Theory: Confirmed

Flashback: Strength

Flashback: 2012

Renesmee's Age: Physically 12/13

Edward's POV

"Okay I think I got it..." The tones of sheer determination in her voice and how it trailed off at the end when she bit down on her bottom lip with concentration were enough to make me smile. Whilst Renesmee was an even mix between Bella and myself, I couldn't help but be more tuned into whenever she did something even remotely similar to her mother. This undertone of stubborn personality and insisting on not allowing anyone to help her had Bella written all over them. This part of Renesmee's beautiful personality had been evident since she was just a few days old. She was insistent on showing us that she wasn't weak, and that she was capable of doing things for herself. That hadn't faded in the slightest.

"Perfect. Give it a try." I didn't need to encourage her at all. She'd already moved her dark curls over her shoulder and readied her hands against the keys in front of us.

She'd wanted me to teach her to play since being very little, so that's what i'd done. The part that amazed me was how I was now sitting with my twelve year old daughter who was perfectly capable of composing the most elaborate of pieces. She'd mastered playing in just a few months, able to pick up every piece of new information I gave her and make it her own. She amazed me, and I couldn't help my own sense of pride.

Taking a deep breath, Renesmee placed her hands in the correct position to begin the piece I'd just demonstrated - only once - and I watched her from my place next to her on the bench as she began to play. Her eyes - Bella's eyes - were focused entirely on what she was doing, not that she couldn't look away. I wouldn't have been shocked in the slightest if she'd have been able to play the entire piece with her eyes closed. She was a natural.

After a few moments, her fingers stopped their graceful dance across the keys and the piece came to an end with an unstoppable smile placed on my lips. She hadn't hit a single wrong note.

"I might've messed up that last part, I don't think it sounded very good and-"

"And you did perfectly." I cut her off with a gentle voice, and watched her brown eyes turn to my direction. "Just as I knew you would." It was without consideration that I leaned down to press my forehead to hers, watching the smile appear that I'd expected. "Everyone knows that you're capable of anything you set your mind to, Renesmee. It's time you believed that too." I reminded her, and the way her eyes lit up with innocent happiness was a sight that I would never forget.

She stood up, barely taller than me even when I was sat down, and I watched her head tilt to the side. "Anything..?" She asked, a soft frown on her face. "I'm weaker than you, and Mom, and even EJ..."

This train of thought was familiar to me; I'd heard it in her mind on previous occasions, but she'd never brought it up. "Listen to me, Renesmee." I shook my head, and stood up, moving to crouch in front of her. "You'll never be weaker. Weak would be a term used to refer to someone who isn't strong, and I can swear that that's definitely not you. You're one of the strongest people I know, so don't you forget that.

"I understand what you mean, and I'm not denying it. You mean that you're less strong physically, but in my experience, its not physical strength that matters most, at least not in our world." She was listening to me now, and taking in what I was saying. "Do you remember what I told you, about your mother?"

She nodded, one little bob of her head. "You said that mom was human for a while before she became like you, which was when she had me."

I couldn't help my smile. "Exactly. Your mother was living everyday in a world that was far too dangerous for her, and there was only so much that my protection could do. She had to be strong, mentally, to be able to get through it all. She wasn't physically strong enough to cope with the strain that having you put on her, and there was a moment that everything could've been different." I paused. "She explained that to me, afterwards, that the thoughts that she clung to were what kept her from giving in. You see, Renesmee, your mother loves without thinking about it. When she loves something, or someone, then its stronger than anything you can imagine, and it serves her better than any kind of physical strength could. She passed that onto you."

By this point, she was looking at me with wide, curious eyes. She was soaking in everything I said to her.

"Maybe you're not as strong physically, but the way that you love people will be what makes you stronger and more capable than anyone else. Keep hold of that. It's what makes you so incredible." I whispered, and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

She was beaming. Her whole face was lit up with this breath-taking smile. "I love you, Dad." She declared honestly, and it was my turn to smile.

"As I love you." I promised. "Would you like to show your mother what you learnt?" I questioned, and her nod was a quick response, before she dashed off down the hall to fetch Bella.