l.o.t.m Thoughts: Um, hello, this is love.of.the.moonlight! Here is my first fanfiction for Twilight, "Shades of the Sunset". I don't really know how the fanbase here is...so if you like it, please review, and if you don't, I could post some empty document under the same title for your flaming-enjoyment. Also, this is kind ofAU with some minor original characters (don't worry - they won't steal Edward).

Disclaimer: I obviously do not own this. The only thing I own is the vast playground I call my mind.

Shades of the Sunset…

By: love.of.the.moonlight

Foreword:

Dissolve into memory. Allow every sense, every emotion to bleed away, while you sleep. While your life continues to be sustained, take the opportunity to revive your soul.

…Because I will watch over you for eternity.

…Because you will never lose this dream.

…Because no matter how many times we are lost, we are never truly finished.

We are intertwined in a way even insanity cannot explain.

1: Existence (Edward)

Day number 19,138.

Six thirty AM.

The first patient of the day - and she was new.

I could just feel the fatigue that today would cause, and it wasn't even mine. Still, I carried around a full mug of coffee for show.

A nurse fumbling with the keypad lock on the ivory white door prevented me from finishing my rounds. After repeatedly pounding the same five-digit code into the lock for the hundredth time, she cleared her throat, curling her right hand into a fist. I eyed her carefully, suppressing a laugh as she finally gazed up at me in wide astonishment.

Crap! Now he's going to think I can't do anything!

"Need help?" I offered smoothly, practically gliding over to her.

She gripped the metal door handle tightly while she pressed herself back into the wall. "Y-yes, please," she managed to squeak out.

"The code?"

62001… her thoughts hinted, slightly ashamed. "Um, six, twenty, zero-"

A minute beep cut her off. I was already given access. "Thank you…Claire." I nodded in gratitude to her briefly, glancing at her nametag before slipping into the room with cautious celerity. "Could you help me with room 477 at noon?"

"S-sure!" She stammered, blushing furiously. "Anything, doctor!" After she dashed off toward the elevator, I closed the door noiselessly with a sigh.

"Okay, good morning…" I spun around carefully, with great care not to scare the new patient. The dazzling wide grin prepared for the meeting was replaced with a grimace of displeasure. Yes, today would be exhausting, even for me…

The colorless cot appeared uninhabited - the sheets pressed tightly against the mattress, no visible wrinkles showing. The wash bin and drawer looked untouched, even if investigated for fingerprints. Only the vibrant red suitcase lent color to the seemingly arctic cell, and it rested, unzipped before the cot. This intrigued me.

Leisurely, I sauntered toward the bed. Step by step. Meticulously. I had seen this trick before, and knew exactly where the patient was, without even invading the mind.

For a moment, I lingered by the side of the bed, listening to the breathing and pulse that pounded rhythmically off of the walls. One of the benefits of these rooms was the unexpected and impressive acoustics. The beats were enthralling, almost feeling as if they were sinking through my skin, into my frozen veins. I was entirely and seriously intoxicated by the sensation - to the point where I felt my self-control slipping out of my grasp each second.

"Ah…ah-choo!"

The petite chirp broke me out of my thoughts. I shook my head to regain my awareness, and then bent down to peek under the bed. "Bless you," I whispered with a chuckle, setting my mug down gently on the grey and white checkered tile beneath me.

She stared at me, somewhat perplexed, with brown irises that rivaled the richness of the color of my coffee. Her small frame was pressed flat against the tile, the hairs on her arms proving that the floor was too chilly for comfort. A few strands of her long, full, auburn hair streaked across her face, clashing with her fair visage. Apart, the traits were awkward…but before me, it was heavenly.

Her creamy eyelids covered her precious chocolate eyes for the slightest moment while I observed in pure admiration. "Thanks." The voice was like a bell - minute at first, but with an intense crescendo through the reverberations.

I leaned back struggling with the abstruse attraction to her. "Please, why don't you come out and talk?" My voice was placid and honest, yet I could feel myself pleading inside.

She avoided me while she considered my offer, directing her watch to the bed directly above her. "I guess," she answered at last, rolling over and crawling out from underneath the bed.

I was already standing, stationed by the drawer to allow some distance between us. For a more natural tone to our encounter, I took a sip of the coffee. From my typical negligence, it was cold.

With an unreadable expression, she perched herself on the edge of the cot, studying her surroundings in open wonder. Her hands remained clutching the mattress, suggesting that she was apprehensive.

"So, what is your name?" I began, electing to give her a few more minutes before invading her thoughts.

"…Bella."

"Okay, Bella." I leaned my elbow against the drawer, striving to appear casual. "I'm Edward."

At that precise moment, she glanced up to meet my eyes. In all of the 19,138 days that I had spent here, I never felt a second pass as slowly as that one. Was it a call for help? Or an answer to my hopes for an angel to save me? I couldn't interpret it - but, perhaps it wasn't intended to be.

As she pulled away from my eyes, rouge tinted her cheeks. It gave her a healthy glow, like a blossoming flower. Timidly, she tugged on the sleeves of her grey sweatshirt, and cleared her throat. "Nice to meet you, Edward."

I nodded, observing her wordlessly. Still stunned, I brought the coffee mug up to my lips again, waiting for her to say anything else before the contents of her mind were unlocked to me. I took great pleasure in having this enigma before me, which created guilt in my conscience over what I had to do. But, I truthfully had no choice - if delving into her thoughts was the only way to help her, like the rest of the patients here, then I would do it.

"W-where…" She stuttered out, dazed. "Where am I?"

With a warm beam, I strode over to sit next to her on the bed. "Somewhere safe - I can promise you that."

Although her irises scanned the room in skepticism, her posture was relaxed as I settled in by her. "Fascinating…" she breathed out, closing her eyes to take it all in. This part of meeting a new patient always made me feel hollow. Nothing was simple about holding back the piece of me that could smother them with aid.

And the moment to read every aspect of her foreign life was now. I let all of my barriers that were keeping her out down and exhaled serenely, endeavoring to suppress my eagerness. She was within my reach in this instant…

Or so I thought. All I discovered was emptiness - sheer emptiness. It was as if no one existed in the room with me. No one at all.

Before You Go...: Please tell me if you like reading an author's extra ramblings orwould prefer if they give those words a better use (like writing the next chapter). I also hope that I'm not copying anyone's idea - I searched with my title and key words in a summary, but I think I'm fine.

-Sweet dreams, love.of.the.moonlight