Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story except the Bucket baby.
A/n: Keep those reviews coming, please! They're what keep me writing!
Chapter 7: Chat in the Chocolate Room
Charlie had been just as thrilled as Willy when his mother told him he could stay up late that night. He loved working on candy creations with Willy. The two of them worked far into the night. In fact, when Mrs. Bucket got up the next morning to get breakfast started, she realized that Charlie wasn't there.
"Don't tell me they never went to bed!" she groaned. Mrs. Bucket knew Charlie and Willy would be in the Inventing Room, so that's where she headed. When she got there, a rather funny and cute sight met her eyes. Charlie and Willy were both fast asleep. They were sitting at one of the many tables that were in the inventing room. Well, Willy was sitting. Charlie had fallen over, and his head was resting in Willy's lap! What was even funnier, however, was that Willy had one arm loosely draped over Charlie's shoulders!
Mrs. Bucket knew the Chocolatier would probably be horrified if he knew he was actually touching somebody (not to mention the fact that his mouth was wide open and he was snoring loudly). As much as she knew it would embarrass Charlie and Willy later, Mrs. Bucket couldn't help but snap a picture. "Willy! Charlie! Wake-up, sleepyheads!" she called out. Charlie woke up first. When he noticed that his head was on his mentor's lap, he blushed and sat up in a hurry. The motion was enough to wake Willy. "Good morning, Mom," Charlie said sleepily. "Did we fall asleep in the Inventing Room?" Willy asked. Mrs. Bucket stifled a giggle. "Yes, you did. Now, it's time for breakfast," she said.
Willy looked down at the outfit he had slept in all night. "Ugh! Just let me get changed first!" he said. So, Charlie and Mrs. Bucket headed back to the Buckets' house. As soon as Willy finished changing, he joined them. During breakfast, Mrs. Bucket noticed that Willy wasn't being himself. "Willy, is something bothering you?" she asked gently. Willy glanced around the table at the other Buckets. "No, not at all," said Willy, not sounding like he meant it at all. Mrs. Bucket realized that Willy would probably feel more comfortable talking to her privately. "Willy, would you like to go for a walk in the Chocolate Room?" she asked. "'Kay," said Willy.
Once they were out of the house (and out of earshot of the people inside it), Mrs. Bucket asked, "Willy, what's the matter?" Willy sighed. "I know this is mean, but I kinda…well, I kinda wish that you…" he stammered. "That I wasn't pregnant," Mrs. Bucket finished for him. "Yeah, that," Willy said nervously. "Willy, I know you're not used to having a baby around. To tell you the truth, none of us really are. After all, it has been over ten years since Charlie was born! We're all going to have to make some adjustments," said Mrs. Bucket.
"Why do babies have to cry, anyway?" asked Willy. "Because that's the only way they can communicate," explained Mrs. Bucket. "I bet I never cried when I was a baby!" Willy insisted. "Willy, of course you did! It was the only way you could let someone know when you were hungry, bored, cold, hot, sad, afraid, or wet. And those are only a few of the reasons babies cry," said Mrs. Bucket. "Oh," said Willy.
Suddenly, Mrs. Bucket remembered something important. "Willy, isn't your birthday this week?" she asked. Willy hadn't thought about his birthday in years. He hadn't exactly seen any reason to celebrate it back when he lived alone in the factory, with only the Oompa Loompas for company. So, naturally, Mrs. Bucket's question caught him off-guard. He was so surprised that he tripped and fell…right into the Chocolate River!
Luckily, Willy was a very good swimmer, so he got himself out of the river in no time. "EW!" he groaned, both at the thought of having ruined an outfit and the fact that he had just contaminated his own river. "Willy, are you all right?" Mrs. Bucket asked. "I am, but the river's not. I'm going to have to have the Oompa Loompa's drain it! What a waste of chocolate!" Willy moaned. "Willy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you like that," Mrs. Bucket apologized. "I haven't thought about my birthday for a long time," said Willy. "I bet you haven't!" said Mrs. Bucket. Willy looked down at his chocolate-coated outfit. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go take a shower," he said.
A/n: I hope you enjoyed it! I also hope that Willy wasn't too OOC this chapter. Oh, and yes, I have decided that Charlie was about 10 years old in the movie, so I am making him that age in this story (which takes place right after the movie). As usual, please review.
Chapter 8 preview: The Buckets (and Willy) find out some very interesting news about Mrs. Bucket's pregnancy!