Disclaimer- All recognizable characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer, and therefore not mine.


Renesmee's POV-

I could feel my heart start to race faster as the mysterious boy took another step closer to me, and upon noticing my racing heart beat, he stopped.

"Hello." He spoke, stopping a few yards from me, and offering a small smile. His voice was kind, and his demeanor was friendly. I could feel myself start to relax a bit, but I still waited a few seconds before responding, not trusting my voice.

"Hi." I responded. His face lit up into a dazzling smile at my response for some reason. I cleared away the remaining tears from my eyes, never moving my eyes from him.

"I was just passing through when I heard crying. I thought I may have been mistaken. This is a long way from any of the roads." He told me. I narrowed my eyes.

"I wasn't aware. To be honest I'm not even sure where we are. I ran from Ovington. Are you familiar with it?" I asked, wondering if this boy could have come across the Cullens at any point.

"I know of it, although I've never been. I hope you don't mind my asking, but why are you crying?" He asked sympathetically. He seemed genuinely concerned which surprised me a bit. I watched him with skepticism, wondering what his intentions could be. I was still seated on the grass, and he took another step toward me.

"Don't come any closer." I warned, and he immediately stopped with a surprised expression on his face.

"I'm sorry." He said, his facial expression reflecting that I had offended him.

"It's nothing personal but…" I struggled to find words to say.

"You don't trust me. It's okay. I wouldn't expect you to." He said sincerely. He seems very nice, and I started to feel guilty for offending him before. "My name is Riley." He added, offering a small smile, which I met with a smile of my own.

"Renesmee." I said, standing up from the grass. I looked down at my outfit and brushed my clothes off, breaking eye contact.

"I know." He whispered in my ear from behind me. I hadn't noticed him move while I was brushing off my dress, and his proximity in addition to his words scared me. I turned to face him quickly, and he didn't stop me.

"What do you mean you know?" I asked, not hiding my suspicion. His facial expression was still soft, but his eyes looked more intense now.

"Miss Renesmee, or Nessie, I'm not sure which you prefer, I have heard a lot about you recently." He admitted, his eyes capturing mine. Even if I wanted to, I'm not sure that I could force myself to look away.

"Such as?" I inquired. He chuckled.

"That you exist." He responded simply, leaving me confused. My heart was still racing but I was entranced in our conversation.

"I'm not following." I admitted, and he smiled a menacing smile.

"My friend, Laurent—you've met him, right? Well, he told me all about the lovely Volturi princess." He continued. I wished he would just get on with what he was trying to say instead of confusing me like this!

"So you know my family?" I asked, referring to the Volturi. His face lit up with a smirk like he'd thought of something extremely clever.

"Both, in fact." He told me, and I understood his implication right away, but I was still surprised at his words.

"Excuse me?" I questioned.

"Laurent told me that you've recently become acquainted with your long lost family. Was he wrong?" He asked me. I could see in his eyes that he already knew the answer to his own question, and it seemed like he was just teasing me now.

"What do you want?" I growled, and his face flashed momentarily with anger before he composed himself again.

"Watch it, little girl. It was your family who started this mess." He warned me.

"I don't know what mess you're talking about nor do I care very much. What do you want with me?" I asked again with an attitude and his facade slipped again momentarily.

"Since you don't seem to know what I'm talking about, perhaps I'll enlighten you." He began, and I crossed my arms. "Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl named Victoria…" He continued.

"Cut the shit. I'm not a baby." I told him, and his eyes flashed with anger.

"Would you shut up?!" He yelled, frightening me. He no longer looked composed. Anger was written across his face. I got the feeling I should run but knew that it would be pointless, so I just closed my mouth. Riley sighed, trying but failing to compose himself. "May I continue?" He asked and I nodded.

"Victoria was the most perfect girl in the world. She was compassionate and witty and absolutely breathtaking. She was the love of my life…until your father killed her." He clenched his fists and the rage in his face was evident. I struggled to breathe.

"I knew of her history with the Cullens. I thought I could protect her." He let out a humorless laugh that sent a chill down my spine. "All I ever wanted to do was protect her." He shook his head, and his eyes grew angry again. "But your father took her away from me!" He yelled and I flinched. I took a step backward and he gave me a challenging look. He and I both knew that I wouldn't be able to outrun him. As fast as I was, he was still a full vampire, and he drank from humans which made him even more dangerous. I remained frozen in the same spot I had been and he continued.

"Victoria told me about the little human your father kept. It was because of her that everything started. She was the one who got Victoria's friend killed. Victoria was always too compassionate. She loved intensely, and for that she lost her life." He hesitated, and looked me in the eyes as he continued. "I spent years trying to find this pathetic human girl—A mate for a mate. Then I heard that she'd killed herself. God! You wouldn't believe how distraught I was! It seems silly now, but I was so upset that I'd lost the opportunity to make him suffer." His face turned into a twisted smile as he thought about what he'd say next. My stomach dropped. I knew where this was all leading and I could hardly breathe.

"Now, imagine my surprise when I find out that not only is this girl still alive, but she has a daughter—his daughter. Naturally, I was ecstatic." He told me, smiling a genuinely happy smile. "My revenge plot was still plausible and I had not one, but two opportunities to make him pay." He looked at me, taking in my reaction. I narrowed my eyes at him. This dude was crazy. I'm ashamed for thinking he was kind of cute earlier!

"I hate to break it to you, Bud, but you wasted your time. Edward Cullen doesn't give a shit about me or my mom, so you might need to get a new plan." I told him, going to casually walk by him in the direction of the Cullens' home. I knew it probably wouldn't work, but a girl can hope. He chuckled.

"I don't think so." He said, grabbing my wrist tightly and pulling me back.

"Let go." I seethed. This is one of those times that I warned Jane and Alec about where I could really use some self-defense tips. They assured me I'd never need to know how to fight. If only they could see me now!

"It's a pity how naive you are." He said before twisting my wrist hard. A gigantic shot of pain ran through me and I screamed. He released my wrist and I held it to my chest.

"You moronic asshole! Are you out of your mind? He left twice! He doesn't care about my mom or I!" I half-yelled, half-cried. I couldn't do anything with my wrist other than hold it. If I were human, my bones would probably be shattered. I hoped that with my tougher bones and skin that my wrist wasn't broken. I couldn't tell, but I knew it was extremely painful.

"Oh, Renesmee. It really is a shame that you'll never know the feeling of being in love." He told me, and I glared at him. "He proved his undying love for your mother by letting her go." He finished. I rolled my eyes.

"Even if that were true, hurting me won't get you anywhere." I told him, and as I thought about the reality of my words, I felt my voice growing shallower. "You'd probably be doing everyone a favor by getting rid of me. All I do is make everything worse." He smiled a sickly smile and took a step closer to me. I closed my eyes and braced myself for the pain I knew would be coming, but it never did. I heard a loud yell and I opened my eyes to me my father emerge from the woods and tackle Riley in a fraction of a second.

The sound of their collision sounded like thunder and I stumbled backward in shock. I couldn't bring myself to look away as they fought. Unconsciously, I felt myself holding my breath every time Riley got his hands on my father. I didn't know what to do. I'm not much help just standing here watching, but I knew I wouldn't be much help trying to help with my injured wrist. Maybe I could run away and get help! As mad at him as I was, I was scared at the thought of leaving my father alone to deal with Riley. Riley fed from humans, and I knew that would give him a big advantage over my father. I knew that was the best option though so I began to run in the direction of the Cullens' house.

Before I could even get to the edge of the clearing, my father was thrown into a tree, and Riley had a strong grip on my neck. My father stood up again to charge at Riley, but when he saw the situation in front of him, he stopped and I could see his tough demeanor shatter. He looked scared now.

"Leave her alone. This is between you and I, Riley." He spoke, and Riley chuckled.

"A loved one for a loved one, Edward. It's only fair, don't you think?" Riley asked rhetorically. Riley tightened his grip and I gasped for air.

"Please, Riley. You don't have to do this. Victoria was using you all those years ago. It started when I killed her true mate, James. You had to have noticed how touchy she was about mentioning him. It was because she loved him. Trust me, Riley. I know." He spoke.

"Victoria warned me of your mind tricks." Riley responded.

"Let her go, Riley. Take me instead. It was my actions that started this all." I could see the desperation in my father's eyes. I could see the love and the regret. It was so evident in his facial expression, and his tone of voice.

"Well, you see, that wouldn't be as fun. If I kill you, I suppose I'll get my satisfaction for a bit. Your family will suffer—that's a plus. But if I kill her, you and your family will suffer tremendously, and I have no doubt the Volturi will come for you all for her untimely death under your supervision. She seems like quite the prize. Do you see where I'm coming from?" Riley asked, teasing my father who looked like he could explode with rage. I heard a growl escape my father's chest, and Riley's grip on my neck tightened. I gasped for air, and managed a small squeal of pain.

"Please, please stop! She has nothing to do with this, Riley!" My father pleaded. Riley loosened his grip again.

"I can't tell whether I'm enjoying this or not. I love watching you suffer, but you're really making it much too easy." He taunted.

"Riley, let her go. I will do anything." My father looked defeated and helpless. I regretted the harsh words I had spoken to him, and the doubt that I had over whether he loved me. I couldn't bring myself to be angry over his actions, as horrible as they were. All I could see as I looked at him now was a loving father who was trying unsuccessfully to save the one thing he has left.

"Now that is quite an offer." Riley said, taking a few moments to think. I could hear my father growl, and before Riley said the words, I already knew what he'd be saying. "Unfortunately, I can't think of anything better than this."


Author's Note:

A lot of you guessed that the stranger was Riley, so good predictions! I loved Riley's character in the books and movies even if he was evil. I always felt so bad for him. I was actually going to make him into a love interest for Renesmee, but as I said before, this is a Nessie/Cullens & Bella/Edward/Nessie story, so no love interest.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry for the wait! I'll keep writing and update as soon as I get the next chapter written if I get a good response on this one.

Review goal is 700! (Can't believe it! You guys are so wonderful for getting Life Unexpected this far!)

Sample topics:

1. Thoughts on this chapter—Thoughts on Riley, Nessie, or Edward? Thoughts on the content? Favorite part?

2. Predictions—Where is Bella? What will happen to Nessie? Other predictions?

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Happy Mother's Day! Until next time, Taylor