A/N: A big apology to pretty much everyone for being a bad Getty girl and taking like a thousand years (or rather 4 months, yes 4 months…ughh!) to update... And an extra-big apology to Bead! I'm sorry you used dialup internet from your hotel to check for updates on your vacation wayyyyy back in July! Just an FYI- I'm going to continue this as if season 3 never happened… which probably wouldn't be a bad thing. Thanks for everyone who actually stuck with me!!

Betty groggily rolled over in bed. It was Friday morning, and since she didn't have to start back at Mode until Monday, she had every intention of sleeping in. Unfortunately, the blaring of her cell phone in her ear had destroyed those plans. She aimlessly felt around the nightstand for her phone and, after finding it, cracked a sleepy eye to see Gio's name on the display. She quickly pulled out her retainer and flipped open the phone.

"It's you," she said in a faint, drowsy voice.

"Were you expecting another handsome, smart, and witty guy to call you?" Gio teased.

"Maybe I was," Betty giggled softly and nestled under her Little Mermaid sheets. She found herself smiling at the sound of his voice. "Sorry... I just wasn't expecting anyone to call at...What time is it anyway?"

"8 a.m.? Yeah, well, I remember you said you don't have to work today, so wake up and get your swimsuit. We're going on a road trip."

Betty opened her eyes in shock. "Swimsuit? What?! Whoa, back up, buddy."

"Come on, B. Just you and me. No family, no work, nothing to bother us. I haven't had you to myself without some sort of interruption since we both got back. This'll be the last chance before you go back to being a Mode girl on Monday. What do ya say?"

Her stomach fluttered. She wasn't thrilled with the idea of running around in a swimsuit in front of Gio. Even more than that, she was petrified of what could happen if he did get her totally alone somewhere. Her willpower around Gio was about as strong as a fat kid's self-control around cake. She raked her brain for excuses to get out of whatever it was that that he had planned.

"I don't know, Gio," she protested. "What if someone from Mode calls and needs me to come in?"

"They've managed to go a whole month without you. They can go another day," he retorted.

"Ok, well... What if Justin's has problems with his leg again?"

"Won't Hilda be there with him today? Come on, Betty, let them take care of themselves for once."

"But what if--"

"Quack!"

"Okay, you win," she grumbled. "So where are we going that I need to bring a swimsuit?"

"Montauk."

I'd take her out to Montauk, with a bottle of wine, and we'd build a fire and sleep on the beach.

The words that he had spoken months ago came flooding back in her mind. She shivered.

"I'll come get you in an hour, ok?"

"You're bringing wine," she suddenly blurted.

Gio was silent for a second. "How'd you know that? You really are stalking me, aren't you?"

"It was just... something I remembered," she spoke softly. "Anyway, see you in an hour!" Just as she snapped her phone shut, Hilda came barging into the room and stood towering over Betty who was still lying in bed.

"Girl, you're going out with Gio again today!" Before Betty could protest, Hilda pointed a well-manicured finger in her sister's face. "I was listening through the door so don't even lie about it! And you still haven't even told Mama Hilda about what happened last night!"

Betty rolled her eyes. "It was... nice. His family's really nice."

"That's it? It was 'nice?' We went sexy dress shopping so you could have a 'nice' night?" Hilda gave Betty a bewildered look. "Did anything happen? Ooh, spill it!" she squealed naughtily.

"Something might've happened… If Papi hadn't called asking me to go get pain pills for Justin."

"Ay, sorry about that..." Hilda smiled sheepishly and looked away. "I was out with the Coach last night. He's like real busy for the next few days so I wanted to see him while I could, you know?"

Betty looked at her sister. She hadn't seen her glow like this since Santos was alive. "Hilda, it's ok. He sounds like a great guy." She sighed. "Speaking of great guys, someone needs to find Gio's sister one. I felt so bad for that girl last night… Her fiancé didn't even show up on time for the dinner before their wedding. I don't know for sure, but I think I smell a cheater!"

Betty swore she saw a pained look briefly sweep over Hilda's face, but before she could think twice about it, her sister was once again beaming radiantly. "Sounds like Gio's sister needs to get a little scary and show him who's boss! So anyway, where's Gio whisking you off to today?"

"The beach," Betty replied cheerfully.

"Ooh romantic! But if things get steamy, remember to put a towel down so sand doesn't get stuck in places where it shouldn't. Trust me on that, chica," she said with a wink.

"Hilda!" Betty exclaimed in shock.

"What?! Just sayin'…" She smiled and strutted out of the room, leaving Betty more terrified than ever to spend the day alone with the sandwich guy and his pickle.

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After two and a half hours of driving all the way across Long Island (and listening to Gio give stellar singing performances the whole way), Gio finally turned off the freeway and began to navigate down the tiny streets of Montauk.

"Ooh, look, the ocean!" Betty cried excitedly. Gio glanced over at her as she rolled down the window and stuck her head out into the breeze. He loved the fact that simple things like seeing the ocean could make her so happy. Gio finally came to a stop in front of a tan beachfront house that was so picturesque it looked like it came off the front of a postcard. Betty immediately hopped out of the van and kicked her shoes off, digging her toes into the pebbly sand.

"So what's this?" she asked, pointing to the house in front of them.

"My aunt and uncle's place."

"It's beautiful!"

"Yeah, well they're still back in the city for the weekend, so it'll be quiet for once," Gio said as he reached his hands over his head and pulled off his t-shirt, tossing it back into the van. He was left standing in front of her wearing only red board shorts slung low on his hips. Her eyes swept over bare chest and she felt her heart start to pound. Her suspicions were finally confirmed: He had a serious body tucked away behind that deli apron. And she liked it. A lot. Betty couldn't stop staring as the muscles in his back and arms strained while he leaned into the van and pulled out a basket filled with food and wine. She quickly diverted her eyes as he turned around.

"You want a picture or something, Suarez?" Gio joked with a conceited grin.

"Not really," she shot back. "There wouldn't be much to look at."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Ooh, someone has her panties in a twist today. Oh wait, I forgot! You don't wear your panties long enough for that to happen. They end up in your purse once you get tired of wearing them!"

Betty's jaw dropped at the audacity he had to rub last night's embarrassment in her face. She tried to think of something smart to say back at him, but after a few seconds of stumbling, she gave up and turned on her heel, walking toward the house. "You suck!" she mumbled.

Before she stomped out of reach, Gio quickly hooked an arm around her waist, pulling her back toward him. "You're right, I do suck," he quipped, lowering his head to take her bottom lip between his, gently sipping on her mouth. By the time Gio pulled away for air, Betty didn't even remember that she'd just been mad at him. He smiled down at her now-calm face and took her hand, leading her through the sand and down the beach to a small yellow hut.

"Wait here," he said brightly. Betty stood at the entrance to the little hut until she saw Gio returning with a big blue surfboard tucked under his arm.

"Um, what's that for?" Betty asked, already beginning to panic.

"My ironing board broke and I thought this would be a good replacement," Gio snickered. Betty smacked his shoulder at his sarcasm. "Seriously, B. When I was in Italy, I took a day trip to this amazing beach town near Rome and I met up with a bunch of locals that taught me a little bit about surfing. I just thought it would be fun to share that experience with you. Besides, we could both use the exercise from eating so many sandwiches," he said, poking her in the stomach.

Betty didn't even have time to express her outrage toward his comment, as he had already grabbed hold of her hand and started tugging her toward the water. "Gio, get real. You know from my softball skills that I'm not exactly the athletic type."

"You don't want to feel what it's like to walk on water?"

Betty gave him a cynical look. "I can't even walk on solid ground!"

"Fine. Be scared. See you later!" He dropped the surfboard into ocean and began wading through the breaking waves, leaving Betty standing at the shoreline with the water lapping around her feet.

"Ughhhh! Why do I do this to myself when he's around?" Betty mumbled as she pulled off her cover-up and began to follow Gio into the ocean, knowing full well it was because she secretly liked that he pushed her to try new things. She swam up beside him in a relatively calm part of the water.

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Nice of you to join me. Now lay on the board."

"But--"

"Get on the board, Suarez." She squinted her eyes at him as she floundered onto the surfboard, completely self-conscious now that her swimsuit-clad body was in full view. "When I tell you to paddle, I want you to paddle as hard as you can with your arms and then stand up, got it? And keep your eyes open. It's not as intimidating as a softball flying at you, I promise."

"But I'm scared," she said, clutching the board tightly.

Gio's face softened into a tender smile as they bobbed up and down together in the ocean currents. "Do you trust me?" She looked into his eyes and nodded, knowing that she truly did. "Then start paddling…. now!"

Betty began thrashing her arms wildly as a strong wave began to engulf the board. "Now stand!" she heard Gio call over the roar of the ocean. Water was splashing all over her face and she could hardly see. "Trust me, Betty! Stand up!" he yelled again. Before she could think twice, she popped up onto wobbly feet, her arms instinctively going out to her sides to gain balance.

Betty's eyes widened in disbelief. "I'm surfing!" she screamed to herself. "I'm surf--" In her excitement, she lost her balance and plummeted into the water. When she surfaced, Gio was standing over her, beaming.

"Did you see what you did out there?! You stood on your first try! I might have a natural on my hands!"

"I did that? I mean, I did that!" she squealed, throwing herself into Gio's arms. He pulled a wet strand of hair away from her face kissed her on the forehead.

"Wanna try it again?"

"Yeah!" she nodded cheerfully, so elated that she didn't even see the dark storm clouds begin to roll in over the ocean. After catching a few more waves, they both came out of the water to rest on the beach. Betty suddenly felt a big splat hit her on the nose and noticed that the temperature had dropped drastically. Before long, rain began pouring from the sky and the echo of thunder cracked in the distance.

"Gio!" Betty wailed in alarm as she jumped to her feet. "We're going to get wet!"

He rolled his eyes in response. "You're already wet, Suarez. You were just in the ocean."

"Oh… right."

Lightening flashed over the ocean and Betty whimpered. "Let's get out of here," he said, grabbing her hand and running toward the beach house. When they finally got inside, Betty was dripping wet and trembling.

"B, what's wrong?" Gio asked, tipping her chin up in concern. Even in her distressed state, Betty had to force herself to look him in the eye instead of following the beads of water that rolled down his olive skin.

"I'm cold…" she stuttered through chattering teeth. Another crack of thunder shook through the house and she squinted her eyes shut. "And I'm kind of scared of thunderstorms."

Gio chuckled as he led her into the living room and grabbed a blanket. He pulled her down onto the sofa with him, wrapping the soft fabric around them both in a way that shielded the lightening from Betty's view. She clutched her arms tightly around his waist and buried her face in his chest. Gio slowly stroked her matted hair until her shaking had subsided.

Suddenly, as if someone flipped a switch inside her head, Betty realized that she was in a deserted house. Under a blanket. Wearing just her swimsuit. With Gio's wet, bare skin pressed against her own. She took in the rapid rise and fall of his chest, his parted lips, and the flush of his skin before slowly raising her eyes to his own. His dark gaze burned into her for what seemed like an eternity, communicating all that needed to be said without uttering a word. It didn't take long before Gio slid a hand behind Betty's neck, eagerly covering her mouth with his. Every sweep of his exploring tongue shook Betty to her core. She returned his gesture by running her hands through his damp hair, softly moaning his name as her skin seared from the powerful emotions already running through her body. She could no longer deny that Gio did things to her physically that no other man ever could.

Gio's hands tenderly traced the contours of Betty's face as he deepened his kiss. He maneuvered her body so that she was laying under him on the sofa and gently lowered himself on top of her. She let out a soft gasp, feeling how rigid he was pressed against her damp skin. Betty skimmed her fingers up and down his back, his muscles flexing in response to her touch. Gio's breath was already coming in short, shallow gasps which only seemed to worsen when Betty decided to lift one of her bare legs around his hips, encircling him. He reached back and ran a hand up her leg to explore the soft skin from ankle to thigh. He could feel her writhing beneath him as she pulsed intuitively into his rigid core in a slow rhythm.

"Betty," he whispered against her mouth. She looked up at him with shadowed eyes, the sound of the pounding rain and rolling thunder the only noise in the room. He held her gaze as he gently explored the mound of her breasts through the thin fabric of her swimsuit. Gio lowered his head and buried his face in the dip of her neck, breathing in the scent of the beautiful woman underneath him. Betty, who had no willpower left, arched back in pleasure and rubbed herself against the length of him. Daringly, she slid a hand between their bodies to loosen the string holding his board shorts closed.

Suddenly Gio drew back with a pained look on his face, coming to the realization of what was about to happen. He cursed under his breath and untangled himself from their embrace. "I can't do this," he mumbled, shaking his head.

Betty's eyes fluttered open in hurtful confusion. "What?"

Gio released a grave sigh and stood up. He rubbed his palms roughly across his face and let out another curse, struggling to calm the frustration that was searing through his body. "I can't do this, Betty. It's just… not right."

"What do you mean? Was I… Did I do something wrong?" she choked out. Gio turned to look at her still laying on the sofa, a tear streaming down her cheek. He would never forgive himself for being such a reckless bastard and letting the situation get to this point. He quickly kneeled down in front of her on the floor and took her hands in his.

"No, don't ever think that. God, Betty, I've wanted this for so long. Things with you are… different… special…. And for once I want to do this right. I want it to be perfect. And hooking up on the sofa in my aunt and uncle's beach house where I used to spend my childhood vacations isn't how I want to remember my first time with you."

"Oh," she said simply, quietly shocked that Gio was putting so much thought and emotion into what would be their first time together.

Gio glanced at the window and noticed that the storm had moved on. "Why don't we start the drive back to the city? If you're lucky, I'll even sing you some 80's classics."

Betty grinned at him, wiping a stray tear from her cheek with the back of her hand. "Make it Bon Jovi and we've got a deal."

"You got it." He paused and looked at her sheepishly. "Betty? I'm sorry."

She placed a hand on his chest. "It's ok, Gio. I know." And she did know. Betty felt that no matter what happened between them, no matter what life threw their way, they had something special. Nothing could take that away.

Or so it seemed.

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Gio and Betty parked in front of a convenience store in Brooklyn. On their ride home from Montauk, she'd found out that he had never eaten a Choco Taco ice cream sandwich and was determined to find one for him to try. Gio, who was being dragged down the sidewalk by Betty, suddenly stopped as he saw a familiar dark-haired woman walking arm-in-arm with an unfamiliar man directly toward him.

"Pia!" he called to his sister.

Pia Rossi smiled and approached Gio and Betty, pulling along the unknown man beside her. "Hey, little brother. Hi, Betty. Nice to see you again. You know, I really should apologize to you for my behavior the other night. I'm sorry we didn't get to talk more when you came over for dinner."

"Yeah, about that," Gio started before Betty could respond, already defensive about this man standing in front of him who must be Pia's sorry excuse for a fiancé. Gio took an intimidating step toward him. "You must be the guy who couldn't be bothered to show up on time to dinner last night. Maybe you should be warned that I don't take kindly to people who make my sister upset. Especially the guy who she's going to marry," he spat at the man.

"Gio!" Pia quietly hissed in embarrassment.

"It's ok," the man smiled tensely at Pia. "I think I deserve that and probably a lot more. But hear me out, please. I just started a community project up near Harlem, a big-brother big-sister program for some kids that don't have the best families, you know? Last night I got a call that one of the kids got pretty beat up in a fight, so I drove up to make sure everything was ok. I still feel absolutely horrible for being late, but I didn't have any other options. I'm Tony Diaz, by the way. It's nice to finally meet you." The man held out his hand to Gio who looked at it suspiciously.

Gio finally accepted Tony's handshake and Pia noticeably relaxed. "Tony, this is obviously my overly-protective brother, Gio, and his girlfriend, Betty."

Betty felt her cheeks burn crimson at the term 'girlfriend' but managed to compose herself long enough to shake hands with Tony.

"Well hey," Tony started. "It was great meeting you both, but unfortunately we have to run. We're finishing some last-minute wedding errands and then I've got to drop by the middle school and fill out some accident reports. I teach P.E. down there and one of my cheerleaders fell and broke his leg the other day. Poor guy."

"What a coincidence!" Betty chirped. "My nephew Justin broke his leg in cheerleading the other day. We tried to tell him not to climb onto a pile of girls but you know kids now days…"

"Wait, did you say Justin? Yeah, that's my student!" He nodded. "You said he was your… nephew?" A look of sheer terror suddenly spread over Tony Diaz's face.

"Yep! Oh, wow! Then that makes you the Coach!" Betty's polite smile began to fade the moment the words rolled from her lips. She looked at him incredulously. "You're… the Coach," she repeated cautiously. Betty felt like she was suffocating as she started putting the puzzle pieces together in her mind. Her eyes darted frantically back and forth between the Coach and Pia Rossi.

Tony Diaz's eyes smoldered into Betty's. She knew who he was. Of all people for his fiancé's brother to be dating. His luck seriously couldn't get any worse. His eyes widened, silently pleading Betty with all his might not to utter a word about Hilda. Justin's mother, Hilda. Betty's sister, Hilda. His secret lover, Hilda. It was too much for him to bear.

"You guys know each other or something?" Gio asked.

Betty stood motionless.

"Betty, are you ok?" Pia Rossi smiled. "You look like you just saw a ghost!" She lovingly wrapped an arm around Tony Diaz's waist.

"I… I need to go home, Gio. Now. Please." Betty immediately spun on her heel and headed toward Gio's van before she made the decision to jump the Coach and start ripping him apart piece by piece.

"Uh, sorry." Gio apologized for Betty's abrupt exit. "We had a long day. She must be tired." He stuck his hand out and firmly shook Tony Diaz's hand. "Nice to finally meet you. I guess we'll be seeing a lot more of each other soon." Maybe he was wrong about Pia's fiancé. Tony Diaz seemed like a nice enough guy. He grinned at his sister. "Try not to be too much of a bridezilla, ok? I'll see you guys tonight back at Mama's house." Gio walked back to his van and slid behind the wheel, staring at a sullen-looking Betty. He had no clue what to make of her sudden attitude change.

"Care to tell me what that was about?"

Betty's lip quivered. "Just… please take me home, Gio."

"You can't just not tell me what--"

"I don't want to talk about it right now. I need to go home."

"Fine. If that's what you want." He steered the van toward her Jackson heights neighborhood.

Neither spoke another word.