Disclaimer: Unfortunately, our idea of spoon-digging our way into the Burton compound did not succeed, so we still do not possess the fantastically sexy Willy Wonka…yet…
A/N: Wow, our readers and reviewers rock! We've never seen so many reviews in one place; it's amazing! And to answer someone's question: we have no idea why so many characters in the Wonka fics have red hair…maybe it's because Willy's a redhead? Love and chocolate to everyone!
Chapter 12: If You Let Go of the One You Love:
The next morning, Nika woke up and wondered if last night had been a dream. Had she really danced with Willy Wonka after a romantic dinner for two planned by the Oompa Loompas? Had he really held her close enough to let their faces touch, oh-so-gently?
"Did I really kiss him?" she gasped, sitting up straight in her bed, remembering how they had parted the night before.
Oh, but what a kiss it had been! Sure, Nika had been kissed by guys before, but never by a guy whose clothes and hair smelled like chocolate, mint, sugar, and a dozen good things mixed together! Not to mention that Willy had the softest, nicest set of lips she'd ever seen or felt in her life. Sighing, Nika let her eyes glaze over as she replayed the previous evening's dance and kiss over and over again in her mind…until a tiny cough was heard next to the bed.
Looking around, Nika spotted Wendell and several Oompa Loompas standing nearby, smiling like smug idiots as they held up her breakfast tray. Blushing furiously, Nika took the tray and busied herself with consuming the food they'd given her, trying to ignore how the Oompa Loompas were still standing there with broad grins on their faces.
"Oh, will you guys stop doing that?" she cried in a playful voice, trying to hide her very red cheeks behind her hands.
The tiny people simply giggled and made kissy-face noises behind their hands. Finally having enough of the teasing, Nika picked up a pillow and gently tossed it at the tiny people, giggling when they dove out of the way. Wendell just laughed and removed the tray so that it wouldn't get knocked over as a pillow fight erupted between the two peoples: human vs. Oompa Loompa. However, Nika was careful not to throw too hard, lest she harm her little friends.
Half an hour later, pillows were everywhere, and feathers were floating throughout the room. There were a few tiny sneezes from the Oompa Loompas, but that was it. Wendell, the only Oompa Loompa who hadn't taken part of the fight, merely chuckled at everything and pulled a cord. Almost magically, an army of the small, but very chipper, workers came in to clean up the mess. Before Nika could fully comprehend what was happening, the room was spotless and she was alone in her room, clothes laid out for her on the foot of her bed.
Realizing that it really was time to get up, Nika dressed in a red silk blouse, black jeans embroidered with red roses and green leaves, and black boots before having Wendell take her to the library for some serious thinking and reading time.
After they were done fixing up the room assigned to the Fire-Haired Girl that the Tall Cocoa Bean Man was so fond of, the Oompa Loompas once again gathered within the confines of their wing of the factory. Many were excited and happy that the man they admired (and nearly worshiped) had finally found himself a possible mate. There had been much celebrating after the tribe had found out about The Kiss in the Hallway, with Wendell, his brother Bob and Bob's love interest, Sally, telling the story over and over again to everyone. The next day, after the celebrations had finished and the Oompa Loompas were rested, Wendell had gone to take care of the Fire-Haired Girl with a few extra helpers to see how she was doing. When he returned, the others were pleased to hear that she was in a good mood, and seemed to be in a dreamy state, as though she'd had too many cocoa beans.
Immediately after hearing that, Bob decided to deliver breakfast to the main bedroom (a.k.a.: Willy's room) and see how the Tall Cocoa Bean Man was after last night. The others eagerly awaited his return and news.
Willy lay in his purple and red colored bedroom and stared at the ceiling, thinking about the amazing night before. He'd actually kissed Danika, and it had felt…
"It was like a dream," he whispered to himself, not removing his eyes from their focus spot on the purple ceiling covered with sparkling gold stars.
It was odd, though…he'd always dreamed of kissing Marian, but in kissing her niece, he'd felt so, well, happy. It had been so long since Willy Wonka had actually been happy that the feeling was somewhat alien to him. He could feel his heart swell up in his chest, his entire body going warm as though he'd just had a cup of his famous hot chocolate.
'But this is so much better than chocolate,' he thought to himself, putting his hands behind his head as he propped himself up on his pillows. 'I didn't think anything could be better than chocolate!'
But something most definitely was better than all of the chocolate and candy in the whole of his factory, and it was currently down the hall, sleeping in a vanilla-scented bedroom, a dozen or so Oompa Loompas all too eager to befriend and serve her. For such tiny beings who had never seen many humans in their lives, Willy was extremely surprised that the Oompa Loompas were so willing to trust and like the red-haired girl. In fact, Wendell had said many pleasant things about Danika after his first day of being assigned to her.
'They're also amazingly good judges of character,' Willy thought, sighing. 'I really should trust the little guys more often when they tell me something.'
Just then, Willy heard the door open and saw Bob come in with his breakfast tray, as well as a stack of paper and pencils so Willy could write down anything he thought up while eating. Willy smiled; sometimes he came up with the most unusual (and best-selling) things while eating breakfast in bed. Sitting up in bed, Willy took the tray and set it in his lap as Bob sat next to him, ready to take the tray away when he was finished.
After he'd eaten and Bob had moved the dirty dishes to the desk, Willy picked up a pencil and paper and began to sketch anything that came to mind. For an hour he sat, his pencil moving with a will of its own, his eyes not really paying attention to what was going on in front of him. Finally setting his dull pencil aside, Willy sat back and looked at the artwork he'd created from out of nowhere.
It was a remarkable portrait of Danika from the night before. There was the gown she'd worn, her hair perfectly done up, and her eyes sparkling with joy. Willy tilted his head to the side, smiling as he happily flashed-back to that night and the kiss they had shared. His smiled broadened into a full-blown grin, and he let his eyes go hazy at his memory.
A small cough brought Willy back to the present, a very smug Bob standing beside the bed. Willy rolled his eyes at the tiny man.
"Don't you have anything better to do?" he asked, trying not to blush.
Bob shook his head and smiled at his boss's discomfort before stacking the dirty dishes and walking out of the room, leaving the chocolatier with the tray, paper, and pencils. Willy simply groaned and tried to focus on creating new candy. However, he only succeeded in drawing about ten different pictures of Danika instead.
Bob returned to the Oompa Loompa compound and related the news about their love-struck boss. The entire place cheered and began dancing around. Even the little Oompa children knew that something good had happened and began doing little dances of their own!
Since the Tall Cocoa Bean Man seemed disinclined to get up this morning (which would leave little for the tiny workers to do without supervision), the Oompa Loompas decided to take a little break and party until the early hours of the afternoon.
After finishing another drawing of Danika, Willy was starting to think himself useless (as the current drawing was very much against what he'd set out to do, which was a new label for his chocolate bars). Sighing, Willy set aside his tray and drawing utensils to go and got dressed for the day.
Pulling on his trademark hat and coat before grabbing his cane, Willy headed downstairs towards the Inventing Room, hoping that the machines would provide a distraction from the red hair and green eyes currently clouding his mind. He hadn't felt this way about anyone, not even Marian, and it was driving him up the walls of his factory!
'But it's not really that bad to think about Danika,' Willy thought to himself.
And yet, during his infatuation with Marian, he'd at least been able to focus on his work. It was not so with Danika; the girl was everywhere, and he had the drawings to prove it! The Oompa Loompas could laugh at him behind their hands all they wanted; Willy just wanted a moment to work on his candies and inventions!
Twenty minutes later, Willy sat at a table in the Inventing Room as he pondered the feelings he felt for the young woman. Danika was smart, goodness yes, and she was caring beyond anyone he'd ever met in his life. She wanted to help him with his emotions, and wanted him to feel better about people, and to trust them in general. The only people he trusted, though, included a group of people that were as tall as his knee and a young woman with red hair.
'And Marian,' Willy thought. 'I trust her.'
His mind was suddenly filled with the sight of his Marian, looking distraught at the idea that her niece wasn't coming home again. In his memory, Willy saw a little red-haired girl who clung to her older cousin like a second mother, and of the little girl's mother and father who had lost a niece to a secluded chocolatier who couldn't trust anyone. Willy Wonka, world renowned maker of happiness in children, was now the source of misery for the family of a woman he'd once loved.
And now, he realized, he loved her niece too. He could not allow himself to cause any more hurt to their family. He would let Danika go, whether he liked the idea or not. Flapping his tongue to call an Oompa Loompa, he ordered the small man to bring the young woman to his private library immediately.
Walking into Willy Wonka's private library was like walking into Sherlock Holmes' library…the entire space was unusually dark; from the books to the ceiling and floor, it was all colored in deep purples and reds. Looking around, Nika spotted the candy man sitting in a chair by the fireplace, his head hung low. Concerned about him, she quickly approached him and knelt in front of his chair.
"Willy, are you okay?" she whispered, putting her hands on his gloved ones.
Willy looked up from where his eyes had been focused in his lap, his violet eyes focusing on her green ones. "Danika, I'm letting you go."
The words were so soft she barely heard them. "What?" she asked, not sure she'd heard correctly.
"I'm letting you go back to your family," Willy said, his hands tightly clenching hers. "I did a horrible thing, taking you away from the ones you love, and I want to make it right by sending you where you're supposed to be."
Nika could feel her heart rip apart in her chest. 'But it's what I wanted, right? To go home to my family and to be with Kylie and to play with her and tell her stories about the factory? He's setting me free!'
And yet, as a confused Wendell led her back to her room, her mind still clouded with shock, Nika wasn't sure that this choice was the right one…for either of them.
An hour later, Nika found herself in the doorway of her apartment, a very sad Wendell by her side to help her take her Oompa Loompa-made clothes home with her as souvenirs. Once Wendell had helped her settle things into her closet and cleaned things up, Nika turned and looked at the little man standing in her living room.
"I guess all good things come to an end, right?" she said, sniffing as she held back tears.
Wendell simply shook his head and made many hand gestures. Nika stood there a moment and tried to figure them all out.
"Okay, I'm guessing that you think Willy's being unreasonable and an idiot for letting me go, right?" The Oompa Loompa nodded, his face clearly showing his displeasure. Nika simply smiled at him. "I'll miss you, too, Wendell." She knelt down and gave the tiny man a gentle hug.
Surprised, Wendell returned the hug and handed her a folded piece of paper. Taking the small gift, Nika looked at it as Wendell gave her the typical Oompa Loompa bow, slipping out the door as quickly and quietly as only an Oompa Loompa could. Sighing, Nika unfolded the paper and, upon seeing the contents, immediately began to cry.
It was a portrait of her, from the night of the kiss. It had been drawn with the utmost care, especially calling attention to her eyes and her lips. Letting the paper slip from her fingers, Nika ran to her bedroom, collapsing in a flood of tears upon her bed.
AN: Not sure if it was too much of a cliché at the end; please leave a review and let us know how we're doing! Thanks, and long live the Oompa Loompas!