Nothing as It Seems

III For Matt

Summary: He knew his place in the world, or he thought he did. They were all there, then they were gone.

He doesn't know what to believe anymore, everything he thought he knew was gone. Everyone he knows... fake. His Life.... A Lie. Open your eyes Squall, open your eyes....

Disclaimer: I Own Grace Mathers, and the doctors around the facility and I own the facility

Rating: R for language

Squall sat in his arranged room, like he had any other choice. They, who ever they were had locked his door and weren't letting him out any time soon. This wasn't right. Fake life or not, he was still human, and he still had human rights. Squall took the metal chair he had and banged it against the door, over and over.

There was a buzz, and someone spoke over a one way intercom. "Squall, could I ask you to stop that. I kn.."

"No you cannot," he answered, and continued his stress relieving activity.

"Squall, I know you are not happy with what is being provided but would it make you feel better if I sent in a familiar face?" Squall burst out laughing as he looked around the room for the camera. "Who do you think you could send in?!" He laughed. "Selphie Kramer, the Supervisor's daughter? Zell Dincht?! Or is it Mathers. How 'bout Laguna the contest winner! No! Even better!" He screamed now fully realizing he was alone in this world. For now, forever. "Why don't you send General Caraway's daughter in here. Being the identical model of my future wife, we should get along GREAT!" Squall crumpled to the floor in a mess of sobs and tears. What was there left in this world for him? He was a demonstration for something he knew nothing about. He was played his whole life and in actual fact, he hadn't really lived. Who the fuck were his real parents, and how the hell could they do something like this. He hadn't met his birth parents yet but he already had his long-lasting impression about them. Tears continued to roll down his cheek as he fell further into the deep hole of depression with nothing to stop him.

The door lock was opened and Grace stepped into Squalls room after witnessing his tantrum. Feeling compelled to do something; she sat down beside him against the wall.

"Squall," she said gently. "Is there anyone you can think of on your file I didn't give a reference to?" He turned his glossy blue eyes and tear-socked face to her. Why you go and look it up?

"But think about it, I named off a number of people and made references to real people for them, but was there any I missed?" He paused for a second. She had said everyone in the file was real, so... we have Rinoa, Selphie, Zell and Irvine from the main grope as, Caraways daughter, Supervisor's daughter, Grace's brother and Oil owner's son. There's Kiros and Ward. Laguna and Ellon and who else....? Squall wracked his brain to think of the name missing. It was someone close. Someone important. Someone female. A light went on in his head. "I... Is Quistis here?"

Grace smiles and stood up. "Well, lets go see shall we?"

She sat alone in her room, in whatever building she was in, on whatever street, in the country of whatever on whatever the name of the planet she was on. It was so confusing. The last thing she remembers was Squall, flipping out from something at his engagement party. The day before the party she was helping Rinoa pick out a dress with Selphie and Irvine and now? Now she sits alone looking at a photo of the grope at the party after Ultimecia defeat. But that never happened, and the photo was a clip from her memory printed on Kodak film paper. Quistis held the picture close to her and laid on her bed, tears streaming down her face.

Grace knocked on the door to the room five away from Squall's.

"Hello, Quistis? It's Grace, mind if I come in? There's someone here to see you,"

There was a pause. Sniff "Do I have a choice?" the quiet voice from inside questioned. "Well, if you don't like who you see, we can leave,"

There was another pause. "Fine," Grace punched in the code, the door unlocked and she walked in. Quistis was lying on her bed, face buried in her pillow. He had to see her face. Squall thought, to believe it was his former instructor and fellow SeeD.

She leaned her head and looked at Grace. "You brought me a Squall clone? That is it. I've had it!" Quistis screamed sitting up. Tears retraced the tracks down her cheeks from previous tears. "Put me back, Put me back in the game. I want to talk to Selphie again, I want to laugh at Squalls antisocial attitude, and I want to break up Zell and Seifer from yet another fight. I want it all back!" She shirked. "I am a cowered, I can't face this alone! I want my computer-generated life back. I will live in denial like the cowered that I am but don't give me this, this fake," Quistis glared at Squall with more hatred he thought she could possess.

"Well, as I said earlier, we will leave." Grace headed for the door. Squall wasn't so easily kicked out.

"Quistis, it's me, Squall. You have to believe me," he knelt down in front of her sitting on the bed.

"Stop it! How dare you use his voice to me. I asked you to leave you freak. What's giving you emotion and voice huh? A computer chip in your head or back? How can you even pretend to be human let alone Squall? You are a soulless shell. You have no free will; you do as your creator tells you too. So do not ask me to listen to you. Get out. Now!" Squall couldn't believe this. He grabbed her arms and pulled her onto the floor face to face with him. "Look into my eyes Quisty and tell me to leave. If you do then I'll uh," Tears streamed down his face for the second time that day. "I'll leave and never bother you again,"

"I am telling you to leave, so go," She whimpered.

"Just please, look,"

There was a long silence as Quistis looked into Squalls eyes. The dark blue eyes expressed deep sadness and hopelessness for the situation. She stood up. "Please leave," sniff

Squall got up and turned to leave without a second glance. "Good Bye Instructor," Grace was soon to follow and Quistis saw them out. She watched them go down the hall and stop at Squall's room. "It's okay Squall, give her some time," Grace tried to comfort him and put her pale hand on his muscular shoulder. Within the second of contact Squall jolted out of her grip and slammed the door to his room. Grace walked away.

Quistis left her door opened and sat on her bed. What if that was him? Clones don't show emotion, they don't think. They're like computers, only as smart as they're programmed to be. She could believe him and go talk to him or she could stay here and talk to a wall. Quistis mentally chuckled. It reminded her of a time when she thought she liked Squall and tried to tell him and he told her to talk to a wall. Well he certainly wasn't telling me to talk to a wall this time.

Quistis dried her eyes and exited the room. She tried to argue with herself on weather or not this was the right thing to do but before long she found herself ready to knock on the door.

A clone? She thought he was a clone? Besides being insulted, he was hurt. Maybe he didn't show enough expression on a regular basis to be distinguished from a real clone. Fucking Grace and her stupid ideas. What if Quistis is the clone? And she didn't know it? That was too complicated to even start thinking about. Squalls not very complex conversations with himself were disturbed with a knock at the door. Not again. "Grace, go away. I don't want your pity, ideas or information, I want to be left alone," The door opened anyway and Quistis stood in the hall. Squall sat up but that's as far as he got.

"I... I figured I'd ra... rather talk to a possible clone than... than a wall," Quistis spoke timidly, fearing rejection. Squall stood up and walked to the door. He didn't say anything. He didn't have to. Quistis ran up and wrapped her trembling arms around him. "I'm sorry," She sobbed "Everything's just so confusing and complicated and I didn't know what to believe,"

Squall hugged her tight. "It's okay. I'm more lost then you are. We just have to..."

"Stay together," She said, finishing his sentence as she once use to do.

"Alright," Squall began when the hug ended. "What is the last thing you remember?" He invited her in and the door closed behind them.

Grace was proud of her self. She had successfully reunited two of her project beings. One more thing to do and she's move on to her next project, Reintroduction.

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Matt1Plus1 who I thought forgot about me but when I got his review this afternoon I was inspired to write more. So, matt, I hope you like it.

I also hope I didn't get Quistis and Squall too out of character. I saw all this playing in my head and it seemed right so... there is a lot of crying I admit but if you woke up and realised you weren't going to see any of the people you knew again, wouldn't you cry? Neways

L.Y.L.A.F.F.R. Luv ya Like A Fan Fiction Reviewer

OceanGurl