Disclaimer: I own zero, zippa, nadda, nothing in this story!

A/n: Surprise! Those of you who were following my Confusion story know that I said there would be a sequel...but that I also said I probably wouldn't start posting it until September due to needing to take a break between stories and then going on vacation for the month of August. Well, I discovered that sometimes it's pretty darn impossible to keep a writer from writing! :) Also, for some reason, having a chapter or two of a story written and then having to take a break for awhile really gets my creative juices flowing! So I think it will actually work out even better this way. I plan to get one other chapter out before going on vacation next month, and then hopefully I will get loads of inspiration for the rest of the story during my month of R&R!

With the relatively boring stuff out of the way, the first question most people have about CATCF stories is "which movieverse is it from?" Normally I don't answer that question in my fanfics, as I feel it's fairly obvious pretty early on in all of my fanfics which movieverse (and which Wonka!) I'm writing. This time, however, I feel I should take the time to do some explaining, since for this fanfic, the answer is not so clear-cut. In terms of the enviornment and history and such it's mostly based on the 2005 movie (with perhaps a few things from the 1971 movie thrown in here and there). Figuring out how to write Willy, however, presented a bit of a challange to me. The Wonka in my Confusion story was primarily Depp Wonka-based. Since this is the sequel to that story, I figured that I should probably try to write him that way here, too.

The way I want his personality in this story makes that a bit of a problem, however. I want to present Willy as being more warm and loving. And let's face it, that's not exactly something that Depp Wonka is! Wilder Wonka is definitely the warmer and more loving of the two Wonkas (not that he doesn't have his cold and even downright creepy moments, but you actually see a warm, loving side of him whereas you don't see that with Depp Wonka at all really). So looks-wise, Willy has the appearence of Depp Wonka in this story, just as he did in Confusion. Personality-wise, on the otherhand, he's more of amalgam of both Wonkas. I also will be using quotes from both Wonkas (which I hope won't get too confusing!). I guess you could call him Wildepp Wonka! Basically, you can imagine him anyway you like though. Obviously you'll need to ignore anything I say about his physical appearence if you want imagine him as Wilder Wonka, though! :)

As always, please review. I LOVE reviews, and they inspire me to write more as well as let me know whether I'm on the right track.

Okay, enough with the novel of an author's note! I will let you get on with the actual story!

Veronica Wonka sighed in exasperation. It was a Tuesday afternoon in mid-November, and she was beginning to think the clock was broken. Although Ronnie (which was what everyone that knew her called her, as well as the name she preferred to go by) was working at the recently opened "Scrumdiddlyumptious Bakery", a job that she ordinarily loved, time seemed to be crawling.

In fact, Ronnie had felt like that most of the week. Truth be told, she hadn't been feeling like herself in recent weeks. Normally, Ronnie had even more energy than her husband, world-famous chocolatier Willy Wonka (the "Scrumdiddlyumptious Bakery" was the newest edition to what Ronnie affectionately referred to as his "chocolate empire"). Lately, however, she tired easily.

She also found herself having moments of irritability that she couldn't explain, and there were a few times that she had burst into tears for no reason. And as if all that weren't enough, a new unpleasant symptom had surfaced that day: nausea. Ronnie wasn't quite sure if that was related to her other symptoms, though. The nausea wasn't that bad, and she hadn't eaten very much that day. So she figured that maybe her stomach was just complaining about having been empty for so long.

Just as Ronnie was checking the clock for the umpteenth time, her mother and co-baker, Sylvia Wells, walked into the kitchen (they traded between counter duty and kitchen duty, and it had been Ronnie's turn for kitchen duty). "So, how are things..." she started to say. One look at her daughter, however, stopped her in mid-sentence. "Ronnie, is everything all right?" she asked. Ronnie couldn't lie to her mother, but yet she didn't want to mention how she was feeling, either (she didn't know why, but she just felt like keeping her symptoms to herself for the moment). So she settled for saying, "You know, with all the noise that the ovens and stuff can make, I think I've gotten a trifle deaf in one ear."

Sylvia shook her head. "I think you've been hanging around Willy too much," she chuckled. "Well, he IS my husband," Ronnie pointed out. "Ronnie, that's beside the point, and you know it. You haven't seemed yourself the last several days. Usually you're running around with more energy than I thought it was possible for a person to have. But now you seem to have hardly any," Sylvia said gently. "Mom, I'm fine. I HAVE been quite tired lately, but I've probably just been working too hard or something," Ronnie said.

Sylvia didn't believe her daughter for a second, but she knew that she wasn't going to get any further information out of her right then. So she changed the subject. "Would you like to have supper at my place tonight after we close? I've already phoned Willy, and he said that he'd love to if it's okay with you. I'm assuming it is, of course, but figured I should ask anyway," she said (Sylvia lived in the apartment above the bakery, and Willy and Ronnie often ate supper with her). "Sure. I need some food in me after not eating for most of the day, and you always cook the best stuff," Ronnie replied. "Good. I'm making one of your favorites," Sylvia said. "I can't wait to see what it is," Ronnie said eagerly.

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Three incredibly long hours later, closing time finally came. "Finally!" Ronnie said as she flipped the sign in the window to the "closed" side. After taking a quick look around to make sure everything was set for the next morning, she stepped outside, locked the door, headed up the stairs to her mother's apartment (Sylvia was already at the apartment, having left work early to get supper started) and rang the doorbell.

Just as she'd expected, the door was answered not by Sylvia, but by Willy (the chocolatier usually arrived at Sylvia's apartment before Ronnie did when they ate supper there).

"How were things at the bakery today?" he asked after they kissed hello. "Great as usual," Ronnie replied, grateful that Willy apparently hadn't noticed the tiredness that she was sure must be showing in her.

"It doesn't look like the same thing can be said for you, though," Willy said, his voice laced with concern. "So much for him not noticing!" Ronnie thought. "I'm okay," she told Willy. Her husband, however, wasn't fooled for an instant. "Starshine, you're not feeling well, are you?" he inquired. "I have been feeling very tired lately," Ronnie admitted.

Before Willy could press Ronnie further about how she was feeling, Sylvia joined them in the living room. "Supper's ready," she said. As the trio headed into the kitchen, Ronnie noticed the smells of their supper for the first time (before, she had been too preoccupied talking to Willy to notice anything other than him!). They told her that Sylvia had cooked seafood. Ordinarily, seafood was among Ronnie's all-time favorite foods, and the smell of it was one of her favorite smells. But that night she WASN'T enjoying the smell. Instead, it was making her stomach churn and she found that she just wanted it to go away. "You haven't eaten much today, so your stomach is bound to do some funny things," she reminded herself.

Much to her dismay, her reaction to the smell of the food only got worse when they reached the kitchen. It was now overpowering, and she wasn't quite sure how she was going to be able to eat anything. "Things will probably be better once you've got some food in your stomach," she silently told herself. "It's seafood smorgasboard tonight, so help yourselves," Sylvia said, indicating the counter, which was covered with various dishes of seafood. Taking a deep breath, Ronnie walked over to it and grabbed a plate. Then she looked over the food items, trying to decide what to have. There were scallops, shrimp, fish, and a few other things.

It only took Ronnie about two seconds to realize that she wasn't going to be able to eat any of it. The sight of the food, combined with the now overpowering smell, made her stomach turn over (well, that's what it felt like anyway!). With horror, Ronnie realized that her nausea was about to manifest itself in a very visual way. She hurriedly set down her plate and ran for the bathroom, arriving there just in time to kneel on the floor and lean over the toilet bowl as her stomach relinquished what little food it had been holding.

Once she was certain that her stomach was under control for the time being, she flushed and got up. She felt rather lightheaded as she stood up, but she shrugged it off. Although that was another symptom she'd be been experiencing, she figured it was just due to her tiredness (and considering what had just transpired, she figured that in this instance, it was probably just an unpleasant side effect). So she paid it no mind and went to the sink to rinse her mouth out (thankfully, Sylvia kept a glass in the bathroom!).

With that done, she stepped into the hallway...and found Willy and Sylvia waiting for her. Sylvia didn't even give her a chance to speak. "Obviously you aren't just tired, Ronnie," she said firmly. Ronnie knew that she could no longer hide her mystery ailment. "You're right, I'm not. I haven't been feeling all that great for a few weeks now," she confessed. Sylvia shook her head. "Why didn't you say anything?" she asked. "I thought it was just some minor bug, or possibly even a weird allergy or something. I didn't really see the point in mentioning what I thought probably wouldn't amount to much," Ronnie said.

"I wouldn't call this 'not amounting to much'," Sylvia said gently. "Neither would I. I started feeling nauseous earlier today, but I figured it was just due to my not having eaten very much and that it probably wasn't even related to my other symptoms. I thought it would get better once I ate something. But when the very smell and sight of what are normally my favorite foods made me get sick, I knew I was mistaken," Ronnie admitted.

Mentioning food made Ronnie guiltily realize that Sylvia's and Willy's meals were probably cold by now. "Now I've taken you away from your meals and they're probably nice and cold. I'm sorry," she apologized. Willy, who had been silent up until now, put his arm around his wife's shoulders. "Don't be sorry, starshine. There are worse things than cold seafood, and you're more than worth it," he assured her. Ronnie wanted to kiss him, but decided she'd better not just in case whatever she had was contagious (and she hoped that he hadn't already caught whatever it was from their earlier kiss!). So instead she said, "Thank you, my sweet candy man."

Then, to her extreme mortification, she let out a huge yawn. "I see you are still quite tired," Willy chuckled. As embarrassed as she was, Ronnie had to admit that her husband was right. The simple fact was that although she had felt tired earlier, now she was absolutely exhausted. "I am indeed," she said. "Then we'll go home so you can get some much-needed rest," Willy said. But Ronnie shook her head. "You go and finish your supper first. Just because I can't eat doesn't mean you have to go without supper," she insisted.

"Are you sure? Because I can always grab something at the factory later," Willy assured her. "Yes, I'm sure. I can rest on the couch while you finish eating," Ronnie said firmly. "'Kay then. I promise not to take too long," Willy said. "Take as much time as you need. Really, I'll be all right," Ronnie told him (tired as she was, she didn't really mind waiting, as she wasn't exactly looking forward to riding in the glass elevator in the condition she was in!).

Her words did not reassure the chocolatier, however. Willy knew that the only place Ronnie belonged right then was in bed, and he didn't think it was a very good idea for them to stay at Sylvia's for even another minute. He also knew, though, that his wife wasn't about to take "no" for an answer. So, against his better judgment, he helped her get settled on the couch. Then he reluctantly headed back to the kitchen.

"Hello, Willy. I popped our meals into the microwave for a few minutes, so they're warm again," Sylvia greeted him (she had headed back to the kitchen when Willy helped Ronnie to the couch. Willy was pretty sure she had just used the meals as an excuse, though. He knew that, most likely, Sylvia had just wanted to give he and Ronnie some time alone!). "Thanks," Willy said as he sat down in the chair across from her. "I feel really bad for Ronnie. I suspect that whatever is ailing her is bothering her a lot more than she's letting on," Sylvia told him.

"I think so, too. She clearly hasn't been herself for awhile. She's been trying to hide the fact that she's unwell, but it's obvious to everyone in the factory that something isn't quite right with her. Mrs. Bucket found her asleep in the Chocolate Room in the middle of the day this past weekend, Charlie told me that she snapped at him for no apparent reason yesterday, and the Oompa Loompas are getting concerned because she hasn't been joking around with them lately like she normally does. But whenever we ask her about those things, she insists she's fine and has probably been working too hard," Willy said.

Sylvia sighed and shook her head. "That sounds like Ronnie, all right. It has never been easy for her to admit when she's worried about something and/or isn't feeling well. It's also hard for her to admit when she might not be able to cope with something on her own. I think she feels like she has to be strong all the time and that she shouldn't make others worry about her," she said. "That's about as ridiculous as an Oompa Loompa fighting a snozzwanger and expecting to win! Nobody should have to be strong all the time!" Willy exclaimed.

"I know, but Ronnie's just that way. I'm sure that's probably mostly my fault, since I can be very much that way myself," Sylvia said. "I feel bad that I didn't confront her sooner. When she said she was fine and probably just overworked and all, I believed her. After all, falling asleep in the middle of the day, snapping at someone for no reason, and not joking around as much as usual doesn't necessarily mean you're sick! Actually, what with the snapping and all, I thought that maybe she was just..." Willy trailed off, worried he might sound like he was complaining about women.

Luckily, Sylvia didn't seem to think that was the case at all. "PMSing?" she suggested. "Yeah, that. But then this morning, not long after we got up, she suddenly started crying out of the blue. When I asked her what was wrong, she said she didn't know. I don't know why, but that made me sense that maybe she wasn't so fine after all. Then when she came to your place just a bit ago, I knew for certain. I could just tell by her face that she wasn't feeling well," Willy said.

Sylvia didn't answer him at first. She was thinking about what Willy had told her about Ronnie's symptoms, along with what Ronnie herself had mentioned...and the conclusion she was coming to was one she could scarcely believe. From what Willy and Ronnie had said, she knew that Ronnie was tired, moody, and nauseated. Then, of course, there was the fact that Ronnie had thrown up, and that she had mentioned that it was the smell and sight of the seafood, normally one of her favorite types of food, that had made it happen. That combination of symptoms was very familiar to Sylvia, because she herself had experienced it several years earlier. Remembering what the cause of her symptoms had been, the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile. "Oh, my goodness! Could it be?" she said softly to herself.

"Could what be?" Willy asked. Sylvia wasn't sure what to say. She hadn't really been counting on him hearing her (which was the whole reason she had spoken so softly!). More importantly, she knew that for the time being at least, it would probably be best for her to mind her own business and keep her suspicion to herself! "Oh, nothing. Just thinking out loud," she finally said. Willy didn't look convinced, so she decided to change the subject. "Well, hopefully we can at least convince her to go to the doctor soon. If this has been going on for at least a few weeks, obviously it's not just a minor bug and she needs to get it checked out," she said.

Willy nodded. "When we go home tonight, I'm going to do what I can to talk her into contacting Sally tomorrow," he said (Sally was the Oompa Loompa who served as Ronnie's personal physician). "Good. And by all means, don't let her come to work tomorrow! Right now she needs her rest!" Sylvia said. "Don't worry. There's no way I'm going to let her go to work when she's in this condition!" Willy assured her. Sylvia smiled at her son-in-law. "Ronnie is very lucky to have you in her life," she said. Willy felt his cheeks flush. "Thank you," he said.

"You know, I think that the core of Ronnie's issue with not liking to admit when she's sick is that she just doesn't like admitting when SHE needs to be taken care of. I think in her mind, it's supposed to be she who takes care of others, not the other way around. Part of that is from me I'm sure, but I also think that part of it is from being single so long. I know she felt proud of the fact that she was a strong woman and was able to fend for herself. Unfortunately, that same pride caused her to forget that EVERYONE needs to be taken care of sometimes," Sylvia told the chocolatier.

Willy grinned. "You could say the same thing about me, except for the strong woman part," he said. Sylvia laughed. "I think that's part of why you two are such a good match," she said with a grin. By now, the two had finished their dinners. "It was great talking to you, Sylvia, but I think we'd better get home now. The sooner Ronnie is in bed, the better!" Willy said as he stood up. "I agree," Sylvia said.

The duo headed out into the living room so that Willy could collect Ronnie. "Starshine, its..." Willy started to say. But Sylvia cut him off by putting a finger to her lips and gesturing towards the couch. Willy looked over at it and saw immediately why Sylvia had motioned him to be quiet. Ronnie was fast asleep.

A/n: Well, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter of Uncertainty! I am hoping that this story will be as enjoyable to you as Confusion was.

Chapter 2 Preview: Willy has to figure out how to get Ronnie back to the factory without waking her, and Ronnie deals with the frustrations of her ailment...as well as a strange midnight craving!