Disclaimer: Nothing in this story is mine, except for Johnny and Jenny Bucket.
A/n: Okay, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that I've decided that this will be the last chapter of this story. The good news is that I am already planning on a sequel (which is why I decided not to have an Epilogue)! More info on that is at the bottom of the page! Oh, and, as usual, please review!
Chapter 15: Sweet and Sour
It was just after suppertime at the Buckets' house. Everyone had finished eating, and Willy was in the rocker, holding Johnny. Ever since the "cow lick" incident, the two had formed a close bond.
The same could not be said for Willy and Jenny. The one time Willy had held her, Jenny had managed to pull his hair, punch him in the nose, and spit up on him, all in less than ten minutes! Needless to say, Willy had been both annoyed and grossed out! Since then, he had made sure to keep his distance from Jenny.
As Mrs. Bucket washed the dishes, Charlie headed over to Willy and Johnny. Suddenly, Johnny reached out and tried to grab the Luminous Lolli that Charlie was sucking on! "GAH!" he burbled. Mrs. Bucket, despite the fact that she had been washing the dishes, was there in about two seconds. "No, no, Johnny! Candy isn't for babies!" she scolded gently as she intercepted the Lolli.
Now that the Lolli was safely out of Johnny's reach, Mrs. Bucket turned to her other son. "Charlie Bucket, you know better than to have candy around the babies!" she said sharply. "But, Mom…." Charlie began. "No buts', Charlie!" Mrs. Bucket said sternly. Then, she threw the Lolli in the garbage. "WAAAAAAH!" wailed Johnny. "Mom, what did you do that for?" exclaimed Charlie. "Until you learn more responsibility, I cannot allow you to have anymore Luminous Lollies!" Mrs. Bucket said firmly.
"This is all your fault!" Charlie angrily yelled at Johnny. Johnny burst into tears. "Charlie!" Mrs. Bucket gasped. "Well, it is his fault! If it weren't for him, I'd still have my Luminous Lolli!" Charlie insisted. Then, he turned to his baby brother again. "I wish you'd never been born!" he shouted in Johnny's face. This frightened Johnny and caused him to cry even harder. "Young man, go to your room this instant!" Mrs. Bucket ordered. Charlie did as he was told. After Charlie left, Mrs. Bucket turned to Willy. "I don't know what's gotten into him!" she told the Chocolatier. Willy shrugged.
The two turned their attention to Johnny, who was still wailing away. "Sssh…It's okay, Johnny, Willy's here!" Willy said soothingly. "And Charlie didn't mean it," Mrs. Bucket assured the baby. "Oh, yes I did!" Charlie yelled from his loft room. "Charlie, that's quite enough!" snapped Mrs. Bucket. "You may not be old enough for Luminous Lollies, but I think you're going to be a great Chocolatier someday!" Willy told Johnny.
When Charlie heard that, it felt as though Willy had stabbed him in the heart. He couldn't take it any more. "Charlie, in case you forgot, you're grounded!" Mrs. Bucket exclaimed as Charlie ran down the stairs. "I don't care! I'm leaving!" Charlie yelled. Then, he turned to Willy. "And I never want to see you again!" he screamed at the Chocolatier.
Willy and Mrs. Bucket were both shocked. "What is going on with him?" Mrs. Bucket asked. Then, Willy surprised both himself and Mrs. Bucket by saying: "I'll go find him." Carefully, he got up out of the rocker and handed Johnny to Mrs. Bucket.
Willy headed for the Glass Elevator. Without even looking, he had known that Charlie wasn't in the Chocolate Room. He stepped into the elevator (miraculously, WITHOUT banging his head on it first!) and pressed the button marked: Down and Out.
Before long, Willy arrived at a small room. Down and Out was just what it sounded like, a room to come to when you felt really bad. Sure enough, Charlie was there. He was sitting on the floor, hugging his knees to his chest. Even though Charlie's back was to the Chocolatier, Willy could tell that he was crying. His thin body was shaking violently with sobs.
Hesitantly, Willy walked over to Charlie. "Charlie?" he said softly. "Go away!" cried Charlie. "Charlie, what's wrong?" Willy asked. "Like you care!" snapped Charlie. "Charlie, please, tell me what's bothering you. I don't like it when my heir is sad," pleaded Willy. For some reason, those words made Charlie cry even harder.
Willy knelt down and wrapped his arms around Charlie. "Sssh…It's all right. Don't cry, Charlie!" Willy said soothingly as he held the hysterical boy close. "I…I…You don't want me anymore!" Charlie wailed. "What do you mean?" asked Willy. "You w-w-w-want J-j-j-johnny to b-b-be your h-h-h-heir instead of m-m-me, d-d-don't you?" Charlie sobbed.
Needless to say, Willy was shocked. What in the world would make Charlie think that? Then, suddenly, Willy remembered what he had said back at the Buckets' house. "Is it 'cause I said he would make a great Chocolatier someday? Is that why you think that?" he asked gently. Charlie nodded.
Willy felt awful. He should have considered Charlie's feelings before he said that! "Charlie, my dear boy, of course I still want you as my heir!" he assured the boy. "Really?" Charlie asked. "Of course! When I said that Johnny would make a great Chocolatier, I didn't mean he'd make a great heir! Maybe when he gets older he can helps us, but you are, and always will be, my heir," said Willy.
"Willy, can we go back to my house now? I need to talk to Mom," said Charlie. "Sure," said Willy. As Charlie let go of Willy, he noticed a huge wet spot on the Chocolatier's coat where he'd been crying. He blushed. "Sorry about that, Willy," he apologized. "Don't worry about it! I've got plenty of other coats!" Willy assured him.
Before long, they were back at the Buckets' house. Mrs. Bucket was very relieved to see them safe and sound. "Mom, I'm sorry I was so mean to Johnny, and I'm sorry I ran away," Charlie apologized. "What got into you, anyway?" asked Mrs. Bucket. "Well, it's just that you and Dad are always fussing over Johnny and Jenny now. You hardly seem to notice me anymore," said Charlie.
Hearing this, Mrs. Bucket softened. "Oh, Charlie! I don't mean to ignore you, and neither does your father. The twins just keep us so busy, especially Johnny with his colic," explained Mrs. Bucket. "You mean, you still love me?" Charlie asked. "Of course we do!" exclaimed Mrs. Bucket. Then, she leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Charlie blushed. "Aw, Mom, not in front of Willy!" he groaned. Mrs. Bucket laughed and playfully ruffled her oldest son's hair. "Mom, you know what? I'm glad the twins were born. Being an only child was getting boring!" said Charlie.
Willy, meanwhile, was back in the rocker, holding Johnny. "How's my little candy buddy?" he asked the baby. "BAH!" responded Johnny. Charlie laughed. "You two crack me up!" he said. Willy smiled. "You're really weird!" he said.
A/n: I hope you enjoyed this story! As usual, please review!
Sequel Info: Inspired by Charlie's 10-month-old siblings, Johnny and Jenny, Willy decides to invent a drinkable candy, just for babies. When he tests it, he turns into a baby himself! Will Charlie be able to come up with an antidote? How will Mrs. Bucket cope with having THREE babies to take care of? And how will Willy react to being a baby?
Well, what do you think? Sound good? If it does, please let me know! I will only write it if I get enough positive feedback!