A/N: Since I'm not getting requests, I'll just keep writing my own one-shots.

Reminder: DO NOT request Oncest, I absolutely, positively, will NOT write it.

:D

(If you scrutinize this chapter with a microscope, you might be able to catch the small bit of Norma-ler here.)

I am just letting you know that I have NO IDEA what I did here...

~OS

The small truffula sprouts were shooting up through the grass. They were everywhere: in gardens, in the park, even outside of town!

Ted slowly rode his scooter along the winding roads of Thneedville, making his way to Audrey's house.

Carefully, making sure not to squash the little trees, he laid down the scooter and rang the doorbell. Three times. It had become their signal now, to let Audrey know that it was Ted at the door.

Today however, it wasn't beautiful Audrey that opened the door, it was her father.

"Looking for Audrey?" he asked with a smile. "She's down at the old man's place."

Ted took this to mean The Once-ler. He wondered why she was there without him. He picked up his scooter again, and started the journey outside of town.

As he passed through the entrance, which was now a giant archway giving free admittance to anyone entering or leaving the town, he smelled the air. It wasn't dirty and smoggy anymore, it was sweet, with a little sharp scent to it, a little like cinnamon.

The giant machine which had nearly chopped his head off the first time he was here had been removed, probably by The Once-ler with Grammy Norma's help. He didn't understand why she was there so much. Every time he went to see him, his grandma would ask to come too. He supposed it had something to do with the fact that she knew him from before.

He rode faster, passing under the newly blue skies with no expression. He had gotten used to it.

Suddenly, he saw a flash of red. Audrey, sweet, nice, Audrey didn't have a scooter and had probably walked the whole way here. That explained why she was right in front of him and he was about to crash-

He screeched to a halt, startling her, as she jumped a little.

"Want a ride?" he asked.

"Sure, why not," she said with a smile.

As he pulled up in front of the Lerkim five minutes later, she grabbed him off the scooter and nearly dragged him to the backyard.

"Why-"

Giving no answer, she merely smiled again and put a finger to her lips, signalling him to be quiet as they walked into the backyard.

He gasped as he saw the sight, the beautiful painting on the back wall. This explained where she had been the past few months, every day she hadn't been home after six. He had noticed, but he had never asked, scared of the answer of what she'd done for those two hours.

Now he saw. He saw the trees brought to life agin on yet another wall, but this time blending in with the scenery around it. Ever since Audrey was able to actually see the trees, and not just hear about them from her late grandmother, her paintings had improved past what Ted thought was humanely possible. For a short while he had, in fact, considered the possibility that Audrey was an angel. But it had passed from his mind after the thought of her being dead sickened him.

But now he wondered.