A/N: This is for Angel's challenge to write Betty and Gio's firsts. I have decided to write this first moment as a prediction (okay, wish) for "The Kids Are Alright."

Moment 1: First Kiss

Henry had left three weeks ago. Betty would never tell anyone, but by this point, it was kind of a relief to not be waiting for him to go anymore, to be waiting for the baby to come, to be waiting for it to be over. Now it was over and even though she missed him, she finally felt like her life was no longer on pause. She could start over again.

Hilda bounded down the stairs and hurried into the kitchen, grabbing a cup of coffee before she got her salon ready for the day. Smiling at her sister, she said, "Betty, don't forget you promised to chaperone Justin's dance with me tonight."

"Hilda," Betty said, rolling her eyes. "Do I really have to go?"

She sighed, "Ay, Betty, of course you have to go. I'm not stepping inside that gym alone with that ass of a PE teacher."

Betty stood up and grabbed her purse. "Okay, I'll go. But I didn't like junior high dances when I was in junior high."

Hilda shrugged. "You're not in junior high anymore, Betty. Just enjoy it. For Justin's sake." As she watched Betty leave, she let out a breath reminiscently, saying, "I loved junior high dances."

……………………….

Betty was sitting at her desk, dreading later that night. She hadn't realized yet that it was the first day that she had not thought about Henry at all. She was more occupied by work, worried about tonight, and even if she wasn't ready to accept it, she was thinking about someone else.

She had been thinking about him since her birthday. They were thoughts that drifted through her mind unexpectedly and surprisingly often. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about those thoughts, but there was a knot in her stomach that would flutter every time she imagined his face. She was about to pull open her desk drawer to look at the napkin she had kept there for weeks when a familiar voice spoke out beside her.

"Hey, Betty."

Betty slammed the draw shut too hard as she tried to prevent Gio from seeing the napkin inside. Flustered, she looked up at him and blinked. "Hey, Gio. What are you doing here?"

He sat down at the corner of her desk and swayed closer to her. "Bringing 'wiches, like always."

She let out a sigh. "I completely forgot about lunch."

His eyebrow crinkled. "That doesn't sound like you."

She glanced away. "I've had a lot on my mind today."

"Here, I made this sandwich for you on the house," he said, taking a sub out of the bag in his hand. When she tried to thank him, he brushed it off and asked, "So what's up?"

Starting to unwrap the sandwich, she said, "Hilda has swindled me into helping her chaperone Justin's dance tonight."

He raised his eyebrows. "And you don't want to go?"

She gave him a blank look. "Do I look like someone that enjoys junior high dances?"

He lifted his hands in front of him, saying, "C'mon, you get to enjoy all of the drama without having to participate in it. All you've got to do is try to keep the girls from getting pregnant."

"Oh, now that you've made it sound so inviting," she said sarcastically.

He chuckled. "You can have fun doing anything, Betty, if you try."

She looked down at her desk. "I haven't really felt in the mood to make my own fun lately."

Gio's body tensed and his jaw clenched together. "Still thinking about Henry, huh?"

She shook her head and looked up at him. "I wasn't really thinking about Henry."

Gio's throat got tight and he could feel the butterflies in his stomach. "Why don't I go tonight, too?"

Her forehead wrinkled. "What?"

"I mean, I could go with you and Hilda. A male presence might be good," he said, shrugging.

"Do you really want to go to a junior high dance?"

"I just told you. We can make anything fun."

His offer did sound enticing. And she had already discovered in the past how easily he did make anything that much more fun. With a growing smile, she said, "Okay. We leave for the school at 7:00."

He smiled back at her. "I'll be there."

…………………………………..

At 6:30, Gio showed up at the Suarez house. He couldn't take his eyes off Betty as she walked down in her purple dress with the brown jacket. He had loved it when she had worn it on her birthday and it looked just as beautiful now. "Are you ready for some prepubescent fun, Betty?"

She held her breath. "As much as I'll ever be."

Putting his hand on her back to guide her out the door, he said, "That's the confidence I was looking for."

Hilda and Justin followed them outside as Justin said, "I am not stepping out of a car with all of you. It looks like my entire family is coming with me."

"How are we all going to get there, Justin?" Hilda asked.

Gio made a motion towards his van. "I can take Betty in my van if you take Justin."

"So I'm going to the dance with my chaperone mother?" Justin asked, his heart breaking at the possibility.

Instead of being hurt, Hilda pinched his cheeks endearingly. "Oh, when did you become a teenager?"

"Mom!"

"I can take Justin," Gio said.

Justin quickly hopped into the passenger side of the van. Betty tried to hide her disappointment as she got into Hilda's car.

As Justin and Gio rode along, Justin blurted, "So you're like totally into Aunt Betty."

Gio glanced over at him. "Was that a question?"

Innocently and honestly, Justin said, "No. I don't need to ask. It's pretty obvious."

Gio wasn't going to deny it. "And what has Betty said about that?"

He gave a noncommittal shrug. "She hasn't said anything, but we know the look when we see it."

"Look?"

"The 'Betty's met a guy' look." He was quiet for a few moments and then said in a serious tone, "Just don't hurt her like the last two did, okay?"

Gio looked at him with equal seriousness. "Justin, I don't think I could."

With more maturity than he usually showed and a wise air that was much older than his actual age, he said, "That was the right answer."

They soon approached the school and got out of the two vehicles. Betty now took the time to really look at Gio as he walked towards her. He was wearing jeans as usual, but he was also wearing a nice maroon, short-sleeved polo shirt. He was wearing no jacket but a tight necklace wrapped around his neck and she couldn't help but envision following the string with her finger.

Hilda and Justin had already walked in. Gio smiled as he stood in front of her. "Are you ready to make your own fun, Betty?"

She thought she saw an enticing challenge in his eyes. "I've already got a plan to make fun of you, so I think we're off to a good start."

He opened the door for them and she went through it. "Keep mocking me, Suarez," he said. "Let's see if I warn you before you drink the spiked punch."

"Please, the only way I can get through this thing is to have a few belts in me."

He laughed loudly, surprised by her retort. "Maybe the school should have interviewed the chaperones before they let us volunteer."

She smiled as she looked up at him. "Lucky for us, the requirements were just being over 21 and having a pulse."

They walked further into the dungeon-like gym as it pounded with music and enveloped them in darkness. She could barely breathe as he put his arm around her. They roamed around the gym idly, watching the kids flail about to the beat. As the music played on, Gio leaned in and asked, "Do you want to dance?"

Blushing, she said, "Gio, I think we're supposed to watching over the kids."

He cocked an eyebrow. "We can't dance while we observe?"

She gave him a small smile and then took his hand. They danced back and forth to the fast beat, almost as if in a salsa. He twirled her and then pulled her close. They laughed softly out of enjoyment from the dance, but the laughter faded as Betty's body brushed against Gio's. As if a switch went off, the music changed to the slow song, "Desire."

Two hearts fading, like a flower.
And all this waiting, for the power.
For some answer, to this fire.
Sinking slowly. The water's higher.
Desire

She could feel the heat from his body as he held her close. They swayed gently and her head was almost in the crook of his neck. She could smell his warm and sensual cologne, the scent of it making her involuntarily close her eyes. She remembered the scent from when she had put her head on his strong shoulder on her birthday. Now that his hand was firmly on the small of her back and his other hand was holding hers snugly yet tenderly, she felt safe. Better than that, she felt excited like she was jumping off a cliff and when she landed, it would be on her feet this time.

With no secrets. No obsession.
This time I'm speeding with no direction.
Without a reason. What is this fire?
Burning slowly. My one and only.
Desire

She looked up at him and saw that he had been staring at her. Smiling shyly, she ducked her head, but impulsively she looked back up at him. She saw that look in his eyes, the one that made her catch her breath. As her hand slid up more comfortably on his shoulder, she wondered if what he had said was how he felt. He was holding her; was this the closest he had ever felt to her?

You know me. You don't mind waiting.
You just can't show me, but God I'm praying,
That you'll find me, and that you'll see me,
That you run and never tire.
Desire

If felt as if the music was only being played for them, that each note swirled around them. She gasped, her heart pounded, as she saw him start to lean in, his head tilted. Every impulse she had told her to let go, to kiss him, but her hand pressed against his chest as she said, "Gio?"

He froze and nearly whispered, "Yeah?"

"I think I should tell you something."

He pulled back to look at her. "This conversation isn't going to end with you telling me your some international jewel thief or a man or something, is it?"

She shook her head. "What? No."

"Then what is it?"

"I thought I should tell you that I was avoiding you last month before my birthday because I had promised Henry that I would."

His head turned as if he were trying to hear her better. "Why are you telling me this?"

She swallowed hard and then said, "If I've learned anything, it's that I need to be honest. Right from the start."

"By telling me that you promised your boyfriend that you wouldn't see me?"

Stuttering, she said, "No! Well, yes. But I wanted to be honest with you."

He stepped back a bit farther. "So why are you seeing me now?"

Her heart started racing when she saw the anger and hurt in his face. "Henry and I are over. I don't have a promise to keep anymore."

His eyebrows rose. "And I'm your consolation prize? I'm okay to see when Henry's not here?"

She raised her hands to stop him. "No, no. I want to be here with you."

His voice broke as he looked at her unexpectedly. "Would you be here with me if Henry were still here?"

Her jaw dropped but words did not come out quickly enough.

He put his hands up and said, "I need to walk away for a while, Betty. I'll be on the other side of the gym."

She let out the breath she had been holding as she said, "Gio!" She watched him walk away. She certainly wasn't making her own fun now. Deciding to head for the drink area, she saw Hilda fighting with Coach Diaz and headed the other way. She wanted to be alone while she thought everything out.

She had not wanted to hurt Gio. And she had been excited about going to this dance after he had offered to go with her. But maybe she had expected too much. Maybe she had read signs that just weren't there. Maybe he didn't feel for her what she thought he did. Maybe he didn't feel those butterflies that she was feeling.

Getting a drink off of the table, she found an empty spot on the bleachers and sat down. She saw Justin in the corner dancing with a few friends and she smiled. At least he seemed to have his life together for his age. Once again, just as she did in junior high, she was sitting alone staring at everyone else who was having a good time. Looking around her, she saw a girl sitting by herself on the bleachers a few feet away from her. She was what most people would describe as frumpy, with her dark glasses, lack of makeup, and thick black hair framing her face.

She actually looked quite familiar. As Betty leaned over to look, she saw that another familiar figure was sitting about ten feet from this girl. His back was straight as if he were tied to a board. He had dark hair, was cute, but obviously a social reject. He would occasionally glance at the little girl next to him, but he was never going to move over and say something to her. He would sit there and she would sit just a few feet away from him and then they would go home. They would play it safe, they would make mistakes, and they weren't going to make themselves happy.

Unable to stare at them anymore, Betty turned her head and looked at a boy in a dark corner. He was short for his age but seemed to make up for it with attitude. She watched him pour a clear liquid into the punch bowl from a bottle. His black hair brushed over his face as he leaned over the table to spike the punch. A spray can of paint was sticking out of his jeans pocket. She rolled her eyes. Was she watching the mini version of "This is Your Life"?

She was about to get up and stop the boy when she saw that Gio strode up and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. He took the can and bottle from him and tossed them in a trashcan. He took the bowl and headed for the nearest bathroom.

The boy rushed off in the other direction but a few minutes later, he headed towards the bleachers. He stood in front of the lonely little girl and held out his hand, asking her to dance. Betty couldn't hear the conversation between them, but she could see that the girl shook her head. The boy persisted again, this time holding out both of his hands. The girl stared at those hands, clearly contemplating the offer. But again, she looked away and shook her head. He stood in front of her a few moments more and then turned and walked away. The girl looked out once again into the sea of peers and sat quietly to herself.

The image overwhelmed her. Gio was not the man she had imagined in her head for so many months. He was far above that image. He was there and he was asking and she was being that scared little girl on the bench. She was tired of waiting for that scared boy sitting next to her. She was afraid that if she turned away from Gio again, he would not be there when she turned back around the next time.

Scurrying to find him, she ran right into him coming out of the bathroom. She slammed into the empty punch bowl in his hands.

"Betty, are you okay?" he asked with large eyes as he watched her try to catch her breath.

Readjusting her glasses, she said, "I'm fine. I'm sorry."

He knew she was talking about the bowl, but he shook his head. "No, I'm sorry, Betty. I shouldn't have walked away from you earlier. You just hit a nerve and I handled it badly. I should have listened to what you were trying to tell me."

Taking the bowl out of his hands and setting it on the drink table again, she said, "And I should have told you the truth. The real truth."

"What do you mean?"

Taking a deep breath, she said, "I promised Henry not to see you, but I should have told you how hard that was for me. I should have told you how much I liked that I spent my birthday with you. I should have told you that you aren't my consolation. You are the prize, Gio." She took a moment to stare in his surprised face and felt her spunk coming back. "And it's about time you start to notice that I'm a prize, too."

He blinked incredulously. "I've always noticed that, Betty." Not giving her time to respond, emotions flooded him and he grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her to him.

He kissed her, unaware and apathetic to everyone around them. Equally, Betty had forgotten the world around them and hadn't noticed the one hundred thirteen year olds that had stopped dancing in order to start cheering for their kiss.

The only two people in the world were Gio and Betty. He held the back of her head with one hand and pulled her closer with a hand on her back. Her hands slid up to either side of his face as her lips clung and nipped and sought after his.

It was not a gentle first kiss. It was passionate, intense, and fueled by the craziness of waiting for so long.

There was only one emotion both were feeling that was swelling from within, the one feeling that overtook all of the other feelings of happiness and relief. One emotion:

Desire.

Moment 1: the end.