First, I apolgozie for not responding to everyone's reviews this time around. I'm not sure what was going on with my email and/or fanfiction, but the notices were sporadic and for some reason most of them ended up in my spam folder. Anyway, enough complaining. Thank you all very much for your reviews and adds, I promise to respond this time around to any review because I'll pay closer attention. I hope you all like this chapter, I'm not so sure about it, but I'll give you guys the final say. Please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing with Twilight.

Chapter Four

As the hostess led Johanna and JJ to a table, with JJ's hand still firmly holding hers, Johanna's heart had yet to slow it's incredibly fast pace and her chest was actually starting to hurt from it. However, the fact that her hand seemed to fit perfectly within his insanely warm hand didn't go unnoticed by her and it also didn't go unnoticed by the hostess who Johanna had caught raising an eyebrow when she spotted their joined hands. JJ surprisingly pulled out a chair for Johanna after he finally let go of her hand. She smiled her thanks as she sat down and he was quick to take the seat across from her.

"Your server should be with you in a few minutes," the hostess said as she put the menus down onto the table in front of them.

"Thanks," JJ said quickly with barely a glance at the pretty blonde before his attention was back on Johanna. She gave him a tight lipped smile before she looked down at the menu, but she kept her hands in her lap. "I'm going to text Sarah," JJ said and Johanna looked at him just as he pulled out his cell phone. "That okay?"

"Sure," Johanna said and JJ smiled at her before he looked down at his phone and started to type. Johanna watched him and when he was finished he put his phone aside and looked at her once again, their eyes meeting. Johanna could feel her cheeks warm yet again as they stared at each other for a few quiet beats before she finally broke the silence as she tore her eyes away from his and picked up the laminated menu. "I don't think I've ever been to this café before. What would you suggest?" she asked, her eyes scanning over her possible choices. JJ couldn't help but smile softly as he picked up his own menu, however, his eyes remained on her.

"Well, I'm partial to the bacon cheeseburger," JJ said and Johanna looked at him once more, her cheeks still pink, "but everything is pretty good. I haven't had anything that I haven't liked." Johanna nodded and opened her mouth to say something when JJ's phone chimed that he had a text message before three more chimes followed in rapid succession. JJ knew the texts were from Sarah, and likely Meredith, without even bothering to look at his phone. It chimed again and again which caused Johanna to look at it before she looked at him.

"Should you look at those?" Johanna asked and JJ shook his head before he quickly turned his phone onto silent and upside down.

"They're not important," he said and Johanna raised an eyebrow, which made JJ chuckle. "Trust me, they're not. "

"If you're sure," she said and JJ smiled at her.

"I'm sure," he said just as the waitress walked up to their table.

"Hi, I'm Stacy and I'll be your server today," an older woman with short black hair that was speckled with gray said as she put small square napkins down in front of them. "What can I get you two to drink?" she asked her bright blue eyes sparkling as she looked between the pair.

"I'll have a Coke, please, Stacy," JJ said easily and Stacy nodded before she looked to Johanna.

"And you, sweetheart?" she asked and Johanna smiled up at Stacy.

"Could I have a glass of lemonade, please?" Johanna asked and Stacy laughed quietly as she nodded her head.

"Sure thing," she said. "I'll let you two decide on what you'd like to eat while I go get your drinks." With that Stacy walked away and Johanna looked back at JJ, her green eyes meeting his brown once again.

"So, you know what you're going to get?" JJ asked with a charming grin and eyes shining with what Johanna presumed to be happiness as he looked at her. Johanna couldn't help but laugh softly as she looked at him because just the thought of him being happy to spend time with her was a little overwhelming. Plus, she wasn't sure exactly why but despite her underlying nervousness at being alone with JJ, she felt strangely at ease and (dare she even think it) safe with him. It was odd, but she was decided that she wasn't going to question it; at least not at that moment. If JJ was anything like his sister, he was truly being genuine with her and if he wasn't . . . well she would just have to make sure not to let all of her walls down around him.

"Not yet," she said back evenly, "do you?"

"Of course," he said. "I'm going to stick with my favorite."

"The bacon cheeseburger?" she asked, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips and JJ laughed as he nodded.

"Exactly," he said and Johanna's small smile turned into a full smile, which much to JJ's surprised revealed two small dimples that rested just under the corners of both her eyes. It was then that the muffled chime of her own cell phone reached her ears and turning her gaze away from him and to her small purse, Johanna pulled her phone from her bag. She had two texts, both from Sarah, and she quickly opened them. "Sarah?" JJ asked and Johanna looked at him briefly before she nodded and returned her eyes to her phone to read Sarah's messages.

"Tell that brother of mine that he's an ass for ignoring me," Sarah had written in the first message, which made Johanna literally laugh out loud (albeit quietly) as she read the words before she moved on to the next talk bubble just underneath it. "Also, Lucy's mom called and she's got to go home. Are you okay to get a ride home with him?" Johanna's heart skipped once again and started racing away once more in her chest as she reread Sarah's last text and nervously licked her lips.

"Something wrong?" JJ asked, slightly worried since she had been smiling a second ago and now she looked almost scared.

"Depends," Johanna said as she looked up at JJ yet again.

"On?" he asked, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Would you mind giving me a ride home?" Johanna asked, her voice breaking a bit in the middle of her question.

"No, not at all, but out of curiosity why?" he asked.

"Lucy had to go home, so, Sarah asked if I would be okay with getting a ride home with you," she said. "Are you sure, it's okay."

"Of course," he said and Johanna gave him a small smile of thanks before she texted Sarah back that JJ said he would give her a lift home. Before she could put her phone away, however, it chimed once again in her hands and she opened the message from Sarah.

"Be sure to tell him I said he was an ass, Johanna," Sarah had written, smiley face included at the end of the sentence and Johanna laughed softly under her breath before she tucked her phone back into her purse.

"What?" JJ asked as she put her phone away and Johanna looked at him, the apples of her cheeks tinting once again in a blush as she looked at him.

"Sarah wanted to ensure that I told you something," she hedged and JJ raised an eyebrow in question. "She wanted me to tell you that she thinks you're an ass." JJ laughed quietly before he ran his right hand through his short hair and shrugged slightly.

"That's nothing new really," he said with a grin that had Johanna smiling again, which made those dimples of hers come to his attention once more.

"All right you two," Stacy said as she appeared once again, JJ's soda and Johanna's lemonade in hand, "have you decided on what you'd like to eat?" she asked after setting the glasses down in front of them.

"I'll have the bacon cheeseburger platter with seasoned fries, Stacy," JJ said as he looked to the older woman who nodded her head and turned her eyes to Johanna.

"And you, sweetheart?" Stacy asked.

"I'll have the same," Johanna said and Stacy smiled as she took their menus.

"Perfect," Stacy said. "It should be out shortly." Stacy walked away, leaving the pair alone again, and Johanna took a sip of her lemonade and sighed quietly before she looked at JJ again.

"Tell me about yourself, Johanna," he said and she shifted in her seat a bit.

"There isn't really all that much to tell," she said as she shook her head.

"I don't believe that," he said he rested his forearms on the table in front of him and leaned onto it, his eyes never straying from her face.

"It's true," she said, her cheeks warming once again under the intensity of his gaze. "I'm pretty boring."

"The girls don't seem to think that," he said and Johanna tore her eyes away from his and looked at her lemonade briefly before she looked back at him.

"There really isn't anything all that interesting about me, JJ," she said. "Outside of doing my chores around the house, I spend most of my days either in my room, in my mother's garden, or at the library with my nose buried in books. On Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays I have violin lessons and when school's in session, I go to school and then I go home. That's it."

"You play the violin?" he asked, surprised by that fact, and Johanna nodded.

"I've played since I was six," she said.

"Now that's not boring at all," JJ said with a slight shake of his head and Johanna laughed quietly.

"You enjoy violin music?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "You don't seem like the type."

"I'm sure I'd enjoy anything I heard you play, Johanna. Will you play for me sometime?" he asked, completely serious, and Johanna's heart skipped once again as her stomach twisted in that uncomfortable way once more. Johanna's mother had wanted her to learn to play, so, she took private lessons. It wasn't a passion of hers, but her mother loved watching and listening to her play so she enjoyed making her mother happy. She'd never played for anyone outside of her instructor and her parents and before she could stop it her one word answer slipped past her lips.

"Maybe."

"I can't believe you let JJ get away with telling us to bug off and leave Johanna with him," Meredith said after the three of them had made their purchases, dropped their bags off at her car, and headed towards the movie theater. "I mean, you saw how nervous she got around him after the whole thing in the kitchen yesterday." Sarah sighed quietly and shrugged her shoulders.

"He said something had had happened while we were in the dressing room. He's not sure exactly what, but she was upset," Sarah said.

"All the more we should be with her, don't you think?" Meredith asked, but before Sarah could say otherwise Lucy chimed in.

"He may be a virtual stranger, but if she is hurt or upset, he's the best person for her. She feels the connection to him too, doesn't she, Sarah?" Lucy asked and Sarah nodded.

"Yeah," Sarah said. "She doesn't understand it, but she feels it. It's probably as confusing as hell and all that but Lucy's right. He would be the best person for her to be with right now. Last month Adam was the only person that brought me any sense of comfort when Grandpa Billy was in the hospital for a week with pneumonia. JJ will be able to do that for Johanna."

"He's still an ass for mucking up girl day," Meredith said and Lucy and Sarah laughed.

"True, but there will be plenty more chances for girl days, Meri," Sarah said as she wrapped her right arm around Meredith's left. Meredith chuckled as the three of them reached the movie theater to continue their late afternoon of fun.

After their early dinner and pleasant conversation JJ had talked Johanna into walking along the long walkway along the water. Truthfully it hadn't take much convincing on his part he simply asked the question and Johanna had agreed, which both pleased and surprised him as they walked the short distance from the café to the pathway. They'd been walking in comfortable silence for about ten minutes when Johanna broke away from him. He stopped walking and watched as she walked over to an empty wooden bench that rested close to the water and sat down, her attention focused out on the water.

Furrowing his brow slightly JJ followed her and sat down on the bench beside her, leaving about six inches of space between them. She didn't look at him, her eyes were still trained out towards the water, but his eyes were focused on her and the sad yet peaceful look that had settled across her face. Like the night before the gentle wind that was coming off the water was moving her hair, but this time around it was fully down and moving around her head like dark waves and occasionally blocking his view of her face since most of her hair rested over her left shoulder. Part of him was tempted to brush it over her shoulder so he could see her face, but his hand remained at his side.

"Is something wrong, Johanna?" he asked and she shook her head subtly.

"No, nothing's wrong," she said softly before she turned her eyes back to his. "I'm sorry, but I just needed to sit here for a moment." He nodded even though he didn't understand, and judging by what she said next she obviously felt she owed him an explanation. "This is the very bench I used to sit on with my Gran, my mom's mom, when we came down to the water during our visits," Johanna said. "I haven't come down here since her funeral almost six years ago and when I saw the bench I couldn't help myself."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me, Johanna," JJ said as he shook his head and scooted closer to her, his right arm rising to rest on the back of the bench behind her as his brown eyes held her light green. "And you don't have to apologize when you have nothing to be sorry for," he said as he raised his right hand from behind her and using the back of his fingers, brushed her hair over her left shoulder so it rested on her back.

It was softer than he thought it would be and his sensitive nose caught the scent of honeysuckle and oranges in the air and he knew it was Johanna. Sitting next to her she still had to look up at him and once again her cheeks blushed red as she looked at him and he could hear her heart racing away in her chest. However, over the nearly three hours since he had gone to her in the alley she had grown braver because that time her eyes didn't waver from his for a second.

"Tell me about your gran," he said gently. "Were the two of you close?"

"Very," she said before she paused and JJ was relieved to see a bit of happiness come into her eyes as she looked up at him. "She taught me how to knit and sew. She even taught me how to quilt." Johanna paused again to laugh quietly as she shifted in her seat actually scooting a little closer to him in the process and making his heart skip a beat in his chest. "I used a really old pattern book of hers last year and made a quilt for my parents for Christmas. It took me six months because I sewed it by hand, but it was beautiful when I was done. Mom has it on their bed," she added with a smile. "I'm making one for myself now. I just started it, but I should have it finished around Christmas again."

"I'm sure it will be amazing when you finish it, Johanna," he said and the smile remained on her face as she continued to look at him. Those dimples were back again, which had JJ smiling at her in return before Johanna did something that he had not been expecting.

Johanna leaned into him and turned her head to place a gentle kiss on his right cheek. He closed his eyes briefly at the feel of her soft lips against his heated skin and he was completely surrounded by the smell of honeysuckle and oranges; and JJ was certain he could happily drown in that beautiful scent. She pulled away from him too soon and he opened his eyes as she settled back in her seat, her cheeks and neck crimson in color, and uncertainty in her eyes. He had no words, so, he smiled at her and her tense shoulders relaxed and she gave him a tentative smile in return.

"Thank you, JJ," she said softly.

"For what?" he asked.

"For today," she said, she was still flushed faced, and JJ once again raised his right hand to tuck a few wayward strands of hair behind her ear.

"No thanks are necessary," he said quietly, his fingers lingering under her ear and moving down to rest on the side of her jaw. He could feel her pulse under his finger tips and hear it echoing in his ears. Looking back, what he did next was rather stupid but he'd gotten so caught up in the moment that he couldn't help himself. Slowly, he leaned into her and his lips had barely brushed hers when she completely pulled away from him, stood from the bench, and stumbled back slightly in her rush to get away from him. "Johanna," he said slowly as he stood and took a step towards her, but he stopped when she held her hands out in front of her.

"Don't," she said and he stopped. "I'd like to go home now."

"Okay," he said as he nodded his head. "I'll take you to my bike."

"Bike? As in motorcycle?" she asked, her voice going up an octave, and JJ mentally cursed but outwardly he nodded.

"I rode my bike today since it was a nice day," he said and he watched her swallow hard. "You'll be safe, Johanna, I won't let anything happen to you." A stiff nod was the only response he got before he started leading her to where he had parked his bike.

The air between them was awkward to say the least and Johanna walked at least two steps behind him as she no longer quickened her pace to keep up with his long strides. JJ was pissed at himself because he'd gone too far in trying to kiss her, and while he knew it was obviously the stupidest thing he could have ever done he could have sworn by the look that she had given him that she had wanted him to kiss her. However, going off of her reaction, it had simply been wishful thinking on his part.

Johanna didn't know what to say to JJ as they walked, so, she did what she did best and deiced it was best to be quiet as she walked behind him. She was upset, not at JJ, but at herself. She didn't know why she'd kissed him on the cheek. She could have simply said 'thank you' and that would have covered it, but she had to go and kiss him and then . . . and then he had go and look at her in a way that she couldn't describe. It had made her stomach knot all over again and it felt like her body was on fire from the heat she had seen burning in his dark eyes.

She had wanted him to kiss her so bad in that moment that it was ridiculous and to her surprise he almost had, but she had pulled away in a mild panic because it had been incredibly unexpected. Her lips still tingled where his had ghosted over hers and she didn't know what to do. She wanted to apologize, but she wasn't sure how to go about doing so without just blurting it out. She worried her lower lip as she thought of her options and she was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't realized that JJ had stopped walking and she ran right into him as he turned around to look at her.

JJ easily caught Johanna and held her close to him to help her catch her footing. She had gasped in surprise and had grabbed onto his biceps to steady herself while his hands rested on her upper waist. Johanna looked up at him and their eyes locked for a second before she blushed and stepped away from him. She opened her mouth and JJ knew she was about to apologize, but he cut her off.

"Johanna, I'm sorry for what I did down by the water," he said. "I don't want things to be awkward between us, Johanna. I like you and I enjoy spending time with you." Gathering her courage Johanna gave him a small smile as relief flooded her. He wasn't angry with her and he still wanted to be friends. While that made her happy, a tiny part of her was also disappointed. However, she was too relieved and happy to pay that part too much attention.

"I enjoy spending time with you too, JJ," she said and he smiled at her, "and I'm sorry too." JJ nodded and pulled the keys to his bike out of his pocket, which drew Johanna's eyes to said vehicle parked along the curb. "I've never been on a motorcycle before," she said as she looked at him and JJ grinned before he climbed onto the bike and kicked up the kickstand.

"It's easy," he said. "Climb on, put your feet on the footrests, and wrap your arms around me." She hesitated for a second before she did as he instructed, settling herself on the small seat behind him and finding the footrests where her feet went. "You're going to want to hold on tighter than that, Jo," he said with a light chuckle before he took his hands off the handle bars and wrapped his large hands around her wrists. Johanna was too caught up in the fact that he had called her Jo to register much else until he pulled her forward a bit so her chest was pressed up against his back. He moved her hands from where they lightly rested on his waist and wrapped her arms around his torso. "Hold on tight and lean with me, okay?" he asked his hands lingering on her forearms as she locked her fingers together and rested her head in between his shoulder blades.

"Okay," she said, her heart racing away in her chest. His hands left her arms, his left hand going to the handle while his right made to start the bike, but Johanna's voice made him pause. "Don't let me fall, JJ," she whispered and his right hand left the ignition key before he covered her tightly locked hands with his.

"I won't, Johanna, I promise," he said softly before he gave her hands a squeeze, let go of her hands, started his bike, and started down the road towards Forks.