During dinner that night, Vivian kept glaring at the squirrel seated in the wooden highchair at the table. Julia could feel the old woman's rage burning in the air like the flames that surrounded them. Unaffected by her piercing eyes, Veruca happily shares little pieces of her food with the smallest member of the family.

Setting down her glass of water with a thunk, Julia wonders if Veruca is planning to paint the highchair in the near future. "You should thank Mr. Wonka for having that chair made for you."

Thinking back to what happened a couple hours ago, Veruca says that she doesn't want to.

Shooting her a stern look, Julia replies. "Veruca, if you don't thank him, i'll have him take it away from you."

Unable to complain to her father when it came to Julia, Veruca simply averts her eyes from everyone but her squirrel. Eating and passing morsels of food to her tiny friend.

• • •

One morning when Wonka comes down to get his workers, the family immediately notices his new haircut. It was just long enough to touch his shoulders. Cut to nicely frame his face and wearing it in its natural wavy form.

Julia couldn't help the smile that forced its way onto her face when she saw him. She quickly turns to face her aunt and uncle to try and distract herself. Doing so only resulted in a feeling of great embarrassment when she saw the way they looked at her. A look that told her that they knew what was meant to be a secret.

Running out into the sun room in a yellow dress with white sleeves, Veruca smiles brightly up at Wonka.

"I have some more gifts for you." He tells. Giving her a glass bottle full of blue liquid: cotton candy scented perfume. Wonka's mouth twitches in disgust upon realizing that the girl's already covered herself in her mother's perfume again. "Do be sure to take a bath tonight and use the cotton candy scent from now on. Kay? And here."

He pulls out a key. Handing it down to the smelly girl. "This is a key to Peanut Butter Paint. You'll be rewarded with more keys to more rooms over time. I feel I must warn you that you only get one. So don't lose or break them."

"Veruca dear," Rupert says, setting down his cup of tea. "Marvelous news. I've found a good school for you to attend. It is a public school, however. Which means that you'll no longer be required to wear a uniform everyday."

Veruca doesn't respond at first. Rather, she looked to be in deep thought about something. Her parents were a bit worried over this, but at least it didn't seem like she was upset.

Vivian came shuffling into the room wearing a long plum-coloured dress and black slippers. Her cold grey eyes laid on Julia, and she grumbled something to herself. Pouring herself a hot cup of tea, she goes to sit in a white and gold chair; far away from everyone else.

Angina grins at the chocolatier. "Why don't you sit down and have some tea with us in the mornings, Mr. Wonka? It doesn't have to be everyday. Perhaps occasionally."

Wonka gulps and nods his head. "Yeah... Kay. I'll do that then. If you want me to." He stares at the family in awkward silence. Unsure of what else to say. "Okay then. Off to work we go... Goodbye!"

• • •

After taking Julia to the Candy Creature Care Clinic, Wonka takes Veruca to a room called Nice Ice Mice. Outside the door, Veruca could hear lots of squeaking from inside the room. A rush of cold air came out from inside when Wonka opened the door. Feeling like she's walking into a refrigerator, Veruca looks up and around the room. Along the icy blue walls were dozens of giant silver spinning wheels. Half of these wheels had many white mice running inside of them. Some of the squeaking came from the mice themselves, and some came from the wheels that needed to be oiled.

Pointing to the large metal barrels, Wonka explains that the mice running in the wheels power the machines that turn the gears and churn the ingredients. Their job today was to add ingredients to the barrels. Wonka asks Veruca if she was ready to get started, and received a nod in response. He lets her pick out the ice cream flavour, and they climb up the metal steps to the barrels.

After a short while, Veruca brings up something to Wonka. She tells him that she's always worn a uniform to school, but now she wouldn't have to. Wearing her regular dresses would feel too unusual to her, so she wants to make her own uniform. She proceeds to explain to Wonka what she wants it to look like:

A black jacket with a white blouse, and a black knee-length skirt with white leggings and black shoes. She wants 10 copies of this exact outfit. She'll design 50 different neckties with many different colours, patterns, and textures to wear everyday. Her hair will always be tied back in a ponytail with no headbands, bows, or hair pins.

Wonka laughs at her enthusiasm when talking about designing the neckties. "It's absolutely wonderful that you can be so creative like that, but you should really focus that creativity more on candy."

Veruca closes her smile. Switching it to a less joyful smirk. "You can be creative in more than one way. Do you think famous inventors only invented one kind of thing?"

The chocolatier's eyes were far in thought for a moment. Slowly dumping sugar into the barrel. "I suppose not. But we live in a chocolate factory. Not an other things factory. Kay? Now keep pouring."

Veruca's eyes briefly flashed what was almost a glare. What about the perfume? That wasn't candy, and he still made it. This strange man didn't make sense half the time, but Veruca realized she was gonna have to try to get used to that. Arguing wasn't suitable for her current mood anyway.

• • •

That night, Julia was helping Angina prepare dinner. Julia was in charge of dessert because she was a fairly good cook, but a really great baker. She insisted on baking a chocolate cake. Although Julia wouldn't admit it, Angina knew the reason for this. Deciding to get it out of the way, Angina captures the young woman's attention.

"Julia? May I speak with you about something?"

The younger woman immediately became nervous. Rubbing her hands against the floral apron that covered her red A-line dress.

"It's come to our attention that you may have... Certain feelings for... Mr. Wonka."

"What!?" She gasps. "No! I admire his work and--"

"Julia, it's alright." She places a hand with many golden rings on her shoulder. "I don't want you to feel embarrassed or like you must hide things from us. That's all. He's a very... strange man, yes. But I understand that you can't choose these kinds of feelings. Uncle Rupert and I will always love and care for you. We don't want you to ever feel like you can't trust us."

Julia keeps her eyes on the black and white tiles and nods her head.

Angina affectionately rubs her back and goes on to resume her cooking.

Strangely enough, Julia felt a great sense of relief from their little chat. Free from fear of judgement and trying to be so secretive. Plugging in the mixing tool, Julia's eyes spark with joy. "Should I put extra chocolate in the cake?"

• • •

After a short while, Wonka returns to the house to bring Veruca back home. Julia was waiting nearby, and jumps out in front of him, nearly scaring him to death.

"Oh! I'm sorry Mr. Wonka. I just wanted to ask you if you'll stay for dinner?"

Rubber gloves squeak. "Dinner? Oh, well, I'm terribly sorry but I can't. I have to do some computer work tonight for a dear friend of mine." The way his amethyst eyes flicked all around the room told Julia that he was lying.

"Please Mr. Wonka? I made a cake with four different kinds of chocolate."

Pleading with her crystal blue eyes, Wonka felt he'd be burdened by a terrible guilt if he refused again. Blowing out a breath of air with his mouth in an 'O' shape, Wonka nervously tapped his cane against the ground. "I suppose that it couldn't hurt... Just this one time..." He said slowly.

Delighted by his acceptance, Julia lead him and her cousin to the rest of the family.

When the three of them walked into the dining room, only the parents seemed happy that Wonka was joining them for dinner. Vivian looked at Wonka with distain on her old wrinkled face. Her negative mood only increased as she watched Veruca lay her hand down to the highchair. Letting her squirrel crawl into it's seat.

Wonka was a bit uncomfortable. A little because he was having dinner with the Salts for the first time, but a lot because the oldest member of the family looked like she wanted to plunge a knife into his heart.

Right as dinner was getting started, Angina looked around at everyone at the table. Feeling a great sense of pride that she didn't have back at the palace where they've always had servants to cook and clean everything for them. Only knowing now how good it feels to look at something great and know that she herself was the one who accomplished it.

"Ladies and gentleman, as most of you already know, our dear Veruca will be celebrating her 12th birthday soon. She wants to invite as many people as possible to a party, and we must decide on whether the celebration will be held in our home, or another room inside the factory."

Wonka winced. He didn't like the thought of bringing a bunch of strange people into the factory. Especially when he's not the one inviting them. Although, it's not too much of a problem as long as they all stay in one place where they can be closely monitored, and are all sure to leave at the end of the day. Either way, it would be much less risky to just keep the factory closed off.

Veruca pipes up in a burst of excitement. Bouncing on her red cushion as she spoke. "I want three gifts from everyone at this table!"

"Sweetheart, you will get only one gift from everyone at this table." Rupert asserted.

"But I want three gifts from everyone." She complained. Earning herself an irritated grumble from Great Aunt Vivian.

"You will get only one gift, and that's final!"

Wonka smiled at Rupert. A similar smile to when he tried to reason with Veruca about getting a squirrel. Saying that she already had many marvelous pets.

Glaring at her father with pink cheeks, Veruca cuts off a small piece of roast chicken for her squirrel.

Stretching rubber sounded thru the room as Wonka holds up an index finger. "Now, she can't bring too many people inside of the factory. It just isn't safe to bring a whole lot. What if they try to steal my secret recipes? Or damage any factory machines? Or kidnap one of the oompa loompas!?"

Veruca whips her head around in anger. She wants to invite her entire class. At least all of the girls.

Wonka continues. "Just because they're kids doesn't mean they can't be spies or something."

Veruca, getting redder, huffs at him. "They're just kids. You really should stop being so weird."

Seeing a deep anger flash across Wonka's face, Julia's eyes darted over to the girl in the yellow dress. "Veruca, isn't there something that you had wanted to say to Mr. Wonka?"

Veruca wasn't sure what she was referring to, untill she flicked her eyes to the squirrel. Veruca looks at Wonka and remembers what she was supposed to do. She turns in her chair to face him, puts on her sweetest fake smile, and says "Thank you for the highchair."

Before Wonka could respond, Veruca leans over and wraps her arms tightly around his body. Squeezing him as hard as she could like she was trying to squeeze out all his thoughts about people being spies for the other chocolate makers.

Wonka couldn't hide his disgust as he pushes the spiteful child off of him. She sits back in her chair with a satisfied smile to herself. Angina chuckles at Wonka stiffly sitting in his chair, but quickly looks away from him when his eyes shoot icy daggers at her. Letting out a huffy breath, his shaking hand goes to pick up his glass of wine.

Julia watches how her little cousin keeps taking tiny bits of her own food to set down in front of her pet. "Have you thought of a name yet?"

Veruca looks thoughtfully at her squirrel, who looks back up at her and squeaks. Answering after a brief moment. "I can't choose one. It has to be perfect. It has to. I'm just going to call it "Squirrel" for now."

Vivian sneers at the animal. Telling the child that she should name it "Vermin" because that's what the filthy thing is. Squirrel looks at Vivian and narrows its tiny black eyes at her.

Paying no attention to her great aunt, Veruca directs it all to the candy maker. "Mr. Wonka, I want a big strawberry flavoured cake with white frosting and yellow flowers for my birthday."

Wonka smiles and nods to her. Already thinking of all the different sweet things he could make the flowers out of.

When dessert is served, Julia insists on cutting the chocolate cake for everyone. She serves the first and largest piece to Wonka with a shy smile. The last and smallest piece goes to Vivian. The old woman noticed this, but didn't say anything. She doesn't like chocolate that much anyway.

• • •

A couple days later, Veruca is surrounded by oompa loompas who are taking her measurements to begin crafting her school uniforms. Wonka is holding her drawings in his hands. Looking them over to inspect every detail. "You've done a wonderful job coming up with so many tie designs. You're gonna have to help me design some candy wrappers pretty soon."

When the oompas are done taking her measurements, Wonka gives them the drawings to start on making the clothes. Walking along side him, Veruca looks up to the man. Displaying her sweetest smile, she asks "What are you going to get me for my birthday, sir?"

Wonka hasn't learned it yet, but he'll come to realize at some point that Veruca only calls him "sir" when trying to butter him up to get something she wants. In this case it's extra birthday presents.

"Now that, my dear girl, is a surprise." He says. When in reality he just hasn't decided on anything yet.

Veruca starts to think of the new school she'll be going to. She won't know anybody, but she's still gonna have to invite people. It won't take her long to decide who is and isn't invited. Even if she can't invite a lot of kids from her school, Mr. Wonka and her family will still be there for her.

Wonka stops walking and stares straight ahead. Veruca looks up at him, thinking he was having another one of those flashback things. He looks down at Veruca, then turns the rest of his body to face her. "Veruca..." His eyes darken as a wide smile stretches across his face. Veruca steps back, a bit frightened.

"You really mustn't tell anyone at your new school that you live inside my factory."

She looks confused. "Why not? How am I supposed to have my birthday party if no one can know about the factory?"

Putting both hands on the swirled orb of his cane, he leans in closer to her. "People will swarm you like a celebrity. You're already somewhat famous because you won a golden ticket, but it will come to a level that you can't handle. Do you have any idea how terrible that would be? People you don't even know will chase you down the streets taking pictures and videos of you. Asking you all kinds of weird questions and won't listen when you tell them to stop. Even if you scream and smack at them, they'll still try to steal your shoes and sell them to someone in Russia. You'd be lucky if no one tries to cut your hair. You don't want that, do you? Your party will have to happen somewhere else."

Veruca's gaze drops to her black shoes. Bringing her eyes back up moments later. "Will you still come to my party?"

Wonka smiles more kindly now. "Of course I will. You'll just have to tell everyone that i'm your uncle or something."

Veruca didn't look upset or try to argue about anything. Meaning she completely understood him. Looking directly into his eyes, her expression turns deathly serious. "And remember, I want a strawberry flavoured cake with white frosting and yellow flowers."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Fun Fact: Nice Ice Mice is another canon room inside the factory.