Disclaimer: I do not own Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Grandpa Joe's orders to remember every detail and our mother's beaming smile stayed in my mind as Charlie and I walked away from our ramshackle house. I pulled my father's worn brown coat more securely around my shoulders, my heart fluttering in excitement. "What do you think he'll be like?"

"Who? Mr. Wonka?" Charlie asked, looking up at me. His red scarf was tied loosely around his neck, and I paused him on the sidewalk.

"Yes, Willy Wonka," I said as I worked to retie his scarf. "I bet he's brilliant. He has to be, to come up with all the wonderful sweets!" With Charlie's scarf tied securely, I turned to keep walking, but paused when Charlie didn't move. "What is it?" I asked at seeing my younger brother's troubled look.

"I forgot to tell you yesterday," he said. "In all the excitement, I didn't get a chance."

"Tell me what?" Alarmed, I turned to stand fully in front of him. "Is everything alright?"

"After I found the ticket, when I was running home, I ran into Mr. Slugworth."

I froze. Whatever I had expected to hear, it wasn't that. "What did he want?"

"He wants something called an Everlasting Gobstopper," Charlie said, frowning. "He said that Willy Wonka are making those, and it'll ruin him if Wonka succeeds."

"He wants you to steal one," I guessed, pursing my lips. I had never liked Slugworth chocolates. The taste of cocoa powder was overwhelming, making the chocolate bar bitter. Wonka had the exact mixture to make his chocolate so rich and delicious. Remembering Grandpa Joe's stories about why Willy Wonka had closed his factory in the first place, I wasn't surprised that he would try to take advantage of the Golden Ticket winners.

"He said he'd give us money. Ten thousand, he said." Charlie's tone was marred with doubt and hesitance.

I looked behind my younger brother. Our ramshackle house was still in sight. I could imagine my mother moving around the room before settling in a chair with her knitting. I could imagine our four grandparents, Grandpa Joe in particular, staring eagerly at the TV screen, where the news would broadcast the winners at the factory gates. I could imagine them waiting in excitement to catch a glimpse of their grandchildren on screen, ready to enter a factory whose contents had only been guessed at in the wildest tales.

I looked back at my younger brother. "Charlie, I want you to do what you think is best. If you want to give a Gobstopper to Slugworth, then do it, but I want you to think about the consequences. I want you to think about what it would do to Mr. Wonka. Just remember Grandpa Joe's stories." At Charlie's worried face, I smiled gently at him and pulled him into a hug. "But no matter what you decide, I'll support you. I always will."

He hugged me back hard, before stepping back. "Come on, Amie," he said, a smile lighting up his face again until it glowed with excitement. "Let's go see Willy Wonka's factory."

I knew that Willy Wonka opening his factory gates to certain members of the public was a historical event, but I still was surprised at the amount of people that showed up outside the factory gates. I had been so used to seeing the gates empty and foreboding that the sea of people crowded outside the gates was almost overwhelming. I could hear a band playing a lively tune, and I saw news cameras with reporters standing in front of them. I wondered if our family could see us on TV.

Charlie and I were sitting with the other Golden Ticket winners, at the far right of the line. Directly next to us were Violet Beauregarde and her father, a smarmy-looking businessman. Further down the line, I recognized Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, and Mike Teevee, all with their parents. None of them had seemed particularly pleasant on TV, but I reminded myself not to pass judgment until I had met them.

Charlie was restless beside me, and I could hardly blame him. I craned my neck, eagerly watching the clock as the minute hand creeped closer and closer to the twelve. The tune that the band played was fairly simple, and I began tapping my foot along with the beat, humming the melody softly. "I miss being able to play with a band," I said to Charlie. "I haven't been able to play music since I was in high school."

"You should play again!" Charlie said. "I know you really loved it."

"Maybe I will," I said, smiling. If things got better for our family, then I would look into it. My smile widened. Even though touring Wonka's factory would only last a day, I had hopes that it was the beginning point of a lucky break for us. Maybe I would find better jobs. Maybe we would have more money, be able to afford more things. Maybe I would be able to do something that I liked, like being able to play music again.

"Amie?" Charlie said, and I looked down at him curiously. "I don't believe it," he said, an awed grin on his face. "We did it. We're actually going in!"

"The gates will be open for once," I said to him, beaming. "We'll be able to meet Grandpa Joe's hero!"

The clock struck ten, and as the chimes reverberated throughout the street, the crowd hushed and eagerly turned towards the factory, everyone's excitement heightening. My heart began pounding again as I stared at the doors, waiting for the mysterious chocolate maker to emerge.

One of the doors opened, and as soon as a figure dressed in purple walked out, the crowd began to cheer. Willy Wonka, the famous chocolatier, limped down the carpeted stairs, relying heavily on the cane in his right hand. The crowd's cheering began to die down as everyone seemed to notice the state of the chocolate maker. I glanced down at my brother, seeing his smile turn to a look of confusion. I couldn't help but feel concerned for Wonka. Was he in an accident? Did it hurt to walk?

As he made his slow progression down the red carpet, the ten of us that would be touring Wonka's factory stood up. I watched as Wonka took off his brown top hat, and then as his cane seemed to be stuck in a crack in the tiles, but he stepped forward without it. The crowd held their breath for a moment as Wonka teetered forward, and for one heart-stopping moment I thought he was going to fall on his face.

Instead he gracefully somersaulted forward and landed on his feet perfectly. The crowd cheered, and I let out a sigh of relief as I clapped. It had all been an act; he wasn't hurt at all.

As Wonka began speaking, the crowd's cheers died down. "Welcome my friends," he said, his voice warm. "Welcome to my chocolate factory." He motioned to us. "Would you come forward please?"

It was bedlam for a moment as Veruca and her father pushed their way to the front of the line with everyone scrambling after them. With Charlie's hand firmly grasping mine, we contented ourselves with the back of the line. As we hurried down the carpet with the crowds on either side, cheering faces met my eyes. As we passed a man in a black suit with his thumb up, Charlie twisted around. "That's Slugworth! That's the one I told you about!" I looked over my shoulder quickly to get another look, but he was swallowed by the crowd.

We reached the factory gates, and the crowd quieted again. "Welcome," he said, a slight smile on his face. "It's nice to have you here. I'm so glad you could come. This is going to be such an exciting day. I hope you enjoy it." He paused slightly, and made eye contact with me. I was suddenly aware of the large grin that I had on my face. "I think you will." Was he talking directly to me or was he still addressing everyone? He broke eye contact and immediately I felt silly for thinking that.

Veruca Salt introduced herself first, holding out her Golden Ticket. When she mentioned having three other mink coats at home, my eyes widened in disbelief. I couldn't imagine owning something that luxurious, let alone having four of them!

The line moved slowly with each child introducing themselves and their parents briefly. I could never picture what Willy Wonka looked like, but standing in front of him now, he looked like he belonged to the wild stories that Grandpa Joe always told us about him and his factory. His eyes were a startling blue, and his wispy hair stuck out at odd angles underneath his top hat.

Before I could register what was happening, Charlie had pulled me up in front of him, holding out his Golden Ticket. "Charlie Bucket."

"Well, well, Charlie Bucket," Willy Wonka said, collecting his ticket. "I read all about you in the papers. I'm so happy for you." He glanced up at me. "Who is this lovely young lady? Surely not your mother!"

Lovely? I thought in surprise, but Charlie was already introducing me. "This is my older sister, Amie!"

I held my hand out for a handshake, but to my surprise he took my hand gently and brought it up to his lips, brushing a feather light kiss over the back of it. My eyes widened slightly, and I felt a blush rise to my cheeks. I forced words out of my mouth. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"And I am delighted to meet you," Wonka replied, a smile playing at his lips. He let go of my hand and turned slightly. "Are we ready? Yes!" He motioned to the guard, who closed the gate. "Good! In we go!" I watched as he strode forward and grabbed his cane, Veruca and her father following close behind in her effort to be first. I glanced up at the tall towers of the factory in front of us, growing closer and closer with each step my brother and I took. We're inside the gates. We did it. We're going inside the factory!

As we approached the door, it seemed to open of its own accord. Wonka stopped outside of it, allowing for Veruca to continue on inside, the rest of us trailing after her. Wonka nodded to each parent and child in front of us, and when Charlie and I passed he gave us a warm smile, his eyes lingering on me. I blushed slightly and looked away, stepping inside the factory and following my brother to the right, leaving crowd to cheer behind us in the distance.

We entered the entrance hallway, and Willy Wonka came striding up. "Now hats, coats, galoshes, over here. But hurry please! We have so much time and so little to see." He froze. "Wait a minute! Strike that. Reverse it. Thank you." He continued moving again, and I turned to the hands sticking out the wall, fighting back a grin.

"Boy, what weird looking coat hangers," Mike Teevee remarked as I removed my father's old coat.

As I held the coat up, the golden hand grabbed the collar. My heart jumped, and several others screamed. "Little surprises around every corner but nothing dangerous," Willy Wonka said, stressing the last part. "Don't be alarmed."

I looked at them, intrigued. How did he do that? Tentatively, I held my hand up to one of them, as if to shake it. To my surprise the golden hand grabbed my hand. Its touch was gentle; it felt like it was holding my hand. A laugh escaped me. "Thank you, but could I please have my hand back?" The hand slowly let go.

Grinning, I turned to face the others and caught sight of Wonka staring at me. His face was mostly composed, but I thought I could see a small smile. Before I debate whether or not there was a smile, he had turned to the group in front of him.

"Now. Will the children kindly step up here?" He pulled back a curtain to reveal an enormous contract. The top portion was in large font, but as the contract continued, the words became progressively smaller and smaller. Around me, the other adults were muttering along and making comments as they read the contract. My eyes skimmed over it, but I wasn't too surprised that he would make us sign one. No outsiders had been in this factory for years. I didn't blame him for wanting some legal protection.

"Violet?" Wonka said. "You first. Sign here." He pointed to a box with his cane.

"Hold it!" Mr. Beauregarde darted forward, pushing past some of the kids. "Violet, baby, don't you sign anything there. What's this about?" he addressed Wonka accusingly.

"Standard form of contract," Wonka replied mildly.

Mr. Beauregarde scoffed. "Don't talk to me about contracts, Wonka. I use 'em myself. They're strictly for suckers."

My initial thought of him was true. Smarmy, smooth-talking businessman.

To his credit, Wonka didn't seem put-off by Mr. Beauregarde. "Yes, but you wouldn't begrudge me a little protection. A drop." He mimed drop.

"I don't sign anything without my lawyer," Mr. Beauregarde retorted.

"My Veruca don't sign anything either," Mr. Salt piped in.

"Then she don't go in," Wonka fired back, imitating Mr. Salt's poor grammar. "I'm sorry, rules of the house."

Veruca didn't like the sound of that. "I want to go in. Don't you dare stop me."

I watched as Mr. Salt tried to soothe his daughter, but she shoved back before grabbing the pen out of Violet's hand. I was appalled at her attitude towards her father, and was beyond grateful at what a great child Charlie was. He would never speak to any of us like that.

Veruca and Violet signed their names, and when Mr. Beauregarde asked about the small print, Wonka replied, "Oh, if you have any problems, dial information, thank you for calling." I stifled a laugh. "Mike? Augustus?"

I watched as the two boys signed their names, Mike chatting about something he saw on TV. Augustus handed the pen to Charlie, who hesitated, looking back at me. "What about me, Amie?"

I grinned at him. "Go ahead, Charlie!" It's not like we have anything to lose... Nonetheless, I trusted Wonka. I glanced up at him to see him staring at me. His gaze quickly switched to my brother, who was finishing on signing his name. Veruca was whining about waiting, and I tried to ignore her.

"Patience, patience, little dear," Wonka said. "Everything has to be in order. Everyone's signed?" He glanced at my brother, who was putting the pen back. "Yes. Good. On we go!" We eagerly followed him to a door, where he lifted the lock. "Ninety-nine..." he muttered. "Forty-four... One hundred percent pure." He pushed open the door and turned to flash a grin at us. "Just through the other door, please."

A/N

I am so sorry about the lateness of this chapter! The last month of college was absolutely crazy, but now I'm home for the summer and I can finally breathe. Expect more chapters soon, because I will finally have the elusive concept of free time! So in this chapter Amie finally meets Willy Wonka. What did everyone think of their meeting? Let me know!

Thank you to everyone that has left reviews! I'm really glad that all of you are enjoying the story so far. Let me know how you liked this chapter!

Please review!

-SirAvery