A.N: Stupid internet!!! Sorry, I couldn't get online yesterday to update. I live in Rez at University, and our internet occasionally doesn't work. It's a pain in the butt, especially when I have chem lab due and can't get to the stupid reference sites.

But that enough of my anger at rez internet. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and please enjoy:

Four. Motorcycle Ran Out Of Gas

I was glad I hadn't had to stick by Edward for too long after entering the store. Talking about underwear with him and turned me the ugly bright red that only I seemed to have the ability of reaching.

I was already embarrassed enough around him after the dreams I'd had the previous night, I hadn't needed anymore.

Thinking about those dreams made me shiver, which made me feel pathetic. They had barely reached PG-13, yet I had woken up this morning feeling as if I had spent the night being pushed to the edge without getting release. I hadn't been able to look him in the eye through all of breakfast.

Shaking my head, I made my way towards the women's clothes to find some outfits for myself.

I had never really liked shopping. For clothes, at least. Put me in a book store, and I could get lost for hours. Surround me with clothes, and I just lost interest.

Still… a part of me wanted to at least look decent around Edward.

I wandered through the clothes, and within ten minutes had picked out three pairs of jeans and some tops that I thought were cute, but practical enough for riding across the country on a motorcycle. By the time twenty-five minutes were up, I had managed to find a hairbrush as well, and was headed back to electronics.

Edward was there already, his back to me as he surveyed a stand of dvds.

"Thinking about getting a portable TV, too?" I asked. "I don't think that'll work too well on the bike."

He looked at me over his shoulder, his grin full of boyish charm that lit up his eyes. I felt a faint flush in my cheeks. Edward had never affected me like this before, so why was he now?

Maybe because, until now, you'd never spoken ten words to him?

That was true. As the police chief's daughter, it would have been taboo for me to be seen with the town's troublemaker. The thought brought on another- one I had to vocalize to Edward.

"Do you realize the uproar we'll have caused in Forks?" I asked him.

"Uproar?" he raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"The police chief's daughter runs off with Edward Cullen?" though the thought of Charlie caused some pain, I couldn't help but smirk. "People will be talking about it for decades to come. It's the most exciting thing to happen since Mr. Goff the Bio teacher got caught fooling around with Mrs. Cope."

Edward laughed and wrapped his arm companionably around my shoulders. His touch sent a shock through me, and I looked up at him to see if he had felt it too. He was looking down at me. There was still laughter in his eyes, but there was also that soft look that had been there as we watched the sun set. I felt my breath catch, and I wondered what it would feel like if he kissed me again- really kissed me this time.

His right hand was reaching up to my face when I was jostled from behind and stumbled into him. I fell heavily into his chest, and only his quick reflexes stopped us both from crashing back into the ipod display behind us.

"Um… sorry," I quickly straightened up and looked away blushing. "We should probably go and get the rest of our stuff."

There was a heavy silence for a moment, and I was too afraid to look at Edward, to see his expression. Finally he sighed.

"Yeah, c'mon. I saw a leather jacket I want you to try on, and there are a couple canvas bags that'll be good for carrying our stuff."

I thought I might have heard disappointment in his voice, but I shook that thought away. I had just broken up with Mike- I did not need another relationship right now.

Not even if it was with someone who could make me laugh, and who I wanted to lick when I saw him.

I bit my lip as I followed behind Edward.

Crap, but I was so screwed.

-*-

The jacket Edward had chose for me was comfortable and, as we raced down the I-90, far more warm than my previous one had been.

We had finished at Wal-Mart, taking a few minutes in the parking lot to transfer all our purchases from the plastic bags to the canvas ones Edward had bought. Once that was done, Edward had wasted no time in firing up the bike and getting us out of Seattle.

"I want to reach Spokane before we stop for the night," Edward called back to me.

"Spokane? That's not that far," I replied.

"Are you in a hurry?" he asked me. "This trip is about enjoying life, Bella, not speeding through it."

"Well, what will we do once we reach Spokane, then?" I asked.

"Bella, Bella, Bella," Edward sighed shaking his head. "The question isn't what we do when we get there. It's what do we do on the way there?"

I caught a flash of his grin as he pulled a sharp left onto a gravel road.

"What the hell!?" I screeched, tightening my arms around his waist like a vice.

"Have you ever been to an apple orchard?" he asked me.

"An apple orchard?" I repeated dumbly. "Are you serious, Edward?"

"Why not. Washington is the nations largest apple producer. I think it's only fitting that we experience an orchard for ourselves."

"And how do you know there's an orchard down here?" I asked. "Do you have an apple radar or something?"

"Hardly," Edward snorted. "I saw a sign along the road. Asper's Apples; nice alliteration, don't you think?"

I couldn't help but laugh, it was just such a ridiculous situation.

"How far down is it?" I asked him.

"Not sure," he replied. "I didn't catch that part of the sign."

I gaped at the back of his head for a moment, then smacked his shoulder.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"You didn't catch that part?" I asked incredulously. "How will we know if when we reach the place?"

"It's an apple orchard, Bella. How hard can it be to find an apple orchard?"

As it turned out, it was very hard. The gravel road snaked through a forest. A forest means lots of trees- and neither Edward nor I knew an apple tree from an oak tree, or any other kind of tree.

"I think we've gone too far," I told him after we'd been travelling down the road for half an hour.

"We'll just go a little further," Edward replied. "It has to be around here somewhere."

I rolled my eyes.

"Seriously, Edward. I'm sure we've gone too far. We should turn around and head back."

"Now Bella," Edward began sagely. "Try to live a little; walk on the wild side a little. Sometimes the unknown can be fun."

"And sometimes it's just the unknown," I retorted. "And should stay that way."

"Don't be so uptight," he turned down another road. "Look ahead- there's a barn. This is probably the right place."

Surely enough, a large red barn was just barely visible through the trees ahead of us. A neat little farm was built in a large cleared out area. There was also a sign that proudly declared Mil-Wray Milk Farms.

"This is definitely not the right farm," I said, as we passed the sign.

"So? It's still a farm. Maybe they'll have an apple orchard."

"Are those cows?" I asked as we zoomed by a pasture filled with black and white cattle.

"Milk cows, judging by the farm's name," Edward replied cheerfully. "Haven't you ever seen a cow before?"

"In magazines, and in the distance from a car window. Pull over. I want to get a closer look."

"You're ridiculous, Bella," Edward told me. But he pulled over next to the fence and turned the engine of the bike off. I climbed off and approached the fence warily.

"Do you want to go in?" Edward asked.

"Why would I want to do that?" I replied.

Edward gave me a crooked grin, and pulled out a disposable Kodak camera.

"For a picture stop," he replied.

"When did you get that?" I asked, reaching out and taking the camera from his hands.

"In the Wal-Mart checkout line. C'mon," he put his foot on the second to last barbed wire, and lifted the top one to create a space for me to climb through.

"I think this may be illegal," I told him. "You know, trespassing on private property," but I climbed through the fence anyway.

"Everything's a little more fun when it's illegal," Edward informed me brightly, following me through the fence. "Now, Bella, hand back the camera and let's see your prettiest smile."

"What if I want to be the photographer?" I replied coyly, hiding the camera behind my back.

"I'll give you a turn once you've been the model," Edward reached out and pulled me into his chest by the waist. "There's just something about a girl smiling for a camera that gets to me."

"That sounds really creepy," I told him, but my mind was already wandering away from the conversation and in the direction of his lips, which were hovering just inches away from mine.

And he did have really talented lips.

He leaned down and pressed them quickly against mine, before he danced back away from me.

The camera was in his hand.

"You're distracted quite easily," he informed me. "Now, Isabella, smile for camera."

I scowled at him.

"That's not a smile," Edward told me. "C'mon Bella- you have a beautiful smile. Share it with the world."

Against my better judgement, I felt my lips quirk and a blush rise in my cheeks.

"Beautiful," Edward informed me, clicking the capture button. "Now, try for sex kitten."

I laughed, and heard Edward click capture again.

Despite my usual dislike of being the center of attention, I found myself playing along with Edward and posing for the camera. We ended up finding a particularly sedate cow that just stood and chewed on grass while I got my picture taken hugging her, pretending to be terrified of her, and a variety of other poses that had both Edward and me in stitches.

I made him take his turn as well. My favourite was one of him being chased by a half-grown calf that didn't enjoy it when Edward tried to climb on it's back.

"That was priceless," I laughed, wiping tears of mirth away from eyes. "The look on your face when it kicked you!"

"Laugh it up, Swan," Edward rubbed his but. "That hurt."

"You shouldn't have tried to climb on its back," I told him, climbing through the fence.

"Well, I know that n- oh, shit."

"What's oh… well, shit."

There was a truck barrelling towards us down the winding lane from the farm house. We couldn't see the driver, but I was willing to bet it was a very irate farmer.

Edward and I made record time in getting the bike, turning it on, and zooming in the opposite direction down the lane.

"Is he following us?" Edward asked.

I looked back- the blue junker was falling behind, but it was still there.

"Yeah. Do you think he has a gun?"

"That's just a stereotype, Bella. Farmer's aren't all redneck hicks who believe in shoot first and ask questions later… but just in case, hold on tight."

I tightened my arms around his middle, and he pulled a sharp left down another gravel road, then took the first right we came to.

We lost the farmer fairly quickly after that.

"That was too close," I said, resting my head on Edward's back. "Way, way too close. How far to the I-90?"

Edward didn't reply. So I looked up, suddenly feeling uneasy.

"You do know how far it is to the I-90, don't you?" I demanded.

"Well," Edward drew out the word. "I did… but then we had to lose the farmer and… we're not lost. We're just, erm… uh…"

"Taking a shortcut?" suggested sarcastically, then groaned. "We'll have to go back and ask for directions."

"Are you kidding?" Edward yelped. "He'll shoot us!"

"I thought you said that was a false stereotype," I shot back.

"It is… I think. But it's better to be safe than sorry."

"You don't know the way back to the farm, either, do you?"

I could only see the edge of Edward's sheepish grin, but I could create a pretty good mental image of the full thing.

"Not a clue," he admitted.

I opened my mouth to reply, but was cut off by the engine sputtering. I closed my eyes as Edward pulled over, praying for strength.

"Please tell me that's not what I think it is," I said.

"Uh… we're out of gas. Was that what you thought it was?"

I couldn't help but laugh.

"That sounds hysterical… and rather frightening. Are you okay Bella?" Edward asked, shutting off the engine and putting up the bike's kick stand.

I got off the bike and walked away a few feet before rounding on him.

"We're lost and out of gas, and you're asking if I'm okay?" I asked him. "I'm really not, Edward."

Rather than making him look apologetic, my words caused Edward to grin.

"This'll be good for you, Bella," he informed me.

"How so?" I drawled.

"It'll teach you to loosen up, take the curves as life throws them at you. It'll teach you to look on the bright side."

"There's a bright side to this?" I snorted.

"Of course there is," Edward slung his arm companionably around my shoulders. "At least you're not stuck out here with Newton. Plus, it'll give us the chance to bond as we walk and try to find another farm," Edward put up the kick stand again and began to push the bike.

"And we couldn't have bonded perfectly well just by going on a cross country motorcycle trip together?" I asked.

"Not as much. The bike's too loud."

"You're way too cheerful for this situation," I eyed him warily. "What do you have up your sleeve?"

"Just a game of twenty questions," he replied. "You can even go first."

"Twenty questions. I don't… I've never… that has got to be one of the most random things I've ever heard."

"Don't you want to go first? I can-"

"Is it true that you and Lauren had sex on Banner's desk during detention?" I interrupted, hoping my question would either shock him or embarrass him into silence.

Instead it made him laugh.

"Nope. She scares me a little, and that voice is just annoying. I've never touched her," Edward smiled down at me. "My turn now. What the hell did you ever see in Mike Newton?"

"Nothing. It was expected that I'd date him, so I did. Do we really have to play this game?"

"Yes. It's fun. Your cell phone is ringing."

I blinked, then looked at the purse I had slung over my shoulder. Sure enough, there was a ringing coming from it. I reached in and pulled out the cell just as it stopped ringing. I had twenty missed calls- five from Charlie, six from Renee, my mom, two from Jessica, and seven from Mike.

"Popular girl," Edward commented, looking over my shoulder. "You have fifteen texts, too."

I opened the inbox and saw three messages from Renee, two from Jessica, and ten from Mike.

They all contained the same variation of the message what the hell are you thinking running off with Edward Cullen? Mike's even included saying that if I came back now, he'd be willing to forget my faux pas and take me back. I snorted at that.

I was about to put my phone back, when I got another call. It was Mike.

"Might as well answer it," Edward didn't look nearly as cheerful anymore. He actually looked rather angry, and was staring straight ahead. I bit my lip, before making my choice.

It didn't matter that we were lost, walking down a back country trail, and gas-less. I had felt more alive, and had way more fun in the past sixteen hours with Edward than I'd had since I was a little kid just discovering bubble wrap.

I pressed talk and put the phone to my ear.

"Hey Mike, I can't talk right now. Edward is doing this really amazing thing with his tongue, and the interruption is really throwing off the vibe. Don't call back," I flipped the phone shut again and tossed it into the ditch. "We'll have to use yours from now on."

Edward was gaping at me as if he'd never seen me before.

"What?" I asked.

"You," his voice came out strangled, so he cleared his throat and tried again. "You do realize that he's going to tell everyone in Forks what you said, don't you?"

"So?" I replied.

"Won't it bother you that everyone will think that you're uh… sleeping with me when you're not?"

I gave a secretive grin and surveyed him closely.

"Does it bother you?" I replied. I was pretty sure I had been reading his signals correctly- I mean, they may not have been frenchies, but he had still kissed me twice and I was pretty sure I wasn't the only one feeling sparks.

"I… well… no," he said at last. "It really doesn't," the look in his eyes said it all.

I had definitely not been mis-reading the signals.

"Well then. I just dumped a total douche, so I'm not looking to getting involved right now, but this country is big Edward, and if the start is any indication, our trip may take while," I looked at him from below my eyelashes, hoping I was looking properly coy. "A lot can happen in that time."

My earlier may not have shocked him into silence, but that certainly did.

I felt my lips curve in a secretive grin and I allowed myself to enjoy the knowledge that I held appeal for someone as attractive as Edward Cullen for a moment.

It felt really good.

A/N2: Well, that was chapter four. Don't forget to give me ideas for stops for Edward and Bella to make along their journey. The musical inspiration for this chapter was "Truck Got Stuck" by Corb Lund. Please review, they make me happy, and a happy Lynyrd writes that much faster ;). Look for the next update on Wednesday.