The Stars and The Sun

Disclaimer: The Twilight universe is not mine. However, the whole Estelle/Sissy/and rest of that crew are. Ginsie really is my pup by the way. She wanted to be in the story. No, really.

Summary: What would happen if a human from our universe ended up in the Twilight universe? What would she really think? Do? Feel? And what if our universe was the "fictional" one?

Author's Note: I'm thinking of having our dear Elizabeth give the Cullens some "breathing room" for a couple of months…and her getting into some trouble. Any yeas or nays? She'll end up with them again, eventually. Ya know, when Seattle starts having all it's problems in the next coming months? :-)

Chapter 3

I listened as she told her story. She told me of how she saw things, odd things. She told me about her hallucinations, as she called them. She told me about the ghosts. Given that she was normally a very "down to Earth", conservative type woman I could only think of one things to say to her. "You aren't the type to suddenly give into fantasy, so if you say that's what you saw, I believe you." And I did.

-Estelle to Elizabeth Kismet pg 526

I sat down on one of the stools in the kitchen while Esme actually heated water in a kettle to make the tea. I don't think I've seen kettled tea since the last "period" tea party I went to. I suddenly felt odd not to be dressed up in my stays and petticoat while watching Esme place the pot on the stove.

Jasper and Carlisle were in the kitchen too. Carlisle stayed near his wife while Jasper took to one of the far corners. Poor guy. I'd only stay for maybe half an hour. I didn't want to cause him any unnecessary pain right now.

Emmett stayed with Rose out in the living room. I doubt she wanted to deal with another human that "knew" given everything that was going on. Or, even, really, another human right now. I just had to keep in mind that I was what she wanted to be and ignore everything else when it came to Rose.

"I hope orange tea is alright," Esme stated as she turned back to me. I smiled at her and nodded.

"Orange tea sounds fine, Esme," I informed her. Truth be told, it was one of my favorites. I took in my surroundings quickly. The kitchen was nice, modern, with all chrome appliances. It was a change from the mis-matched appliances at my parents' home or the white and pink in my blue and brick kitchen. It's hard to pass up a pink toaster. Or a pink microwave. Or pink pots and pans. I liked turquoise as well but there was just something more humorous about pink. Like my brothers' cringing every time they came into my house.

"How did you find us?" I heard Jasper ask. I knew that voice. I had heard that tone of voice for most of my life. It was the military integration type voice that my Dad had and most of the guys I work with had. I knew what to do when I heard that type of voice; just answer truthfully. The problem was that I wasn't even sure what the truth was at this point.

I couldn't come out and say that they were all fictional characters and my full name was Elizabeth Catherine French, just like in the books I had still sitting on the floor of my truck. I thought about going to grab the Twilight book to explain, at least have some credence to my bizarre story but that felt wrong. Those were written with Bella's personal thoughts. It didn't feel right to let anyone other than her or maybe Edward read those. Maybe when they got back, I'd let them read them. I also had my print out of Midnight Sun since I loved reading that side by side with Twilight. It was just bliss.

"I saw the Jeep earlier and remembered it from something I saw earlier," I answered truthfully enough. I hoped. I looked down at my hands, still figuring out how to explain without lying. "I wasn't sure whether to follow it or not, if my mind was playing tricks on me or not, but I've seen some other things durin' this crazy day and Ah knew that if I didn't at least test my theory," I started blabber on. My accent was getting thicker and I knew it. I held my hands in front of me, taking a sudden interest in my fingernails.

I felt a cool hand on my shoulder. Turning, I saw Carlisle behind me. He offered me a soft smile. "Thank you. You have offered us the first sign of hope we have had over these past few days," he told me sincerely. I managed to smile back a bit.

"I couldn't hold back what I knew. It isn't right," I informed him. It wasn't. I knew what was going to happen. My knowledge, hopefully, alleviated their pain even in its smallest amount. Any amount of joy I could bring when the outlook was so terribly bleak was a good thing. I was safe in my knowledge, in my facts. For now, those were my refuge in this strange hallucination I was experiencing. At least I had something familiar. It wasn't the dancing grapes from eighth grade when my migraines were at their worst. That was a totally different type of weird.

"Do you know what time they will arrive back?" Jasper asked me, continuing his interrogation. I shook my head. I don't remember the time from the books. Just that it was day.

"No. I think it's in a couple of days but I know it will be in the morning. Y'all will see them when they land in Seattle," I started to explain. Jasper immediately cut in.

"Seattle?" he asked, surprised. I nodded, looking around at both Jasper and Esme. Carlisle was still behind me. I watched as their lips moved quickly, discussing something. I guessed it was arrangements to move back to Forks. It wasn't like it would be hard. I remember Edward telling Bella that the hospital received Carlisle back with open arms…or I guess will receive.

"I suppose we should make arrangements for the next few days no matter the outcome," Carlisle suddenly stated. He moved to Esme as he said so, wrapping an arm around her. She had that worried look back on her face.

I had been so focused on the three vampires in the kitchen that I didn't even notice when Rosalie came in. "So that's it then? We simply go back based on her word and then what?" she asked angrily. I swear, if she could, she'd be crying. Emmett was behind her, trying to calm her.

"Rose," Carlisle gently warned. Rose just glared at him.

I did the only thing I could think of, the only thing that might get through to her. "Rosalie Lillian Hale," I stated simply. Her full name. "I know you are upset right now, both with yourself and at the entire situation," I started. Rose glared at me.

"Don't even begin to think that you know everything! You just came in the door ten minutes ago and," she started until Carlisle shouted an "Enough!" at her. It was enough to stop her. I learned right then that an angry Carlisle is actually rather scary. Well, in that fatherly "bring me a switch" type way. Still doesn't really seem like a big scary "I'm gonna suck your blood" vampire.

I could tell Carlisle was about to apologize for his daughter's behavior but I shook my head at him and turned to Rosalie. She was quite pretty. It was really hard to tell if she or Catherine Zeta Jones was prettier. If there was any woman I'd like to look like, it would totally be Catherine Zeta Jones. I've got the hair at least.

"You are right, Rose. I don't know everything," I told her. I looked down. Everything about being here, in the house of my favorite fictional characters, was wrong. I shouldn't be here. Maybe I shouldn't have even come in to tell them that everything would be okay; because it would and they'd find out in a couple more days anyway. "I should get going," I whispered as I slid off the barstool. It wasn't like I had any where to go.

Home. I suddenly realized I didn't exactly have a home to go to or even a hotel room! I was use to having tons of homes open to me. I had my cousins on the west coast, my Great Aunt's up North, my parents' house which was only a half hour from mine in Maryland. I had all the cousins down south that wouldn't mind if I spent a day or two but right now, I wasn't sure if they even existed. If I even existed. After all, were the vampires the pyschosis or was my entire life it? I just didn't know and it scared me above all else. Thank God I could keep that fear down and buried for now until I would get to my truck.

"Rosalie," Esme chastised her daughter. Her only daughter in the house right now, I realized. Alice and Bella were both on a plane to Italy and I was the only one that knew, for a fact, that they'd both come back to her.

"It's okay, Esme," I shook my head and went to push my way towards the front door. Rose and Emmett stood in my way thought at the entrance to the kitchen. However, before I could even get very far, I felt another cold hand on my shoulder. I also suddenly felt…peaceful? Maybe that was the right word but I wasn't sure. It was that feeling I only got when I let all my cares go and just observed the world around me. Jasper.

"Thanks," I muttered to him.

"You don't have to go, dear," I heard Esme stated worriedly. I looked up to see her shooting Mom looks at Rosalie. Rose, herself, seemed to have calmed down a bit. Whether that was Jasper's influence or due to parental guilt-tripping I have no idea. It might be a mixture of both.

I turned to Esme fully, gently patting Jasper on the hand to tell him I'd be alright. As soon as he moved back I could feel that peacefulness trying to escape me. I held on to it with all my might. I didn't want to think about anything other than the here and now. Everything else was too terrifying.

"I really should. I don't think my pup will like it much if I leave her in there for too long," I told her truthfully. Okay, so that was only half the reason. My other reasons where that I'm clearly psychotic now and speaking to my delusions. Ain't that grand?

"Oh, of course," Esme said sadly. I began to see that horrible sadness creep back into her face that I had seen when I first came in the door about fifteen minutes ago now. I felt bad for even being the slightest bit responsible for that. I bit my lip and thought.

"Um," I started brilliantly. My cell phones didn't work so it wasn't like I could give my number. I doubted, in this lovely little hallucination that any of my emails worked either. I didn't have any connections, no addresses to give them. I was officially a nomad and didn't even have the luxury of being a nomadic vampire. Oh za fun.

"I'll try and get one of those pre-paid phones tonight," I continued, lamely. Who would even think they wanted to contact me or have me contact them again. "If you want, I'll drop off the number in the morning," I offered, allowing the vampires the choice of wanting to contact me.

Carlisle, in what couldn't have been more than a split second, handed me a paper in writing I recognized from an older script. I had to smile simply because I knew people that would die to be able to write like that for various projects and scrolls. The paper had a bunch of numbers and names on it. It was all their numbers and names. "Call the moment you receive the phone," he told me, putting the paper in my hand.

"Thank you," I whispered. At least Carlisle, and it looked like Esme, had made the choice. I heard Rose let out a frustrated sigh and stomp her way back to the stairs it sounded like. I turned, automatically, for my eyes to follow but I couldn't see anything. Both she and Emmett had already left.

"Don't worry about her," I heard Jasper say, my head automatically swinging in his direction. I offered a small smile.

"I know, she's…tenacious," I stated, remembering the words from the book. I think that's how Edward described her in both Midnight Sun and Twilight. Of course, I'd rather say more stubborn than an old mule but I had a feeling that would just cause Rose to get angry with me again.

The vampires still in the kitchen chuckled and smiled at me. I held up the piece of paper again to emphasize my next point. "I'll call as soon as I get the phone," I told them before turning towards the living room to head out the front door. Before I knew it, it was Jasper holding the door for me. I smiled slightly at the scene. Always a good ole southern gentleman. Also, he probably just wanted to get the blood bag out of the house so he could breathe again. I smirked at that thought.

"Are you staying in town?" Esme asked from behind me. I turned to see her worried expression and Carlisle holding her to his side. I knew better than to tell her the truth right then and there. I had a feeling, knowing Esme and her maternal insticts, I'd be told to sleep here tonight. I didn't want to make things harder on Jasper or on any of the vampires.

"Yes, ma'am," I answered. It didn't matter than Esme didn't look much younger than me. She was a good 82 years older…or there abouts.

"Call when you get to the hotel," she told me seriously. I bit back a bit of a laugh. She sounded so much like my own mom.

"Yes, ma'am," I told her, still smiling. I went to walk out the door and stopped. Turning around, there was something I just had to do for my own personal enjoyment. "It was nice really getting to meet y'all," I said to the three assembled vampires. They all murmured similar goodbye like phrases. And then I looked down the hall and made sure only to raise my voice a slight bit. "Even you, Rose," I teased.

As I left the house, I swear I heard Carlisle and Jasper chuckling. That had been so necessary. There was just something so needed in getting the last word in when it came to Rosalie Hale. I know she'd be waiting to get me back now and this was going to be one game I'd love to play. Who was the more stubborn, Rosalie Hale or Elizabeth French? Even I didn't have a clue.

Ginse, as usual, sat up in my seat when I opened the door. She had been keeping the driver's seat warm…or probably just wrapping herself in my scent. "Scoot!" I ordered the pup who, semi-obediently moved her furry bum to the passenger seat. Think about scents, I wondered what the heck I smelled like to the vampires. I might ask them is this delusion keeps up for much longer.

Once I got the truck started and backed out to the main road –not an easy thing to do when you can't see out the back window- I realized something. I didn't have the slightest clue as to where the local Wally World was. I tried to think if I passed one anywhere near Ithaca but I couldn't remember. Freakin…I sighed as I pulled on to the main road and drove out towards the city.

I also had the problem of money. Since it was March 19, 2006 in this fun little world where I'm a fictional character, I figured the easiest way to get money, quick, would be to pawn some jewelry. There were more than a few pieces that I could get rid of without much heart-ache. Some things, like my grandmother's engagement ring or my cross pendant I wore around my neck would never leave me. But things like my gold chain for German outfits? Or any one of my many strings of pearls? Those I could easily do without. I think the gold chain might even be worth something. I wonder if I brought that horrible bracelet from my ex that had the tiny sand sized diamonds in it? That would definitely be something I want to get rid of.

So, as of right now, I had $110 in my pocket and that was to serve for gas, food, and a phone until I could pawn some jewelry. I spent about $40 on the books now lying on the floor of the passenger side. That had cut into my budget but it had been necessary. I think I saw a rest stop not to far down I-81 that I could just sleep in the car at. It wasn't necessary to get a real hotel room. Although, I'd like a shower, I didn't see how spending nearly all of my $150 in one night would do me much good just because I wanted a shower. Maybe, if I was lucky, it was one of those very few rest rooms that did have shower stalls? Yeah, right. I had only seen those three times in my entire life.

Getting my thoughts back on track, I saw a gas station and decided to pull in. I still had well ¾'s of a tank, thank God. I had filled up right before that massive rainstorm I got stuck in. I had stopped right before the day got crazy. Or I went crazy. Either way, something was not right. I parked the truck and looked at Ginise, once again ordering her to stay inside.

There was the one attendant inside the convenience store part of the gas station. I went in and decided to get an ice tea and some chips. I was hungry after not eating since this morning. I had been too nervous.

Taking them up to the register, the attendant began to blindly total the two items up. "That will be $2.56," she said without looking at me. I handed over the bills and change, exactly.

"Can ya tell me if there is a Wal-mart or a Target around here?" I asked her. It sounded strange not to call them Wally World and Targẻt but I didn't want to have more questions than answers right now. I just wanted to get in the Wally World, get the pre-paid cell phone, call the Cullens, and then go to that rest stop, hug Ginsie, and cry my eyes out. It was at least a plan.

The attendant looked up and blinked at me. I had gotten her out of her little daze and routine. "Oh, um, sure. There's one about a couple of miles from here," she told me. Quickly, I took down the directions on the back of the receipt for my chips and tea. Smiling, I left the little store and drove to the Wal-mart.

I looked over at Ginsie when we got there and felt bad for leaving the pup in the car so much today. Parking at the far end of the parking lot, I got her leash which immediately got her tail wagging. "C'mon, pup. Let's let you out for a bit," I told her quietly. I just walked her up and down the median strips for a bit. I'd take her to the park again tomorrow. She really seemed to like that and she'd be able to walk around a lot. At least one of us could be happy and not worry about stuff like no home, no money, no family.

It was the last that got to me really. No home, eh. I could easily survive in a tent for a while. I've certainly been on enough camping trips to know how to live outdoors. No money well, it wasn't like I even had much to begin with. What little money I did have went to the mortgage payment, the water bill, the electric bill, the cell phone bill, the credit card bills, the insurance bill, the home owners association…by the end of the month, adding all that plus food, gas for the truck, and other necessary stuff, I hardly had any money left. So, I was use to not having much money.

Family. I had never really been without some sort of family around before. I always had my parents, my brothers, my Aunts & Uncles, my cousins…even my close friends around me. I never went a day without speaking or emailing at least one of them. And now, well, I had the dog. That was it.

Sighing, I looked at my beloved pup, my only connection to the world outside of this delusion – if that's even what this was- and walked her back to the truck. "I'll be right back," I promised and blew her a kiss as I locked up the truck, Ginsie safely inside.

Navigating the Wal-mart was pretty easy. I quickly found electronics and just decided to get the cheapest pre-paid cell phone. I didn't need anything more than to be able to dial the Cullens and 911 at this point. Although my old phone had fun stuff like ringtones for each person and a camera, I just didn't need that right now. This was survival of the fit in the urban jungle right now…with vampires. Fun.

I ended up with a Tracphone. I racked my brain trying to remember if they had put limits on how many you could buy yet or not. I didn't think so. In March 2006, I had still been on the night shift and I don't think the tracphone ban came about until 2007. I think. I really couldn't remember. Not that it mattered anyway.

I bought a 60 minute card figuring that I'd only need the phone for emergencies. I figured out how to activate, how to get it working, and was out only another $40. That left me with $70 in which to fill up the truck and eat. Good thing I'm going to the pawn shop in the morning. Gas will not be cheap and it costs about $30 to fill the tank up. It's a good thing it gets good mileage though… It's also a good thing that I brought an entire new bag of Ginsie's food as well as a new bottle of her meds. I won't have to worry about either of those things for at least a month.

Given the money woe's, I knew I had to get a job. The problem was I had no social if I was a fictional character and no name. Not that that stopped illegals ever day or anything. Maybe I could advertise my services as a computer help person on some local bulletin boards or something like that? That might work. I'd think about that in the morning.

Once I got the phone working, I pulled out the now crumbled piece of paper Carlisle had handed me. It was now 9 pm. Normally, I'd be worried about people getting ready for bed but I had a feeling that Esme might just be waiting by the phone. Not for me, but for her daughters or her son to call her and tell her that they were alright. I felt bad. Like me calling would be a let down. However, she did tell me to call and so did Carlisle.

"Hello?" Carlisle's voice came over my phone.

"Hi, Carlisle. It's Elizabeth," I stated lamely. It's a good thing vampires can't forget because technically, he'd only known me for about 20 minutes, tops. I, of course, knew him a heck of a lot better thanks to the books.

"You found a cell phone, I see," he said with a hint of humor in his voice. I smiled at that.

"Yes, the number is 607 555 2710," I told him so he'd have it. I pet my pup as I spoke on the phone.

"Thank you for calling back. Esme would like to know if you reach the hotel," he told me. I decided not to lie but not to give the whole truth either.

"Oh no, I'm still out in front of Wally Worl- I mean, Wal-mart," I answered. I swore I heard Emmett in the background say something but I couldn't make it out.

"Alright. Please, if you wouldn't mind, come by here again in the morning," he asked of me. I felt a little chill of excitement go through me. The vampires actually wanted the strange human around.

"Of course," I said, probably a bit too energetically. "I'll see y'all in the mornin' then," I told him a bit more subdued.

"Until then," Carlisle stated and then hung up. I did as well.

I drove to the rest stop I had thought about. I left Ginsie in the car to have my "human minutes" as Bella called them. I took my hair brush, toothbrush, and other small toiletries with me. I cleaned up as best as I could, letting my hair fall from it's half wrapped bun all the way down my back. It came out in a wave and I braided the long locks. The scrunchie at the end of the braid hit the small of my back. My hair was the one thing that made every girl jealous of me. It was long, thick, and it wasn't ragged at the ends like some girls have when their hair gets too long.

Sighing at the image that created me in the mirror, I re-packed everything and headed back out to the truck. I hugged Miss Ginsie as I sat in the driver's seat, thinking over the day. One little eye twitch and I was inside one of my favorite series ever. But, beyond that, I had nothing. I had little money, no home to go to, no family to call, I didn't even really have a name. I only had those strange little facts about this world and my world stuck in my head and my pup.

Rather than crying, I felt excited. It was odd. Even though I had nothing, I truly had nothing. I could do whatever I wanted and not worry about my responsibilities. I could live where I wanted, go where I wanted, and be whomever I wanted. Too bad J. Jenks lives all the way over on the other coast. Maybe I'll just have to drive out to Forks, WA, a place I have never even been close to going before, and start over. It might be fun. Of course, I need money first. And sleep. Right now, sleep sounds good.

Author's Note: So, there's the third chapter in this strange little story. Hope y'all like it! Thanks for the review, fav's and alerts!