Once again, forgive me for not updating. I hit a major's writer block and was too frustrated to write. When in doubt, go with the person that is easiest to write about. Here's another Renesmee fic.

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!

Eccentric

(I probably won't mention it below, she's about 16 here.)

Renesmee walked through the snowy woods around Forks, already regretting going out for a walk on her own. Her family had been busy preparing for the holidays, and she felt like some fresh air. Now, snow was steadily falling, the temperature was dropping, and she was absolutely lost.

On a normal day it wouldn't take long for her parents to track her down. The snow, newly falling, wiped away her track. Her family would be furious. She really hadn't meant to walk off so far, but here she was, wandering around. The sunlight began failing, and soon the forest was far darker than she would have liked it to be. Why didn't she take a phone? Renesmee berated herself as she walked on, wishing that she had used her brains tonight.

After about an hour her legs hurt, she was freezing and tired. She sighed and plopped down onto a rock leaning against a tree and trying to prevent tears from starting. Alice was away with Jasper, and Renesmee knew that she was probably too far away and too preoccupied to be watching for her. She closed her eyes and was about to drift off when I voice startled her.

"You know that you'll die that way."

She sat up with a start and glanced at a boy standing in front of her. He was dressed in a wool cap with matching woolen mittens. A large parka was wrapped around him and hand-crafted wood snowshoes were strapped to his feet. His eyes were a very dark green, and that was about all she could see of his face.

Renesmee shivered and glanced at him curiously. He smiled and reached out his hand. "I'm Caleb. You don't have to come with me, but I really don't think it's healthy for you to sit out here." Renesmee was too tired and lost to refuse. She stood up slowly and held up her hand. He lifted her on the snowshoes and off they went, toward who knows where.

They came to a cabin and he walked right in, holding the door open for her. She stepped inside and blew on her fingers, glancing around the tiny, but warm and comfortable cabin. There was a stone fireplace that almost dominated one wall, it's mantle filled with pine boughs and homemade figurines. She tapped the carved wolf around her wrist and missed her family more than ever. A couch was in the middle of the room, near a wooden bookcase. There were two doors that led off the cabin, and she figured that they must be the bedrooms.

"Come sit by the fire for a minute, you'll be warm in no time." She walked to the fire and sat down, almost having completely forgotten about Caleb. He went to the kitchen area and began preparing something. "Dad come out here!" She glanced around curiously. A door opened and a man wheeled himself out. He was old, but the pink cheeks and the sparkle in his eyes showed signs of life and vivacity. He smiled broadly when he set eyes on her.

"Well, well, who do we have here? Are you lost?" He glanced to Caleb and looked back towards me. Did I trust these men? They had just about saved my life, so I owed them that much at least.

I hadn't even spoken a word since I'd gotten here. "It's Renesmee sir, and thank you both for finding me and letting me stay there."

He laughed and Caleb joined us with three mugs of hot chocolate. I took it, resting my numbed hands against the hot ceramic. I stared at the liquid suspiciously, not sure if I trusted them this completely. Everyone said I was a pretty girl, so maybe I wasn't in the best situation for the moment.

Caleb seemed to notice my train of though, because he smiled again and took a sip of his drink. "I know that you don't know us, but we won't hurt you. This is my dad, but you can call him Santa." I smiled a bit at his name and Caleb whispered behind his hand. "He made the nickname himself. He's a bit eccentric, but he means well."

"I heard that!" He..Santa said with a smirk. "So what if I'm a bit different. There ain't no one out here besides us. Who's to judge?" He laughed and smiled at me again. "Well, I guess you're here now too. I liked the name Santa. Makes me feel important." He wheeled himself to the window and watched at the snow fast-flying snow.

I turned to Caleb. "My family is probably worried about where I am."

He frowned and looked out the window. "It's just too dangerous to be outside right now. As soon as the snow let's up I'll take you back to your folks. Do you live far from here?" I decided if I should say where I lived. They had been nothing but nice to me, and I wasn't passed out on the floor so the hot chocolate was okay. I owed them so much already.

"I live near here, just off the woods. I shouldn't be too far, I just got turned around out there. I want to thank you again, there must be some way I can repay you." Caleb was shaking his head in the middle of my sentence. He took our empty mugs and set them in the rustic sink.

He came over and sat by the fire as well. "It ain't any trouble for you to be here. It gets lonely in the woods, though my dad over there is...stimulating company."

As if reading from cue cards his dad spoke again. "Oh, there's a squirrel! Run on home little Rudy, snows falling fast. He laughed loudly and continued to follow "Rudy" as he ran through the snow. "Ah yes, those little fellas. Don't seem to know that there's a storm brewin'." I glanced at Caleb in a confused way and he shrugged as if to say "what can you do?" "Like a said, he's a bit eccentric. He wanted to live in the woods and he wanted to call himself Santa. If he's happy, I won't be complaining."

Renesmee smiled. They seemed to have the oddest life she had ever heard of, but something about it was fascinating. Her bracelet clinked on her wrist and she glanced down at it, another pang of worry and loneliness coming. She hoped that none of her family would come looking for her, especially not Jacob. It was too cold, she didn't want him to get hurt.

Caleb was looking at her bracelet as well and lifted her wrist to glance at the carved wolf. "This piece is amazing. There's a lot of detail....did you make this?" Renesmee wished that she could create something as beautiful as the wolf that was around her wrist. It was given to her by her mom, but she knew Jacob had made it. The secrets of her mom's and Jacob's past was revealed. Renesmee wasn't angry at their "romance." She found it rather funny.

"I didn't make it, my good friend did."

Caleb smiled knowingly. "You got a beau Renesmee?"

A trait from her mom sprang up and she blushed a deep, scarlet red. "Well..uhh...I guess I do have a beau. Or at least, I want him to be." She bit her tongue after, wishing she hadn't just said that. Good grief, she couldn't even tell her best friend that! The cold must have messed with her mind. Caleb laughed and didn't stop for a good five minutes.

"Well, I reckon that he's a right lucky guy. You're a nice girl, and pretty to boot." Noticing my exhaustion, he stood up. "I don't think the snow is going to let up soon, so why don't you get some shut-eye? I can push the couch up to the fire and you can stay warm." I smiled, relieved. It was pretty tired.

A few minutes later I was laying on the couch and staring into the flames. Caleb was sitting in the corner, reading a book. Santa had gone off to bed, though I had an occasional laugh every now and then. Eccentric old man, but probably the most easy-going I had ever seen. I wonder what my family was doing right now. Were the looking for me? I knew my mom would be frantic, and guilt rose up. I shouldn't be doing this to them.

Sometime between my gazing and musing I must have fallen asleep because it wasn't much time later when Caleb was shaking me awake. I looked out the window, a little surprised to see it was till dark. "The snow has stopped, and I hear someone callin' your name. Go on out and listen." I leaped up and ran to the door, opening it and listening.

"Renesmee....Nessie!" I heard a voice calling. I was relieved to recognize the deep tones of Jacob's voice. I smiled and leaned out the door. "Jacob! Jake over here!" I didn't have to yell long before there was a thrashing in the woods and Jacob ran into the clearing, wearing proper winter attire to my relief. It would have been odd to Caleb if he was wearing nothing but sweatpants.

"Nessie!" He ran up and enveloped me in one of his bone-crushing hugs. "What happened, where were you, are you hurt?" His questions came at about a mile a minute and I hugged him back to stop the assault.

"I'm fine, thanks to Caleb here. He found me in the woods and brought me here until the storm was over. Jacob looked up to Caleb with real gratitude in his eyes. Caleb smiled and looked back toward me with a wink. I blushed and hid my face against Jacob.

"Thank you again Caleb, you did save my life." He waved it off and smiled. "Guess we'll be seeing you. Farewell for now Renesmee."

A glanced back as Jake draped a heavier coat over my shoulders. "Goodbye Caleb!"

As we left the clearing I leaned against Jacob, still groggy from my early awakening. He smiled and bent down. "Piggy-back ride?" I let my head fall against his shoulder and my eyes close.

"Glad you're safe Renesmee."

Ah, I realized I switched from third person to first person in the middle of the story. So sorry, I hope that didn't make the reading confusing.