AN: This story will be three chapters long. I feel like I should give a trigger warning for the second chapter, but I'm not really sure for what. Daddy issues?

I should also say here that I don't actually believe the Once-ler's dad would ever come back to see him if he had left. In fact, I don't really believe he left. I personally think he died. BUT fanfiction is here to fulfill our need to hypothesize and fantasize, and I'm guilty of that. Enjoy. :)

Disclaimer: The Lorax belongs to Dr. Seuss and Illumination Entertainment.

Don't Come Back

Part 1

The Once-ler's meeting room was even bigger than his office, but the large oversized oak table in the center always made it feel so small and cramped. With only a small scrape of his chair, he readjusted his long, rather stiff legs and leaned back, nearly hitting the wall behind him. Bored and sleepy-eyed, he allowed his eyes to dart across the room, taking in the fine upholstered seating, rich red curtains, and fine expensive carpet, an enormous crystal chandelier tinkling softly above them, sparkling in the dim light from the window.

It really was all very impressive, the Once-ler thought absently to himself as he leaned forward again, tearing himself from his observations to focus his attention on the man sitting directly across from him.

"...if we could get this plan squared by this Thursday, we could begin preparations no later than April,"the man was saying, looking at the Once-ler in a way that expected an answer.

"No,"the Once-ler answered immediately, "I want this done by tomorrow, and I will look over the plans myself if it means we can get plans done no later than March."

"Sir, that sounds...a little unreasonable."

"Not if I'm supervising,"he retorted.

"I beg your pardon, sir, but it just seems unrealistic for a businessman like yourself to supervise an entire construction plan of this magnitude,"the second man said, exchanging a skeptical look with his partner, "It would be much more prudent to let a professional do the job."

"You don't think I'm capable?"the Once-ler said, quirking an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't say that, sir. It's just you're so, uh..."

"Young?"the Once-ler finished, unsmiling.

"Maybe not...the most experienced in this field,"he amended with an apologetic smile. Long fingers rapped at the desk, his face serious and composed as he spoke.

"I designed this entire factory from floor to ceiling. I built every machine here myself, installed everything the factory needs, and still had time to run a business without breaking a sweat. And you really think a few building designs half the size of my factory are going to be too much for me?" Both men stared blankly at the Once-ler, eyes wide with amazement.

"By all means, sir,"the first finally said, folding his hands nervously together, "I can have a contract drawn up by tomorrow morning."

"Thank you,"the Once-ler replied cordially, leaning back in his chair as he sifted through a few forms on his desk, "Now, while we're here we should discuss"-

"Mr. Once-ler?" The two men jumped at the sound of a woman's voice seemingly coming out of the walls. Her voice was slightly muffled, as if it was being filtered through a speaker.

The Once-ler, unsurprised, sighed lightly, excused himself from the table and grudgingly stood up, going over to the side of a wall and pressing a small back button on the intercom.

"I'm in a meeting,"he grumbled into the receiver, tension and annoyance dripping from his voice.

"Sir, there's a Mr. Theodore here to see you,"his secretary's voice said back.

"I don't know any Theodore's,"the Once-ler snapped, growing impatient, "Please have him wait in the lobby for me like you would for any of my clients, if you will. Otherwise, please tell him to leave."

"Sir, he says he's your father. Theodore Once-ler?"

The silence that suddenly fell over the room was nearly tangible, crushing the green-clad man with the weight of everything that that one sentence could possibly mean, spreading from the tips of his fingers trickling down to his toes until his body feel like lead. He felt the puzzled stares from his two guests on his back as the silence dragged on and it slowly became painfully obvious that their host was deeply affected by this news. His lungs gave out, and he suddenly remembered how to breathe. He slowly opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again when he realized that no sound was coming out.

Slowly he managed to raise a shaking hand up to that little black button, pushing it down, willing words to come out when he knew they wouldn't. The intercom buzzed loudly as his secretary waited patiently for his answer, but still the Once-ler didn't let go of the button. Not until he had managed to clear his throat and hide the tremor. Not until he was sure he was composed enough to be able to speak with the same professional tone he was accustomed to using to hide his insecurities. There was nothing wrong. Nothing out of the ordinary. You can get through this.

"Alright...Please...have him wait for me in my office, if you would,"he finally said, his voice low and surprisingly calm as he finally released the button, pausing a moment so he could find where his legs were. He took one shaky step forward, his head spinning as he turned back to the two men still sitting at the table, staring at the Once-ler with a perplexed yet surprisingly concerned look on their faces.

The Once-ler was silent as he somehow found his way back to his chair, his eyes glazed and unfocused as he fought to keep his poker face, his whole body shaking and sweating as if he were suffering from a severe anxiety attack. He probably was.

"...Sir? You don't look well. Would you like to postpone?"one of his guests finally asked, the first to break the silence. The Once-ler shook his head slowly. Or at least, he thought he did.

"Mr. Once-ler, it's not a problem at all. We can continue tomorrow. You look ill."

"No." The Once-ler hated that he could barely speak. His words meant to come out sharp, commanding, reflecting the seriousness with which he upheld himself and his job. But all that came out was the voice of a child, meek and scared and shaking with the mere idea that his father, the source of so many fears, so many nightmares, so many unanswered questions, was lurking somewhere in his own factory.

"No,"he repeated, his voice only slightly remedied, "We continue." He felt ridiculous, he thought as he pretended to be preoccupied straightening the papers on his desk, his hands clearly shaking and his poker face already beginning to falter. He felt exposed, vulnerable to older, more experienced eyes and minds that secretly thought, no matter how hard he tried to prove otherwise, that he was still a child. And he was, he admitted shamefully to himself as he attempted to fold his hands over the desk, weak eyes and shaking hands betraying his insecurities that he liked to make believe weren't there.

"We're really already finished, 've already sent us the details of what you want in the contract, and we'll be sure to have it on your desk first thing in the morning." The Once-ler said nothing, eyes glazed and unfocused, his mind clearly elsewhere.

"Uh...sure. Alright,"he answered lamely, again shuffling with his papers with nothing else better to do, eyes darting anxiously around the room as he looked for something else to distract himself with since the meeting was obviously over.

"I take it you...haven't seen your father in a long time?"the second man spoke. The Once-ler hesitated, steadying himself.

"I, uh, no. No, no I haven't,"he replied breathlessly, long legs reaching the door before either men had even closed their briefcases, "Do you need assistance finding your way out, gentlemen?"

"Oh, no, no, sir, we'll be fine,"his guest said with a grateful smile. The Once-ler couldn't help but feel disappointed as he led them to the end of the hall, concentrating on simply not dragging his feet as one of them rambled on about something he was trying to tune out. He laughed when the other did, nodded and mumbled the appropriate phrases when he was expected to, but otherwise kept unusually quiet. By the time they were both gone, the Once-ler was in a cold sweat.

"Is he already in there?"he asked from across the hall, practically sprinting to his secretary's desk. The young woman peered up at him through thick round glasses, surprised to see her boss so disheveled.

"Er...yes, sir. He's waiting inside for you,"she answered, raising an eyebrow as the man leaned forward slightly, his hands gripping the desk tightly.

"What did he say? What did he want?"he asked, his voice high, almost hysterical.

"I don't know - he just came in and said he was looking for a Mr. Once-ler. I asked him if he had an appointment, and he said he didn't but that he was your father and that he wanted to speak to you. I told him he'd have to wait, but he persisted. That's when I called you." The Once-ler stared at his secretary, wide-eyed and horrified.

"Did he...did he look like me?'he asked slowly, barely breathing.

"Oh yes, sir. He could have passed as your twin if it weren't for all that gray hair,"she answered, peering up at him through those large glasses, "You haven't seen him in a while, have you, sir?" The Once-ler didn't respond, spinning once in place as if he didn't know which direction to choose.

"Oh gosh...oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh...,"he whispered quietly to himself, a hand fisting through his hair as he roughly shoved himself away from the desk, taking to pacing instead, "What do I do? What do I DO?"

His secretary couldn't help but stare, watching the man who carried himself with such obscenely delusional self-importance unravel at the seams, looking suddenly like a frightened child playing dress-up in a fancy green suit.

"Why don't you just go see what he wants?"she suggested.

"N-no, I-I can't!"he said, turning back to her, his hands still in his hair, knocking that ridiculously tall hat askew.

"If you want my opinion, sir, I think you need to take a few deep breaths and calm down, or else you're going to go bald prematurely,"she said, waiting until the Once-ler's hands had lowered to continue, "Second, I think there's a lot to be said by the fact that he came to you. I don't know your relationship with your father, sir, but I can't imagine he would be willing to speak face to face if it wasn't for something good." The Once-ler stared blankly at her for a moment, uncomprehending.

"Think about it. Would he come here of his own free will if he thought something bad would come out of it?"

"I-I don't know,"he answered truthfully, lowering his gaze.

"I don't think he would,"his secretary said with a gentle smile, "I think if he wanted to make you feel afraid to talk to him, he would have called." The Once-ler was quiet for a while as he thought about this.

"You're right,"he said finally, looking up, "This can only be a good thing." She offered him a sincere smile, glancing over at his office door with him.

"You'll be fine,"she assured him, "Just say what you need to say." The Once-ler nodded absently.

"Thank you,"he said, and he truly meant it. "Um...I'm sorry to keep bothering you,"he said with a nervous laugh, "But do I...look okay?" She tipped her head to the side as she looked him down, then suddenly rose to her feet and came around to the other side of the desk.

"You got your tie all crooked,"she commented lightly as she reached up to adjust it, "And you might want to readjust your hat there." The Once-ler complied quickly.

"Take deep breaths,"she reminded him, "Try to calm down. You're still shaking." The Once-ler obeyed, closing his eyes and allowing a few deep inhales to pass before his shoulders relaxed.

"That's better,"she said, stepping back.

"Thank you,"he said again with a grateful smile, "Uh...?"

"Norma,"she said with a small smile, "Good luck, sir." The Once-ler nodded stiffly, hesitating just a moment longer before finally turning and making his way slowly down the hall to the door of his office.

The Once-ler paused just outside, sucking in a deep breath and closing his eyes. Slowly exhaling, he let his hands fall calmly at his sides, tilting his chin a little higher, straightening his tie. He was the Once-ler, the CEO of Thneed Inc. Whoever was waiting for him behind that door wasn't going to get to him.

The door fell open a little too easily, and the Once-ler had no choice but to step inside to face the man that was leaning against the side of his desk, long arms folded across his chest as he turned to face his son.