Chief and I ⇢ Charlie Swan Fanfiction

xxvi. a daughter's daughter

My daughter is either my best friend, or Satan. There is no in between.

xxvi. a daughter's daughter

"What is the werewolves' part in this?" Tanya asked then, eyeing Jacob.

Jacob spoke before Edward could answer.

"If the Volturi won't stop to listen about Nessie, I mean Renesmee," Jacob corrected himself, remembering that Tanya would not understand his stupid nickname, "we will stop them." he said.

"Very brave, child, but that would be impossible for more experienced fighters than you are." Tanya said.

"You don't know what we can do." Jacob said.

Tanya shrugged. "It is your own life, certainly, to spend as you choose," she said.

"Don't underestimate them, Tanya," Gemini said.

Jacob's eyes flickered to Renesmee—still in Carmen's arms with Kate hovering over them—and it was easy to read the longing in them.

"She is special, that little one," Tanya mused. "Hard to resist."

"A very talented family," Eleazar murmured as he paced. His tempo was increasing; he flashed from the door to Carmen and back again every second. "A mind reader for a father, a shield for a mother, and then whatever magic this extraordinary child has bewitched us with. I wonder if there is a name for what she does, or if it is the norm for a vampire hybrid. As if such a thing could ever be considered normal! A vampire hybrid, indeed!"

"Excuse me," Edward said in a stunned voice. He reached out and caught Eleazar's shoulder as he was about to turn again for the door. "What did you just call my wife?" Edward asked Eleazar.

Eleazar looked at Edward curiously, his manic pacing forgotten for the moment.

"A shield, I think. She's blocking me now, so I can't be sure." Eleazar said.

Inadu stared at Eleazar, her brows furrowing in confusion. Shield?

"That makes sense," Inadu said.

"Please tell me you, Edward, did not know your wife was a shield?" Gemini asked Edward before laughing. "Mister know it all, didn't know something, finally," She added.

"A shield?" Edward repeated, bewildered.

"Come now, Edward! If I can't get a read on her, I doubt you can, either. Can you hear her thoughts right now?" Eleazar asked.

"No," Edward murmured. "But I've never been able to do that. Even when she was human." he added.

"Never?" Eleazar blinked. "Interesting. That would indicate a rather powerful latent talent, if it was manifesting so clearly even before the transformation. I can't feel a way through her shield to get a sense of it at all. Yet she must be raw still—she's only a few months old." Eleazar said.

The look he gave Edward now was almost exasperated.

"And apparently completely unaware of what she's doing. Totally unconscious. Ironic. Aro sent me all over the world searching for such anomalies, and you simply stumble across it by accident and don't even realize what you have." Eleazar shook his head in disbelief.

Bella frowned. "What are you talking about? How can I be a shield? What does that even mean?" Bella asked.

Eleazar leaned his head to one side as he examined Bella.

"I suppose we were overly formal about it in the guard. In truth, categorizing talents is a subjective, haphazard business; every talent is unique, never exactly the same thing twice. But you, Bella, are fairly easy to classify. Talents that are purely defensive, that protect some aspect of the bearer, are always called shields. Have you ever tested your abilities? Blocked anyone besides me and your mate?" Eleazar asked Bella.