"So how were you going to surprise me?" Gunner asked as he pulled out of the lot to get back on the highway. "Were you just going to show up at my house?"

"Pretty much," Emma shrugged. "I had your address so I just thought I'd knock on your door."

"It's a good thing my other girlfriend wasn't there then," he laughed but stopped once he saw her raised eyebrow. "It's a joke… you're the only one for me." He put his hand on top of hers and smiled when she turned hers around so they were holding hands. They fit perfectly.

"So this is an exclusive relationship?" she questioned, looking at his profile as he drove.

"Definitely, unless you have any other boyfriends I should know about," he grinned at her before paying attention to the road again.

"No, of course not. But about that Norman thing-" his fingers tensed a bit in hers, "-there's honestly nothing going on with him. I'm just trying to be his friend but he thinks I still like him. I tried to tell him about you but he insulted me so I'm really over him," she promised.

Gunner glanced at her before nodding. "It's okay. I'm just jealous because you're with him all the time while I'm all the way down here. I wish I could see you more."

"Same. I guess we'll have to make up lost time this week." They both shared knowing smirks as their hands tightened their hold on each other.

They stayed silent for most of the trip, their hands moving together when they hit bumps while Ed Sheeran lightly crooned in the background. After they hit a particularly large pothole, Gunner looked at Emma because she pulled her hand away.

"You should find a bathroom for me," she said tightly, putting her hands in her lap.

"Right now?"

"Yes, right now! I really have to go," she slightly whined.

"Alright, alright. Let me find a rest stop first." He drove a bit faster when he noticed Emma rocking in her seat; she must have to pee badly. She let out a happy sigh when they spotted one and he started to get off the highway. She jumped out of the car before it fully stopped and ran towards the restrooms. He decided this would be the best time to throw out the used condom.

It wasn't too long before Emma was making her way back to the car. Gunner was leaning on side, smirking at her. "Shut up," she whined, opening the passenger door. "It was an emergency."

"I didn't say anything," he smiled at her before starting the car again. They drove in silence again, just enjoying each other's company. They tried to soak up the feeling since most of the time they would be apart. "So Emma," he started once they were within city limits of San Marcos. "What do you want to do this week?"

"I don't know, as long as I'm with you it doesn't matter what we do," she said honestly.

"Alright, but I was thinking maybe it's time we actually go on a date, you know?" Butterflies rose in her stomach. A date? She'd never actually been on one, even though she now had a boyfriend.

"I'd like that," she nodded.

"There's a beach 30 minutes from my house. We could grab dinner then maybe go for a walk?"

"That sounds perfect," she smiled. "You know, I've never been on a date before. Or asked out."

"Wow, those boys don't know what they're missing out on. I'm glad I'm your first."

"You're my first for almost everything," she blushed.

He held her hand. "Has everything been good so far?"

She nodded. "I'm glad we got together. And I can't wait for our date later."

"But first, I think you should meet my parents," he said as he pulled into his driveway. Emma suddenly got nervous. What if they didn't like her? What if they judged her? Gunner might accept her but that doesn't mean his parents had to. "Okay?" he asked concerned when he saw her face.

"Yeah, just a little nervous," she admitted, looking up at his house. It was medium sized house with a lawn in the front and a two-car garage. She noticed he parked in the driveway and quickly got out to open the door for her. What a gentleman. "They don't know I'm coming, right?"

"Nah, I just told them I was going to pick something up. They'll be surprised I brought back a girlfriend," he chuckled, holding an arm out for Emma to hook hers around. With one arm in his and one holding her tank, they walked up to his front door. "Hey, Mom, Dad, I have something to show you."

Shuffling was heard upstairs before a woman with long blonde hair appeared on the stairway. "Oh, hello," she said startled, looking Emma up and down before looking at Gunner with questioning eyes.

"Mom, this is my girlfriend, Emma. Emma, this is my mom," he introduced them with his arm still linked to Emma's.

"Very nice you meet you," Emma squeaked out, holding out her hand to shake.

"Oh no, this is a hugging family," his mom smiled at her before stepping forward with arms outstretched. Emma unlinked her arm with Gunner's before wrapping it around his mother. "So, Emma, are you going to be staying with us?"

Emma's nerves struck again. "I hope that's okay, I didn't mean to intrude or anything-"

"Of course not. Gunner never told us he had a girlfriend," she shot a look at her son.

"It's kind of a long distance relationship, Mom. I didn't think you'd meet her so soon," he rubbed his neck as he explained.

"How long have you two been dating?" Emma could see her eyes flicking towards her tank and she couldn't blame her. It must seem such a curious thing to have to carry around.

"About a month," she answered, causing his mom's eyes to focus back on her face. "I know you want to ask so I'll just tell you," she chuckled a little. "I have cystic fibrosis and have to carry this oxygen tank with me."

"I see," his mom nodded, giving her a look of pity that Emma always hated.

Gunner could see how uncomfortable she was. "Where's dad?" he asked while wrapping an arm around Emma.

"He just went to the store or something. Just wait until he sees what you brought home," she smirked before walking away.

"Alright, well I'll get your bag from the car, you just wait here okay? Make yourself comfortable." He kissed her forehead before heading outside.

Emma looked around the house. It looked very homely with well-worn couch cushions and many pictures everywhere. She walked up to a display and saw a baby Gunner grinning back at her. He was adorable in a sailor outfit. His green eyes were shinning and his hair was a light blond back then. Though he was young, his lip was turned up in a slightly mischievous smirk.

"I was pretty cute, wasn't I?" She jumped in surprise, not expecting Gunner to be back yet.

"You still are," she confirmed, taking a last look at the picture before looking at the real thing.

"Here, let's take your stuff up to my room. Then we can choose what to wear then go on our date." She nodded and they headed upstairs. "What did you bring, your whole closet?" he asked, surprised by the weight of her bag.

"That's what my dad said," she laughed.

"Great minds think alike," he sighed, finally getting the bag to the top of the stairs. "You're lucky we're dating because I definitely would've made you carry this up."

"You'd make a girl carry her things upstairs?" she gasped sarcastically.

"If she brought her whole wardrobe, yes." They laughed and he guided her to his room. It was simply decorated, white walls with blue carpet and green sheets on his bed.

"Really?" she raised her eyebrow, pointing at a poster of Bob Marley with Rastafari designs.

"Like that's really surprising to you," he snickered. He put her bag on his bed and opened it up. "Let's see, we're going to walk on the beach, so we should wear something we don't mind getting dirty."

"Okay, how about I wear this dress then?" She pulled out a dark violet maxi dress. "And these flip-flops?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm gonna grab some things and change then." He walked out of the room so she assumed she should change. First taking off her tubes, she took her shirt off and began to take off her pants before the door opened again.

"That was quick," she smiled before freezing. The person in the doorway wasn't Gunner. She quickly grabbed the dress on the bed and held it up to cover herself.

"Wow, sorry, I'm looking for my son?" The guy, who Emma assumed was Gunner's dad, had raised eyebrows but otherwise seemed pretty embarrassed. His hair was a dusty brown and age lines were starting to appear on his face.

"Um, he j-just left to g-get something," she stuttered, clutching the dress closer to her.

"Dad?" a voice said outside the room.

"You've got company, I see," he said gruffly, finally moving out of the doorway so Gunner could see Emma.

"Oh, that's Emma. She's my girlfriend," he explained as he walked up to Emma. "How about you go change in my bathroom there," he suggested, nodding towards another door in the room. She nodded and backed her way towards the bathroom, her eyes flitting between Gunner and his father. She closed the door behind her and let out a long breath. Their voices could still be heard from inside the room. "Dad, did you knock first?"

"I didn't expect to see that in here," he tried to defend himself. "Since when do you have a girlfriend?"

"For like a month." Emma could practically hear the eye roll in his voice. "We're going on a date soon so don't worry about dinner or anything."

"Is she staying here?" He probably noticed the open bag on the bed.

"Yeah, she's spending her spring break here."

"How old is she?" By now, Emma was already dressed but she didn't want to face his dad so soon. Her cheeks were still red.

"She's 17. I'm not robbing the cradle or anything."

"I don't know, she looks pretty young. What's that?" Emma listened harder, not able to see what they were looking at.

"It's an oxygen tank. She has cystic fibrosis," Gunner explained. She forgot she'd unhooked herself from her tank and left it in the room.

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah, I guess. Dad, we're gonna go now so… try not to embarrass us anymore," Gunner said so lowly she had to strain to hear.

"Whatever. Hey, you can share the pot if you want but don't use it all, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, got it." Emma heard the bedroom door close so she took it as her cue to get out of the bathroom. Gunner took one look at her and laughed. "Your face is so red right now. I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he tried to stop laughing when he saw the glare she shot him. "Really, I'm sorry he saw you like that. I'm supposed to be the only one to see you shirtless," he smirked.

"Oh whatever. When are we leaving?" She could still feel the heat on her face and neck so she tried to cool it.

"Right now if you want to," he shrugged, holding out a hand. She slipped on her flip-flops before putting her hand in his. He had a duffle bag in his other arm.

It took thirty minutes of driving until they could see the beach again. "Wow, this looks so much better than Oregon beaches," Emma marveled at the fine grains of sand, whereas White Pine Bay had more rocks.

"Yeah, I know this little Italian restaurant I think you'll love. You like Italian, right?" he glanced at her in the passenger seat before pulling into a parking lot.

She nodded and they made their way into the restaurant. It had an authentic brick oven where the heavenly smell of freshly baked pizza made it's way into their noses. "I think I need a pizza," she said mesmerized and he agreed. They decided to split a Hawaiian pizza. They laughed and ate, marveling in the amount of free time they would have together for the whole week.

They eventually found themselves walking along the beach at sunset, their toes sinking in the sand. They found a stretch that was empty of people.

"It's just so beautiful here," Emma sighed, hooking her arm with Gunner's.

"Actually, I was thinking of moving up to Oregon," he said quietly.

Emma stopped walking. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, I mean, I was thinking of starting my own business up there or something, buying a house, being close to you," he nudged her shoulder. She couldn't stop smiling. "I'd need a lot of money though so it might take a while."

"That's just so… awesome," she laughed, rubbing his arm.

"Here, I brought a blanket for us to sit on and watch the sunset." He opened the duffle bag he brought and pulled out a large blanket. He spread it out on the sand and patted it so she would sit down on it. They leaned back into each other's arms. Emma looked up at his profile, memorizing the curve of his nose and the plump of his lip.

"Have you ever had sex on the beach," she whispered in his ear.

He looked at her for a second. "No," he chuckled. "Why, do you want to?"

She bit her lip and nodded. His gaze dropped to her lip before he also nodded. He leaned so that he was on top of her before he started a kiss. Their hands slowly undressed each other without regard to whether other people would be walking by. He reached into his pocket to pull out a condom, which she was glad for because she completely forgot. He slipped it on and crouched in front of her open legs.

"You're so lovely, you know that?" he whispered. Her fingers rubbed his cheeks before he took her hands in his own and put them above her head. Finally, their bodies connected in the most intimate of ways. This time was different. There was no rush, the sounds of the crashing waves slowing their movements. Emma found she liked sex like this also, slow and intimate. It was just her and Gunner and all the time in the world.

Afterwards, as they pulled on their clothes and watched the stars, Gunner whispered in her ear, "I think I'm falling in love with you."

Author's Note: So... Gemma had their first date and had sex (both on here and in the show haha). Ah I love them so much, I can't wait until the next episode! Apparently Emma and Gunner double date with Cody and Norman, or at least they're all hanging out haha.

Oh and I got Gunner added as a character on this site! So now you can search for stories with him :) Also Bates Motel was renewed for season 3! I hope there's more Gemma! (aka I hope Gunner and/or Emma don't die)

I'm not gonna lie, I wrote most of this in like 2 hours so sorry if it seems rushed or doesn't make sense. I just really wanted to post this. I might need to take a little break because I'm going to be busy for the next week. I'll try to update as soon as possible though!

Thanks so much for everyone who has reviewed so far, they seriously make my day :)