Disclaimer: Well we found Willy's cane and hat, and many other clues that are leading us to his location. It is just a matter of time before we find him again and steal him back and put him in a safe place so Tim Burton can't steal him back! So as of now, we do not own him, yatta, yatta, yatta.

A/N: Here is the long awaited chapter 15! Thank you so much for all of your support, we never expected this story to be so popular! And don't worry…we'll catch Willy sooner or later…

Chapter 15- Priceless Treasures:

Nika milled around in the library until it was time for her to go eat with Willy. When she arrived at her room, she found four Oompa Loompas waiting with a beautiful blue dress that was very different from the others she'd worn before.

It was sleeveless, showing off her shoulders quite attractively, and the top laced up in the back, almost like a corset, displaying her chest quite nicely, making her figure very alluring. The skirt looked like a prom dress almost, fading from a sky blue at the top, to a midnight shade at the bottom. A beaded pattern of roses curled from the bottom left side to the top right side that must have taken hours to sew on.

As Danika looked in the mirror, she thought that Willy would be especially pleased with this dress. The Oompa Loompas left her hair down, but straightened it and parted it to the side, causing a section to fall over her eyes.

Smiling she thanked them for all their hard work. When they handed her a letter, she opened it and read it quickly.

Dear Fire Haired Lady,

We Oompa Loompas have been worried about Tall Cocoa Bean Man. Since you left, he has hardly talked to any of us, and has been very depressed and lonely. We were wondering how long you were planning to stay this time. Please do not leave, we do not wish to see Tall Cocoa Bean Man so unhappy again.

Sincerely,

The Oompa Loompa Tribe

Danika looked up at the tiny people before her. "You really want Willy to stay happy, huh?" she asked. They nodded. "Well, as for how long I shall be staying…. Indefinitely I think…" she said. The small Oompa Loompas threw their hands up and began to dance happily at the thought that Tall Cocoa Bean Man would be happy again.

As he sat in front of his dressing table, watching Bob do his hair with perfection in the mirror, Willy couldn't help but think about dinner this evening. He had so many things to tell Danika, and no way to actually do it...if he tried, his darn stutter would get in the way, or nothing would come out at all. It was so frustrating!

"So much to tell her, and no way of doing it!" he muttered to himself, not knowing that Bob was hanging on to every word that he spoke. "I mean, I've got no experience with girls and l-l-l-..."

That darn stutter was back again! Willy frowned at his reflection in the mirror, his purple eyes narrowing to slits as he tried to think. Perhaps he could write it down and have her read it? No, that was too impersonal...she probably wouldn't believe it anyway, if it was just words on paper.

"I've got to tell her, but how do I do that without breaking into a sweat and a stutter?" Willy said aloud. As he watched Bob smooth down his hair, Willy tried to think up a speech off the top of his head, but didn't get very far. All he could think about was Danika and her beautiful eyes and...

"Her hair!" he yelled, startling Bob off of his stool. He could ask for a lock of her hair, which would then lead to him telling her why he wanted it in the first place!

Leaping out of his chair, Willy ran to his closet, trying to figure out what to wear for the night. After all, he had a girl to impress, and his ordinary suit was not going to do it! Before he could tear into his wardrobe, however, he felt a tug on his pants and looked down.

There stood several Oompa Loompas, and they had a completely unique wardrobe in their hands. A white shirt, black pants, boots, and cane, along with a black overcoat shot with silver. It was perfect! Willy quickly dressed and followed Bob to the same room they'd been in just three weeks ago.

Once again, he arrived only moments before she did. When she stepped through the door, Willy felt his jaw drop. She was beautiful! Her hair had been left down, and it spilled over her bare shoulders. He made a mental note to tell the Oompa Loompas to make her more dresses like this one.

When she was close enough, he took her hand in his gloved one and brought it to his lips. "You're beautiful tonight, Starshine," he whispered. As he looked up, he saw a light blush on her cheeks.

"Thank you," she said, smoothing out her dress, though there was nothing wrong with it. He smiled and looped his arm around her waist and led her to her chair.

All through dinner they talked about what had been going on the past few weeks, Willy about his candy, and Danika about her family. When they'd finished dinner, Willy stood up and offered her his hand. She took it and he pulled her out to the middle of the room. Instantly, a slow waltz began to play.

Pulling her to his chest, Willy began to lead her in small circles, smiling all the while. They glided around for several minutes in a bubble of happiness, just being with each other. Too soon, the moment was broken when the music stopped.

"Danika, there's something I need to ask you," Willy said, his voice slightly shaking from nervousness.

She looked up at him and smiled, her green eyes scanning his features. He plunged his hands into her hair; it was incredibly smooth, even through his gloves. He opened his mouth about to ask her, when she took his hands in hers.

When he put his hands in her hair, she was in heaven. Nika remembered that when she was little girl, she had always begged her mother to play with her hair and to put it up in so many different styles. The feel of fingers combing through her hair had always been soothing to her, and it was familiar as well.

She was brought out of her reverie by the feel of material bunching up under Willy's fingertips. She put her hands on his wrists, suddenly wondering why he always wore gloves. Did he need to hide something? Was something wrong with his hands, or did he not like touching other people's skin with his? Nika took his hands and slid them from her hair, holding them gently between her own.

"Willy? Can I take your gloves off?" she asked.

He quirked an eyebrow at her, but nodded. She took one hand and slid the latex glove off. She stared at the back of it; there was nothing there. Turning it over, she searched every inch of his pale hand for any sort of thing he might be trying to hide. Nothing! Turning to his other hand, she repeated the procedure, examining everything about his pale, smooth hand and fingers.

Still nothing. As she looked over his hands once more, she noticed that they were big, not disproportionately, but they were larger than hers. When she placed her hand within his, Willy could easily curl his fingers over the tips of hers. She ran her hands over the smooth surface of his hands; they were pleasantly warm as she placed one on her cheek.

He slid his hands down to her neck, just under her jaw, and ran his thumb over her lips. Nika felt as if she could just stay there forever, but one question kept tugging at the back of her head. "I don't get it," she said. "If you have nothing to hide, why do you always wear gloves?"

"I…well, I really don't like to touch people…" Willy said quietly. Her mouth formed a silent 'O' as she pulled his hands off her neck so as not to offend him somehow. However, he grabbed her hands before she could drop them. "But you, however, I love to touch," he said smiling.

Danika smiled as she pulled his hands up to her lips and placed several feather-light kisses on them, bringing a blush to Willy's cheeks. She let his hands go and they instantly found their way back into her hair again.

"What I wanted to ask you was, could I have a lock of your hair?" he asked, sliding a section between his fingers.

She looked up at him oddly. "Why do you want a piece of my hair?" she asked, confused as to why he would ask for such a thing.

"Because I love the way your hair feels," he softly said, smiling. "It's so silky, and I want to be able to have at least a part of you with me wherever I go, because I l …l…. l…. oh great chocolate gods! I l…l…l…" Danika put a finger to his lips.

"Shhh, just calm down, breathe." Willy did as he was told. "Now, what are you going to tell me?" she asked, removing her finger.

"I l…love you," he softly whispered.

Danika's mouth fell open, she couldn't believe her ears. "Y…you love me?" she said, almost breathlessly. Damn it, his stutter was affecting her too. He swallowed loudly and took a deep breath.

"Yes…I love you more than life itself," he whispered to her, his breath warm on her face. "If I had a rose for every time I thought of you while you were gone, and when you aren't with me, I'd be walking in the greatest garden on earth."

Nika could feel her heart pounding in her chest. He loved her! "That's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard," she whispered to him.

Suddenly, she felt a tug on the skirt of her dress and looked down. There stood an Oompa Loompa, a tiny knife in its hand and a large grin on his face. Nika blushed as she took the small blade and cut a strand from the lock that hung over her face, handing the tool back to the tiny man before bestowing the gift on the eagerly awaiting chocolatier in front of her.

Willy took the offering as though it were the most priceless thing in the world. The red strands glittered like copper and starlight, all mixed together. Waving his hands towards the wall, he felt tiny fingers press something into his palm. Looking down, Willy saw a necklace with two flat, clear pieces of crystal about the size of a silver dollar attached to a thin chain of gold. Prying them apart, he put the precious lock of hair between them and closed them together again. It was as though the hair was encased in glass; Willy could see every single strand of it. Smiling, he slid the gold chain over his neck and placed the hair where he needed it the most…right next to his heart.

AN: Hope that wasn't too sappy or anything. Please tell us how we did, it'd mean a lot to us! Thanks!