and everyone let out the breath they had been holding. Hell hath no fury like two angry, violent sisters.
"So are we getting breakfast or not?" asked Grandpa George grumpily.
Wendy rolled her eyes. "I made eggs before that little…"
"Fiasco?" put in Willy helpfully.
"Thank you, Willy. Fiasco seems to fit perfectly here," Wendy said with a grin. "And don't worry. Despite what Sarah may have told you, you won't die if you eat my cooking," she added, piling eggs on a plate and handing it to Charlie. "Try some, love." Charlie halfheartedly put a forkful of food into his mouth as the rest of the family watched anxiously. Wendy sighed and filled another plate while Willy stared at his heir, making sure he wasn't poisoned in any way.
"Do you really not trust me that much?" Wendy grumbled playfully. Charlie grinned and swallowed.
"Not bad," he said. "Did you really used to burn water?"
"No," protested Wendy, handing the last plate of eggs to Willy, who looked at it suspiciously. Grandma Josephine cleared her throat and Grandpa Joe bit back a smile.
"Well, just once…" she said reluctantly. Willy made a face and decided that, no matter what, he was never, ever eating anything that Wendy had cooked. Handing his plate to Jacob, who shrugged and shoveled in, Willy grabbed a white, lacy apron hanging on a hook and flexed his fingers.
"If you all want to eat those icky nasty scrambled eggs that Wendy cooked, go right ahead. But I am making French toast for anyone who wants some," said Willy, getting eggs, milk, bread, and other various ingredients. He heated up a skillet and got to work.
"You can cook?" Wendy asked without thinking. Willy stopped, turned around, and looked at Wendy with an absolutely flabbergasted expression on his face. Charlie burst into a fit of giggles.
"What?" Wendy asked, puzzled. "I– oh." She got it, and slapped a hand to her forehead with a mortified cry. "Aargh! Sorry, sorry, I wasn't thinking!" she added, fighting to keep a grin off her face. "Sometimes I don't think about things…"
"That much is obvious," muttered Willy darkly, sliding a spatula under the heavenly-smelling toast and flipping them expertly. "I'm just the world's greatest chocolatier, but no, I don't know how to cook or anything," he added, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"What I meant was, you know how to cook, like, real food," Wendy amended, still looking rather embarrassed.
"Oh yeah. Of course I can cook real food," said Willy contemptuously. "I had to be able to cook for myself when I was younger, or I would have starved."
"Well, that's better than I can do," Wendy said, silently admitting defeat and nimbly avoiding what could have escalated into a nasty argument. She tried a bite of toast, and a blissful smile appeared on her face. "Marvelous!" she declared, mouth full.
The Bucket's, Wendy, and Willy were all eating breakfast in a peaceful silence, a rare occurrence (but a very welcome surprise for Sarah) when Wendy spoke up.
"I was thinking about taking Charlie out for the day, if that's alright with you two," she said, addressing Sarah and Jacob. "We have hardly spent any time together, and I need a break from my work."
Charlie perked up at the words. An outing with his aunt could prove to be quite fun, although he felt a little guilty about deserting Mr. Wonka. Charlie and Wendy both looked pleadingly at his parents.
"You're going to have to ask Mr. Wonka about that, Wen," said Sarah. Her husband nodded in agreement. "It's alright with us, but Saturdays are Charlie's factory days, since during the week he has school," Jacob added. Wendy turned her gaze to Willy, looking hopeful.
"If Charlie is going to spend time with anyone, it should be me," Willy said huffily. "I am his mentor, after all."
Wendy's face fell for a moment, then brightened considerably. "Great!" she chirped cheerfully. "You can come with us!"
Willy cocked his head to one side, a puzzled expression on his face. "You're joking, right?" he said uncertainly.
"Of course not! Come on, Willy, it'll be fun," she assured him with a smile. "And there's more than enough room for both you and Charlie on my bike, if you ride behind me and Charlie rides in the sidecar–"
"Absolutely not," Sarah interrupted. "I will not allow my little boy to ride that thing, Wendy. I've seen you drive it," she said darkly. The rest of the Buckets nodded in agreement except for Charlie, who looked rather disappointed.
"I agree with Mrs. B completely," Willy said stubbornly. "We take the Elevator or don't go at all."
"Elevator? Why, that's an excellent idea, Willy," said Wendy. "And I'm glad you've decided to come along, too." Willy's triumphant grin slid from his face as he realized that he had just trapped himself. Charlie grinned at the chocolatier, who was slumped in his chair, wearing a very surly expression.
"So where are we going, Aunt Wendy?" Charlie asked excitedly.
"Well, there's this little art museum a few miles away. The founder is the father of a good friend of mine. We majored in History together," Wendy explained. "And Worldly Wise magazine would often make contributions to their collection. I really would like to visit again. What do you think?" She beamed at the disappointed and rather bemused pair. Grandpa George rolled his eyes and snorted, while Sarah and Jacob looked at each other with raised eyebrows. A museum?
"Museums are boring," stated Willy firmly. "All you do is go around and look at a bunch of old stuff. There's nothing fun about going to a museum," he sneered.
Charlie, however, made an effort to look pleased. "I– I'm sure it will be very…interesting, Mr. Wonka," he said in an uninspired tone. "And I've never been to a museum before."
"Well, then, all the more reason to go!" Wendy said brightly. "I know you'll both enjoy it immensely. So whenever you two are ready, we'll leave."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Half an hour later, the three were standing in front of the Great Glass Elevator, Wendy eyeing it with some apprehension.
"So what your telling me is…this thing flies outside the factory?" she said, apparently not having grasped that fact when she agreed to ride in it.
"Well, duh," said Willy. "So come on, let's get this over with." Charlie elbowed him in the stomach, and Willy sullenly shut this mouth and stepped inside, closely followed by Charlie and Wendy. He pressed a few buttons and with a loud whoosh they were off. Wendy clutched Charlie's shoulder for support, a bit unnerved but also excited. "Don't think I'll ever get used to that…" She let out a breath and gazed out the side of the Elevator, taking in the spectacular view.
"I called my friend. She said that we could use the back entrance, if you want. So you don't get mobbed or anything," Wendy explained. Willy was not reassured. He had forgotten that he would have to actually interact with…other people. Ew. He must have made a face, because Wendy smiled at him and patted his arm comfortingly. He scowled and cringed away from her touch, making Wendy frown a little. The rest of the ride was spent in uneasy silence, with Willy sulking in a corner, Charlie worrying about hurting his aunt's feelings, and Wendy humming tunelessly while watching the landscape pass beneath them.
After about twenty minutes of flying, Wendy spotted the museum and pointed it out to Willy, who just nodded and pressed a few more buttons, causing it to slow drastically and come down with a slight bump just a few feet away from the factory's back door. A woman with long, straight blonde hair, brown eyes, and a dazzling smile approached the three people exiting from the Elevator.
"Wendy! It's been too long," she gushed, embracing Wendy and engulfing Willy and Charlie in a cloud of perfume.
"Oh, Viv, it has," Wendy squealed back, hugging her friend enthusiastically. She let go and turned around to face Willy and Charlie. "Willy, Charlie, this is Vivian Ellsworth. Viv, this is my nephew, Charlie Bucket, and, of course, Willy Wonka," she said proudly. Vivian smiled again, and Willy thought he might go blind. She came forward, hand outstretched, and he tentatively shook it. He didn't want to, but the look on Wendy's face promised pain and hurt if he didn't make some attempt at being civil and polite.
"Why, Mr. Wonka, it is a pleasure to meet you," she said warmly. Vivian turned her gaze downward towards the smaller boy and ruffled Charlie's hair. "And how are you, Charlie? Doing well, I hope?" She didn't wait for an answer but ushered the three into the museum, chattering away to her friend.
Vivian led them through a hallway lined with doors that led to various offices. She stopped near an elevator and pressed the "up" button. "Sorry, Wen, but I have to leave you here," said Vivian apologetically. "I've got miles of paperwork to catch up on…" She gave a loud, weary sigh. "So have fun, you all. It was great seeing you again, Wen, and it was lovely to meet you both," she added, shaking Willy's hand again and shooting him another big smile, reminding him eerily of that beastly Beauregarde woman. He tried to plaster the large, fake smile he reserved for people he didn't know (or didn't like) back on his face, but he didn't think he succeeded in looking very cheerful.
"See you later, Viv," Wendy called as she stepped into the elevator, pulling Wonka and Charlie in after her. As soon as the door had closed she grinned at Willy's rather distressed expression.
"Aw, poor little Willy. Did Viv scare you?" she asked with a chuckle, punching the button for the top floor. He just snorted and started at the wall. He didn't rise to Wendy's bait, though he wanted to retort with a snarky comment of his own. But Willy did have some sense of dignity; it simply wouldn't do to start squabbling in public.
Luckily, Charlie piped up with the perfect comment to lighten the mood. "You know, Mr. Wonka, after riding in your Great Glass Elevator, this seems like a bit of a let down." Willy gave the boy a real grin and ruffled Charlie's hair affectionately.
"Mr. Wonka certainly doesn't do anything by halves, Charlie," Wendy remarked. Willy decided to take it as a compliment.
The elevator "dinged" and the doors opened. Wendy stepped out, followed by an unwilling Willy and Charlie. Willy panicked for a moment as he received curious glances from two little old ladies who were observing a set of rather battered Peruvian jars. A momentary look of panic flashed across his face before, in a burst of childlike logic, he decided that if he couldn't see them, then they wouldn't be able to see him. Willy snatched up a museum map from a small table and held it open in front of his face. Most fortunately for Wonka, he had toned his outfit down a little that day, so all the museum-goers could see of the famous chocolatier was a pair of navy-blue trousers with black boots peeking from beneath the hems, blue latex gloves curled around the edge of the map, and a tall top hat. Charlie simply sighed and grabbed Mr. Wonka's arm to stop him from walking into a post.
"Come on, you two!" Wendy called, eager to get started.
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Wendy led them through hallway after hallway of art, some filled with paintings, others showcasing statues or old relics from other cultures. These seemed to be Wendy's favorites; she was a huge history buff and loved looking at artifacts from foreign countries.
Charlie was enjoying the museum a lot more than he had thought he would. He actually found it interesting, and was, to his horror, even learning things. This greatly unsettled the young boy, but he was still having fun nevertheless. He wasn't sure about Mr. Wonka, though. The chocolatier was still hiding behind his museum map, but Charlie could see him peeking his eyes over the top as they walked. Charlie hoped he wasn't having too horrible a time.
As a matter of fact, Willy was enjoying the museum as well. He was a great believer in art and beauty, and, contrary to what he had said earlier, he didn't think museums were boring at all. He had just said that to be ornery and because he didn't want to spend more time with Wendy than absolutely necessary. She scared him, although it would be like pulling teeth to get him to admit it. What was really disconcerting Willy, however, was the realization that Wendy's presence wasn't as intolerable as he had thought it would be. In fact, Willy found it…pleasant to listen to her talk about a topic that she obviously adored. It was probably this awareness that led Willy to do what he did.
Wendy was engrossed in a small plaque describing the handiwork of Tibetan natives when Willy pulled Charlie off to the side. The taller man knelt to look his heir in the eye.
"Hey Charlie, let's blow this pop stand!" he whispered excitedly.
"What do you mean, Mr. Wonka?" Charlie asked uncertainly. He thought he knew all too well what Wonka meant, but was sincerely hoping that he was wrong.
Willy let out his high-pitched giggle. "I mean that we should leave. There're other, more important things we could be doing right now, my dear boy…not looking at dusty old paintings." Willy felt a twinge of guilt as he said this. It wasn't the art that he was objecting to, but he couldn't very well tell Charlie that he wanted to leave because he was having fun spending time with Wendy.
"I really, really don't think that's a good idea, Mr. Wonka…" Charlie informed the chocolatier. "Aunt Wendy'll go ballistic if we leave without telling her."
"Aw, c'mon, Charlie! I bet we could leave right now and she's never even notice!" he whined petulantly, knowing he sounded like a little kid. Charlie just shook his head. Willy pouted for a moment, then smirked slyly, a brilliant idea forming in his head.
"Hey, Charlie, if we leave right now, I'll let you fly the Great Glass Elevator," Willy said temptingly. Charlie raised an eyebrow.
"For real?" he asked. Charlie had wanted to fly the Elevator for ages, but Willy had never let him. This was too good a chance to pass up.
"For real," Willy declared, nodding. Charlie hesitated for another moment or so, then grinned radiantly.
"Let's go."
A/N: Sorry, sorry, sorry! It's been ages since I updated, I know! ducks tomatoes But this chapter was…difficult. I actually like it quite a bit now…but I like the next chapter even more. This would have been posted sooner, but I took out a page and a half because it's going into Chapter Nine. And I won't give you excuses like writers' block and school, even thought they're true. But the wait for 9 should be a LOT shorter.
And guess what: I changed my name! Yes, now instead of Quill in Hand, I am Cadenza Cavatina. So I will make sure that in my reviews of other stories to put who I formerly was. resists urge to write The Author Formerly Know as Quill In Hand
To my reviewers: Thanks a mil! You guys rock my world. I will reply to the reviews in this chapter, but after that I'm quitting because apparently we can't answer reviews in our stories any more, which sucks major big time. Feel free to leave your email addresses, however, because I lurve talking to you guys! And if you have questions, I WILL answer those in the chapter. But if you still want a response from me, leave your emails and I promise I will get to you ASAP. So R&R, all of you lurkers! glares evilly
Reviews (a bunch this time!)
Maleficent Angel: First of all, I 3 your story! It is the muchly better one, in my opinion. And sorry for the wait– you've been so patient! I'm so glad peeps like Wendy.
Sybl Angelkat: Gar…sorry for the wait. I hope that you shriek with your at your Story Alert email. Thanks for caring!
Lady Tarja: Good…I'm glad someone liked it! The idea stuck in my head, so I HAD to put it in. That happens a lot with me…and I cannot, simply CANNOT wait for your fic. Hurry, dearie, hurry! Write!
Wicked Seraphina: cringes You probably hate me right now…but here is a chapter to sooth your rage! Next chappie up sooner, promise! And I totally agree with you. I mean, come on. Willy in those sexy purple silk PJs walking around the factory? drool And I'm glad you were satisfied with the end scene…hope I cleared that up a bit at the beginning of this chapter.
NerdyforWonkaNerds: Hah! I'm a Wonka nerd, too! Yay! Sorry for the wait, hope you like this chapter.
Elizabeth: Yeah. I'm "Brother's" beta, actually…she knows how hard I've been working! And don't worry about the Oompa Loompas…I have a special scene for them in the next chapter. I'll give you a hint and the end of the reviews.
The Wonkamatic: THANK YOU! I thought so, too, but I think I fixed it in this chapter. Hope you like it!
PucktoFaerie: Thanks for your kind comments! Again, sorry for the wait! dies from shame
HoVis: That thought went through my head, actually. Hope this chapter is up to par for you!
Chocolate14: I'm glad, too! Thanks for reading.
is tired Woo! That was a lot of writing. And now, for next chapter's preview:
Wendy searches the factory for Willy and Charlie.
Frankie is adored by Oompa Loompas.
Willy sings "I'm Too Sexy" at the Oompa Loompa Karaoke and Dance Party.
Ooh! I've caught your interest now, haven't I! Remember, the more reviews, the sooner I update (maybe). But I really wanna write that scene, so a shorter wait this time, I think. Remember to leave your email so I can reply to your reviews, because I won't be doing it in the chapter!
Peace and love, darlings.