Disclaimer: Nothing in this story is mine, except for the Bucket babies.
A/n: I WOULD thank my reviewers for the last chapter, but there weren't any! Your reviews inspire me to write more, so please keep them coming! Oh, and you'll get a hug from Willy (IF I can get him to stop saying, "EW!" that is!) and a Wonka bar if you review!
Chapter 10: Chocolate Surprise
The next day, Willy woke up bright and early (not that this was any big surprise; the Chocolatier was usually an early-riser). Despite the awful (in his opinion) news that Mrs. Bucket had announced last night, he was in a terrific mood. "Good morning, star shine! The Earth says Hello!" he said to no one in particular. He took off his pajamas and stepped into the shower.
Ordinarily, Willy considered himself a horrible singer. He tried to avoid singing at all costs, including in the shower. However, that morning he was so cheerful that he belted out his Welcome Song at the top of his lungs! In fact, he was still singing as he stepped out of the shower! Happily, the Chocolatier began to dance around the bathroom.
Unfortunately, he got a little carried away and bumped into a shelf, sending various toiletries to the floor (including a bottle of Hair Cream and a roll of Marshmallow Toilet Paper)! He giggled nervously. "Oops!" he said as he started to pick up the things he had knocked over.
Not too much later, Willy was dressed and ready to head to the Chocolate Room for breakfast with the Buckets. He stepped into the Glass Elevator and pressed the button for the Chocolate Room. To his great surprise, nothing happened. Then there was a dinging sounded and a message flashed across the info screen at the top of the elevator: Elevator out of order.
"Stubborn little booger!" Willy scolded the elevator. He stepped back out of the elevator, nearly tripping over an Oompa Loompa! "What are you doing here?" Willy asked the Oompa Loompa. The Oompa Loompa just smiled and gestured for Willy to follow him. A few minutes later, they arrived at Willy's personal dining room. To the Chocolatier's great surprise, Charlie was at the table.
"Aren't you going to sit down and eat?" Charlie asked, motioning the empty chair across from him. Stunned, Willy did so. "Charlie, the glass elevator isn't working today. Isn't that weird?" he told Charlie. "Yeah, just a slight malfunction. Don't worry, the Oompa Loompas are already at work fixing it," said Charlie. Willy thought he saw a trace of smirk on the boy's face, but dismissed it. He was probably just seeing things. "Yeah, but what are we supposed to do? We're sort of stuck until the elevator's fixed," Willy pointed out (of course, there were stairs in the factory, but getting around that way would take nearly the whole day!).
"Well, we can still brainstorm, can't we?" Charlie asked. Willy grinned. "You bet we can!" he exclaimed happily. They became so engrossed talking about candy ideas that they soon lost track of time. Suddenly, an Oompa Loompa came into the room. "Oh, my goodness!" exclaimed Charlie. "What is it, Charlie?" Willy asked, sounding confused. "Oh, uh, the elevator's fixed!" Charlie exclaimed. "Fantastic!" exclaimed Willy. The two hopped into the elevator. Willy reached for the Inventing Room button, but Charlie stopped him. "Let's go to the Chocolate Room first," he suggested. "'Kay," said Willy.
Before long, they reached the Chocolate Room. They stepped out of the elevator and Willy's jaw dropped in surprise. The entire room was decorated with candy balloons, candy streamers, and various other candy decorations! Before Willy could say a word, however, a bunch of Oompa Loompa's began singing his Welcome Song! "SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WILLY!" shouted a bunch of voices. It was then that Willy noticed the rest of Charlie's family.
"Wow! I…this is…thank you!" Willy exclaimed. Charlie smiled. "The elevator wasn't REALLY broken before, you know. We just had to keep you out of here," he said. "I'm glad you like it!" said Mrs. Bucket. "Happy birthday, son!" said a deep, male voice. For the first time, Willy noticed his father. "Hi, Dad!" he said (for some reason, he had no trouble saying the word dad TO his dad, even though he had trouble saying it to other people).
Willy, his dad, and the Bucket family sat down to a delicious lunch that the Oompa Loompas had prepared. Then, it was time to open presents. His father gave him a card and a container of floss ("I see you still aren't flossing, Willy," Wilbur Wonka had told his son); Grandma Georgina gave him a scarf; Grandma Josephine gave him a pair of socks; Grandpa George gave him a book (entitled: 365 Uses for Chocolate); Grandpa Joe gave him a new top hat; Mr. Bucket gave him a new pair of gloves; and Mrs. Bucket gave him a sweater that she had knit herself.
It was Charlie's gift, however, that Willy liked the most. Charlie had given his mentor a replica of his W brooch, made out of candy. "Thanks, everyone!" said Willy. "Don't mention it, Willy," said Mrs. Bucket. As far as Willy was concerned, this was the best birthday he had ever had!
A/n: I hope you enjoyed it! About the Marshmallow Toilet Paper: there is actually a button in the glass elevator that says that! As always, please review!
Chapter 11 preview: The Buckets (and Willy) talk about the impending birth of the twins, and we learn what happened to the Chocolatier's mother.