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

AN: Someone wants to know why Willy needs a "hair" when he's got a wife. The answer: you must read the story to find out! (Winks) If I told you, it'd spoil the story. (Laughs evilly) Enjoy!

Chapter 9: A Personal Tour & Inward Battles:

Astra was in a tremendous daze as she and her father walked back to the little inn. The things she had seen were absolutely amazing, and the fact that Willy Wonka had promised to personally show her a room that she specifically wanted to see was mind-blowing! Her father had asked her questions about what she had seen and had laughed at her excited descriptions of everything. He thought it was cute that she was all worked up over candy.

And yet, in his heart, Robert knew that of his two children, Astra had been the one most influenced by his candy-making friend. Mitchell had grown up like the normal teenager: video games, pizza, soda, and sleeping in on holidays and weekends were his livelihood. Astra, however, clung to the magical and fantastic like a lifeline. She adored watching movies with magic, and her room was filled with books that contained wizards, elves, dragons, and knights. He really couldn't blame his daughter for her beliefs in the fantastic; after all, the world's greatest chocolatier had given her fantastic, magical candies before she could even walk and talk! On the other hand, Robert wanted his little Astra to actually grow up like all the other teens. Having her head in the clouds wasn't really good for her, and wouldn't get her very far in the world, unless Willy gave her a job in his magnificent factory, which was never going to happen. Those tiny people he had working for him were doing a first-class job of running things there, so there was no way Willy was going to hire her for any sort of reason.

Sighing, Robert wrapped an arm around his daughter's shoulders as they entered the hotel room.

Her mother arrived a week after the factory visit, a very grumpy Mitch at her side. As the two unpacked, Astra was able to figure out from her brother's grunts and muttered replies to her questions that the batteries on his video game had quit, and he'd forgotten to bring spares. She laughed and handed him a couple pairs from the box of batteries she'd brought for her CD player. After that, Mitch had perked up enough to look excited when their parents had ordered room service for dinner.

Over her seafood pasta, Astra told them about the wonderful things she'd seen in Willy Wonka's Inventing Room, her brother giving her looks of disbelief as she talked. Her mother just smiled and nodded, apparently understanding all of the wonders that Astra had seen. When her dad had confirmed the beauty and delicious atmosphere of the Chocolate Room, Mitch started to look interested, and soon he was unable to wait for the family's visit to the factory.

Three days later, after everyone was rested and ready, the four of them snuck to the back of the factory, where they were once again met by a very solemn Oompa Loompa. Her mother and Mitch were shocked (to say the least) at the sight of the tiny person, but Astra merely smiled at the little man and asked him where they could find Mr. Wonka. The Oompa Loompa had crossed his arms over his chest and led them to the Chocolate Room, where Willy Wonka stood by the chocolate river, a broad grin on his face at the sight of the entire Johnson family once again together in front of him.

Willy was fairly nervous as he (grudgingly) shook hands with Caroline and her much grown-up son. Caroline had white strands of hair already shimmering in her black locks, and dear little Mitchell was as tall as Willy himself! In his mind, Willy firmly believed that Mitch had somehow been stretched out during his life; he was so tall and skinny! Biting back a giggle, Willy's gaze drifted towards Astra, who was giving him a warm and happy smile. Swallowing hard, Willy did his best to keep his heart from doing the tango with his stomach.

"Well, let's boogie!" he exclaimed, having lack of a better word choice.

Without even thinking about it, Willy found himself offering his left arm to Astra, who accepted it with a shy smile and a blush that made his heart pound. Oh, dear…today was probably going to be a very long day…

Walking around the biggest chocolate factory on Earth would tire anyone out…anyone, that is, except for Willy Wonka. However, the chocolatier quickly took notice of how the Johnson family began to wilt from all of the walking, mainly from the way Astra began to sag as she held onto his arm. Chewing his bottom lip, Willy decided to stop near the guest rooms so that they could rest. He showed them all to a room, saving one in particular for last. After Robert, Caroline, and Mitchell had retired for a nap, Willy grabbed Astra by the hand and dragged her to the room he'd had made especially for her. Opening the door, he watched as she looked around the room and inhaled deeply.

"Mint!" Astra gasped, smiling as she clapped her hands in joy and excitement. "It's wonderful!"

Everything was green, the shade of mint plants. Not that anything was wrong with the traditional peppermint colors, it was just that when Willy thought of mint, he thought of the color green. So here was a room of deep green furnishings, the curtains covering the windows and surrounding the bed a mixture of light and dark green. Dark mahogany wood made the room a little 'forest-like', and Willy couldn't hold back a burst of laughter as she ran and jumped on the bed, squealing as she did so.

"So you like it, then, Starshine?" he asked, wanting to be sure of her approval.

"Oh, it's the greatest room in the whole world," she said, still lying on top of the bed, her eyes closed.

"Did you still want to see the Mint Forest Room?"

Willy didn't know what compelled him to ask that. In the back of his mind, Willy knew that it didn't seem right to take her around the factory without her family, but for some reason, he wanted to be alone with her. He wanted to show her the wonders of his factory without her family there, asking silly questions and interrupting while he was trying to impress her. It wasn't that he was angry at the other Johnson's; it was just the idea of spending more time with Astra was so much more appealing. Looking over, he saw her sitting up straight on her bed, a broad grin on her face.

"Really?" she asked, brown eyes eager as she looked at him.

Willy could feel himself smiling back as he held out a hand for her to take.

As they walked down the hallway, Astra found herself very much enjoying this "alone time" she was spending with the world's greatest chocolatier. He had asked her to call him Willy, but she wasn't sure if she should. Although, after he'd insisted for the tenth time that she should address him by his first name, Astra had given in.

"Willy?" He jumped at the sound of her voice. She smiled. "Sorry," she said, blushing in shame at startling him. "Um, could you tell me what the Mint Forest Room is made of?"

The violet-eyed man that had her hand tucked in the crook of his arm smiled. "Oh, just the usual," Willy said, his cane tapping as he walked. "Chocolate for the tree trunks, and the leaves and grass are made up of a new mint confection called swudge, which is what the grass in the Chocolate Room is made of."

Astra remembered how good the flowers in the Chocolate Room had tasted, and could only imagine what the Mint Room itself looked like in real life. It sounded so lovely that she couldn't wait to see it! Walking beside the Chocolatier, she felt his arm press her hand closer to his side, the velvet of his coat softly caressing her fingers. The heat from his body was pleasant, though she couldn't understand why. It was then that she noticed that she no longer heard the 'tap, tap' of his cane hitting the ground. Taking a quick glance over, she saw his left hand was magically empty…and was now moving to cover the hand she had nestled in his elbow.

Swallowing hard, Astra felt his latex-covered hand overlap hers, its warmth making its way through the rubbery material and onto her hand. For some reason, Willy's action made her a tad bit nervous. It wasn't like she had never held hands with a guy before, it was just that it had never felt this, well, nice. Most guys had tended to get sweaty palms whenever she held hands with them, but this experience with Willy wasn't like that, and she found herself liking it quite a bit. So instead of saying something, Astra kept her mouth shut and enjoyed the experience.

Before she knew it, Willy was opening the door to the Mint Forest Room, the sight and scent of which made her practically fall to her knees, drooling.

It was a forest with trees of every variety from elm to pine, their leaves and needles all a different shade of mint attached to chocolate branches. The ground was covered in the same green grass sported in the more colorful Chocolate Room, and the smell of a half-dozen different mint flavors assaulted her senses. It was absolutely mind-blowing, and Astra felt a tad bit dizzy from it all. The hand resting on Willy Wonka's arm tightened and she could feel him grip her hand and arm in an attempt to steady her.

"Are you alright, Starshine?" he asked in a concerned tone.

She looked up at him and smiled. "I'm fine," she said, her voice tired and somewhat dazed. "I just think that I need to sit down for a bit."

Astra suddenly found herself swept up bridal style in Willy's arms, right before he gently set her down on the candy grass. She blinked, trying to process the fact that she was presently sitting on mint-flavored swudge grass right next to Willy Wonka himself. His right arm was still around her waist, as though he feared that she would faint without his help. Sighing, Astra decided to close her eyes, just for a moment…

The pressure of Astra's head resting on his shoulder nearly caused Willy to have a heart attack and jump for joy, all at the same time. It probably didn't help that his arm was wrapped around her waist in a fairly intimate manner, and the sensation of her leaning against him was enough to make his heart launch into a complex dance in his chest. He'd done some research in his personal library before Astra had returned to the factory with her whole family, and he now understood why he had been feeling this way whenever they were alone together…or whenever they were together, period.

'I can't feel like this about her, though,' Willy frantically thought as he unconsciously tightened his grip on Astra's waist. 'She's my best friend's daughter.' He looked down at her drowsing form seated next to him, her breathing deep and soft. 'But she's so darn pretty…I can't help but want to look her and want to see her smile at me every time I show her something new!'

Suddenly, something shifted inside of Willy. He didn't exactly know what it was, but when he looked down at Astra's closed eyes, her long brown eyelashes resting on her cheeks and a smile on her lips, it shifted again. He tried to figure out what it was, but couldn't. It felt like the small crush he'd had on a girl once, but it also felt like something…more…something…deeper. He looked at her again.

'It can't be l-l-lo-' Oh, gosh darn it, no! No, he couldn't even think it was l-l-lo-…

In his mind, Willy Wonka was determined not to think of his best friend's daughter in that way, even if she was a lovely young woman and she had her head happily resting on his shoulder. Right now, Astra was simply the energetic, eager little girl who had always been glad to see him whenever he came over to visit, or when he brought over small gifts. Yes, just an innocent little girl who liked candy and the joy that it brought her whenever she opened a package of his newest creations…

Sighing, Willy kept those thoughts repeating in his head, though his heart refused to allow those beliefs to influence how it felt on the situation. Throughout his life, Willy Wonka had tried to deny what his heart was trying to tell him and simply acted whenever he pleased. In fact, the only time he actually listened to his heart was when it gave a burst of joy at a new candy idea, or when it had a good feeling about something. Other than that, Willy refused to listen to his emotions when it told him to do certain things…such as doing something more intimate with the sleeping beauty presently lying next to him.

'No, I couldn't,' he thought, panicked as his head began inching towards her, the tender grip he had on her drowsing body suddenly growing firmer by the moment.

Diverting his head at the last moment, Willy brushed his lips against Astra's forehead in a lingering kiss, pulling back when he heard her deep breathing change.

It had been such a nice dream. Willy Wonka had been sitting next to her in a field of mint-flavored grass as she slept, his arms holding her gently as she floated in her own private dreamland. Then, as she neared the end of her candy-filled dream, Willy's arms had tightened around her as he held her closer to him.

She had returned to the land of wakefulness just in time to experience the feeling of Willy Wonka's lips on her forehead. The tender gesture had surprised her to no end, and she had stirred in surprise at the unexpected contact. As she looked up, Astra saw a trace of guilt and nervousness in Willy's purple eyes. Did he feel bad about kissing her? Or was it he felt guilty of kissing her while she slept, and believed that he had taken advantage of her? It didn't matter…she couldn't stand to see him so upset. So, instead of pushing him away, Astra smiled up at the chocolatier holding her in his arms.

To the experienced eye, anyone could see that the mere sight of Astra Johnson's smile had a devastating effect on Willy Wonka. His smile grew broader, even as he gulped loudly and tried to hide his emotions the best that he could. On the inside, though, Willy's insides were flapping like a flag caught in a rough wind, and his mind was filled with a fog made out of rainbow-colored butterflies. In an attempt to clear his mind of the butterflies and keep his cool, Willy plastered on a grin, inadvertently tightening his grip on Astra in the process. It was as his gloved fingers slightly dug into Astra's hip that he realized what, exactly, he was doing.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" he said, forcefully pulling his hands back from her body and clasping them behind his back, looking thoroughly ashamed of himself.

Looking up into Astra's brown eyes, Willy wondered if his imagination was playing tricks on him. Did she look unhappy at being released from his arms? No, it couldn't be…could it? Swallowing hard as he put the rather inappropriate thought out of his head, Willy quickly stood up and offered her a gloved hand.

"Well, we'd better get trucking if we're going to make it back to your parents before they wake up!" he blurted out in a cheerful voice. "It's a long way back up to the guest rooms!"

Astra pouted a little, but took his hand, nonetheless. "Why don't we take the boat back?" she asked as she stood, brushing the grass from her pants.

Willy gave a genuine laugh. "Because the boat only goes down into the lower floors of the factory, silly!" he said, giggling as he tucked her right hand into the crook of his left arm. "And I walk everywhere else because it's good exercise and doesn't tire me out."

"Maybe you should invent another way to get around the factory," she suggested as they left the Mint Forest and headed back up to the bedrooms. "You know, something that could take you everywhere really quickly but doesn't take as much work to function, like the boat does with the muscle power of the Oompa Loompas."

As he walked, Willy chewed his lower lip in thought. It was a good idea, and it would save a whole bunch of time getting everywhere. Walking took quite a bit of his day while trying to get from one side of the factory to the other, but it gave him time to think. On the other hand, it would save a whole bunch of time to travel faster…and he could think in any part of the factory. But what could possibly be the best way to get around a place he already knew like the back of his gloved hand?

Beside him, Astra gave a brilliant, breathless answer to his dilemma as she walked the long corridors of the factory.

"Makes me wish there was an elevator that went up to the guest floor."

The last word had barely left her lips before a pair of strong arms wrapped around her and lifted her into the air. She gave a squeak of surprise as Willy proceeded to dance her around the hallway, laughing as she did her best not to loose her lunch.

"You're brilliant, Starshine!" he cried, grinning up at her with sparkling violet eyes. "In fact, I think you're almost as brilliant as I am!"

Astra blushed. "I doubt that," she said as he gently set her down on the floor.

"It's brilliant, of course," Willy proceeded to babble as he took her hand in his and began walking once more. "Just think of it: an elevator that goes to every room of the factory with the push of a button! I'll have the Oompa Loompas get started on it at once!"

"But elevators only go up and down," she said. "And it would take forever for you to put one in now, what with the factory having to have floors ripped out and everything just so you could put it in."

He only giggled at her. "Don't worry, Starshine," he said, smiling down at her. "I guarantee that this will be one special elevator."

AN: For the love of all things Wonka, please review and let me know what you think! Thanks!