Author's Notes: AU/Slightly OOC: What if Edward was real? What if he was really real? Rated for future Lemons.

This is my first FanFiction attempt and it's from my point of view. I find that as a reader, I'm very selfish and I wanted Edward all to myself. This Fic is a manifestation of that wish.

Disclaimer: The Twilight Saga is the delightful creation of the literary goddess Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I just like to borrow Edward from time to time.

Stranger Than FanFiction

Chapter 1: Reverie Meets Reality

by

J. Cullen

I'm an old fashioned girl. I mean, I like old things. I always have. I find that the modern world tends to be too disposable. And so, I value things that have proven to be more dependable. Antiques. Take my home for example, I chose to decorate it in classic Victorian style, instead of using the mass produced, poorly constructed cheap shreds of fabric and wood that you find in those home furnishing stores. Each one of the pieces I have purchased has a story and I'd bet my next meal that I could tell you something interseting about each chotchkie and trinket. I'm fascinated by anything that has history or a mysterious origin or just a great story to tell.

Collecting is just one of my many past times. I like to listen to music, just about any genre will do as long as I can relate to the lyrics or I fall in love with the melody. I paint, write, and role-play in my spare time. I find a great deal of joy in craft projects and I absolutely love to read. Of course I do, or else I wouldn't be here perusing through all of these delightful anecdotes; which happen to be based on, what I think, is one of the best series of books about vampires ever written.

I came across Stephenie Meyer's books after I had endured a terrible break up. I had experienced my fill of the dating scene and just wanted to enjoy being single for a while. One day, when I was just spending some quality time with myself, I had a little encounter that I think you'd find quite interesting. I seriously doubt if you'll believe me, well, to tell you the truth, I didn't believe it was happening at the time. I guess what they say about truth being stranger than fiction is well…true. This truth couldn't be more strange; cooked up by my super powered imagination's reaction to the unhealthy amount of Twi-Mania I've exposed myself to lately. Nevertheless, I feel a sense of obligation to share this incident and to let you differentiate between reverie and reason.

I remember the day it happened because it was raining all afternoon and I wanted to stay in and read Twilight again for the hundredth time. I took a long, hot shower and slipped into something soft and comfortable; an over-sized tee that hung off one shoulder and a pair of pink leg warmers. Yes, I know what you're thinking and you're right, Flash Dance is one of my favorite movies. Then, I put on a pot of my favorite peach herbal tea and grabbed a bag of Pepperidge Farm cookies from the pantry. After that, I lit some strawberry scented candles and curled into my favorite spot; the little reading nook carved into the bay window in the library upstairs.

As soon as I was all settled in, the doorbell rang.

"Dammit!" I hissed.

I wonder which nosey, free loading neighbor it could be and what they could possibly want. I grabbed my plush pink robe, (Yes, pink is my favorite color), and took my time getting to the front door. When I reached it, I opened it slowly; prepared to send away whoever it was, only to find that there was no one there.

"Stupid invisible doorbell ringer...," I mumbled as I closed the door and locked it back.

I took off the robe and left it on the little mahogany bench in the foyer and started up the steps back to the library.

"Tweeeeeeettt!"

The kettle sang from the stove and I did an expeditious about-face movement, heading back down the steps and into the kitchen to fix my cup of tea.

Tea in hand, I headed back upstairs to begin my literary escape to Forks, Washington. Once in the library, I grabbed the remote from my desk and turned on the stereo. Beethoven was still in and I skipped forward to Moonlight Sonata, my favorite classical piece. I turned to walk over to the nook and what I saw would have caused my tea cup and saucer to fall shattering against the hardwood floor, if I hadn't remembered that it was my grandmother's china.

I couldn't believe my eyes. Finally, I had flown the coop. I always knew that the coo-coo would flee her nest one day. I had only hoped it would be later on after I'd lived a full life. But, oh no, sleepless nights had begun to take their toll. I was beginning to hallucinate. Clear, perfect hallucinations.

Maybe I had just read the books too many times, or too many FanFiction stories and this was my subconscious' way of torturing me. Whatever the case, he was there. Not five feet from me. Sitting in my nook, thumbing through the pages of what I knew was proof that he was just a character in a book. Or was he? Hadn't he just been the creation of one of the most talented contemporary authors of our time? Even as I asked that question, I began to doubt the logical answer to it.

"You can stand there questioning yourself until you're insane or, you could just ask me what you want to know." He said casually, as if he were really there and not merely a beautiful figment of my fervent imagination.

He looked strikingly handsome to say the least. Impossibly gorgeous. He smiled when I finished that thought. He looked like what I dreamed him to be but, a thousand times better. Like, Robert Pattinson's slightly older brother, only by a year or two. He wore charcoal dress slacks, a white collared shirt underneath a black cashmere sweater, and what looked to be like Ferragamo shoes, also black. There was a light gray Peacoat neatly draped over the back of my office chair.

"All done with wardrobe inventory?" He said, looking at me for the first time.

I felt my grip on the tea cup and saucer slipping.

"If I were you, I'd put that down somewhere." He said as that infamous crooked smile crept across his lips.

I moved almost mechanically, setting the delicate cup and tiny plate down gently. I never took my eyes off of him, afraid that he would disappear if I did.

"I'm not going anywhere." He said, almost adamantly. "But, if the staring gives you certainty, do it as long as you like." His smile widened.

Up until that point, I had not uttered a word. I simply stared. I wanted to know so much. I wanted to reach out and touch him, no, dive on top of him and rip his clothes off! First, I needed to conduct a little experiment. Can you hear me? I thought.

"You know I can." He spoke eyeing me briefly. His eyes, those beautiful eyes, were not the honey color that I had expected, instead they were the most enchanting shade of gray I'd ever seen. His gaze burned into my skin and I swallowed hard.

He put the book down, and then turned to face me; crossing his legs and leaning back to rest his arms on the window sill slowly. My heart bounced from my chest to my feet over and over again. I remained still.

"Go on." He said, speaking in a casually cocky voice.

"Say it." He lowered his chin slightly and, as if it were possible, intensified his stare.

"Say my name." The phrase came out as a taunt. I tried to remember how my mouth worked and failed. My would be oral response immediately popped into my mind. Edward.

"Cheater. Say it out loud. I want to hear it linger on your lips." Another huge gulp of air went down my throat. I opened my mouth hoping that something would come out.

"Eh-Edward.," I said the syllables slowly and they were dripping with nervousness.

"Yes, and no, in case you're still wondering, you haven't gone mad…not yet anyway." As he spoke, a savagely sexy grin crawled across his face. Good Grief! Not only was he here but, he was coming on to me. Me!

"Yes, you. Why not you?" His eyes lightened slightly and he graced me with a mockingly inquisitive expression and another one of those killer grins.

"I-I need to sit down." I pulled out the office chair and eased into the seat. I shut my eyes tightly, hoping that my mind would spare me from its outrageous antics. I opened them again and…

"Yep! Still here." He chuckled briefly.

Edward. In my house. In my library. In my nook! I took a moment to assess him a bit more. His skin was pale but, not in a freakish way. His hair was dark with a slight reddish golden tint. He was long and lean and perfectly proportioned. He had the cutest nose and the most kissable mouth in creation. I snapped out of my appraisal when I noticed he was smiling and shaking his head from side to side. Good Lord, he can hear me! I made a personal note to avoid sounding like the awestruck groupie I was. I would have sworn he was blushing but, from what I'd read, that was not possible.

"What? How? I mean..." I started but, couldn't pick the main question that would answer all of my inquiries. Truth be told, I didn't care. Edward was there and that was more than I felt I deserved.

"I've been watching you." He said, getting up and looking out of the window. With his back to me, he finished his thought.

"I've been watching you since the day I saw you in the bookstore reading about me. I followed you home and I've visited you every night since then. I've studied you and I see that you like to read about me…way too much." He smiled.

"You finished all of the books and then turned to 'FanFiction' for appeasement. I see what reading about me does to you." He turned around then and took a few steps closer to me.

His eyes blazed and set me on fire.

"I can assure you, there's nothing like the real thing."

My tee was suddenly suffocating me.

"You can say that again." I said. My sense of humor had come back. I was getting more comfortable.

"I'm just so curious," I began, "Vampires don't exist. I mean, it's nice to fantasize and pretend but, technically, you're not real. You can't be." I stated incredulously. I didn't know if I was trying to convince Edward or myself. I finally decided at that point, it really didn't matter. I was already crazy. To hell with reason. If I was dreaming, then dammit I was going to sleep forever.

"Oh yes, we do. It's just easier to let humans think we don't. As long as they believe that we're only creations of their minds, we can go on existing without…complications."

I was dumb founded. An alarm went off in my head and I could see that Edward knew I was beginning to realize the potential danger I felt I was in. He strode over to the desk and perched himself up on the edge in front of me. He placed his hand on mine and began to caress it gently.

"I'm not going to hurt you Jessica. If I wanted to, I would have done so already." His words soothed me and I noticed in that instant, his hands were not cold, as I'd expected them to be. He was…comfortable. Room temperature, if that makes sense. I have always maintained a high body temperature. For example, when other people are cold, I turn on the fan to cool down. So, it could have just been that he felt so good to me because I'm always...hot. I blinked twice, and then glanced up at him. He was smiling at me and all of my insides went to mush. Keep it together girl.

"Wait, you know my name?"

"I know everything. I know that you've been hurt recently and that you've given courting, excuse me, dating a rest."

My head fell. I was embarrassed. I wondered exactly how much he knew about the night Trent had left. I wondered if he'd seen me cry for days on end, not eating or sleeping.

"Yes, and I wanted to come to you then but, you weren't ready." He stated earnestly.

"And I'm ready now? I'm still thinking of calling the asylum you know!"

He laughed at my insanity gag. I joined in and then grew serious again.

"Edward, there are so many things that I want to ask you. I don't know where to begin. None of this makes sense. Don't get me wrong, I'm elated that my fantasy has literally come true but, you'd have to agree that this situation is a bit overwhelming for me."

In that moment he shushed me, and then lifted my hand slightly, encouraging me to stand. He pulled me to him and I could smell the sweet aroma I had read about so much. It nearly knocked me back down but, he held me firm…and close. To close. He spoke then, while his eyes held mine captive.

"Then don't be overwhelmed. Don't question the situation. Just live in it. You have read so many stories and dreamed of what you would do with me if given the chance. Well, here I am." His tone made the last statement sound like a challenge.

His voice changed instantly and he spoke in an almost vulnerable tone. Lifting my left hand to kiss it, he continued.

"Do you want me?" As if he needed to ask. His breathing paused for a moment and I wondered if it was merely anticipation, or if he didn't need the air. No questions. Not now. I reminded myself.

It took me only seconds to answer him and I did so with a kiss that even I did'nt know I was capable of. Thousands of snippets from the stories I'd read flashed through my mind and in those visions I gave him my answer. Yes, Edward, yes.