A/N: Well, let's just move right along shall we? I know you're all just dyin' to meet Willy so "let's boogie!"

Chapter Four: Down the Rabbit Hole

The next evening, Neiko clambered up onto the wall for the last time. She looked up at the factory with a sigh and bent to retrieve her camera. While she was bent over, a voice spoke from somewhere below her.

"Ya know, some people might consider this trespassing."

Neiko yelped and stood up fast enough to cause vertigo, nearly falling off the wall in the process. She caught herself just in time and peered cautiously downward into the inner yard. There she saw a tallish man in a top hat leaning against the wall beneath her. As she watched he looked up at her, his eyes hidden behind large, goggle-like sunglasses and said, "Please don't fall off the wall…so much paperwork…" He pushed away from the wall with a restless sigh and turned to face her completely. When he realized she was gawking at him, he cocked his head to one side and asked, "What? Surprised?"

Neiko stared at him, incredulous, and began to stammer out, "You're Willy Wonka."

Wonka seemed to consider this seriously for a moment, and then nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!" he chirped excitedly and forced out an awkward laugh before falling silent for lack of anything else to say.

Neiko continued to stare at him, completely dumbfounded. He wasn't quite what she had expected. She had heard that he was a weird one but she had never really considered what that might mean exactly. He had seemed pretty tall at first glance but now she realized that he was only about normal height without the top hat.

"You're shorter than I thought you'd be," she said matter-of-factly.

That seemed to ruffle his feathers significantly and he cried, "I am NOT short!" It came out closer to a whine though and Neiko couldn't help but laugh. "Hey! I'm taller than YOU!" he challenged childishly.

"You think so?" Neiko asked, baiting him.

"I know so!"

"We'll see…" Neiko grabbed her camera and hopped down from the wall, landing next to Willy and observing the way he shied away from her and the suspicious glance he sent her way. Now that he wasn't looking up into the sun anymore, he removed his sunglasses and took another look at her. Then he folded his arms smugly across his chest. Sticking his nose in the air, he gave her a superior look and said, "I told you I was taller."

This came as no surprise to Neiko. She was actually pretty short and he wasn't really that small. She had just been giving him a hard time and the jest had had the added bonus of bringing her to his level.

"Of course you're taller than me. I'm short."

"But you said…"

"Said what? I never said anything," she replied, giving him her best innocent look. Neiko took one look at the confused, anxious expression on his face and was overcome by a fit of giggles. He was kinda cute…in sort of a weird way.

"Stop laughing at me!" he half-shouted in his high-pitched voice.

"I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing with you."

"I'm not laughing."

"Then you should start," she responded amiably.

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Willy hated being made fun of. He could feel himself becoming more and more upset. This was a mistake. I should have let her leave. I should have known better. He slipped into a flashback:

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It was the first day that little Willy Wonka had been forced to wear his headgear to school. When he walked through the door, everyone in the classroom turned to stare at him. His classmates gathered around to get a better look at him and he could hear them whispering to each other and giggling quietly. Suddenly everyone was laughing at him and pointing at the uncomfortable contraption around his head. Although this broke the young boy's heart, he tried hard not to cry. His distress must have shown on his face however because one of the other boys said, "Don't worry metal-head, we're laughin' with you not at you!"

"I'm not laughing!" little Willy cried.

"Well you should be. It pretty freakin' hysterical." At this, everyone laughed even harder and Willy wanted nothing more than to run from the room.

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"Mr. Wonka? Mr. Wonka what's wrong?"

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Was his father here, Willy wondered?

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"Willy!"

Wonka snapped out of the flashback but a little piece of him still ached at the memory. He found Neiko standing entirely too close to him and he moved away quickly, reclaiming his personal space.

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Neiko had been watching as Willy Wonka grew increasingly distressed. Then he seemed to just drift away. His focus turned inward and his brow furrowed. She began to get worried. She hadn't meant any harm and she could never have predicted his reaction. Now she rushed over, closing the gap Wonka had left between them, and instinctively laid a hand on his arm.

"Mr. Wonka?" she asked. "Mr. Wonka what's wrong?"

She got no response. He seemed completely trapped within himself. She began to get frightened.

"Willy!" She tried his first name, hoping to get his attention.

Suddenly, his eyes refocused and for a moment they held a deep sadness that worried Neiko. He looked completely lost and she wished that there were something she could do to help. As soon as he noticed her, however, he quickly schooled his expression and jumped away from her hand on his arm as if he'd been burnt. She took no offense at this. Clearly, Willy Wonka had a lot more problems than she had anticipated. All the same, he seemed like a decent guy and he was certainly interesting. Again, she worried that she might have caused him pain.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Willy looked at her; a plastic smile fixed on his face, and said, "Just a flashback. No big deal." He shrugged.

"That didn't look like nothing. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah!" He giggled uncomfortably and Neiko got the distinct impression that he wanted to run away from her. To his credit though, he stood his ground.

"Look, I'm sorry if something I said upset you. That wasn't my intention. I was really only teasing you." Neiko sighed. "I've wanted to meet you for a long time and now it looks like I've totally screwed it up. I'm sorry for that."

"Kay…"

"Maybe we could try this again?"

"Maybe…"

"Okay…well I'm Neiko DuClare, obviously. It's good to finally meet you." She extended her hand to shake his.

"Obviously, I'm Willy Wonka. This is weird." He stared at her hand with discomfort and made no move to take it. Neiko sighed and let her hand drop to her side.

"Yeah. It is." She looked around and shifted awkwardly from foot to foot as the agonizing silence spread between them.

After a long moment, Willy spoke in an accusing tone. "You came into the yard. In the letter, you said you wouldn't come inside the yard."

"Well…you were talking to me and it seemed stupid to keep shouting down to you. If we were going to have a conversation, I figured it would be easier on even ground."

"I still never invited you down here."

Neiko let out an exasperated sigh. "Okay…well I'll just go then." She walked over to the gate, then turned around and stared at Wonka. "What? You aren't going to make me climb back over the wall are you?"

Wonka hesitated for a moment, lost for words, then he signaled at one of the factory's low windows and the gate swung open on surprisingly well-oiled hinges.

"Sorry I bothered you," Neiko said, her voice laced with sarcasm. She was hurt, in spite of herself, by his reaction to her. She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jacket and walked through the gate. She hadn't gone far when…

"Wait a minute!" She half turned to face him and waited for him to continue. "Why were you taking the pictures?"

"What? 'Cuz I felt like it wasn't a good enough reason for you?"

Wonka glared are her with a mildly disgruntled air.

"Well…I guess, in a way, I was hoping I would see you."

"Why?" He looked suspicious.

Neiko hesitated a moment, wondering how much she should say. "Because I've always heard good things about you and I wondered what you were like."

"Who told you about me?"

"I have my contacts." She smiled softly.

"Who…?"

"Oh, hardcore chocoholics mostly." At this, she couldn't help but grin.

"What's so funny? Who are you talking about?"

"I'm not going to make it that easy."

He worked his mouth silently for a moment as he tried to figure out what he could possibly say to make her tell him. Again, at the look on his face, she started laughing.

"Why do you keep laughing at me?"

"Because you are absolutely adorable when you're clueless. Now, I will make you a deal. I will tell you whatever you want to know if we can continue this inside."

Willy seemed to tense up at the suggestion but it had the desired effect. He completely missed the fact that she had called him adorable.

"I don't need to see anything," she continued. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to but I'll settle for just inside the doors. It's just that it's getting dark and it's freakin' cold out here."

"I guess…" He paused, considering the notion. "But only just inside."

"That's fair."

He motioned to the window again and the gates closed, locking them inside. His body was straight and stiff as he led her up the front steps. They entered through one of several doors in the worn façade of the factory and Neiko was immediately hit by a wave of heat and the smell of melting chocolate. 'Good God' she thought. 'This is incredible!' The entrance hall was beautiful but strangely austere. It was an immense, cavernous space built of dark stone with a brilliant red carpet rolled out to the far wall, which was barely visible at such a distance. The smell of rich, wonderful chocolate was everywhere. It wrapped Neiko up like a blanket, overwhelming her senses.

For the first times since she met him, it occurred to Neiko that she had been standing with and talking to the magician that had created this place. He had hardly been recognizable as the hero she had adored since childhood. He was so different from what she had expected. He was nervous and strange but in some ways he was better than her image of him. He was real.

She turned to look at him with the biggest smile she'd worn all evening.

"This place is incredible!"

"You don't know the half of it," he said proudly, momentarily forgetting his discomfort.

"Now that I am sure of."

Neiko spun around for a moment more, taking in the space. Then she turned back to Wonka.

"So, you had some questions for me?"

"Who's been telling you about me, huh?

"Just a friend of mine…someone who ought to know you a lot better than he does; who wants to see much more of you than he has. Someone who was wrong a long time ago and who has been sorry for many years.

"No. No way."

"'fraid so. I lived next door even before you left but I was just a little kid then. My parents knew your father before I was even born."

"But you said he was sorry and that he wanted to see me," Willy pressed anxiously. "That can't be true. I disappointed him!"

"Maybe at first, but after a while, he realized that you were born to do this. I mean, there's no denying the evidence."

"You mean the success?"

"I mean the candy."

"Yeah right. He would never eat my candy. He hates candy!"

"Guess again. I'm his super-secret supplier." Neiko grinned.

Wonka narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "I don't believe you."

"Look, I promised that if I ever saw you I would tell you how he feels. He misses you and he is proud of you. If you can't believe that then it's your problem and your loss."

"Well I don't believe it. You probably don't even know my father. If you do know him, then you're living in a dream world."

"Just think about it. Maybe you'll change your mind."

There was no denying the sincerity in her voice. Wonka paused and stared at her in disbelief.

"You really are crazy aren't you?" he asked incredulously.

"No more than you." She smiled. "And you aren't crazy at all."

Wonka laughed nervously. "Ha. Ha. Very funny." He glared at her, waiting, but no punch line came. Slowly, the offended look slid off his face. "Well there's an opinion I haven't heard in a while. I'm pretty sure most people think I'm a bit of a wingnut these days." He smiled ruefully.

"I'm right though aren't I? You just see things that other people miss. There's nothing wrong with that. Actually, I imagine it's what makes you so good at what you do."

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Willy looked at her in disbelief. He couldn't believe that someone actually understood and they weren't just humoring him.

"You really believe that don't you?"

Neiko looked him squarely in the eyes. "Yes."

Willy felt a small swell of gratitude deep in his chest. He lowered his eyes uncomfortably but a tiny smile stayed on his face.

"Thanks."

There was a long pause but it wasn't entirely unpleasant. Willy was beginning to consider the impossible and his brow furrowed under the possible consequences of what he was about to do. 'I bet she would really love it,' he thought. 'And it seems like such a waste never to show it to anyone…'

Finally, Willy broke the silence. "I have something to show you. Follow me."

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Neiko thought she must have heard wrong and she didn't follow him right away. When he noticed that she wasn't with him he turned to look at her.

"Aren't ya coming?"

"Where?"

"The best kind of prize is a sur-prize!" he said brightly.

Neiko hesitated for another minute and Willy turned to her again.

"It's straight ahead. C'mon. Let's boogie!"

'Here goes nothing,' Neiko thought. She followed him down the strip of red carpet toward the far wall. As they came nearer, the space began to close in rapidly until Willy had to stoop to keep from crushing his hat. They came to a door that was much too small for them to pass through. It was less than a foot high and she gaped at it in confusion when Willy stopped in front of it.

"What the…?" she began. But Willy cut her off.

"It's to keep all the big, chocolaty flavor inside!" he exclaimed happily. Then he bent down, turned a small key in the lock and gave the wall a little push. He stepped back as invisible seams split to reveal a much larger door that had only been masquerading as a wall.

Neiko gasped as the door swung open, revealing the most marvelous thing she had ever seen. There, in front of her, was a most magical garden. The plants were big and bright and strange, like something from a fairytale and a lovely, sweet scent hung in the air, mingling with the ever-present aroma of chocolate. At the other end of the enormous room, a waterfall of thick, brown liquid cascaded over a cliff in a solid sheet. Unconsciously, Neiko wandered to the edge of the river that frothed at the base of the falls and Willy Wonka followed her at a distance. For a long time she stood, mesmerized, watching the "water" slide by.

"It's beautiful," she breathed.

"It's chocolate." Willy's voice came from behind her but did not come as a shock. It was lower and smoother than she had yet heard it. The room seemed to have put him at ease somewhat. The words, however, were a surprise. She turned to look at him, thinking his face would betray some joke. It didn't.

"No, seriously. Come and see for yourself."

He gestured toward a low stretch of riverbank and motioned for her to follow. Then a ladle materialized from God-knows-where and he bent and dipped some out and handed it to her.

"Go on. It's fantastic!" he encouraged.

She took a cautious sip and closed her eyes in bliss as the smooth, warm liquid chocolate ran down her throat. 'That's it,' she thought. 'I'm melting all of my chocolate bars from now on.'

"I had it built a couple of years ago. Did you notice the chocolate got better?"

"I did. I figured you got a new supplier."

"Same supplier. New mixing method."

"So that," she pointed at the chocolate fall, "mixes all of the chocolate for this factory?"

"Yeah! Neat huh? You see, the waterfall is most important. It makes the chocolate light and frothy!"

"Well I guess that makes sense, as much as the base of a waterfall bubbles."

"Yeah! I noticed that when I was in Loompaland!"

"Say what now?" Neiko raised an eyebrow at him.

"Loompaland! You know. It's such an awful, scary place…"

"I've never heard of Loompaland." He stared at her blankly.

"Boy, you sure do talk softly. You really oughta speak up! Anyway, where else could I have found the Oompa Loompas but Loompaland?"

"I think I'm missing something. What's an Oompa Loompa?"

Suddenly, Wonka pointed matter-of-factly at a group of tiny men working on the opposite bank. They seemed to be harvesting the strange plants. Neiko jumped at the site of them but then realization dawned on her face.

"These are the workers that have been helping you run the factory!"

"Yah. Aren't they great!"

"Oompa Loompas?" she ventured hopefully.

"Duh." He half closed his eyes lazily as though bored.

"Where do they come from?"

"Loompaland." He rolled his eyes. "Gosh, you're slow."

"There is no. Such. Place!"

"Of course there is!"

"Oh yeah? Where is it?"

He hesitated for a split second and then said, "When you mumble like that it's really hard to understand you ya know." Then he wandered away from her.

"Arrrgghh! What is your problem?"

"Hmmm…? I beg your pardon?" he asked politely.

Neiko growled fiercely and muttered, "Obnoxious prick," under her breath. She was beginning to wonder, again, if he was worth the effort it was taking to speak to him.

Wonka remained apparently oblivious to her anger but he still managed to change the subject just moments before she beat him to death with his own walking stick. (Skillz.)

"You can eat everything in this room ya know."

Neiko stopped her internal rant in its tracks and stared at him. "What?"

"Oh yeah. Everything in this room is eatable. The trees, the shrubs, the flowers, the mushrooms, even the grass."

"You can eat the grass?"

"'Course you can. I call it 'Swudge'. It's just so gosh darn good! You should try some!"

"You want me to eat the grass?" she asked, incredulous.

"Swudge," he corrected.

"You've lost your mind."

"Oh, does it really matter?" He sounded exasperated.

"I suppose not." Neiko eyed him suspiciously and then bent down to take a blade of grass. (Swudge, she corrected herself.) She kept her eyes trained on his face as she brought it to her mouth but Willy's expression gave nothing away so she went ahead and ate the little green strip. As it touched her tongue, a wonderful sensation of cool mint spread through her mouth and she smiled.

"You can eat the grass!" she cried in amazement.

"What did I tell you? It's good isn't it! Oh I knew you'd think so! I just knew it!" His eyes were alight with excitement and pride.

"You seem happy," Neiko observed.

"Well, yeah. You're the first person to try it except me. Of course I knew it was good but it always helps to have a second opinion. It's not like I can market it."

"Why not?"

"You can eat it and you walk on it…bit unsanitary in practice don't ya think? The Oompa Loompas could never handle that many disapproving letters. Mail would be tied up for weeks."

"I guess you're right. I didn't think of it like that."

"And that's why you're the one taking the pictures," he said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Jerk," she muttered, but she was chuckling softly too.

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Willy smiled a little smugly, feeling that he had won the argument that only he really knew they were having. He watched silently as Neiko returned to staring around her in wonder. She turned to him and gestured toward the room at large.

"Do you mind if I…"

"Go ahead. No pictures though," he said, raising a finger in warning.

She nodded and wandered off to explore. He watched her go with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. It made him happy to see someone besides him enjoying his creations but he couldn't shake the persistent worry that came from allowing another person so far into his private world. He wanted to trust her. For that matter, he wished he could make himself believe every word she had told him. It was wonderful to imagine that his father really did want him; really did love him. But it just couldn't be true. 'If it's true, then why did Dad leave, huh?' In fact, it was on this that he was basing his mistrust. She had to be a liar or the world had changed a lot since he'd been gone. A little too much in fact. She seemed nice enough though. 'Look on the bright side,' he thought. 'Maybe she's just crazy.'

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Neiko climbed up onto a candy hill and looked back down toward where Wonka was standing. He was a weird one, she mused, but she could tell that he was doing his best to be friendly to her. She smiled again as she thought of how awkward he was. She thought it was unbelievably cute.

Physically, she decided, he was rather attractive, but his style and his presence did give one pause. He hadn't noticed her looking at him and he seemed to be off in his own little world so she took the opportunity to really observe him for the first time. He was very thin and lanky in spite of all the candy he must eat. 'Metabolic royalty apparently.' His hair fell neatly just above his jaw line in an odd sort of bob cut. It was tremendously out of place on a man and she wondered briefly how someone who seemed to have otherwise impeccable taste could have made such an unfortunate hair choice. She decided, though, that it didn't really matter. Finally, her attention landed on his tailored, burgundy frock coat. Now that thing had a special place in her heart already.

"I love your coat!" she called out, breaking Wonka out of his reverie.

He turned sharply toward her with a momentary look of confusion that dawned into comprehension and ended in a fragile and uncomfortable smile.

"Oh…yeah. You like it?" He picked awkwardly at some invisible bit of lint on the velvet and then stopped to stare at her like a deer in headlights.

Neiko shook her head with a smile and slipped down from her perch on the overhang of the oddly shaped hill. She walked over to Wonka and stopped in front of him, cocking her head inquisitively to one side.

"Why are you afraid of me?" she asked simply.

Wonka opened and closed his mouth several times like a fish. "I'm not afraid of you!" he protested.

"I mean, I realize," she continued as if he hadn't spoken, "that you've been here alone for a while. But I don't bite and I don't give random hugs so really you have nothing to worry about."

Wonka giggled in spite of himself. "You had better not," he said. Then he forced an evil, calculating look onto his face that made Neiko laugh.

"Well…usually I don't anyway." She tried to make her eyes shifty and embarrassed but broke into a grin instead.

"Yah well…keep it to yourself. I don't do hugs,' Wonka said firmly but his eyes glittered with suppressed mirth.

"See now, this isn't so bad is it?" Neiko asked softly. She was glad to see him lightening up.

"You are fairly non-threatening," he admitted. "I still don't trust you though."

"I'm not sure I expected you to but thanks for the heads-up."

Wonka craned his neck and looked up at the skylights in the roof.

"It's getting late. You should probably head home," he said thoughtfully. "Maybe next time I'll show you something else."

Neiko stared at him in shock. "Is there going to be a next time?"

"Well…yeah. I guess. If you want to that is."

"Hell yes!"

"Oh good. Well then come to the gates at sundown on Saturday and I'll let you in."

"I'll be there." She smiled at him and then turned and followed him out.

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Outside the gates, Neiko paused and looked back at the factory. Wonka had already disappeared inside and the memory of the adventure had taken on a dreamlike quality. Her only proof that it had ever been real at all was the lingering cool sweetness of the Swudge grass on her tongue. She had always expected that at this moment she would be giddy and excited but now that the moment had arrived, she felt a surreal calm wash over her. She got the distinct impression that some incredible revelation was waiting just beyond her line of sight. She could not decide from which direction it would come or what form it would take but somehow she knew that something amazing had taken place that evening. Something far more fantastic than meeting a reclusive celebrity. There was, however, one thing that she was sure of; there were treasures locked away inside that factory that she could not fathom and the adventure was just beginning.

A/N: Wow, this chapter is positively enormous by my standards. Look at it! It's huge! dances around excitedly Hope it was actually good and not just a whole big long bunch of crap. LOL Please read and review!