Notes: I'm having so much fun writing this! Oh, and flames will be used to toast my marshmellows so don't even bother. I am thinking of putting the lemon in this chapter. I don't know, maybe I should make you guys sweat it out a little more....*grins* I don't know, out of 200 people reading it, only a measly 8 reviewed. Thanks to those that CARE! *grin intensifies*

Terminal Recovery

Chapter Seven - Eavesdropping

By Tori Singer

I stay completely still, my heart pounding in my chest. I grip the top of my blanket tightly, trying to bring myself to turn around. My eyes dart to the foot of the bed when I feel someone sit down. I try to steady my breath, but it refuses to listen and keeps coming out in short gasps.

I lean up a little bit, daring a look at the bed. I jump back when someone suddenly appears in front of me.

"Do you love him?" I hear a soft voice ask. I stare at the blue figure in front of me. The ghost was a male as I thought. He looked to be about 15 or so, I couldn't tell. I shook a little, registering that he said something. The ghost tilts it's transparent head to the side and glares.

"I said, do you love him?" He insisted, narrowing his eyes at me. I feel totally freaked out, staring at the boy. I gulp and open my mouth, but no words come out. The ghost sighs.

"Oh, are you upset with all the stuff I've been doing to you? I'm sorry." He says quickly, causing me to frown. This kid was the ghost that has been making my life a living Hell?!

"You're sorry?" I blurt out, mentally kicking myself. The ghost nods.

"Yeah, I just didn't like you at first. But, you surprised me. You love that brunette, do you not?" He tilts his head again. I blush, thinking about Squall. I think about what he said. Do I love Squall? Am I IN LOVE with Squall? Loving and being in love are two different things. I didn't know.

"I'm not sure yet." I whisper, looking down at the sheets in front of me. I hear the boy sigh.

"Well, you better hurry up and make up your mind! This is getting good!" He giggles at me. I feel a cold shiver at the sound of his laugh. I didn't know what to think really, what with a GHOST on my bed and all. Much less talking about my love life with Squall. I gulp, what was this boy planning?

"Are you gonna fuck him?" I jump at the ghost's indecent question.

"What?!" I blurt, feeling offended. The boy only laughs.

"Oh come on, I see the way you two are! You're dying to have him fuck you, right?" He grins at me, making me uncomfortable with the conversation.

"That's none of your business." I tell him, immediantly regretting it. He glares at me angrily.

"Fuck you, man!" The ghost disappears in a puff of smoke. I let out a sigh in relief. It's cut short when my bed starts shaking. I grip my pillow tightly and I don't move. The bed vibrates out of control, shaking it's way toward the wall. I try to hold on as it shakes and turns around the room. If I wasn't so freaked out, I'd think it was fun.

"Stop!" I holler, causing the bed to vibrate harder. After what seemed like hours, it finally stops. I let my breath out in a huff, blowing my bangs up. My heart still wouldn't stop pounding. I run a hand through my hair, trying to calm down. Just when I think it's safe, I hear another sound. It sounded like a record player.

Suddenly, a song starts playing. I recognize it immediantly. It was....Elvis? The melody 'Love me Tender' belted out, filling the room. I looked around for the record player that was the cause of this sound. I see none. I am a little unnerved at the melody playing in my room. I stand and rush to the door. I don't remember shutting it after it had opened....

I grab it and I try to open it. It doesn't budge. My heart skips a beat. What was this boy's game? Why was he forcing me to listen to Elvis? I liked Elvis, don't get me wrong, but the situation just further added to my fear. I went back to my bed, which was now located next to my dresser. I didn't bother moving it.

I pulled the sheets over my head, trying to drown out the haunting melody. It was so sad, this was a lovely song. When the song ended, I sighed in relief. Once again I was proved wrong as the song started playing again.

"What?" I said aloud, shoving my pillow against my ears. I wanted to sleep, but instead I'm visited by a perverted ghost and am forced to endure a night of 'Love me Tender'. I don't remember when I fell asleep....

I awake to silence. Golden silence. I peek over the covers. My bed is still next to my dresser, proving that it wasn't a dream after all. I sit up and look around. The room was completely quiet. I sit on the edge of the bed before standing up shakily. I felt a cold chill run through my body. I shiver, why was it so cold in here?

I shake as I rummage through my closet. I grab a shirt and a pair of bluejeans. Too bad I didn't pack any sweaters. But, Winhill is a desert town, why would it be so cold in here? I dress quickly, the cold air seeping through my thin clothes. I pull on my sneakers and fix my hair. I didn't know how I was going to face Squall today. Maybe I should just go downstairs and demand that he fuck me. Nah, I don't think that would come out good for me in the end...

I walk over to the door and I pull the knob. I almost scream when it doesn't open. I pulled harder. It didn't budge. The knob would turn, it wasn't locked. But, it was like something was holding it.

"Let me out!" I holler into the room. I get no reply but the door squeaks open. I stare at it for mere moments before dashing out of there. The door slams behind me of it's own accord. I quickly move away from the room, rushing down the stairs. My breathing doesn't slow down until' I spot Squall in the kitchen. I walk toward him.

I stopped midway, though. He looked so sad.... What was wrong with him? He was standing next to the table, biting the tip of his thumb and staring down at nothing. Did that fucking ghost do something to him?! I jog into the kitchen, determined to get to the bottom of this.

"Squall?" I stand next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He inhales loudly, facing me. I didn't know I'd catch him off guard, though. He relaxes when he looks at me.

"Z-Zell..." He mumbles, making me arch an eyebrow.

"Are you alright?" I ask, dragging him to the couch. He doesn't resist my touch, that's good. I sit him down and I plop next to him.

"Alright, tell me what's wrong!" I insist. I try not to think about my own problem, a little teenaged elvis loving problem. Squall finally looks at me, his eyes a little unfocused.

"I...." He starts. I lean forward, urging him on. He looks away.

"I'm so sorry, Zell." He tells me. I grab his arm.

"For what? I just wanna know what the hell's going on!" I practically shout. Squall sighs.

"I'm sorry that I didn't believe you." He finally comes clean. My eyes widen. I worry for my best friend.

"What did he do to you?" I whisper, hoping that it was just a false alarm that my heart's beating this rapidly. I stare in shock as Squall smiles so sweetly at me. It was almost as frightening as my frequent ghostly visitor.

"Opened my eyes." He murmurs before grabbing me. I yelp and struggle, only to be blown away by the feel of Squall's lips. He was all over me, I couldn't think straight. His hands were running up and down my chest and back, pulling me so much closer to him. I lean my head back, hoping he'd attack my neck.

He suckled at the sensitive skin on my shoulder, going up to my neck. I was so ticklish that it felt super erotic with his lips. I let a moan escape my lips, tangling my fingers in his hair. I lay back on the couch, pulling Squall down on top of me. I feel his hand cup my growing erection.

"Ah!" I gasp out in surprise. He rubs me flatpalmed, driving me insane. I start pulling on his shirt, wanting him now. I stop suddenly as a familar song starts to play....

'Love me tender. Love me true....'

I hear him laugh in my ear. A chill shot up my spine. That was NOT Squall's laugh.....

He laughed again, leaning up. I scream and back away from the person in front of me. I scoot to the edge of the couch, eyeing the figure. Squall's eyes had turned a pale blue and they were glowing so abnormally...

"Who?" I let out meakly as I stumble backwards onto the floor. Suddenly Squall fades and the boy from last night appears. I narrow my eyes.

"You!" I holler, feeling angry and violated. The boy floats into the air, mock sitting indian style. His clothes were ragged and torn. He was wearing a black t-shirt with a white skull on it. His bluejeans had holes in the knees and his sneakers looked torn and dirty.

"Just who are you?!" I asked, feeling my anger begin to lose control. The boy smirks at me and I'm briefly reminded of Seifer. His hair was short and dark, a little spikey at the top. He had a pretty innocent face that seemed to hide so much more...

"My name is Joey." He states plainly. I hear nothing more except the song that was mysteriously playing. I look up at 'Joey'.

"Why are you doing this?" I ask him, wanting explainations. Joey frowns at me and turns away.

"I don't like it when people are used..." He says vaguely. I shake my head in confusion.

"W-what?" I ask, wanting straight answers. The boy just shakes his head at me.

"You don't understand, do you? What it feels like?" I still didn't understand.

"To love." He says after a while. I step back. What was he getting at?

"Do you love Squall?" He asks me for the third time. I cross my arms across my chest and I ponder. I knew he wanted the truth. I look up at him, not feeling so angry anymore.

"I don't want to rush these feelings. I don't know if this is love, but I feel so happy around him. Do ya' understand?" I tried to get my situation across to him. He frowns at me.

"If you weren't sure that you loved him, then why'd you jump at the oppurtunity to sleep with him?" He narrows his eyes at me. I open my mouth but no words come out. I couldn't answer that without sounding like a bitch. I look away instead. He doesn't like that.

"You better be careful, Zell!" He threatens me before fading away. I remain rooted to the spot, not knowing what to do next. Why did I have to draw that short straw...?

I sigh before running my fingers through my hair. Joey did have a point. I'm not sure if this is the real deal of love or if it's a passing bout of lust. I'm pretty damn sure that I don't want a one night fling with Squall, that much was for certain. But, soul partners? A couple? Husbands? I don't know about that yet...

I'm brought out of my thoughts by footsteps. I look up at the doorway and I see my friend standing there. He looked as white as a sheet. I'm immediantly at his side.

"Squall?" I inquire. He looks at me with a shocked expression.

"Who was that?" He asks simply, looking at me with a pleading face. I step back. Squall heard the whole conversation? I turn away from him.

"H-how long were you there?" I asked, hoping he'd tell me the truth. I listen as Squall walks past me, to the kitchen.

"I had walked to the stairs when an old Elvis song started to play..." He trailed off. I gulped, that meant he'd heard the whole thing.... Well, at least he didn't see me necking with a damn spirit that was disguised as him. I don't know if he would've handled that.... I almost laugh at the thought.

"So you believe me then? About this house?" I ask, walking into the kitchen after him. He sighs from his place in front of the sink.

"I guess...that I always did, but I just didn't want to be proved wrong." His confession stuns me. I wanted to say 'I told you so' but that just wouldn't have been appropriate.

"Ummm..." I forgot what I was going to say. I didn't know WHAT to say.

"What...does Joey want, do you think?" I almost didn't hear him, he'd whispered it. I shrug.

"I have no idea but he won't leave me alone." I say, frustrated with the whole situation. Squall walks up to me and wraps his arms around my shoulders. I don't say anything, I just place my head on his shoulder.

"I heard what he said, about you being careful...." I furrow my brow. He continues.

"I..don't want you to get hurt, Zell." He finally says. I wrap my arms around his waist, forcing the tears back. I didn't want to cry in front of Squall. I didn't know what to do, so I just stood there, letting him hold me. It felt like a touch of understanding. Finally, Squall pulled back and looked at me.

"Do you want to go back to Garden early?" He asks me, looking at my face with pure seriousness. I almost jump on him screaming 'yes' but I shake my head.

"No, I want to know what he's up to." I say, wanting to smack myself to Hell. Squall frowns at me.

"Zell, are you absolutely sure?" He begs me. I feel myself starting to lose my nerve. I shook my head and turned away from him.

"Something happened to that boy and I wanna know what it is." I finally say, surprising even myself. I hear Squall sigh, and he places his hands on my shoulders.

"Just....be careful, ok? I'm here for you, alright?" I hear him whisper the last part. I turn in his arms and I grin up at him.

"Really? You'll help me get to the bottom of this?" I pout. Squall sweatdrops.

"Uh, I meant, um..." Too late, he'd walked into it. I bounded to the stairs.

"Check around the rooms, look for anything that'll help, I guess." I shrugged, I didn't know if we'd find anything, but it was worth a shot. I grin as Squall sighs and rubs his forehead. He's probably wondering how to get out of this. I add another point to my mental scoreboard.

I trudge up the stairs, doubting my decision. Maybe it would've been smarter to get the Hell outta here while we were safe. Too late for that, I'm too involved in this. If I went home now, I'd never think about anything else. I reach the top of the stairs; I notice one of the doors open. It was Xu's room. Or, Joey's room....

I walked inside the room, not knowing what to expect. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. I looked around the room a bit before rummaging through dresser drawers. I didn't find anything useful, just some women's clothing. I sighed in frustration before looking under the bed. I come up with a few dustbunnies, nothing to get excited over.

The only other place to look was in the closet. I walked over and opened it up. The smell of mildew assaulted my nose. I grimaced and pushed the clothing out of the way. There was nothing in there. I shut the door and went to leave the room.

The door slams shut, barring my exit. Okaaaaay. Apparentally there WAS something in there. I glanced around the room again, looking for something I may have overlooked. There was a bed, a dresser, a closet and a desk. The desk. I didn't look there. I walked over, scanning the top of it. There were papers everywhere.

I picked one up and looked at it. It was an orderform from Garden, probably Xu's. I looked through the rest of the papers, but they all belonged to Xu. I started opening the drawers, determined to find SOMETHING.

Nothing important, just a few keepsakes that were probably Xu's. I run my hand alongside the bottom of the desk. My fingers brush something. I feel around, my fingers brushed against something taped to the bottom of the desk. I pull it loose and bring it into the light.

"A key..." I mumble, turning the small, silver key around in my hands. I whirl around when the door eases open. I earned my freedom.

"What do you think it goes to?" I ask Squall, who was sitting at the kitchen table, looking over the object I'd found. He looked at it some more before looking at me.

"I'd say it goes to a chest or a jewelry box or something. It's too small for a door or a car." I frown, I don't remember seeing anything like that in the house. Squall had searched the bottom level of the house thoroughly but didn't find anything. I sighed, now what?

"Well, I guess we search the upstairs again." Squall says, handing me the key. I glanced out the window after I put the key in my pocket. It was getting late in the afternoon. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I jumped when the phone rang. Phone? I didn't know we even had one....

I follow the sound into the living room, Squall behind me. I narrow it down to the table next to the TV. On top of it, a black, old fashioned turn dial phone sat ringing away. I looked at Squall before answering it.

"Hello?" I answer, wondering who the Hell it was. I hear deep breathing on the other end.

"Um, hello?" I try again, getting a little freaked out.

"Stay away from that house." The phone slams down, hurting my ear. I put the phone back on the cradle and I look at Squall. He stares, waiting for me to say something.

"I don't know who it was but they sounded familar." I couldn't put my finger on who the voice belonged to, but I knew I'd heard it before.

"He said to stay away from here." I told him. Squall frowned before placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Sure you don't wanna just leave?" I was beggining to think that he was scared. Hell, I was scared shitless about the whole thing but I couldn't just turn tail and run. Goes against my nosy style.

"I'm staying, you can leave if you want." I say, hoping like Hell that he didn't. Squall sighs and turns away.

"I wouldn't leave you here alone for anything, you know that." Actually I didn't but I wasn't gonna ruin the moment.

"Squall..." I couldn't think of anything to say. Squall turns to me, a worried look on his face.

"When did things get so damn complicated." He whispers. I rush up to him and I wrap my arms around him. I didn't know what it was about this man, but he made me weak and strong at the same time. The power of love? I ponder this as he hugs me back.

"What now?" He asks me, running his fingers through my hair. I didn't know, honestly. I sigh in his arms. I didn't want it to end. We had to pull away eventually, though. Squall cleared his throat and headed to the kitchen. I shifted from foot to foot, not knowing what to do. I didn't even know where to look for the 'thing' that needed this key. It wasn't in Xu's room, that was sure. I could always check out me and Squall's room.

It was better than doing nothing, I suppose. Well, I had a few things that I wanted to do but Joey's words kept coming back to haunt me. 'Why sleep with him if you don't love him?' I could just hear him bitching at me. Wait a damn minute! Since when do I let someone tell me what to do?! Just who does Joey think he is!? I march into the kitchen, my anger flairing.

Who said that he could judge when I wanted to kiss Squall? When I wanted to make love with him?! I grabbed Squall's shoulder and spun him around. He dropped the glass to the floor, glass shattering and water spilling across the floor. I put my hands on his cheeks and looked at his completely shocked expression. I wiped it off of him with my mouth.

I closed my eyes and just stood there, letting my lips tell my story. I ran my tongue along his lower lip, seeking. He parted his lips, letting me in. I moaned into his mouth as I stood on tiptoe, delving into his hot mouth. I tasted his breath, it was one of mouthwash. I didn't know what mine tasted like and didn't wanna know.

"Zell." He whispered when I pulled back. I pushed against him again, not giving him time to speak anymore. I tangled my fingers in his hair, frustrated tears rolling down my face. I guess everything was catching up with me. I felt Squall pick me up; I wrapped my legs around his waist. I don't know how he managed to get up the stairs. I started caressing his neck with my lips and tongue so he could see in front of him.

"Squall..." I breathed on his neck as he kicked his door open. Suddenly I'm on my back on his bed. I stare up at the man I wanted. He looked at me, his face flushed with arousal. He jerked his shirt off, showing off his well toned chest. I kicked off my shoes and got up on my knees. I'd dreamed about this moment for years, why wasn't I more nervous than I was?

I captured his lips again, letting him control it this time. His tongue was like fire against mine. We swirled together in a mixing of saliva and our souls. I fumbled for his buttons, trying to get his pants off, now. I unzipped his jeans, afraid that he'd run if I broke contact with him.

"Zell." He breathes out when I pull his jeans down. I'm pleased that he was wearing nothing underneath. I stare at his erection in front of my face. I left his jeans around his knees. It made him seem more vulnerable that way. I attacked his shaft, gripping the base with my hand and licking the tip. He grabs my hair and moans, urging me on. I dip my mouth down a little lower, feeling his cock in my mouth.

I traced the soft veins on his member with my tongue, sparks of excitement running through me with each moan he makes. I want him to remember this moment, I want him to remember me. I vibrate my lips by humming, pleased when his knees buckle. He holds onto my shoulders, unable to stand on his own. I pull back, much to his disappointment. I grab his waist and I pull him onto the bed.

I straddle his hips before kissing him again. I run my hands down his chest, tracing his nipples with my fingers. He hisses in my mouth, causing me to run my fingers lower. I tease his pubic hair a bit, twirling it around in my fingers. It's rather fine and silky, not what I expected. I lean up and I smile down at Squall. Only, it wasn't Squall.

Joey looked up at me with fear in his eyes.

"Stop!" He hollers. I don't move.

"Why did you do it!?" He screams at me, tears running down his cheeks. I'm confused.

"Why'd you do it, Mikey!?" I am pushed by an unknown force. I fall off the bed and that's all I remember.

End of chapter 7.

Notes: *Dodges shit flying at her* Sorry! I was forced to end this chapter early. I have a doctor's appointment in the morning! Sorry! Oh well, the plot thickens! Heh heh heh.

-Tori

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