Hello, faithful readers! I know its been a while,
but hopefully you'll find that your patience has been rewarded with
this latest chapter. As our characters are at a ball, there will be
some elements of a songfic/dance at the end of the chapter, so those of you who liked what Willy and Sarah did the first time they took the floor, you'll definitely like what's in store for you! There are some funny moments, and fluffy ones too...also, there's a bit of a dark element lurking about...can you guess who it is?
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from R. Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory…just this particular plot line and the characters I have made up in my disturbed widdle brain.
There…now that I've gotten that chore out of the way…back to our story………
Chapter 6: I Wonka Sing and Dance…..
Sarah and Charlie made small talk as they moved gracefully together around the dance floor, oblivious to the stares they were receiving as they drifted along. Sarah laughed delightedly at some off the wall comment by Charlie, and more than one set of appreciative male eyes were drawn and remained on the enticing beauty in white. Her face flushed with laughter and dancing, her eyes sparkling with amusement, she was at that moment as lovely as any model gracing the cover of Vogue—even more so, because she was animated, so wholly alive.
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The eyes of the man in the black hat never wavered from his vision. From the moment he had first seen her coming down the carpeted steps into the ballroom, he had been enchanted by her. He had encountered dozens of women here tonight, several of whom had made it clear in the way they had touched him and spoken to him that they were more than willing to get to know him better after the party, but once he had seen her, he had no desire to have any other but her. He watched her now as she slowly danced in the arms of the birthday boy, mesmerized by the occasional glimpse of her delicate ankles and slipper clad feet revealed by the swaying hoop skirt as the couple turned. He felt a sudden flare of another strong emotion---jealousy---as his gaze fell on his angel's dance partner. After all, Charlie Bucket had everything….youth, good looks, a family who loved him, and most irritating of all, the attention of the loveliest creature the watcher's eyes had seen in years.
He had been angry earlier when he had seen the other man's gloved hands touching the object of his desire, but he had stored his rage away for the time being….there would be opportunities for retribution later. He needed to keep his mind focused on the task at hand. There was something very special about this magnificent vision in white, and he knew he had to unlock the secrets in her dark eyes. He would bide his time and wait for just the right moment to get her alone…….
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As the dance drew to an end, Sarah accepted Charlie's proffered arm and he escorted her toward the tower of champagne-filled glasses. As they stood off to one side watching the dancers as they sipped the throat tingling beverage, Charlie slowly lowered his glass and stared off into space, a somewhat sad expression on his face. Sarah looked at him concernedly and asked him what was wrong. He smiled softly and tilted his head as he looked down at her before speaking the words hesitantly. "Despite my fancy education, Sarah, I'm not really much good with words, so I'll be as direct as I can." ((( Oh Gods, please don't let him say he's fallen madly in love with me!))) "I haven't got a chance with you, do I?"
The words, which came out more as a statement than a question, were exactly the opposite of what she was expecting and dreading, and the situation left her momentarily speechless. She lowered her gaze for a moment and gave a deep sigh before meeting his glance, her eyes full of regret as she answered him.
"My friends would have me declared certifiably insane for saying this to a single multi millionaire hunk, but I'm sorry, I don't think it would work between us….you're too damn perfect." When he rolled his eyes and snorted his disbelief, she poked him in the side and glared at him. "I'm being serious here, Mr. Bucket. I'm mean really….you're funny, smart, charming, and filthy rich, not to mention dead sexy in evening wear." She laughed when his face flushed as her eyes traveled over him appreciatively. "And I'd be ready to strangle you before the week was out. Charlie, you're great fun, but I can already tell there's no zing, no chemistry between us two." She paused and turned back to watch the dancers before continuing quietly. "You're too nice to keep dangling along on a string…I've seen it happen before, and it's just plain cruel."
Something in her voice made him wonder if perhaps she had been on the receiving end of some callous man's mind game, but before he could inquire she turned back to him, her face searching his, a half smile on her lips as she continued. "Now, please tell me that you don't hate me or I'll be forced to climb to the top of the nearest smoke stack and take a flying leap, knowing I'll never be able to forgive myself for breaking your heart on your birthday."
His amused smile reassured her that she hadn't done any permanent damage to his heart or his ego. "If anyone is too perfect it's you, Sarah—you're beautiful, sweet, smart, and entirely too damn honest." His hand reached out and he absently brushed a stray eyelash from her cheek. "Well, since you won't let me be your lover, will you consent to be my friend at least?" His smirk lasted about 2 seconds only to be replaced by a groaned "Bloody Hell!" as she snatched his Phantom mask and tossed it to a group of giggling young women who had been eyeing the birthday boy from a few yards away. "Later, Friend," she laughingly called out to him as she strolled back toward her seat as he in turn waded into the group of flirtatious admirers to retrieve his missing accessory.
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His curiosity had been piqued by the serious expression on the apprentice chocolatier's face as he spoke to his vision, and he moved to a position where he could eavesdrop without being seen. His spirit soared when he heard his angel let the rich boy down gently….an action which showed him that she too was aware that she needed a real man, not a kid still wet behind the ears.
And later that night, he intended to show her how much of a man he really was….
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While Sarah had gone back to her seat intending to sit and watch like before, she didn't stay there long. She found herself dragged out on the dance floor by a group of women her own age to do the Casper Slide, followed by a delightful waltz with a Clark Gable as Rhett Butler lookalike to the tune of Billy Joel's "Piano Man" (((I never could resist that scalawag! GWTW Rules!))). When she joined in for the macarena, she was shocked to see the party's host doing the latin-themed gesture-filled dance as well. Her surprised grin was met with a sardonically raised eyebrow over his unusual eyewear, and a jolt went through her when suddenly she recognized them as the same violet-tinted lenses worn by Mina's "Prince Vlad" in Bram Stoker's Dracula.
A bit warm from her exertions, she was leaving the dance floor when Willy once again stepped into the spotlight which had appeared at the top of the stairs, holding a wireless microphone with a small box below the handgrip and an antenna coming out the bottom. The disco lights dimmed and several large screens dropped from the ceiling along the walls of the room. (((Oh, no….please don't tell me its Karaoke…anything but that…))) Sarah cringed at the thought of sitting through dozens of crappy singers, each who thought they were the next Brittney Spears or even worse, 50cent. She held her breath and crossed her fingers as Willy began to speak.
"Are you all having a good time?" As the echoing cheers and claps began to die down, Willy smiled cheekily. "That's good, cause now we're going to do something that's going to drive some of you stark raving bonkers!" Sarah's heart sank as she joined many of her fellow guests in groaning. "Just kidding folks…it will drive all of you mad…with jealosy, that is. Seriously, though, a really good friend of mine in Japan couldn't pass up this opportunity to let you guys test out a new invention of his. This is NewKroke, karaoke but with a big difference. This little gadget picks your favorite song right out of your head, that's right. And if you can't carry a tune in a bucket it can even make you sound as good if not better than the original artist, no more murdered eardrums….isn't that just the bomb?" Willy was grinning from ear to ear, but for a moment she could have sworn she saw that same look in his eyes she had seen years ago, that sly, cunning, mischievous spark that made her stomach do flip flops. "So, why don't we pass this baby around and have some fun, kay?" Sarah and others in the crowd gasped when the spotlight went out suddenly, leaving the room momentarily in total darkness until the disco lights came back up. Without warning, the spotlight returned and there stood Charlie, lipstick-covered mask intact and microphone in hand, singing and sounding exactly like Right Said Fred as he belted out "I'm Too Sexy". The lyrics and awesome video images appeared on the lowered screens as the lights flashed in time to the bouncy beat. The crowd clapped and howled as the birthday boy paraded around the room in true model style, the spotlight following his every move. Sarah couldn't resist smacking his tight buns when he bent over and "shook his little tush" on his make believe catwalk before her. Seeing him strut reminded her of the male exotic dancer hired for her friend Wendy's bachelorette party….those pants of Charlie's were very similar to the stripper's cop uniform…(((sigh))) She was pulled from the blush-inducing memory when Charlie returned and pushed the microphone into her hands. "Payback's a bitch, sweetie." He murmured, grinning wickedly at her discomfort.
For a moment she froze, standing like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck, her mind a complete blank. ((((Bloody hell, no telling what this thing is going to pick out of my brain……oh, bless you brain, you finally got something right!)))) Sarah grinned, her eyes flashing with hidden fire as the low, driving thumping baseline heralded the start of one of her all time favorites…Kelly Clarkson's Miss Independent. Startled at first when she heard her altered voice come out of the microphone, she quickly slipped into the role of pop performer and started working the room, not even needing to look at the screens since she knew the words by heart. She worked her way among the crowd, focusing on the men, teasing with her eyes and fingertips as she strutted her stuff. She nearly lost it when she caught sight of Charlie fanning himself with one hand and tugging on his tight collar with the other, signifying she was hottttt.
The crowd was really grooving to the song, and she was almost sad when she had to turn the microphone over amidst the applause and catcalls. The next eager singer, a harem girl in her late 20's, launched into "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper as Sarah made her way back to her bench. She had barely found her seat when Charlie approached, a grin stretching from ear to ear. "Damn, Shawe, give a fellow some warning next time….I wasn't expecting Sweet Sarah to turn into a sultry siren."
Sarah glared at him, a wicked gleam in her eye as she poked him in the stomach. "I wasn't expecting you to stick that tight ass of yours in my face either, Mr. "I'm not wearing any skivvies." She teased, her voice low enough not to be overheard by passing ears. "I wonder how much the gossip mags would pay to know that the chocolate prince went commando to his own birthday bash, hmmm?"
She laughed softly as he grunted and glared back, rubbing his sore abdomen. "Don't worry, sweet cheeks, your secret is safe with me…for now. By the way," she lowered her voice until it was a sultry whisper. " trust me when I say that if the chocolate factory thing doesn't work out, you'd be a shoe-in for a Chippendale dancer review." She reached out and patted his scarlet cheek affectionately, her laughter tinkling in his flaming ears.
"Wench." Charlie growled, his eyes dancing with amusement. "I suppose now you're going to blackmail me into dating your girlfriends or some other nonsense to keep those lips of your sealed, little miss wicked?" he drawled, reaching out to tug on a dangling curl.
"Nope", she smiled up at him innocently. "However, I'd be willing to forget a certain embarrassing bit of information if you would accompany me and my best mate Megan clubbing in London sometime. I've never been, and I'd feel a lot better going with someone I trust to get us home reasonably intact."
Charlie felt honored that she looked at him as a friend and protector, and his expression was almost tender as he held out his hand. "You drive a hard bargain, Miss Shawe, but it's a deal. You want something to drink?" he asked, as she picked up her fan and began to idly wave it in front of her warm face.
"Another glass of champagne would be lovely, thanks." He nodded and turned away, and as yet another singer took the microphone, her thoughts slipped back to a certain gloved chocolatier with the most amazing eyes……
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The dark-haired man adjusted his hat as he anxiously awaited the opportune moment to approach his angel. His groin still ached from his fevered reaction to her performance just a few minutes earlier. The heated glances and seductive movements she employed as she sang had shown him that she was well aware of how her body could be used to drive men to madness.
Soon it would be him driving her to madness beneath his hands….soon…….
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Charlie returned with her glass and excused himself, saying he needed to take care of some "Urgent Chocolatier Business", waggling his eyebrows at her as he spoke in a mock serious tone. Saying he'd be back shortly, he made her promise to save him another dance, which she did by writing it on her imaginary dance card as he rolled his eyes. He in turn stepped back, giving her a low formal bow before whirling away with sweep of his black opera cape. Chuckling, she turned her eyes once more to the dancers.
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In a small room not far from the ballroom, Charlie met up with his close friend, mentor and patron, who had been sitting Jareth-like across the swivel office chair, one leg over the arm, the other on the floor. He was tapping his cane and watching a series of monitors showing several aspects of the ballroom as he impatiently waited for his protégé to arrive.
He glanced up with a small smile when Charlie slipped into the office, closing the door softly behind him. "Well, dear boy, was I right? Come on, tell, tell!"
Charlie shook his head and grinned. "Ok, ok, I admit it…you were right. She thinks I am too perfect, and told me to sod off, although in a much more charming way, of course. We're becoming pals though, and I've agreed to take her and a friend clubbing in the near future." Willy's triumphant fisted arm doing a silent celebratory "YESSS!" gesture was met with rolled eyes.
Charlie went silent, causing Willy to look up to see his ward watching him as if he wished to say more. Tipping his head and twirling his cane, he favored the young man with a speculative look. "Sooo….something else on your mind, my boy?"
"Sarah's…well, she's special, Willy. I can't say I wasn't disappointed when she warned me off, but at least she was honest about her feelings. She's also sweet, bright, funny, and as you and I both noticed, quite easy on the eyes."
Willy was quiet for a moment. "And you're pointing out her virtues for what reason, Charlie?"
Charlie smirked at his boss. "Don't play dumb with me, Candyman….I didn't miss the looks you were casting her way earlier. You're definitely interested in her, and now that I've spent a little time with her I think I've finally met your perfect woman. I wasn't going to say anything," here Charlie hesitated before continuing with a sly grin "but she was very distracted after you two stole the show earlier—from the way her pulse was racing, I'd lay odds that you're the one who's got her knickers in knots, old thing."
"Knickers in knots, hmmmm?" The velvet coated chocolatier was staring distractedly off into space, an oddly tender and yet somewhat predatory smile on his face. "I think I like the sound of that…"
He suddenly leaped out his chair and was headed toward the door when Charlie stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Please be careful." He requested softly, a small, pleased smile on his face as he observed his distracted boss. He knew his plan had worked when Willy chuckled and adjusted his top hat, flicking an invisible piece of lint off his shoulder with a gloved hand.
"Always am, m'boy, always am!"
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Charlie had only been gone about 10 minutes when she suddenly felt the sensation that she was being watched. Sipping her champagne, she casually glanced over and was surprised to find herself the subject of Willy Wonka's violet gaze from the edge of the dance floor. She couldn't discern any expression on his face as the flashing disco lights danced over him….but his fascinating eyes held hers as the glass remained frozen at her lips. The applause for the last singer caused her to blink and she glanced away briefly, only to look back and find that he had vanished.
Later she would realize that the next several minutes were eerily similar to the drugged peach ballroom scene from her costume's inspiration. Suddenly restless and more than a bit curious about the reason for his stare, Sarah went in search of her host. Weaving her way across the dance floor, she would occasionally sense his presence and turn to see him standing among the dancers, watching her with a smirking grin, only to vanish again as if by magic. After this happened for the 4th time it dawned on her that the hunter had become the hunted, and she got tired of the game. "He's playing with me, the smug bastard." She thought, amused but still mildly irritated as the fact that he was playing Jareth to her Sarah dawned on her. She was working her way back to her bench to wait for Charlie's return when the opening for the next song began, and the spotlight came to life above her.
Startled, she spun, her wide skirts swirling about her legs as Willy walked toward her, a hands free microphone on his ear and a determined look on his face. Stopping directly in front of her, his eyes never left hers as he began singing the opening chorus to Jesse McCartney's "Beautiful Soul" as she stood there stunned and wide eyed.
I don't wanna 'nother pretty face, I don't want just anyone to holdI don't want my love to go to waste, I want you and your beautiful soul.
You're the one I wanna chase, you're the one I wanna hold
I won't let another minute go to waste, I want you and your beautiful soul
Stepping behind her, he wrapped an arm around her waist and leaned her back against him to the left, swaying side to side slowly as he sang down to her…..
I know that you are something special…
Only to quickly switch sides and lean her to the right, swaying to the music…
To you, I'd be always faithful
Leaning her back to a fully standing position, he bobbed from left to right behind her, his gloved hands grasping her by the waist…
I want to be what you've always needed, then I hope you'll see the heart in me.
As he spoke the last words, he released her and moved around in front of her, his hands crossed over his heart, his eyes regarding her warmly over his violet lenses.
He grooved around her as he sang the chorus again, and she turned in a circle following his every move, blushing at the heat of his gaze. She didn't resist when he picked up her hands and began walking backwards, pulling her towards the middle of the floor, taking tiny, swaying steps in time with the music….
You might need time to think it over…but I'm just fine, moving forward…I'll ease your mind if you give me the chance. I'll never make you cry,
Come on, let's try…
Arriving at his intended spot, he reached out a hand and brushed her cheek as he sang the chorus again, smiling softly as the crowd around them sighed at the tender romantic gesture. She ducked her head and turned it to the side, aware that he was watching her as he slipped around to her other side, picking up her right hand and pulled it to his cheek, which was chilly under her hot hand. As the song got closer to the end, it took on a deeper, sexier tone and Willy decided to heat things up. Moving behind her, he wrapped both arms around her waist and pulling her against his shoulder, began a familiar "Dirty Dancing" bump and grind, fixing her with a heated gaze as the two of them moved in a dance as old as time.
Am I crazy for wanting you? Tell me, do you think you could want me to?I don't want to waste your time. Releasing her and stepping in front of her, the two of them only inches apart, he brought his gloved index and middle fingers up to eye level, pointing them first at her and then at himself. Do you see things the way I do? I just wanna know that you feel it to.There is nothing left to hide…
As the song lightened up and he sang the last chorus, he moved away from her and stood watching her as he sang, noticing her pulse racing in the hollow of her throat, her glazed eyes and flushed cheeks with satisfaction. 'Yep…definitely got her attention….time for another spectacular finish! As the chorus began to fade out, Willy casually reached up and removed the microphone from his ear and tossed it over his shoulder, moving toward her with the grace of a panther, the look on his face making her shiver with mingled fear and desire. ((((No way…he couldn't be thinking of…)))
Before she could finish that thought, Willy Wonka had taken her face in both his leather clad hands and was kissing her as the crowd howled its approval.
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Wheeeeew……that was the longest chapter I think I have ever written; I hope you enjoyed it and weren't driven too crazy by my lyric/choreography segment here at the end. More excitement to come, so stay tuned!