Disclaimer: If we owned Willy Wonka, we'd go swimming with him in our own private lake of chocolate and be served very nice drinks by the Oompa Loompas.

AN: Here's the next chapter! We are so thrilled that so many have read and reviewed; it just makes our day to know that you love our work! Thank you all so much, and enjoy!

Chapter 4: Meeting the Unexpected:

Wrapped in a cloud of vanilla scent, Nika woke to a fairly dark room with her mouth feeling fuzzy and nasty from not brushing the night before.

'If Uncle Geoff knew about this, he'd have a fit,' she thought, running her hands over her face. 'I shouldn't tell him I forgot to brush my teeth again.'

After rubbing the grit from her eyes, Nika took a quick peek around the bedroom and realized where she was, remembering the events of the previous night. Kylie's attempt to break into the factory, her own attempt to save her cousin from prison and trouble, and getting caught by Mr. Willy Wonka himself. Nika also remembered the deal she had struck with the chocolatier, and promptly buried her face back in her pillow, letting the warm smell of vanilla run over her and pull her back into dreams.

When she awoke, it was to the sound of the door opening and footsteps coming towards the bed. Deciding that it was probably Mr. Wonka coming to check on her, Nika decided to pretend to still be asleep until he left. She really didn't feel like facing the man at the present time. She heard the footsteps stop near the bed before hearing the sound of metal being set on top of wood. He must have placed a breakfast tray on a nearby table. Hearing the footsteps retreat and go out the door, locking it behind him, Nika raised her head and looked around.

The room was still a bit dark, but there was sunshine streaming through the cracks in the drapes over the windows. What time was it? How long had she slept? Nika had no idea, but she needed to know about where she was likely to be spending the rest of her life. Grudgingly getting up from the bed, she walked carefully towards the windows and pulled one open enough to look out of it and see what she could find out about her 'new home'.

The view from her room was amazing. Why, she could see everything from up here! She wasn't aware that they had traveled so far in order to reach the bedrooms, but then, she had been a bit preoccupied at the time. Sighing, Nika allowed her eyes to wander over the city and watch smoke rise from the chimneys of surrounding buildings. Everything looked so small that she wondered how high up she really was. Her father had told her that Mr. Wonka's factory was at least fifty times bigger than any other factory in the world, so she had to be extremely high up in order for her to see almost every house in town!

Shrugging, she turned away from the window and inspected the room. She hadn't had a chance to take a good look last night, since it had been dark, but now that she had the necessary light to see everything by, she was going to see how the infamous chocolatier lived. The coloring was indeed an off-white, almost crème colored, but the wood that made up the furniture wasn't as dark as she imagined. Instead of deep, dark wood, it was a golden-brown that was soft and soothing to look at. It surprised her that this man would have something so warm and inviting in his factory, but everyone's tastes varied, she supposed.

Nika's gaze traveled to a side table and there was a breakfast tray sitting there on a side table, a piece of paper or an envelope lying propped up against a tray cover. Walking over to the tray, she saw that it was indeed an envelope. The front of it was blank, but she knew it was for her. After all, she'd never given the man her name when they met, so how could he address it to her? Sighing, Nika put the note aside to investigate the contents of the tray. Besides milk and orange juice, she was surprised to see crispy bacon, waffles the size of her palm with strawberry topping and whipped cream, and sausages, all steaming hot and neatly arranged into piles on a purple plate. What surprised her was that there was enough food on the tray to feed at least three people!

"I hope that isn't a sign that he's going to keep me locked in here all day," Nika muttered to herself as she set the cover aside and picked up a fork and knife. Once she finished as much of the food as she could hold, Nika put the cover back on the tray and picked up the letter.

Dear Unexpected Guest,

Welcome to my humble chocolate factory. While you are a guest in my home, I hope that you will enjoy your stay here. You should also know that how I decide what you are to do for me as a worker here in the factory it will depend greatly on your behavior the next few days. The first thing you are to do is to dress nicely in what is provided in your closet for dinner with me tonight at 6:00 this evening.

Your Host,

Mr. Willy Wonka

"He's got to be kidding!" Nika cried, crumpling the note and tossing it across the room.

The man could not be serious about the dinner thing. Sure, she'd work at the factory or whatever he wanted her to do (though she didn't know what the heck he was going to pay her when she couldn't leave), but the dinner thing was too much! There was no way she was going to dinner with that guy!

'Not for all the chocolate in the factory,' Nika thought to herself as she made her way to the bathroom. As soon as she opened the door, her jaw dropped.

Everything was white marble, from the walls down to the floor. The taps on the sink and bathtub were gold, and the rug on the floor by the tub was so thick it looked like you could sleep comfortably on it and not notice you were on the floor! As she walked towards the tub, Nika noticed several bottles and small boxes arranged on a gold-colored tray. The bottles were made of delicate glass and were in different shades of purple, blue, green, red, and frosted white, all of them sporting gold designs.

Picking up the purple bottle, Nika took a tiny sniff…and sneezed, hard. It was an odd mixture of blueberry and some sort of flower; whatever it was, Nika could tell she was allergic to the flower scent because blueberries never bothered her. Setting the purple bottle on the far side of the tray, Nika went for a different choice. The blue bottle smelled odd, but tasty, too; she would keep that one for sure. The green smelled of mint, the red of berries she couldn't quite place, and the white smelled of French vanilla and brown sugar.

The soaps were much different. Where and how Mr. Wonka had managed to get these items on such short notice was beyond her, but he had. All of them had a flower theme that went well with the bubble bath scents, and Nika spent quite some time arranging them together to fit her tastes. How much time she spent in the bathroom, she didn't know, but it had to have been a while; her stomach started growling at about the same time a knock sounded at her door.

Expecting it to be Mr. Wonka with her lunch, Nika exited the bathroom and headed for her bedroom. When she reached the doorway between the two rooms, she let out a small shriek.

The day had not gone well for the Murdock family. Kylie had told her story for the tenth time, and the adults still did not believe her when she said Nika was in the hands (as well as the factory) of Mr. Willy Wonka. Her mom and dad had insisted that, since no one had managed to get though the gates in the past, that no one ever would. It never occurred to them that someone might try and break in like their daughter had, so they simply stuck by what they believed in.

"But what about Nika not being at her apartment or at work today?" Kylie cried, trying to get her parents to listen to her.

"She might be sick or playing hooky, for all we know," her father replied, impatiently.

"Nika never plays hooky from work or with me!" yelled Kylie. "She promised to take me out for ice cream and you know she never breaks her promises to me!"

She had them there; in all the time she'd been with them, Danika Sinclaire was not one to break her word to her little cousin. Granted, she'd only been living with them or nearby for six months, but Danika was a fiercely loyal young woman, and the idea of her not doing what she promised to do was simply out of the question. With that thought putting it all into perspective, Geoffrey and Marian Murdock were now forced to deal with the possibility that their niece was in serious trouble, and that she would need help…fast.

Nika wasn't really sure of what to make of the small creature standing in front of her. It was obviously a man, but it was a man that came up to her kneecap! He had tan skin, and dark brown hair and eyes, all well complimented by the black jumpsuit he was wearing. The fabric of the suit was shot with silver while the edges were trimmed in it. If he were normal sized, Nika would have found him to be foolish-looking. As it was, however, she found him to be…well, kind of cute.

"Um, hello." Blunt, but then, she was too surprised to think of anything else to say.

The little creature simply crossed its arms over its chest and gave a small bow. Not knowing what else to do, Nika followed his example and received a small giggle in response. Looking at the small man, she realized he was smiling at her. She quirked at eyebrow at him and he simply pointed towards the tray on the table. Looking at it, she spotted a folded up note and reached to pick it up.

Dear Guest, it began.

'I've really got to tell him my name one of these days,' Nika thought before continuing on.

This is Wendell, and he is an Oompa Loompa. To save time on explanations, Oompa Loompas come from Loompa-land and I found them on one of my travels around the world. I quickly decided to bring them here to work in my factory, instead of trying to re-hire those horrible cads that stole my formulas and caused my factory to close down.

Anyway, Wendell here will be your guide and constant companion on your travels around my factory. Ask him for anything or to take you anywhere, and he will (within reason, of course, some places will be off limits to you during your stay here). If you need anything, pull the gold cord that hangs beside your bed and he'll be there.

Your Host,

Mr. Willy Wonka

PS: I expect you to be on time to dinner tonight. Wendell will help you pick out something appropriate.

Jerk.

It was the only thing she thought of before taking a look at the little man next to her, the…Oompa Loompa? The little man simply stood and stared back at her, a small frown on his face; he looked as though he were displeased with her doing nothing besides stand there and look at him. A moment later, he gestured towards the tray, indicating the food he'd brought.

"Oh! Right, I'll eat and then we'll move on from there, shall we?" Nika babbled, unsure as what else she should say.

As she began to eat the ham and red potatoes on her plate, Wendell the Oompa Loompa bowed to her and walked towards the windows, opening them as he moved around the room. Once the food was consumed, Wendell came over and gently, but firmly, tugged on the leg of her jeans, motioning towards the door. Understanding the gesture, Nika stood up and followed the tiny man out the door and into the hallway she hadn't really paid attention to the night before.

It was a long, bland hall, the walls black, the ceiling and floor white. The doors varied in colors, but hers was the only white door in the hall. Walking down the odd passage, Nika could read plaques on the doors, indicating what door was what. This was obviously the wing of the factory where bedrooms were located; the labels read Strawberry Bedroom, Cherry Bedroom, and Coffee Bedroom (which must be impossible to sleep in when trying to get some rest).

'If they're as amazing as the room I sleep in, I want to see them all!' she thought, trying her best to keep up with the quick Oompa Loompa.

A moment later, Wendell led her into a brightly lit room that was full of cloths of so many colors and patterns that it made her head spin. Six other Oompa Loompas approached from various corners of the room and pointed to a pedestal, indicating that she should get on it. Four of them produced measuring tapes for them to take her measurements while two others held clipboards and they immediately got to work.

A few minutes later, Nika found herself back in the hallway with Wendell leading the way. This time, he led her to an immense door which, when opened, led into the largest library she'd ever seen in her life! It had to be four stories high, and the length of a football field! She didn't know why Mr. Wonka had so many books, but right now, she didn't care; she was going to enjoy herself by reading until her eyes felt like they were going to fall out!

She saw Wendell wave toward the shelves before scurrying off somewhere, leaving her in this haven of books. Walking around and reading the titles she could reach, Nika reached out and selected "The Phantom of the Opera," because she thought it appropriate for this particular situation. As she read her selection, the soundtrack for the film filled her head and before she knew it, she was set adrift in dreams of dark men in capes and top hats with purple eyes that blazed like fire caught in gemstones.

AN: Tada! Hope that you liked it! Sorry about the lack of Wonka again, but he'll be in the next chapter, which is when things are going to get a bit messy, so stick around for when the fun starts to happen! Review!