On any normal morning, I'd wake up to soft kisses on my cheeks and nose. Or I'd rouse first and wake Will with soft kisses on his cheeks and nose.
On any normal morning, we'd sit in bed, wrapped in each other's arms and talk about our plans for the day. Each day was more and more exciting as I learned more and more about the factory.
On any normal morning, we'd shower and dress, brush teeth and hair, in that particular rhythm we've worked out. Someone has the toothpaste, someone has the soap, then switch. Someone has the hair brush, someone has the wash rag, then switch.
On any normal morning, I'd make breakfast for everyone while Will went to check in with my family and his father, or Will would make breakfast for everyone while I went to check in with my family and Wilbur.
Then we'd get on with our day, or rather, I'd watch Will and Charlie come up with new ideas for candies and we'd supervise activities in the factory and talk with Oompa Loompas. The more boring days consisted of tracking sales and success in different countries, but I'd be there at his side through it all.
And then in the afternoon, we'd all eat dinner together before Will and I went to our room and I watched him tinker for an hour. He'd work with deft hands while I'd sit and admire his brilliant mind at work. He'd catch me staring and ask what I was looking st and I'd simply respond "You."
Then we'd get ready for bed with that same harmonious routine and cuddle for a while, just basking in our oneness. I really don't know how we'd get on without one another. I lean on Will and Will leans on me, and we just work. Everyday is an exciting, comfortable journey with my love by my side.
But today is not like any other day and this morning is not like any other morning. Will is gone.
"Have you guys seen Will?" I ask, blatant panic making my voice tremble. I've barely managed to belt a light pink silk robe over Will's black t-shirt and my pyjama shorts when I burst into the commons room.
Wilbur, Charlie, Grandpa Joe, Grandma Josephine, and Grandma Georgina are sitting at the dining room table. Mum is helping Grandpa George shuffle to the table from the hall slowly. They all look up at me with curious eyes. Wilbur stands up hesitantly, confused, but picking up on my urgency.
"Have you guys seen Will?" I repeat, louder this time, my voice edging on shrill.
Wilbur rounds the table. "What do you mean 'Have you guys seen Will?'"
I take a few gasping breaths. "I mean, he wasn't in our room this morning! He's always in our room, but he's gone! I need him, and I don't know where..." I trail off, remembering our conversation last night. "Oh..."
I turn on my heel and bolt into the hallway that leads to the room Will and I share. Wilbur runs after me, shouting, "What do you know? Where did he go? Are you sure he's even gone? He might just be doing some early morning work. My son is a busy man, he might just be somewhere in the factory."
I screech to a stop in the doorway of our room and wheel around. "No. He wouldn't do that. He wouldn't just go to work without waking me up. And I know exactly where he's gone."
Wilbur follows me into the room as I grab a laguna yellow skirt and a cream coloured top. I duck behind the changing screen that Will and I so hardly use and change as quickly as possible before reappearing and throwing on a moss green blazer from my half of the closet. Will had a collection of various blazers, skirts, pants, tops, and waistcoats made up for me, and they're in the closet right alongside Will's clothes. My jackets and pants are somewhat comically shorter than Will's, but that's really the only difference in our sides of the closet besides the occasional skirt in mine.
"Where are you going?" Wilbur asks me as I rip a brush hastily through tangles of hair before tying it off into loose pigtails.
I pause and look at his reflection through the vanity mirror. "Wherever it takes."
I pick up my worn messenger bag and throw it over my shoulder. I slip on my new knee-high brown boots, lacing them tightly, and make my way to the elevator quickly with Wilbur on my heels. I jam the call button with my thumb and tap my foot impatiently while Wilbur protests my leaving. Charlie comes into the hall wearing day clothes and a curious expression.
"Dawn, where are we going? Where's Will?" He plants his feet beside me and takes my hand. The elevator doors open.
"Nowhere. I'm right here."
There's a moment of stillness where Will and I just look at each other. He did exactly what I told him not to do. He went and found Nigel. Will reaches forward, gently slides my bag from my shoulder, tosses it over his own, and finally breaks eye contact. He places careful hands on Charlie's shoulders and steers him back down the hall.
"Nothing to worry about, my young chocolatier. What do you want for breakfast?" Will asks. Charlie's eyes light up.
"Pancakes! The purple ones! With fudge chocolate chips!" Charlie takes his hand and pulls him down the hall to our room with the kitchen. "Can I help make them?"
"Of course you can," Will responds. He turns and gives me an apologetic look. I purse my lips and shake my head.
Wilbur comes up beside me. "See? I told you there was nothing to worry about. He was probably just doing some early morning work."
I know for a fact it was not just some early work, and I'm not about to pretend I don't know he had hoped to be back before I was awake. I didn't see any blood on him and he didn't appear to be hurt. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. Don't get me wrong, I'm relieved he's ok, but this better be the last time I have to question that. I finally follow after the others and find Will getting out ingredients as Charlie retrieves a big spoon for the bowl on the counter.
I glare at my messenger bag Will had set by the foot of our circular bed and pace towards the kitchen island with folded arms. Will sets Charlie to add a few ingredients to the bowl and comes over to envelop me in his arms from behind. I let him, but I don't return the affecion.
I sigh. "Did you find him?"
Will gives me a slight squeeze. "Did you doubt I would?"
"What did you do to him?" I pull away enough to turn around and look him in the eye. I have to know. There's no question about it, this has gone on too long. I don't want to tie him down, I don't want our marriage to feel like a hindrance to Will, but at the same time, I have an obligation to protect Will from this dark path and he has an obligation to at least listen to me.
He looks away and shakes his head. "Do you really want to know?"
"Will! Stop that!" I shout. Charlie immediately looks up, and I lower my voice conscientiously, talking in something akin to a growl. "Give me a straight answer, and stop that."
Will looks away again. "Stop what? What am I doing?"
"William Theodore." I take his chin in my hand and make him look at me, still speaking in a low tone. "You know exactly what you are doing. Stop answering me with more questions, and give me a real answer. Did you-"
"Trouble in paradise?" I turn to see Mum standing in the doorway with one eyebrow raised at us.
I drop my hand and resist the urge to lash out at my mother. This isn't her fault, she didn't tell Will to go after Nigel. She doesn't even know about Nigel. I chew on my bottom lip and look back at Will. "Of course not."
She comes closer with a cautious expression. "Are you sure? Need me to grab Charlie for a minute?"
"No need." I give her the best smile I can manage and head for the door. Charlie looks up with his innocent hazel eyes and smiles, not understanding what's wrong.
"Dove," Will calls after me. "Dawn!"
I shake my head and keep going. When he's ready to give me answers, he can come find me. I have to resist the tears welling up in my eyes as I realise this is our first real fight.
Before I exit the room completely, I manage to catch Will throwing an apologetic look at Charlie. "I'm sorry, bud, I have to go after her." Some rustling of material, Will taking off his apron, I guess. Then a few footsteps before a pause. "Don't let him start any fires." That bit was presumably directed at Mum before the staccato footsteps resume.
"Dawn!"
I'm in the hallway, heading to the tiny door that leads to the four story broom closet with rungs on the wall. I'll climb down all three stories and then...then...well, I'm not exactly sure where I'm going to go, but I know I don't want to be here.
"Dawn! Wait up please!" Will calls after me as he passes through the pentagon doorway.
I straighten after opening the little hatch and pivot to face him. When I finally speak, I'm careful to keep my voice down so Mum and Charlie can't hear me. "You mean to tell me that you see no problem with being a psycho killer by night and an amiable, lovable chocolatier by day? Charlie thinks of you as-"
"No, I never said that!" he defends, holding his hands up as if trying to show me his innocence.
"You didn't have to!" Despite the raised agitation and intensity of my words, I'm still careful to keep the volume low. "You could have left it well enough alone, but instead you chose to deliberately ignore what I asked. You don't have to obey my every command, but you do have to listen to me when I say I don't want to be married to a murderer! I didn't marry a murderer!" My bottom lip trembles, but I don't tear up. "I married you, Will. I've never wanted anything more than you! And now all I want is my Will back."
Will seems to be at a loss for words now. Nothing to say? Figures. I sit down at the small door and slip through to climb down. Will scrambles after me. "Tell me what you want me to do. I never left! I've been here the whole time, just tell me how to prove that to you!"
I skip the last seven rungs and jump to the ground, bending my knees to reduce the jolt. "You can't do anything. My Will would never-"
Will hops down behind me, catches my wrist, and spins me around, not roughly but firmly. "He would never what?" He puts hands on the wall to either side of my body, forcing me to listen to him. "Never give up anything to make you feel happy and safe?" My family. "Never be able to find someone from the scarcest of traces?" Wilbur. "Never get revenge for you?" Augustus. "Never risk life and limb to protect you?" Oscar. "Never kill for you?" He brings his face even closer, and I can feel the warm chocolatey breath on my cheeks and nose. I gaze up into his slitted eyes, his face shadowed darkly. His next words ride on the barest hints of a whisper. "Ask me again." He tilts his head. "Ask if I killed for you."
I swallow hard and bring up my arms to fold in front of me. I already know the answer. I asked before because I wanted to know then, but now I know. The way he's talking, there's almost no doubt that he killed Nigel. I look away. "Did you kill for-"
"No." Will retracts his arms and backs up before exiting the broom closet like space.
Wait, what? So he didn't kill Nigel? Well then what did he do? "Wait!" I run down the hall after him, trying to catch up, and when I do, I grab his arm and turn him to face me. "Did you go after Nigel?"
"Yes, but Hunter Covell is not dead." Hunter Covell? Oh.
"So you learned his real name?"
"Yes, I figured out his real name. Yes, I found him. Yes, there were consequences for his actions. But Hunter...Nigel...whatever he wants to call himself, is not dead."
Relief blooms in my chest and a faint smile rises to my lips. I slide a hand up Will's chest and place a kiss on his mouth, making him smile.
"I'm not complaining, but what was that for?" he asks, catching my hand on the way down and pulling me into a hug.
"For not killing someone." He chuckles and I put my head against his shoulder, shaking my head slightly. "We have got to raise these standards before you start targeting Parliament for not making a law to help my family." I look up to see Will's expression turns to realization and he holds up a finger as he opens his mouth to say something in accordance. "Don't even start! We need to start being a normal married couple. Well, as normal as we can get."
I married Willy Wonka, I knew this was never going to be normal.
"What do you mean normal?" Will's face scrunches with distaste and I resist the urge to giggle.
"I mean not making people who wronged me disappear. I mean healthy coping mechanisms. I mean not shutting ourselves out to the world completely." He looks disapproving, so I quickly amend myself. "I don't mean open our lives to the world entirely! Believe me, I'm all for privacy and wariness, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad if you did regular tours. We aren't that busy everyday, and it might be nice for business. Of course, they can't all end in smoke and ash like last time, but...I don't know, it's just a thought. Some type of normalcy in our lives might be good."
Will purses his lips. "So...you want us to be a little normal, but not a lot because the world likes to see the abnormal." I shrug and Will sighs, then cocks his head. "Well, if we're going to be a normal couple, I suppose we should start with a honeymoon."
Thank you so much for reading and voting and commenting! I love each and every one of you! Enjoy these next chapters because there won't be many more. I think it's time I fulfill a promise and get started on another story.
xoxo, Tilly