A/N: This is dedicated to all The Getty Girls and in particular for B, whose encouragement helps me keep writing, and for Wooster, who has written countless fics for me to enjoy (even if they were because she looses bets I'm going to say they were because she loves me).

Merry Christmas, Getty Girls! I'm glad to have spent the year getting to know you all and look forward to yet another Getty filled year in 2009!

Betty stared at what must have been the fifteenth rack of men's dress shirts she'd seen in the last half-hour. She let out a groan as she said to Hilda, "This is stupid. Gio doesn't need this nice of a shirt. He spends most of his time in the deli."

"I don't know, Betty," Hilda told her. "He owns his own shop. It might come in handy for important deli business. Or for hot dates," she added with a wink.

"I guess," Betty said uncertainly, eyeing a deep red shirt that she knew would look great on him. She ran a hand along the sleeve and was pleased to find it was made of a soft, almost silky material. If she did go the dress shirt route, she was certain this would be the ideal one.

"It's just… this is our first Christmas as a couple," she went on "and I want to get him something… special."

She looked at the shirt again. It really was beautiful, but there wasn't exactly anything special about it. She let out a sigh.

"Let's go look at the watches again," she told her sister.

On their way out the store, Hilda said "You know, you can always make him something. Like dinner or a sweater or a mixed CD."

"I can't cook or knit and a mixed CD is clichéd," Betty responded.

"Well, there's other stuff you can do," Hilda said coyly. "Like one year, for Santos, I went out and bought these really sexy handcuffs-"

"Hilda!" Betty cut her off. Then she added in an embarrassed and low tone, "I'll keep it in mind."

Hilda's laugh could still be heard as the door shut behind them.

Twelve hours later, Betty was lying awake in bed feeling panicked. She snuck a glance at the glowing red clock next to her. Since she didn't have her glasses on, it was nothing but a blur, but she was certain it was after midnight. Which meant it was officially December 23rd and she still had yet to find her boyfriend the perfect Christmas gift.

She rolled over and tried to will herself to stop thinking about it so she could get to sleep before she had to be at work in the morning. She was just starting to feel relaxed when a loud snore coming from the sleeping figure lying next to her startled her.

She looked over at Gio, his mouth slightly parted and a strand of hair falling onto his forehead, looking peaceful and boyish in his sleep. He was absolutely beautiful, Betty noted to herself. And he meant the world to her. She suddenly felt the panic of not finding the perfect present rise up in her again.

She knew she shouldn't be making such a big deal out of something like a simple gift. And ordinarily, she wouldn't have. But she knew this gift was important. She and Gio had only been dating for about three months. Their relationship still felt new and sometimes even tentative. And only adding to that feeling was the topic they rarely spoke of, that Betty had once broken Gio's heart. An act which Betty still felt remorseful of, three years later, despite the fact that he'd forgiven her and they were currently in a happy relationship.

Betty let out a long sigh. What she wanted was to find a gift that would show him how much he meant to her, how happy she was he'd given her a second chance, and that would tell him how she intended to never hurt him like that again. The problem was, after a month's worth shopping, she still hadn't found a gift that managed to convey all of that. And she was starting to loose hope that she would.

"B, hurry up! We're going to be late to your dad's!" Gio yelled from the living room as Betty tied up the final bow on Gio's gift behind the closed door of her bedroom.

"Give me two more seconds," she yelled back to him, inspecting how the gift's wrapping looked before she quickly stored the paper, tape, and ribbon in her closet.

She'd cut it close, but she had ended up coming up with a present for Gio that she was pleased with.

"Ready!" she exclaimed as she emerged from her bedroom holding the gift and the handbag she intended to take with her to her father's.

"You've loaded the van up with all the presents?" she asked Gio, noticing he was still wearing his leather jacket and that he looked rather cold.

"Yeah," he told her. "Let's go. I'm already responsible for you not spending Christmas Eve with your family for the first time. I'm not going to add being late on Christmas Day to that list."

"Gio, they understood that I wanted to be with you and your family on Christmas Eve. Papi might complain, but he understands I'm not a little girl anymore," Betty assured him.

"Yeah, well, just to be sure, let's get a move on," he said, trying to hand her coat over for her to put on.

"Not yet," she told him, pushing the coat away.

Ignoring the look he gave her, she said with a bright smile on her face, "Merry Christmas, Gio." Then she leaned towards him and left a gentle kiss on his mouth.

For a moment his rushed demeanor left him as a warm smile lit up his eyes. "Merry Christmas, B," he replied.

He kissed her again, this time a little more lingering before he added, "Now, let's go."

"Still not quite yet," she said. "I want you to open your present before we leave."

Gio let out an exasperated sigh. "Betty, can't I do that when we get to your dad's?" he asked.

"No," she told him, "I want to watch you open it now."

She saw the starts of a protest flicker in his eyes, then die. "Fine," he said to her, "I'll open it, but it's going to be quick."

"Fine," Betty said, happily.

Gio set Betty's coat aside as they made their way over to her couch to sit down. Betty handed over the present. It was wrapped in gold with green and red ribbon tied artfully around it.

"You're present is in the van," Gio told her apologetically. "You'll have to open it at your dad's."

"That's okay," she replied, carefully watching him remove the ribbons.

As Gio began to rip away at the gold paper, Betty felt her stomach do flip flops. She was happy with what she'd decided to get him, but nervous all the same.

"Is it an apron?" Gio asked jokingly.

"You'll have to open it," she told him.

She watched as he tore the final shreds of paper away revealing a white box. Slowly, he lifted the lid revealing the deep red dress shirt Betty had admired while shopping with Hilda.

"Hey, this is nice, Betty. Thanks," Gio told her with a gracious smile before he leaned over to give her a peck on the lips. "Now we're ready to leave," he said, making to get up from the couch.

"Aren't you going to see if it fits?" Betty asked before he was up, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Now?" he asked surprised, then glanced down at his watch, "We've got to go. If we're lucky, traffic won't be bad and we'll still make it on time."

"Please?" she requested. "Really quick, then we'll leave."

"Yeah, sure," he conceded with a sigh, reaching into the box. As he lifted the shirt out of the paper that surrounded it, a white envelope fell from its folds.

"What's this?" he asked, picking it up. The name 'Gio' was clearly printed in Betty's handwriting on the front.

"Since it's addressed to you, why don't you try opening it to find out?" she asked teasingly.

He gave her a smile and a long look as he unsealed the envelope. Betty tried to ignore the nervous butterflies as he removed the sheet of paper she'd put inside it. Then she watched as he read the contents silently to himself, knowing by heart what it said:

Dear Gio,

For over a month, I looked everywhere trying to find you the perfect Christmas gift. I wanted what I got you to show you how much I care for you, how happy you make me, and how much I want to make you happy. Then suddenly, it hit me like an epiphany that the perfect gift was the most important thing you've always encouraged me in, my writing. So here it goes:

Once upon a time there was a girl. This girl was very smart, though she also tended to be very silly. One day the smart yet silly girl met a boy. The boy was rude and arrogant and often said things to the girl she didn't want to hear. The girl decidedly thought the boy annoying and a bit of a know it all.

But as time passed and the girl spent more time with the boy she realized that the boy wasn't quite as bad as she thought he was. In actuality, he was supportive, attentive, and caring, despite the first impression he gave. And, though she hated to admit it, it turned out the things he would say that she hated to hear were things that she needed to hear and that she benefited from.

Now, as the girl was starting to appreciate the boy, the boy was quickly coming to care very much for the girl. Maybe even love her. One day the boy, hoping to win the girl's love in turn, offered her a romantic trip to Italy. And, the girl being as silly as she was, didn't realize the boy meant as much to her as he did and refused him.

So the girl and boy parted ways, the boy broken hearted and the girl not quite realizing her mistake yet. As time went on, the girl went on to date other boys, but none other quite measured up to the one she'd refused. The one, she came to understand, she let get away.

But, to the girl's fortune, she and the boy met again. This time, the girl was grown and much less silly, and she realized that the boy was everything she needed; that he helped her be a better person. This time, she decided, she wouldn't let him get away.

So the girl did everything in her power to win the boy back. Eventually, her charm and wit won him over and he gave her the second chance she very much wanted. They passed away months together, happy to be with one another. Eventually, Christmas came and the girl wanted to give the boy the most special present she could find. As she hunted around unsuccessfully finding anything special enough for him, she realized that she'd had the perfect gift all along. So, on Christmas Day, the girl offered the boy the thing she'd refused him three years earlier, her heart… and a trip to Rome.

To be continued…

"Betty…" Gio managed once he was done reading. For one of the first times since Betty had known him, he appeared to be speechless.

"I couldn't finish the story until I knew whether or not you accepted the gift," she told him in a soft tone. "I love you, Gio," she added, happy to finally say it aloud. "And I want you to come to Rome with me. I was hoping you'd wear the shirt there," she gestured towards the dress shirt that now lay discarded at Gio's side.

"Rome?" he asked, still looking stunned.

She bent down and reached into the handbag she had next to her, and pulled out two tickets. "We leave the thirtieth if you say yes. We can start the New Year together, in Italy," she told him, then repeated for good measure, "I love you."

The surprise disappeared from Gio's face and Betty saw love and desire take its place. Before she knew it, Gio's hand was reaching out and cupping her cheek. His face was inches from hers, and his dark eyes bore into hers with intensity.

"You don't know how long I've waited to hear you say that," he whispered to her in a gravely voice. "I love you, too, Betty, and of course I'll go to Rome with you."

Betty let out a cry of joy before she crushed her lips against Gio's. After several moments, they broke apart. Gio rested his forehead against Betty's.

"B, this is definitely the best Christmas present I've ever gotten," he told her, "but we really do have to leave now."