Disclaimer: Due to my numerous break-in attempts on the Burton compound, Willy Wonka still remains out of my reach and therefore isn't mine.

AN: Who's waiting for November to come around so you can by the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory DVD (in the USA)? (Raises hand and waves it around like a flag as she grins) Anyway, enjoy chapter four, with much cuteness and sappiness.

Chapter 4: Growing Up with Willy Wonka:

Another few days passed as the Buckets waited for Astra to return to their home. Every day they waited, and every day they grew more impatient. Still, patience is a virtue, and so the Buckets managed to pass the time as best they could. Finally, four days later, Astra returned just after the Buckets had finished their lunch. Charlie had opened the door to find a frazzled Astra on the doorstep, looking a bit out of breath.

"Sorry, but Willy's with his crew testing another candy and he's been begging me for my opinion on it for days," she panted as Grandpa Joe led her to a chair and sat her down in it.

Once she was comfortable, Astra was handed a cup of cocoa and half of a warm chicken sandwich, which she gratefully accepted. The family watched as she happily consumed her food and sipped her hot chocolate, a slight smile on her lips.

"Now, where was I?" she asked, holding out her cup as Mrs. Bucket refilled her mug.

"You had just been born and Mr. Wonka called you Starshine," Charlie piped up.

Astra smiled. "Oh, yes, my childhood years," she said softly. "Well, let's just say that I had one of the best childhoods anyone could ask for…"

"Aren't you the cutest little bugger?" Willy cooed to the toddler in his arms. Little Astra giggled and reached for his nose, successfully grabbing it and squeezing it in her tiny hand. Willy winced. "That hurts, Starshine," he muttered, his voice slightly nasal from being gripped by the little girl. He smiled when she giggled at him.

"Alright, Willy, it's time for her nap," Caroline said, smiling at the cute sight.

She watched with amusement as her daughter reached for Willy's top hat and began tugging on it, clearly wanting to play with it. Willy winced when Astra accidentally got a handful of his hair instead, but simply untangled her fingers from his brown locks and took his hat off to brush his brown hair back into place. Astra's brown eyes started to fill up with tears as she again reached for his hat.

"Okay, okay," Willy said in a rush, putting his hat on her head. "Sometimes I think I spoil you."

He grinned when it slipped over her eyes and she let out a squeak of surprise. Quickly pulling the item off of her head, he handed it to her and let her hold onto it with her hands. Tiny fingers held onto the black velvet and Astra grinned up into violet eyes that sparkled back at her. Ever playful, Astra put the hat back on her head and let it fall over her head, giggling as Willy burst out laughing.

"She's so smart!" he cooed, taking the hat off of her head. "Aren't you, Starshine?" The toddler grinned back at him. "And you're such a happy baby, too!"

"Well, I think that's enough for today," Caroline said, interrupting the moment. She took Willy's hat and put it back on his head. "If Astra doesn't get her nap, she'll be cranky later, and Rob and I are the ones that have to live with her."

Willy sighed. "Good point," he said, though he hated it when 'playtime' was interrupted.

Astra was once again reaching for his hat, but he distracted her with a bright, neon-blue rattle that he'd made just for her. She eagerly clutched at the bright colorful toy and began shaking it, causing whatever was inside to make happy little noises that made her laugh. Willy smiled; he had worked hard to put just the right amount of rock candy inside the rattle to make the sound perfect, and the outside was hard, glossy candy with very little sugar. He'd made it so that when she put it in her mouth, Astra wouldn't get hyperactive at such a young age. Presently, Willy was testing a semi-hard gummy candy for when she started teething.

"That's very sweet of you, Willy," Caroline said as she picked up her very amused daughter. "You always seem to get her the best kind of toys."

Willy smiled. "I just want to make her happy," he said, turning his smile towards Astra.

"Well you certainly do that very well, Willy," Robert's voice called through the doorway. "It's nice of you to baby-sit her while I'm working and so Caroline can get some time to herself."

The chocolatier smiled and watched as Caroline put the now-drowsy toddler to bed. "Speaking of work, Robert, could I talk to you and Caroline for a quick second?" The Johnson's took a seat on the couch as Willy situated himself on a chair. "I've decided that, since the candy shop is doing so well, I'd build a chocolate factory to make more candy, faster."

Robert blinked at his friend's bluntness. "Well, that's certainly an…idea…" he said, looking at his wife. "Exactly how big would this thing be, Willy?"

"About fifty times bigger than any factory in the world," Willy calmly replied. "That should be enough space to make chocolate and everything, right?"

Caroline gaped at him. "Fifty times bigger than any factory in the world?" she squeaked. "That would cost a fortune! And who would you find to work in such a huge place?"

"I'd get them from the local towns, of course!" Willy said, nearly bouncing in his seat. "And I've got money flowing in from all over the world; some cocoa bean shipping companies are practically paying me to use their cocoa beans in my candy! I've got more than enough to build my factory!"

Robert exchanged a look with his wife. "Well, if that's what you want to do, Willy, then I'm here to support you," he said, smiling at his old friend. "You'll still keep me working in the factory, right?"

"Of course," Willy assured him with a smile. "I've got to have my best friend by my side, don't I?"

Six months later, through some miracle that the Johnson's couldn't figure out, Willy Wonka's chocolate factory was complete and everyone turned out for the ribbon cutting ceremony. Robert and Caroline were in the front, with Astra in her mother's arms, chewing on the teething ring Willy had given her just that morning. The ceremony was brief, as Willy didn't like to give speeches, and in less than two minutes, the Wonka Chocolate Factory was open for business! The workers just hired from the town eagerly ran for their posts, and the crowd was pressed tightly around the gate, as they had been promised a small sample from the first several dozen boxes of candy produced by the factory.

Robert quickly kissed his wife before heading off to his job as a candy inspector in the factory.

Astra woke in time to catch her little brother, Mitchell, sneak towards her bed. She knew that he didn't mean any harm; he just hated having to sleep in his room all by himself. Until last week, the two siblings had been sharing a room in an apartment, but when their parents moved them into an actual house, the two children now had their own rooms. They had moved into the house just in time for Astra's sixth birthday, but Mitchell was only two-years-old and couldn't handle sleeping by himself yet. So, to try and weasel his way out of sleeping alone in the dark, the little boy snuck into his big sister's room to sleep in her bed. Monsters didn't dare attack little boys when their big sisters were around, so he figured he'd be safer with her than on his own. Astra moved over in her bed and let him slide in before going back to sleep.

When the clock struck noon that day, Astra opened the front door to admit her most favorite person in the universe.

"Uncle Wonka!" she cried, leaping at the man, but remembering not to actually touch him. Uncle Wonka didn't like to be touched, but sometimes he'd let her hug him, if she was lucky.

Willy laughed and kneeled down to pat her shoulder, though it looked like it took a lot out of him to do so, even with the purple gloves on his hands. "Hello, Starshine!" he chirped. "How's the birthday girl? How's your brother?"

"He's fine," the little girl replied, looking around for her parents. Not spotting them, she leaned forward to whisper into his ear. "Mitch won't sleep alone in his room; he gets scared of the monsters he thinks live in his closet."

Willy laughed. "Well, then it's a good thing I brought him a present," he said, reaching into his bright purple jacket.

"Present?" called a tiny voice. Mitchell ran in and began tugging on his 'uncle's' coat sleeve. "Present?" he asked insistently.

The brightly dressed man magically produced a rather large nightlight from out of nowhere. "Here you are! Thought you might like this."

"T'ank you!" Mitchell was obviously ecstatic, clutching the sun-shaped nightlight as he ran towards his bedroom, where his mother was presently making his bed for him.

"Thank you, Uncle Wonka," Astra repeated before glancing towards his coat. Uncle Wonka always had interesting presents and candy hidden in his coat, if you asked the right way or looked hard enough.

The older man smiled and reached into a pocket. A bag of what smelled like mint candy appeared in his hands, which Astra eagerly grabbed at before remembering her manners. Instead, she tucked her hands behind her back and smiled up at him, waiting for him to give it to her in his own way. Her purple-clad uncle merely smiled and stood up before taking one piece of candy and tossing it in the air…where it remained, completely defying gravity! Astra squeaked and looked up at him.

"Peppermint Puffs," he said, grinning down at her. "They're so light, that if you accidentally drop them, they won't even hit the ground!" Willy reached down and touched her nose with a gloved finger. "And you get to be the first one to try them!"

Astra jumped up and down, hugging him around the waist before she could remember he didn't like to be touched. This time, though, he allowed her to proceed, it being her birthday and all. They were just pulling away just when the other Johnson's entered the room. Robert came in from the kitchen while Caroline carried Mitchell in from his bedroom. The five quickly settled down for a good lunch and birthday cake before moving on to the gift giving, with Astra receiving the usual toys, clothes, and another four bags of the Peppermint Puffs from her uncle.

As the children settled down to play with the new toys in Astra's room, the adults sat in a much more solemn mood in the kitchen. Willy was unusually serious, and that worried Robert to no end. His friend was usually so chipper that sometimes he wondered if Willy was on a constant sugar high from being around the stuff all the time. Now, however, the world famous candyman was sitting at the Johnson's dinner table, a serious look on his face as he looked into his old friend's blue eyes.

"Robby, you know how much I love having you at the factory," Willy said, purple gloves rubbing together nervously as he spoke. "But I've got some bad news…"

"You're firing him?" Caroline gasped, her hands going to grip her husband's.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Willy cried, waving his hands around. "No, I'd never fire him. I just want to warn him." He raised his hands to stop any protests. "Robby, I think someone is stealing my recipes. At first, I thought it was me being me, accidentally putting them down in one spot and forgetting where I put them. Then, after resorting to a file system, I noticed that some of them had been moved from one spot to another, or were a tad bit out of order."

Robert paled a bit. "So someone is stealing or copying your recipes?" he said. "What are you going to do, Willy?"

"Nothing, for now," Willy said, looking down at his hands. "I want to keep going on until I'm absolutely sure. But I thought that you should know that, if this keeps happening, I'll have to shut down the factory…for good."

The three adults sat and talked throughout the day, discussing what would happen now. Willy didn't want to have the hard task of firing his dearest (and only) friend in the world, so he made some arrangements for Robert to go work at a box company in another country. Robert wasn't thrilled with the idea, but the pay was as good, if not better, than what Willy paid him, and so he reluctantly agreed to move his family elsewhere. The hardest part was telling the children…especially Astra…

"What happened next?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, you moved away a good year or two before the factory shut down," Grandpa Joe said, leaning back in a chair. "What happened afterwards?"

Astra smiled as she pulled out her pocketwatch. "Well, I supposed I have enough time for telling that part," she said, looking up at the family, who were all eagerly leaning in for more. She smiled and leaned back in her chair.

"As you can imagine, life was very different for our family after leaving Willy Wonka and his factory behind…"

AN: Like it? Hate it? Please review and let me know! Thanks!