A/N: Love, love, LOVE all the reviews! Let's see if we can get to the big 5-0, shall we? Plus, we're gonna do something different, today. 3 PoVs in one chapter! Short A/N today, so, let's cut straight to the chase! I present, Chapter 15: Not With a Whimper, But a Bang !

Chapter 15: Not With a Whimper, But a Bang (RPOV)

"Want to talk about it?"

Edward had picked me up five minutes ago from La Bella Italia. He must've broken twenty different traffic laws, but he made it within the twenty minutes he'd allotted for himself. Within the five minutes that I'd been in the car with him, I still hadn't uttered a word about the disastrous dinner I'd had him pick me up from, after being ditched by my only friend in this weird town.

Hell, my only friend, period.

"Nope." I sighed.

"Okay."

A few more minutes of silence passed before he spoke again.

"It's just that… I can't figure out what could've went wrong with what seemed like a perfectly good date." he stated.

"It wasn't a date," I snapped.

"Perfectly good dinner," he amended quickly.

It was quiet again.

"I don't know." I whispered quietly.

"Don't know what?" he asked gently.

"What went wrong." I laughed humorlessly. "One minute we were playing that game… Twenty Questions? The next… we started… fighting, I guess."

"Over what?" he gently prodded.

I hesitated. "An answer he gave to one of the questions… Bugged me… It didn't make any sense… And me, being me, I didn't let it go. It doesn't surprise me that he left."

"Why did the answer bother you?" he asked, honestly curious now.

"I don't know… I'd asked him what his favorite subject was, and his answer was, quote, unquote: 'History, though they always get the facts wrong.' When I asked how he knew that, he told me his family would tell him that." Why did I feel like I could tell Edward everything that was bothering me? I had no idea.

"I thought he was emancipated?"

"That's what I said! He told me that he still had contact with them though, and then that started a whole other conversation. I asked why he didn't live with any family if he still had some. I mean, I get that his parents weren't that great, but if I had anyone then I wouldn't have gotten emancipated. You know what I mean? It didn't make any sense. That's when he left."

"I see…" he muttered.

It was quiet again as he drove and I looked out the window.

"I overreacted." I mumbled.

"I don't think you did, Ren… His answers were very suspicious… I can see why you wouldn't let them go."

"But there has to be reasons that he gave me those answers, right? I mean…"

"Maybe," he interrupted before I could continue. "But that still doesn't give him the right to walk out on you."

"Why do you say that?" I asked, honestly curious.

"Nikolas knows you're a foster child, Renesmee. He knows you've been walked out on. Then he goes out and walks out on you. It doesn't feel any different for you because you're used to it, but everybody at home, is ready to kill the boy. Me included." he said quietly, which made it even more dangerous-sounding.

"Why?" I whispered again.

***(EPOV)

"Why?" my daughter whispered brokenly.

"What do you mean, 'why', Ren?" I asked quietly.

"Why does everybody care about me?" she asked, seriously. "No one ever has. Why now? What makes you so much different from any other foster family?"

"Well, for one, anyone who hasn't cared about you, point me in their direction, and I'll guarantee they won't say that anymore." Or anything else for that matter. For the rest of their non-existent lives. "Second, there's a lot of things that make my family different from any other U.S. family. Things you don't understand yet." Things you should already know. "Third, not only does my family love everybody they meet-excluding any person who hurts another family member. You're a special case because a few years ago, we lost a very special person… You remind us all of her." That was somewhat the truth. You know, other than the fact that the "very special person," was really my daughter, who just so happened to be sitting next to me.

"I'm sorry." she said quietly.

I chuckled softly. "It's fine, Renesmee."

"What was her name?"

It might've been a simple question, but I couldn't just come out and say "Renesmee Cullen." I thought quickly. "Carlie."

"That's a pretty name. What happened to her?"

"Umm… She was… taken. She was coming home one day from the Reservation- where Jacob lives- and never came home. We found her car on the side of the road… It had hit a tree… Everything was in it- her wallet, phone… Everything except her." I told her, remembering that night perfectly…

FLASHBACK:

Everyone was pacing the floors of the main house.

Renesmee was very punctual. Her curfew of 11:30 was hardly ever disobeyed, and when it was, she always warned us with a phone call or text. If she was with Jake, and had fallen asleep, he would always bring her home, before curfew.

Now that it was midnight, and there was no sign or word from her, we all knew something was wrong. We had delayed calling Jacob for two reasons: 1.) to see if she'd show up. 2.) we all knew he'd gotten no sleep since he'd ran the patrol the night before.

"That's it. I'm calling Jake." Bella said, getting up to grab her cellphone. Nobody stopped her as she dialed his number. She didn't bother putting it on speaker, as she knew we could all hear him perfectly without it.

After a few rings, he answered.

"Bells, I get that you love me, but to call at-"

"Where's Renesmee?" Bella demanded, chewing on her lip like it was gum, a human habit that I'd found oddly adorable.

"Nessie? Bells, she went home hours ago- around 10:30." he answered. I could hear the bed springs shift underneath his weight. "Why? Is she not home yet?"

"No, Jacob, she's not." Bella snapped.

"Put him on speaker, love." I told her quietly. She complied. "Jacob, was she going to stop anywhere on her way home?"

"No, I don't think so." he told me. "Dammit. I should've gone with her. She told me to stay here and sleep since I had to run patrol last night."

"Jake, stop it. It's not your fault." I whispered. "I'm going to look for her."

"Same here. I'll get the rest of the pack on it, too. Meet me at the border in ten." Jacob said, the Alpha showing up in his voice.

"Meet you there."

Bella hung up. "I'm coming with you."

"Me, too." Alice whispered.

A mutual murmur went through the room, all of the family nodding.

"Okay. Let's go."

Together, we ran out the door, searching for my daughter.

We arrived to the border the same time Jake, Seth, Paul, Jared, and Sam did. And what we saw, stopped us all in our tracks.

It was Renesmee's car- her red Audi Coupe- it's front smashed into a tree, the driver's side of the car bent in.

Then the smell hit me.

Blood.

And not just any type of blood, Renesmee's blood.

We all rushed to the car. I pulled the door off, hoping to find my daughter. Instead, I found nothing.

"What's in there, Edward?" Bella whispered quietly.

I ducked to look inside the car, and took a deep breath as the smell of her blood got stronger. "Her wallet… Phone… Purse…" I took a deep breath as my sight landed on the steering wheel and head rest. "Blood."

A collective gasp went through our families.

"Where could she be, Edward?" Esme asked quietly, brokenly.

I fought back a sob. "I don't know."

END FLASHBACK

We rode the rest of the way home in silence. When we actually pulled into the driveway, Bella was waiting for us on the porch, a concerned look resting upon her beautiful face.

Renesmee got out, me following her suit.

"Hey, hon. You want to talk about it?" Bella asked Renesmee, as she climbed the stairs.

"Not really… I just want to go to bed. It's been a long day." Renesmee answered, a small, sad smile on her lips.

Bella smiled at her daughter understandingly. "Then go on. You have to get up early in the morning, anyway."

Nessie groaned. "God, I forgot about school!" She yelled, as she stomped inside the house.

Bella and I laughed at our daughter. I pulled her into my arms, and she rested her head on my chest.

"Did she say what happened?"

"Yes… Some… They were playing that game Twenty Questions, and his answer to one of her questions seemed a little off to her. Honestly, it did to me, too. Had I been in her position, I would've done the same thing. Poor kid dug himself into a deeper hole whenever he tried to explain. None of it made any sense."

"Really?"

"Yes… I don't like the feeling I get from him. And it doesn't help that I get as good a read on him as I do Nessie." I scowled. I didn't like not being able to tell for sure what was going on in somebody's head. It made sense for Renesmee's thoughts to be a little… staticky. But… For Nikolas? A mere boy who had nothing to do with anything other than being a total-

"It seems like every other person we meet, you can't read their thoughts." Bella laughed.

"You're laughing?" I asked incredulously, smiling.

"Yes. Yes I am." she replied, grinning.

My unbeating heart melted- just like it did every time I see this woman. I kissed her lips rather roughly. "I'll show you who's laughing." I picked her up and took her back to the cottage.

***(NPOV) {Nikolas}

I was stupid.

Plain and simple.

Who else would walk out on a girl like Renesmee Cullen?

A dick. And that's exactly what I was for ditching her on a dinner I asked her out on! One I took her to!

The only reason I did it was because I was mad- and mad at myself, not her. I was mad at myself for slipping up- for giving her a reason to question who I was and what I did.

Letting guilt take over, I walked into my kitchen and grabbed my phone off the counter.

Me: Did you get home safely?

I took the phone with me as I walked onto the front porch, looking into the dark forest, and listened to the night creatures scurry around. Luckily, it wasn't raining.

A few minutes later, I received a reply.

Ren: Yes. But what does it matter to you?

Ouch. Guess I deserved that.

Fucker, you more than deserved that!

Me: Listen, Ren, I don't know what came over me at the restaurant. I'm so sorry for how I acted.

Ren: Same here, Nik. But you're gonna have to give me some answers.

I sighed.

Me: I know… But I can't tell you just yet.

Ren: Well, when CAN you tell me?

Me: As soon as I can.

Ren: Well, that's ALL cleared up, Nik.

I chuckled. I could just hear her say it.

Me: I know… But I promise. I will. And soon.

Ren: *sighs* Guess that's all I can ask for.

Me: Haha. Look, I have to go… But I'll see you in the morning… 'K?

Ren: Whatever.

I laughed again.

Me: Night, Ren.

Ren: Night.

I went back inside the house, and laid my phone down on the coffee table. My house wasn't very extravagant, like the Cullens' house, but it was more than what most people in this so-called town had. It was two stories, four bedrooms, grey with white shutters and wrap-around porch, and was surrounded by forest.

I switched off my mounted, 50", flat-screen, TV, and walked outside again. Closing the door behind me, I kept going straight, until I was deep into the forest, and let everything go.

The smell of mountain lion filled my lungs. It was a delicious delicacy that was rarely offered in Forks. Plus, it was a helluva lot better than anymore elk.

I took of running, letting my hunger lead me to it.

Ten seconds later, I was on the animal.

There was no fight where the cat was concerned. I'd taken it completely by surprise when I'd jumped on it's back and snapped its neck.

It was gone by the time I'd put my teeth on its neck, let alone the time it took to sink my teeth into its vein, and drain it dry.

A/N:...

Don't hate me! I told you, I had this all planned out in my head! And… it wasn't gonna happen this soon! I was just really excited to see all your reactions!

This chapter has probably been the easiest to write, so when I finished writing it all in one night, two hours, to be exact, you can imagine my surprise.

As always, thanks to Dawn, who listens and suggests, and is always there for when I need advice on this story! It probably wouldn't be as nice as it is without her help!

Please review!

Laters,

~Em

*Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Saga!*