Norma took quickly to pointing out all the beauties of the valley to Once-ler. She'd point out a flower with colors fading in and out, blending together in colors that mimicked blue of the sky and the gold of the stars on a clear night.

Being around Norma made Once-ler's heart flutter, his cheeks still rosy when she'd kiss him. The kisses were filled with so much feeling he wondered if he might float away with the breeze. He tried to concentrate on work, on biggering, but every time he did, Norma seemed to have found something so amazing that they had to see it right then.

He was in wonder by the way she looked so lovingly at the valley and the animals. Pipsqueak had taken a fondness to her as she always remembered to sneak him a few marshmallows from Once-ler's secret stash. At least it was a secret until Norma found it.

Norma stayed in the little cottage that would have been taken down had she not arrived when she did. Once-ler offered for her to stay with him, albeit shyly but she declined. She believed fully in waiting until marriage before moving in with a significant other.

All in all, their life was filled with romance and adventure. In Once-ler's eyes, it was the perfect reality of what he wanted, Norma, the approval of his mother, and for his thneed to be a success.

But in Norma's eyes, life was far from perfect.

…

"I'm going out for a walk in the valley. I'll be back in an hour." Norma called as she stepped down the many steps to the valley floor. Once-ler said nothing, his head deeply buried under an enormous stack of papers. She looked back once before shutting the glass door behind her and hurrying down the steps.

Racing across the valley, she followed a path she'd been going for weeks, every Tuesday and Thursday. She stopped suddenly by the river and started running once again, up a hill and down again, the possible view of her now completely gone.

"Right on time as always." The Lorax stood leaning against a truffula, his eyes glued to the tree trunk right near him. The tree was gone, of course. The tuft had been taken along with its striped wood. Norma hesitantly walked to the stump, saddened by the loss of another tree. Just days ago, the tree had been untouched.

"Why are you staring at it?" Norma asked, curiously. She placed a stone around it as taught to do by The Lorax.

"It's 172 years old. I've counted the rings. It was one of the older ones. And now it's just… gone." The Lorax barely whispered the last word, almost in disbelief, almost in heartbreak. Norma placed a comforting hand on The Lorax's shoulder, all the while frowning in discontent.

Norma kneeled to the ground by the stump and whispered quietly, "From death should bring new life. Let what's to come flourish, blooming like a flower in May, let it radiate life, what's gone to this fallen tree." She rose from her position and added a few more stones to its burial.

"How has the plan been going? Has Beanpole slowed production?" The Lorax asked her, his eyes flittering in the direction of the factory.

Norma's breath hitched a second before answering with one word. "Somewhat." She turned to face The Lorax. "I've been dragging him around the valley to keep him from getting paperwork done. He has an enormous stack of papers on his desk. I've been doing my very best." The Lorax nodded approvingly pulled a bag of marshmallows from behind him.

"Good. Good. By the way, thanks for the marshmallows. With him chopping my trees, the animals haven't had as much to eat. The marshmallows have sufficed for now. Now you best be gettin' back to him before he suspects anything. And I'm sure you're missing him too." Norma leaned down and engulfed The Lorax in a hug before standing once again and trotting off in the direction of the factory.

…

Once-ler looked at the papers before him. They were filled with orders and things to sign. He currently looked at a paper having to do with the completion of his factory. He'd need to approve the workers to break ground and officially start working on the machinery. He raised his hand to sign but was stopped at the sudden opening of the door.

"I'm back!" Her voice called out as she stepped inside. She made her way to Once-ler and reached for his hand. She hoisted him out of his seat and planted her lips right on his, knowingly distracting him from something important.

When they pulled away, Once-ler's face was seized by a goofy, lovesick expression. The pen in his hand forgotten and dropped, he spoke. "Those surprise kisses are really something else…" Norma giggled at his blushing expression and purposely sat in his large chair. Looking at her, Once-ler couldn't help but think how absolutely tiny she looked compared to it. And then he smiled. "What are you doing in my chair? Come to take over my business have you?"

"Nope!" Norma giggled, popping the 'p'. "Spin me! We used to do this all the time when we were kids! Remember?"

…

"Spin me! I wanna go real fast! Like the rides at the carnival!" Norma exclaimed at Once-ler as she sat in her father's office chair, practically bouncing in the seat. Once-ler laughed and complied, spinning the chair as fast as his thin arms would allow him.

A series of "Whee!" came from the spinning chair, blurs of brown, pink, and green seen as the chair spun round and round. The chair slowly halted to a stop and Norma giggled, her brown curls bouncing as she did so. "Ok! Your turn! Do you want me to spin you fast? Or SUPER fast?" Once-ler placed his finger to his chin in thought.

"Hm… fast." He finally answered. Norma grinned as he took his seat in the chair. She grabbed hold of the edge and readied the chair for a speedy spin. With all her strength, she spun the chair as fast as she could. The colors Once-ler wore blurred together as he spun. "This is super-fast!" he cried out, his voice quivering from the speed.

Norma giggled but grabbed hold of the chair and slowed it to a medium speed. "You're such a wuss, Once-ler! But I like you anyways." With that, the two children continued spinning, their laughter filling the room with brightness comparable to the sun.

…

Once-ler seemed caught in the memory, almost forgetting where he was until he looked at Norma to see her eagerly awaiting a good spin. He grinned cheekily and spun the chair round and round, laughing freely, without a care in the world. Norma laughed with him, tears streaming down her face as the force whipped at her eyes.

When the chair slowed to a stop, Norma stood blinking her eyes and smiling once before looking up at Once-ler, towering over her. "Don't you just miss these things? Carefree fun without having to come back down to earth where there's stress of work? I know I do."

Once-ler paused and readied his answer just when the door to his office was thrown open.

"Oncie dear, the orders are piling up and we really need you to—Oh! Why hello Normie. So glad to see you again. Oncie, why didn't you tell me your little girlfriend was here? I could have taken her to get her hair done with me so you could concentrate on your work!" Once-ler's mother had come storming in and upon seeing Norma had glued a very fake smile to her face.

Norma pouted for a second before speaking directly to Once-ler's mother. "It's Norma. And it's fine, really. Once-ler doesn't mind me being around." Norma stood her ground, wearily eyeing her boyfriend's mother. She'd never gotten along with the woman, her always putting Once-ler down and treating him like a failure.

The southern drawl in her voice came out sharp, like a knife. "Well, we'll just have to get our hair done some other time, then, hm?" She turned her back and walked out the door, practically sneering. Norma could feel a snicker rising in her throat and fought it down but still wore a smug little grin upon her face.

Once-ler stood there awkwardly, scratching at the back of his neck. "So Norma… you were saying?"

Norma turned back to him. Momentarily forgetting what she was saying. "Hmm? Oh, nothing. Just a musing I've been thinking on lately. You know we should really go and see the animals soon. It's been a while since we've performed for Pipsqueak. We always did sing the best duets together."

Once-ler nodded sheepishly and sat down at his desk. "Yeah. Maybe tomorrow we could. I'd be nice to see Pipsqueak again. I just gotta get this paperwork done." Norma puckered her lips in a pout but remained quiet. She placed a hand on his shoulder and briefly kissed his cheek before walking out the office doors.

Just outside the doors were Once-ler's brothers, dim as ever but overall harmless. "Hi Norma!" They greeted brightly. Norma smiled slightly at them, waving her small hand in their direction.

She made her way past the kitchen, left of the knitting room and proceeded towards the bathroom. Once inside, she turned on the sink and splashed some water in her face. "What am I doing? How do I even go about this? I can't just go up to him and say, 'You should stop cutting down trees'. That wouldn't do anything." Norma muttered to herself in despair, her frown echoing her thoughts.

She looked out the window of the bathroom to the truffula trees. The sun was just setting, the same way it had upon her arrival. She turned away from the window and shut her eyes tightly. 'Who would have ever thought I'd be up to me to convince Once-ler to give up his dream?'

She sighed and left, through the halls once again and out the front door, on her way home to the little cottage in the distance, her thoughts torn between saving the place she'd grown to love and the man that had stolen her heart.

A/N: Sorry the chapter's a little late. Been a bit stacked with homework lately. The teachers at my school really don't relent even when it's only a month away from summer vacation. I hope you enjoyed! And more of Once-ler's family will be making an appearance very soon. Oh! And for the person who reviewed with 'hurry up' I've been a bit busy lately so I haven't exactly been able to fill that request. I'm glad you like the story though and I am thankful for that and the review.

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