For A Moment - A Wonka AU

Chapter 11: Surprise

Charlotte was the first one in the alleyway the next day, her hands practically shaking with excitement.

Minutes later, she spotted Noodle pushing her laundry cart through the alleyway, a slightly annoyed look on her face.

"He came back?" she was saying.

"Yes!" Willy's face poked out of one of the laundry sacks.

"A little green man?" Abacus' voice came from another bag and his head came out as well.

"Green hair," Charlotte corrected, approaching them. "Orange man, green hair."

Willy nodded. "Yeah! I set up a trap last night and he walked right into it!"

"So, where is he now?" Noodle asked, sounding unconvinced.

Willy's face dropped slightly. "We had a bit of a fight, you see. He won. Hit me with a frying pan, took my chocolates, and left out the window."

Charlotte felt a twinge of guilt in her stomach. Should she have gone after the little orange man...?

"Are...you okay?" she asked awkwardly.

He gave her a smile. "Yes, I'm alright now."

Noodle sighed and tapped the laundry cart to let the others know it was safe to come out. "Right," she said flatly. "A tiny orange man beat you up and stole your chocolates."

"You don't believe me?" Willy asked, climbing out of the cart with a frown.

"Honestly?" Noodle said. "No. Not at all."

"Oh, come on!" He groaned. "Do any of you believe me?"

The other four exchanged glances, before turning back to Willy.

"No," Abacus admitted.

"Nope," Piper said.

Larry shook his head. "No."

Lottie was the last to climb out. "Definitely not."

Noodle's lips curled into a sort of smug smile as she looked at Willy. "See? We-"

"I believe him" Charlotte stepped in, her hand moving up and down the straps of her backpack, what she usually did when she was anxious. "I saw him too!"

Willy's eyes lit up. "You did?"

"Oh, Charlotte, not you too!" Noodle exclaimed, burying her face in her hands.

"It's true!" Charlotte said, trying to sound convincing. "I tripped over him on the way to the Galeries. He-he even spoke to me!"

Willy leaned in closer. "What did he say?"

"Nothing much," she admitted. "Just grumbling something about me not watching where I was going. But, I- I really did see him, I swear!"

Everyone but Willy looked at her with unconvinced expressions.

"I would have talked to him, but he scurried off to the Wash House before I had the chance to!" She looked at everybody. They probably thought Willy's craziness had rubbed off on her. "H-His little footsteps- they went tip-tap!"

"Tip-tap!" Willy repeated quickly, nodding.

"You could have followed him," Noodle pointed out.

"Yes, but I had to get back to the Galeries before it got too late!"

Willy tilted his head. "The Galeries?" he echoed. "Why?"

Her lips curled into a grin as she took her backpack off and dug in its side pocket, pulling out a set of bronze keys.

"Because we've got a surprise for you."

~

Standing in front of the old shop, Charlotte urged him inside. "C'mon, go in!"

He didn't seem to hear her, as he was too busy taking in the fact that they had finally rented a shop.

She tapped his shoulder. "Willy."

"These are more than just keys to a shop..." he breathed, turning towards her and taking her hands, squeezing them tightly. "These are the keys to my dream!"

"Well, legally speaking, it's just a shop," Abacus said in a matter of fact tone. "But emotionally, yes, it's also your dream."

"Oh, c'mon, Ab, let him have his moment!" Piper said and nudged Abacus in the arm.

"I...I can't believe such kindness exists..." Willy whispered, his voice cracking.

"The chocolatier that can make people fly, not believing in such kindness?" Noodle chuckled. "Surely not."

"I don't know how I could ever thank you guys..." Charlotte could swear she saw tears forming in Willy's eyes.

"Well, you can't thank us before you've even gone inside!" She smiled and gave his hands a squeeze in return. "Go on, go inside!"

Finally, after a few more seconds of standing in silence, Willy pushed open the doors and went inside.

Hands on his hips, he looked around, surveying the place. Charlotte could practically see the gears turning in his head. He was probably imagining what it would look like once they fixed it up, she observed.

She took the time to survey the place as well. The wallpaper was peeling off some parts of the walls and most of the ceiling was on the floor, along with a broken chandelier.

"It does need some work..." she murmured out loud.

"Looks like someone left the water running twenty years ago and the ceiling fell through," Piper commented. "And the ceiling above that, and the ceiling above that..."

"But that means we can still afford it," Abacus said, then added, "For a week, at least."

"And we'd finally be legitimate!" Lottie smiled. "The police would have no excuse to keep bothering us.

"So..." Charlotte began nervously, walking over to Willy, who was standing in the middle of the place. "What do you think? Do you like it...?"

"It's a horrible mess," he said bluntly. "I mean, I've never seen a shop so absolutely, horrendously..."

Charlotte bit the inside of her cheek.

"...perfect!" he finished and Charlotte let out a breath of relief. "Yeah, sure, it's a wreck, but just look at the potential- the bones! This is going to be the best chocolate shop in the world, I tell you what, Charlie. We'll have this fixed up in no time! It's just how I always imagined- no. Scratch that. It's better than I imagined!"

She couldn't help but smile widely at his words and she threw her arms around him in a big hug. He hugged her back tightly and rested his chin over her head.

The best chocolate shop in the world, her mind echoed and she nuzzled her face into Willy's neck, the smile not leaving her lips. You bet your hat it will be.