A/N: Revised Jan 25

CHAPTER 3

The next day during her shift at the library, all Hazel could think about was Willy. Luckily her shift ended at 5PM. Four hours to go, and then she could see if he was up for a visit. At this moment, she was doing a card catalog inspection when she was suddenly approached by another familiar face.

"Seamus!" She gasped.

"There you are, Hazel." He said.

Seamus was a frequenter of the bar she worked at and was somewhat of an arrogant bully. All the girls fawned over him, except for Hazel, who wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.

"What are you doing here?" Hazel asked nervously.

"Well, I haven't seen you since you moved, and I'm visiting a friend in town. Various sources told me you worked here."

Hazel took a deep breath in the attempt to calm herself down and remain polite. She quickly brainstormed ideas for excuses to blow him off, of course he was the last person she wanted to see right now. "They're correct. I do work here. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my shift."

"Are you free within the next few days?"

"Not really, you see…my schedule is rather hectic at the moment. You know…back to school season coming up and all."

"Oh, I'm sure something will pop up"

"Yes…I'm sure too…"

"Just know my door is always open for you. I'm staying here for a few weeks, so we have ALL the time in the world."

However, Hazel walked off too quickly to the backrooms hear what he said. With her out of sight, Seamus grumbled and sulked out of the library.

Hazel tried to keep her cool. Suddenly, her supervisor, Mr. Ellis passed by her and noticed she was in distress.

"Something the matter, Hazel?" He asked.

"The matter? Nothing I can't handle. Honestly" she responded.

"I saw everything that happened back there. You cannot hide things like that from me. If that fellow bothers you again, let me know. You told me about him, and I will not let someone who's bad news impede your work ethic in the slightest. Goodness, why won't he take no for an answer? It's very easy to do."

Hazel nodded in agreement. All she wanted was to get back to her shift and not have to worry about him anymore. Luckily, another thought crossed her mind to make her forget about Seamus: Willy. They've been friends for so long, he helped her get back onto her feet after losing her parents, she owed him a lot in many ways. Seamus was obviously not the right guy for her, but what about Willy? Could he be the one for her? Nah. Nonsense, she thought. They were just incredibly good friends. No possible way they could be more than that…or could it be? She could always discuss this with him. After all, he mentioned his factory was always open for her. But what would he say if she told him her feelings? Would he laugh and shrug it off, maybe even admit he's married to his work and work alone? She couldn't bother with such complicated thoughts, she had to get back to work. Hazel shook her head and went back to the card catalog, placing her thoughts to the back of her head.

At the end of her shift, Hazel decided to pay a little visit to Willy to clear her head. Luckily, she knew where all the secret entrances were thanks to that slip of paper Willy gave her. Two Oompa Loompa guards stopped her. What peculiar little men, she thought. "Hello, m-my name is Hazel Blackwood and I'm here to see Willy Wonka." she stammered, taken aback by the unusual-looking guards.

Remembering what Willy told them, the Oompa Loompa guards grinned, nodded, and gladly let her in.

Meanwhile, Charlie and Willy were in the Inventing Room, taking inventory in the storage room. A trumpet was heard, and the two noticed an Oompa Loompa majordomo at the doorway. He whispered something to Willy. "Oh!" Willy exclaimed in response. "Let her in!"

"Let who in?" Charlie asked.

Immediately, Hazel let herself in. Luckily, she was familiar with the factory...mostly. It had definitely changed a bit since she last set foot in the place.

"Hello Miss Blackwood!" Charlie was more than happy to see his library friend visit the factory. Willy was especially giddy. He rushed up to her and hugged her.

"What brings you around so suddenly?" Willy asked.

"Yes, I do apologize for the suddenness of my visit, but I just had to clear my mind of something that happened at the library earlier today."

"Oh! Well, you're more than welcome to stay as long as you like then!"

"Doesn't this bring back memories..." Hazel said as she looked around the Inventing Room. A group of Oompa Loompas that were working on some rock candy creations smiled and waved to her as she passed by them. "Are these the new factory workers?" Hazel asked.

"Yes they are. The Oompa Loompas have proven quite the workers, not to discount any of my previous employees, of course. You included."

"They seem very nice." Hazel chuckled.

Charlie added, "They're nice, but every now and then they get a little mischievous." The Oompa Loompas helping Willy and Charlie in the storage room laughed together at Charlie's comment. Hazel figured that was them telling her, indeed that was true, and she giggled in response. "My family and I also live here, ever since I won the contest." the boy told her. "Would you like to have dinner with us tonight?"

A smile spread across Hazel's face. Willy's cheeks turned crimson. "That would be wonderful!" she exclaimed.

Willy seemed nervous, but went with it. "Uh...let's boogie!" He giggled nervously as he pressed a few buttons on his WonkaPhone. The Great Glass Elevator soon arrived at the Inventing Room.

"This is interesting!" Hazel said as she stepped in.

"Introducing the Great Glass Elevator. It's the best way to get around the factory. I had it installed shortly after the Oompa Loompas came here. There's a button for every room." He pressed the button for the Chocolate Room, and WHOOSH! The elevator took off in an instant! Luckily, they didn't have very far to travel until they ended up at their destination. Upon arriving at the Chocolate Room, Hazel was in awe over the beauty of the candy-composed meadow. It was even more beautiful than she remembered it.

Oh, how I miss working here, she thought. The one major difference she noticed was a run-down shack on the bank of the chocolate river.

"There's my house." Charlie stated. "Willy had it moved here."

The party of three made their way to Charlie's house. "Evening Buckets!" Willy greeted upon their arrival. Mrs. Bucket and Hazel locked eyes.

"This must be Hazel!" said Mrs. Bucket.

"You're correct," Hazel said in response. She then locked eyes with another familiar face.

"Hazel! Do you remember me?" asked Grandpa Joe.

"Indeed I do! It's wonderful to see you again!" Hazel beamed and gave him a hug. After Charlie introduced the rest of his family, they all sat down to eat.

Charlie took the opportunity to ask Hazel a few questions. "Where did you go after Willy closed up shop?"

Such a question made her pause. She knew that where she went after Wonka's factory was the exact place where she met Seamus. And for that reason, the memories of working there weren't exactly pleasant. Of course, she could leave him out and just tell the basics of it.

"After Wonka's" she began, "I worked at a bar."

"A bar?" Willy was flabbergasted, as going from his factory to a mere bar was quite a step down.

"Well, it was something at least. And it kept me afloat before landing the library where I'm doing fine."

"You certainly are" Charlie chuckled well-meaningly. "So what did you do at the bar? Did you wash glasses?"

"I did that, I served drinks, cleaned tables…I did a little of everything."

"Couldn't have been more fulfilling than working for me, of course." Willy grinned.

"Of course not! I only kept the job because it put bread on the table." Hazel sighed. "It lasted up until five years ago. I saw my chance at a better living when I saw the library in my old town had an opening. I applied and have been there ever since, though I am hoping that I can save up enough to open that bakery I've always wanted." Willy looked excited upon hearing her mention a bakery. "Yes, I'm still baking, and I look forward to the day when I can turn it into a profession."

So far, so good Hazel thought. Can't bring up Seamus and why he's the reason I had to leave the bar, as much as I never truly cared for the place to begin with.

Charlie piped up, "Do you have a special someone in your life, Hazel?"

"Charlie!" Mrs. Bucket scolded, reminding Charlie not to pry into her personal life.

"Not really," Hazel responded as she looked down sadly. For some reason, Willy looked concerned for her. What was she to tell them? That she was single, but a bully was after her? She also couldn't help but feel a warm sensation spread across her whenever she looked at him. After a second, she thought to herself: maybe not now, I should keep things simple. I don't want them worrying about me. "Well, what about you?" Hazel asked her former mentor and boss, changing the subject. Willy froze. His cheeks turned bright pink, and Charlie had to put in a lot of effort to prevent laughter from coming out of him.

"No, not at the moment." Willy said. As he said that, he couldn't stop thinking about how strange he was feeling around her. This never happened with him in the past with Hazel. Why was this happening now? What is wrong with me? He thought to himself. Why is she making me feel this way?

There was silence as everyone enjoyed their dinner. Once dessert was finished, Willy checked his pocket watch "I think I'd like to call it a night."

"Me too." Hazel agreed. She bid farewell to the Buckets, but as she made her way to the doorway, she stopped and turned to Willy. "Perhaps we can get together some other time? Just you and me?"

Willy beamed at her suggestion. "Hey, yeah! I'd love that!"

"Maybe this Friday we could go for a night on the town! Pick me up at the library at 5, when my shift is over!" They didn't notice it, but Charlie was grinning the whole time at their exchange.

"Sounds good, see you then!" Willy called for an Oompa Loompa, who helped lead Hazel out of the factory. As she left, Willy had a dreamy look on his face, which Charlie took notice of.

"You couldn't seem to take your eyes off of her."

"Of course I couldn't. She's a friend I haven't seen in ages."

"I think you like her in a special way, don't you?"

Willy could see the look on Charlie's face, he was being a kid trying to convince his folks into getting early Christmas or birthday gifts. "I do NOT!"

"Yes you do!"

"No I don't!"

"Do too! You can't hide anything from me!"

"You're forgetting that I'm Willy Wonka, a man known for having many a trick up his sleeve."

"Even so, I don't think this is something you can hide from me. Whatever it takes, I'll be sure to find it."

"Good luck, kiddo!"

Charlie and Willy couldn't help but laugh together.