For A Moment - A Wonka AU

Chapter 23: A Hug That Would Last Forever

All cleaned up and in a fresh pair of clothes, Charlotte sat on the steps of the Cathedral, peacefully watching the people in the city square as they enjoyed the rich chocolate flowing from the fountain.

So this is the end, she thought to herself, folding her elbows over her knees. The aftermath.

Wow.

This story was actually coming to an end.

A feeling of warmth washed over her as she saw Willy approaching her, wearing a clean version of his plum overcoat and signature top hat. He sat down beside her, looking over to with a warm smile on his face. "So...how's it feel, Charlie?" he asked.

She said nothing and instead hugged him tightly. He put his arms around her and held her at his side, that being all the answer he needed.

And she realized it: she had been right all along.

He was the missing piece to her story.

From the very beginning she had seen something in him. She had believed that he would be the one to pull her out of her annoying, boring life. The one to help her achieve her one dream- showing the world her father's wrong deeds and putting him out of business. The one that would change everything.

And she held onto that belief.

Look where that got her.

With one arm still around her, Willy reached into his pocket and pulled out something.

His mother's chocolate bar.

"I think..." he whispered, running his finger along the wrapper. "I think it's time..."

She smiled softly and rubbed his side, watching as he slowly opened the wrapper.

But as he unwrapped the chocolate bar, there wasn't just chocolate inside. She saw a golden gleam, which she soon found out to be a golden piece of paper resting on the bar of chocolate.

"What's this...?" Willy murmured, flipping the piece of paper over to find a note written on the back of it.

It read:

It's not the chocolate that matters.
It's the people you share it with
Mama xxxx

"'It's not the chocolate that matters'..." Charlotte read, her voice trailing off.

"...'It's the people you share it with'," Willy finished, his voice barely over a whisper.

"'Mama, xxxx'."

He looked out in the distance, his eyes filling with tears.

"She's here, Charlie..." he whispered, a tear running down his cheek.

Her lips curled into a soft smile.. "She kept her promise, huh..."

She looked off into the distance as well. Maybe she'd see her mother standing there as well.

She didn't.

But what she did see was Noodle, Abacus, Piper, Larry, and Lottie approaching them. The rest of the Wash House gang, in the flesh!

Willy grinned and stood up, walking over to greet them. Charlotte followed him, happy to see their friends again.

They stood in a circle, the seven of them, side by side, as Willy broke the chocolate bar into multiple different pieces. He handed a piece to each of them.

They each ate their piece of the chocolate bar, looks of pure happiness spreading across their faces at the taste of the chocolate. The thought that they were probably eating a ten year old chocolate bar didn't even occur to them at that moment.

"How does it feel, Willy?" Noodle asked as Willy ate his piece of the chocolate.

"Is it as good as you remember?" Charlotte asked.

"It is..." Willy said softly. "No, scratch that, it's even better than I remember. Every little bit. I wish it could last forever..."

It then hit her that this was the last of his mother's chocolate bars that he'd ever eat.

Dang.

The Cathedral clock chimed and a look of excitement suddenly washed over Willy's face, replacing the nostalgic one he just wore.

"I guess it's time," he said.

Noodle frowned. "Time for what?"

Charlotte tilted her head. She was curious too.

"Do you know how many people in this city are named D. Smith, Noodle?" he asked.

"A hundred and six," Abacus replied.

"But luckily, you have a friend who works at the telephone exchange, don't you?" Willy looked at Noodle with a grin.

Charlotte's lips curled into a smile. Had they found Noodle's mother...?

Willy went on, "She spent the whole afternoon ringing around, and guess what?"

"We found her," Lottie said.

Noodle's eyes widened, stunned. "You...found my mom...?"

"She works in the library," Abacus told her.

"Lives there too," Piper chimed in.

Willy smiled and put his hand on Noodle's shoulder. "Come on, Noodle. Let's go."

Charlotte's eyes lit up. They had found Noodle's mother! Her mind flashed back to earlier. She had asked Lottie if she could search for her mother as well, if she had time to. Maybe she had found her too.

But this was Noodle's moment. Charlotte could worry about herself another time.

"Can I-" she started to ask, but Willy interrupted her.

"You too, Charlie."

~

Standing in front of the local library, Noodle stood next to Willy and Charlotte, a nervous look on her face.

She looked up at Willy and he gave her an encouraging nudge forward. "Go on," he said.

Noodle took a deep breath and walked along the pathway and up to the entrance of the library.

At the same time, a woman emerged from the building, her eyes instantly filling up with tears as she crossed eyes with the child she'd thought she'd lost years ago.

Charlotte watched as Noodle's walk broke out into a full on run. She ran into the arms of her mother and her mother hugged her back.

It was a hug that would last forever.

Charlotte smiled softly, wondering when she'd get to hug her mother again like that.

She looked back at Willy and took a deep breath. She couldn't go without knowing the answer to a certain question any longer.

"Hey, Willy...?"