A/N: Guess who's back? I've never published a story for Twilight before, and I'm certain there are a lot of people out here who would love to shred this to pieces. But I'm only doing this as a small sample of the work I've been doing for quite a few months. I want to know what you really think, and if there are people out here who would actually read this sort of thing.

Allow me to explain this a bit more. This is an AU Twilight where Esme's husband never came back from war and she happily remarried. Her son, Alex Henderson, married a German Immigrant, Anna Schmidt. They had a daughter named Karina. Alex murdered Anna when Karina was eight and Karina was sent into the foster system. Her foster parents were horrible and as soon as her father was released from prison for good behavior, she was back with him. She moved out as soon as she graduated high school and lived with her best friend until she committed suicide. After that, she moved in with her boyfriend and her life was still miserable with a druggie family. Cue a visit to the hospital and she meets Carlisle. Her life turns around and she finally gets the life she's always wanted: one with a family.

Everything's explained far better in the actual story, which is still under construction ... major construction.

Let me know what you think in the reviews, and I might put her whole story as well!

Karina knew she was lying in the gutter at the side of the road.

Everything felt surreal, as if she were detached from herself. Something was wrong with her.

"Mom?" The voice of her son was faint, even though he was crouching on the sidewalk.

"It's no use … she took the hit head-on …" That voice was Alice's. "She can probably hear you, although-"

"I'm so sorry!" Owen sobbed. "If I hadn't been there, this wouldn't have happened!"

Owen … Karina tried to move, but she felt like her body had been turned to ice. She couldn't move, and the falling snow was piling up around her. It's not your fault. I should have been more attentive. I should have been watching you.

By now, a crowd had gathered around the three, and Karina could barely make out the faint sirens of the ambulance. Things seemed to happen in a blur afterwards. Owen left in Jasper's care as the soldier came onto the scene. Alice riding in the ambulance, explaining everything to the paramedic.

Then she heard the dreaded sound of a monitor going off. An annoying, solid beep that meant one thing.

No heartbeat.

Karina watched as Alice froze, eyes clouded with grief. The paramedics were trying to bring her back to life, finally succeeding after what felt like hours. It was probably only a minute.

"Alice?" Karina asked. Alice made no movement. "Hey, Alice. What's going to happen now?"

There was no reply, only silence.

"Excuse me!" Karina snapped. No reaction from anyone. That's when the realization hit her hard.

She wasn't in control of herself. Karina had somehow detached herself from her body.

I hope Alice was wrong … The thought hit her mind as if it were her own. But it wasn't. She was pacing back and forth in a hallway, nurses looking at her as if she were crazy.

One leaned toward another. "Do you think he'll be alright?" she whispered.

The other shook her head. "Doubt it. Getting a call from your sister saying your wife was just hit by a car? I'd abandon everything to make sure she's okay, if our roles were swapped."

Karina, why can't I sense anything from you anymore? Karina shook her head. No, this wasn't possible. She was in the ambulance, and she was also witnessing things from Carlisle's perspective? Something was terribly wrong.

A wave of dread hit her as the ambulance pulled up to the hospital, rushing her into the building.

She could hear man heartbeats, but one stood out in particular: hers. Carlisle looked up as she was taken past, and Karina could finally see the extent of the damage. She was a mangled, bloody mess of a human, several bones broken, if not completely shattered. Another wave of terror, more potent than the last, hit her like the car she had just encountered.

It's worse than I thought. Carlisle looked at Alice, but she shook her head.

"She'll die before they get to her." Alice's voice was fast and low, too quiet for anyone to hear.

No! Carlisle nodded slowly. He knew what had to be done. Or Karina somehow guessed what he was going to do? It was getting harder to tell.

The walk to the room they left her in was unbearable. Time was going agonizingly slow, and Carlisle was taking his time getting to her. "What the hell is wrong with you? I've got things that I need to do, and you're just taking your damn time? What about Owen, huh? What are you going to tell him when you get off work?" Karina wanted to smack her husband upside the head.

Carlisle stopped in his tracks, leaving Karina standing in the middle of the hallway. "Karina?" he whispered.

"No, shit, Sherlock!" Karina scoffed. "Get your ass in gear. There's nobody around, so move it or lose me!" She made to push him toward her, but she just walked right through him.

Although there were a million questions racing through her head, Carlisle ran towards her room at a speed nearly invisible to humans. Karina had no trouble keeping up with him, though.

"Idiot." Karina grumbled as he opened the door to her room. The nurses had left moments before, as their smell indicated. The faint thumping in the room was almost deafening to her ears. "So, what's your plan? You know Alex is dead, and Owen would be devastated if I died." She made to put her arm against his back as he leaned over her, but she just fell through again.

"I'm sorry." Carlisle murmured. "You always hated the idea, Karina. But I can't let you die like this."

"Of course you're going to change me. How did I know?" Karina rolled her eyes with a scoff. "Better hurry up, then. I've little time left."

Carlisle kissed her forehead, and Karina knew what he was going to do now. The same thing he had planned for Bella: Morphine. Although Bella never told him how the transformation was, he didn't know what else to do. At the least, he could use the dose to cover up her death as a merciful one.

"I'll wait here, then. See you soon." Karina chuckled as she sat down on the bed, watching her husband work to do what he did best: saving lives.

Although she may have left Carlisle, she could still sense what he was doing. Racing to get the supplies he needed before time ran out. What else did he need? There was no time to second-guess himself.

"Morphine, something to cover the marks with, you know, the usual." Karina rolled her eyes. "Make it look like I died before I went under or something. Stop worrying about me and do it already!"

Carlisle came back, a pained look in his eyes. "I can still hear you, Karina …" he whispered as the needle slipped into her arm. Karina winced at the sight, although she was in no pain. "I know you can hear me."

"And sometimes your thoughts. Must be the bond between us." Karina shrugged as he pushed the plunger down. "So, what do I need to know about the transformation?"

"It's painful." Carlisle looked at her body.

"Uh … I'm actually sitting at the foot of the bed." Karina chuckled. "The thirst would be hard to manage, I assume. That means Owen will have to make do without me for some time. What else am I missing?"

"You're going to be stronger than any of us for the first few months." Carlisle looked at her now. "If this even works …"

Karina shrugged. "One way to find out if it does." Her time was ending soon, and Carlisle knew it as well as she did. "Bite me."

"But-"

"To hell with the treaty, then! Jacob will understand!" Karina stood up, knowing any effort she made to move him would be fruitless. "Carlisle, my time's almost up. I don't want to lose you …"

Things were zooming out, leaving her to watch from a distance as a sharp, burning pain started in her neck. Carlisle had bitten her, and the pain in his throat was mirroring the one that had just started.

More points of burning, each as intense. Karina inhaled sharply as she realized it had been several days since he had last fed. He really was stronger than she knew.

Please, give me some of your strength … Karina closed her eyes as everything seemed to fade away.