A/N: This was written by Wooster182 and Angelgrl0284. This was written to answer Beatrice's request for such a fic. Please enjoy and leave a review on this account to let us know what you think!

...

"You're really not going to tell me where we're going?" Betty asked. She was sitting in the passenger's seat of Gio's van. They'd been on the road for several hours and Betty still didn't know where they were headed.

"I told you, it's a surprise. You'll see when we get there," Gio told her with a mysterious grin.

It was one year to the day that Gio and Betty had their first official date. Gio had insisted on planning the celebration of their anniversary on his own, so they'd been driving for the past two hours, Betty completely oblivious to where they were going. From what she could tell, they were headed Upstate, but as to why, she had no clue.

"Not even a tiny hint?" she asked. "Like maybe how much longer until we get there?"

Gio considered her for a moment before he responded. "Nah," he said, "It'd ruin the surprise."

"Can I guess where we're going?" she inquired.

"You can, but I'm not going to answer you," he told her bluntly.

"Alright," she conceded. "No more questions. I'll find out when we get there."

He looked over at her and smiled. "That's the spirit, Suarez."

It was another hour and a half before Gio started to slow the van down as they reached a large lake surrounded by a clump of trees. Betty had seen a sign several miles back saying there was a campground near, but instead of continuing on to the campsite, Gio stopped at a secluded area, pulled into the grass, and parked the van as close to the lake as he could.

"Okay," he told her "We're here."

The sun was starting to set as they climbed out of the van; oranges, pinks, and purples streaked the sky and were reflected on the surface of the lake's water. The trees that surrounded the area made it seem like they were the only two people in the world.

"It's beautiful out here, Gio," Betty said.

Gio was delighted that she was pleased with the place he'd chosen.

"There's more," he told her, "Wait here."

He walked over to his van and opened the back doors, then lifted the blanket he'd used to hide the picnic basket he'd packed before they left. Taking the basket in one hand and the blanket in another, he walked over to where Betty still stood watching the sun set.

Noticing his return and what he held in his hands, a wide smile appeared on Betty's face.

"A picnic?" she asked happily.

"Yeah," he told her. "And I thought after we were done eating, we could watch the stars come out."

"That sounds wonderful," Betty said.

He sat the basket on the grass and together they spread the blanket out near the lake's edge. They settled down on the blanket and Gio set about getting the food out of the picnic basket.

"So, what did you bring?" Betty asked excitedly.

Gio smiled at her enthusiasm over the food. "Well," he said, reaching into the basket, "We have sandwiches, complimentary of Gio's Deli, chips, a Mediterranean pasta salad, and for dessert, your father's empanadas."

"You brought some of my dad's empanadas?" she asked, touched at the gesture.

"Yep," he told her. "I know how much you love them."

"Thank you," she said sincerely as she leaned over to leave a soft kiss on his mouth.

Gio laid the food before them on the blanket and then pulled out a bottle of wine and two glasses. He poured them both a glass, and handed one to her.

"Happy Anniversary," he toasted, staring intently into her eyes.

"Happy Anniversary," she softly answered as their glasses clinked.

They talked and joked and enjoyed the food as the sun slipped away to reveal the velvety black of the night. A multitude of stars that looked like tiny pinpricks against the drapery of the night's sky dotted the heavens.

"I don't think I've ever seen so many stars in my life," she said with awe, her head cocked towards the sky, unable to take her eyes off of the beauty there.

"Me either," he told her, his gaze focused where hers was. "You just don't see this many in the city."

He put his arm around her shoulder and gently pulled her close to him. Betty rested her head in the crook of his neck as, together, they stared up at the stars above them.

Suddenly a loud crack sounded throughout the night and an array of colored sparks lit up the dark sky above the lake.

"Fireworks!" Betty exclaimed with pleasure, looking over at Gio.

Gio couldn't contain the huge grin that spread across his face. Seeing Betty's excitement over the fireworks made the three weeks Gio had spent trying to find a place that was showing fireworks the day that coincided with their anniversary completely worth it.

"Yeah," he told her. "I thought you'd like them. And they're kind of our thing, you know."

Betty thought of the "firework" display they'd seen on her birthday, over a year ago, before they'd started dating. The same night that Betty realized that Gio Rossi was earning himself a place in her heart. She rested her hand on his cheek and brought her lips to his in a gentle kiss.

"They are our thing," she said, "I love them. And I love you."

"I love you, too, Betty," he said in a soft tone.

They held each other's gaze for several moments, love reflected in both sets of eyes, before they went back to cuddling and watching the firework display.

Once the fireworks had died down, they leaned back on the blanket, both facing the sky, and stared at the stars once again. As they looked upwards, they talked about when they first met, their first date, when they realized they loved the other, and what they imagined they'd be doing in several years from now. They had different views on some of the things they'd be doing, but they both agreed on two things: they'd continue working on their five year plans and they'd still be together.

Betty loved the feel of Gio's hand in hers. Trickles of desire swept through her thighs and stomach when the pad of his thumb began rubbing the inside of her wrist. She turned towards him, laying half of her body over his, her hair falling around them as she cupped his cheek with her hand. She kissed him softly at first, massaging his lips delicately. When she felt his arms wrap around her waist, she deepened the kiss, her lips moving rhythmically against his. Her tongue boldly slipped between his lips, teasingly making circles on the roof of his mouth. He grunted, his hands roaming from her neck, to her back, to her bottom and thighs. They kissed slowly, comfortably. They simply enjoyed being close to each other. They both loved communicating with each other in this way, with their hands and mouths and bodies. Once they had their momentary fill of each other, she put her head on his shoulder and rested her arms on his chest. He smelled her hair, lightly kissing the top of her head. They lay there together, enjoying the embrace as much as the kissing.

After some time, Gio looked at his watch. He sighed, wishing he could stay in this moment forever, making memories with the incredible woman he loved and loved him in return, but knowing it was time for them to head back home.

"I hate to leave, but if we're going to make the drive back home tonight, we've got to go now," Gio told her.

She took one last look at the lake and the trees and the sky before she said, "Okay."

Gio took her hand to help her rise from the ground. Together they packed the left over food and empty wine bottle and glasses back into the picnic basket. Gio picked the blanket up from the ground and shook the grass off of it as Betty took hold of the picnic basket. They loaded both items in the back of the van before they settled in the seats in the front. Gio stuck the key in the ignition and turned it, but the van didn't start. Gio tried to turn the key several more times; the vehicle refused to come to life.

Gio reached into the glove department and fished out a flashlight. "I'll be right back," he told Betty, "I'm going to see if I can fix this."

While Gio popped the hood of the van and went to go assess what the problem might be, Betty pulled her cell phone out of her purse. She looked at the signal bars and saw that she didn't have a single one. She sighed, knowing her phone was as good as worthless in such a remote area.

She rolled down the window and called out, "Gio, how's the signal on your phone?"

Gio stopped what he was doing for a moment to pull his phone out of his pocket and look at it. "Nothing," he told her, and then set about looking under the hood again.

After several minutes, Gio returned. "There's nothing I can do," he told her. "We're going to have to stay here for the night."

"We're what!?" Betty exclaimed.

"Look, this isn't exactly how I wanted to spend the night of our anniversary either," he said, "but we don't have a choice. The closest thing around is the campground and it's a good three miles away. We can't walk that until the sun comes up."

"Gio, we can't sleep here! What if someone tries to mug us?"

Gio laughed. "Betty, if someone just happens to stumble across us out here in the middle of nowhere and tries to mug us, I'll let them have everything so long as they promise to take us to the nearest payphone."

Betty gave him an irritated glance. "I should have known something like this would happen with your stupid, old van," she snapped. She really wasn't mad at Gio so much as the situation, but she couldn't keep the bite out of her tone.

"Hey," he said indignantly. He defensively raised his hands in front of him, "Don't blame the van. Nothing like this has ever happened before."

"Oh, right," Betty said doubtfully.

"It hasn't," he insisted.

The look Betty gave him clearly showed that she didn't believe him for a moment.

He was quickly becoming irritated and upset with the situation. "I always knew you hated my van!" he accused.

"Normal people don't drive fifteen year old vans that are on the verge of breaking down!" Betty shouted.

"I told you, it's never broke down before! This van is the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned!"

"Oh, clearly," Betty said in a patronizing tone.

Gio just glared at her.

"You know what?" she told him after a moment's angry silence. "You can stay here in your precious van. I'm going to walk to that campground."

"Oh, come on, Betty. Its pitch black out there, you aren't going to walk," Gio told her.

"Just watch me," Betty said heatedly.

"Fine, walk. Good luck with the snakes."

"Snakes?" Betty yelped.

Gio smiled to himself, knowing he'd won. She made it too easy.

"Yeah, snakes. But if you want to walk, go right ahead," he smugly told her.

Betty glared at him. He knew full well she wouldn't walk if there were snakes in that grass.

Feeling calmer and less aggravated after his mini triumph, Gio tried to appeal to Betty. "Come on, Betty," he said, "It won't be that bad. It'll kind of be like camping."

"In the back of your van?" she asked skeptically.

"Well, I didn't say the accommodations were ideal, but it could be worse," he told her.

She contemplated him, still looking huffy.

"Look, Betty, it's our anniversary. I didn't plan this, and I don't want to fight with you," he said softly.

Betty immediately felt shamed. Of course he didn't plan for this to happen. He'd planned a lovely evening for the two of them, which, up until the van wouldn't start, had been perfect.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I know you didn't mean for us to get stranded."

He put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, too. C'mon, let's get the van ready."

She nodded and they opened the backdoor. They started to pull out the picnic basket and leftover food, putting it in the front seats so that they would have more room in the back to sleep. He readjusted the blanket they had used earlier that night, spreading it out over the bed of the van. Crawling further into the van, he pulled out two pillows.

She smirked. "Tell me again this wasn't planned!"

Rolling his eyes, he turned to look at her and said, "The pillows are for emergencies, Betty."

Her eyebrows raised and she looked at him smugly. "Oh, right, for emergencies in the van that never breaks down."

He held out his hand to her. "Get in the van, Suarez."

She heard the humor in his weary voice and laughed softly. She had been sleeping with him for nine months. She really had no issue with spending the night with him. As she settled down onto the blanket, she realized that she had never been in a situation quite like this before. She lay down and watched Gio close the doors. He lay down as well and pulled her close to him. She could smell his warm cologne and feel the heat emanating from his body.

She nuzzled against his neck, saying, "Happy Anniversary."

Pulling her closer, he rubbed her back and said quietly, "I'm sorry that it didn't work out like I had planned."

She giggled, the sound rippling against his skin. "We don't have to plan everything, Gio. Sometimes serendipity is good, too. You taught me that."

He leaned his thigh and stomach into hers and slid his hand up to her breast. "How serendipitous do you want to get?"

Her body arched up to meet him and her hand found his neck in the darkness. As he was about to bend down to kiss her, she said, "If you say anything about a rocking van, you'll never get sex again."

His chuckle was deep and sexy. "I promise." He kissed her then, his tongue comfortably and leisurely sliding into her mouth. It still turned him on after all this time how eagerly Betty frenched him back. He heard her moans of pleasure as he massaged her breast with his free hand.

Betty twirled a strand of his hair just behind his ear, her fingers brushing his skin—a spot she knew always drove him crazy.

Gio gently nudged her with his hips, proving to her how much he wanted her. The rough material of his jeans rubbed against her soft center and her bottom instinctively rose from the floor of the van closer to his body. She cried out, softly whimpering his name. She broke away from his kissing lips as she leaned up to find his neck. She licked that favorite spot behind his ear and another shot of electricity flowed through her as she heard his growl. That gave her the confidence to slide her hands to his hips. Aggressively, she tugged him to her, her actions telling him that she wanted this encounter to be hot and free.

She wanted to make love to him with abandon. He was quickly losing any control he had as she took a love bite from his neck. He kissed her again hard and recklessly as he slid his hand underneath her shirt to find the rosy bud of her breast. As his thumb flicked and teased, she let out a soft curse and guided his lips from her mouth to her chest. He gladly took the invitation and quickly pulled her shirt over her head. He tossed it into the corner and they searched for each other again in the black. Listening to each other's choppy breaths, he found her breast and gently squeezed it before barely touching her nipple with his tongue.

Her whole body went up in flames from his teasing and her head thrashed from the pain and ecstasy of the moment. Her hands touched as much of him as she could from his chest to his bottom. His tongue lapped at the crest of her breast now, twirling in circles. Slipping his hand underneath her skirt, he found her hot center and twirled his finger in the same motion. Her body jolted and as she felt her body teeter dangerously close to the edge, she grabbed for his belt buckle. Both began to wrestle with clothing and soon they were completely naked. His hands held her firmly just underneath her bottom ribs as he entered her solidly.

Her back arched and she gasped. The hard surface of the van bed made the pressure Gio applied on her that much more erotic as she was pinned against him and the floor. She could feel every movement, each stroke was more intense. She wrapped her legs tightly around him and he grunted, pumping closer and harder into her. He reached behind him and adjusted her leg around his back so that he had even more access.

Taking her hand, he slid it between them so that both of their hands were touching her budded crest. They rubbed it together as he moved faster inside her. They both cried out as they came together.

They had never been closer. They had never been more passionate. They had never felt closer.

He rested against her, their arms wrapped around each other, before he pulled out. Rolling on his back, he reached over to the corner of the van to get an extra blanket. He pulled Betty close and wrapped them both snugly in the blanket. Her nose nuzzled against his neck. The van rocked gently and her body tensed. "Gio, what was that?"

He squeezed her tighter and said, "I think it's the wind. We're okay."

His deep, raspy voice relaxed her and she draped her leg over his, her chest brushing up against his from the move. Idly, she yawned and said, "If it had been an axe murderer, would you have protected me?"

He raised his eyebrows in thought. "I don't know. I might have asked him how much he wanted for you."

She hit him in the ribs with her fist. "That threat about never having sex again is still on the table, buddy."

He laughed. Stroking her hair with his fingers, he said, "I'd never let anything happen to you, Betty. I couldn't take it."

"I know. I couldn't either. I love you." Her hand caressed his chest lightly.

He leaned over to kiss her softly on the lips. "I love you, too."

They both fell asleep twenty minutes later. The next morning, they got dressed and got out of the van. "Are you ready to go?" he asked, shutting the van door.

She breathed deeply, looking at the blue, cloudless sky and the stillness of the lake. She took Gio's hand in hers, intertwining their fingers. She gave him a quick kiss. "Yeah, let's go."

Her eyes glanced over his warm smile and bright eyes. She loved this man so much. She didn't mind that they would have to walk three miles to get help. She was looking forward to it.

the end