Disclaimer: I own nothing. I do not own General Hospital nor it's characters. This is purely for amusement purposely only.

Summary: A near death experience changed Georgie's life in more ways than one, and Johnny Zacharra is at the root of it all.

This is a story I'm writing myself, but my sister ThroughtheMirrorDarkly is editing. Hope you all enjoy it. :D

JUST BEYOND MY REACH

By Winchestergurl4life

CHAPTER ONE

Georgie Jones used to be a normal girl with normal dreams.

Get good grades, get into the best college, and become a doctor. Pretty simple, right? Now she can barely leave her house. Sometimes she wished he hadn't found her in time then maybe she wouldn't be stuck in this nightmare. Ironically the only peace she had was when she dreamed of him, so even in sleep he was her salvation.

Johnny Zacharra. Even thinking his name sent pleasant shivers down her spine. Tall, dark and gorgeous and so no into her, Johnny freakin' Zacharra. Where he felt it or not, but from the second he breathed life back into her she felt a connection with him. An invisible thread that drew her towards him like a moth to a dangerous flame. She had tried to squash the strange impulse, but it would never give. Sometimes when she felt brave enough to venture out she would see him and for a moment when their eyes met, she thought that maybe he felt it, too.

But then Lulu, or one of his many admirers would walk up to him and the moment was gone. Georgie must have imagined it because he would have never looked at her that way. Giving a small shake of her head, she shoved that out of her mind. She had more important things to focus on, she told herself firmly.

Today was one of the those days where she had to be brave. So she needed to keep her entire focus on that, and that alone. Stuffing her earbuds into her ears, Georgie slipped on a pair of sunglass so she could pretend she was in her own little world and nothing she could see or hear could bother her. It was her own secret little way to block the entire world out so she could simply get her business done and get home without everyone realizing what a freak she had become.

Keep your head down and just get this over with, she thought and her lips were pursed into a thin line.

Johnny was nursing his third cup of coffee this morning. He couldn't sleep anymore. He hadn't slept in what felt like months. It replayed over and over inside his head. The night he had found her in the snow, her face ashen grey and her body so still. She had been slipping away, ready to give up, but he hadn't let her. He forced air back into her lungs, and forced her to start breathing again. Since then Georgie Jones was all he could think about.

He had known Georgie before that night, he had seen her around town, but had been so involved in the drama with his father and the extra baggage of Lulu that he didn't take the time he should have to get to know her. He always seen her around with a smile on her face, this bright beacon of light in the chaos of Port Charles. Then he seen her there upon those steps, he realized that someone who was that beautiful inside and out…well, the world couldn't afford to lose someone like that. He didn't want to lose that.

From the moment Georgie's eyes opened, and she started to breathe again, he felt like he was breathing again for the first time in a long time. Everything that had seemed so important before meant nothing now. Now he wanted to get to know Georgie, to know all about her, but he didn't know if she would even give him the time of day.

Kelly's Diner was always a hub of activity and between the teens and adults everyone in town came through there on a regular basis. Georgie walked through the door and right up to the counter, not bothering to look left or right. She kept her gaze straightforward, and steady. "May I have a cup of hot chocolate, please?" She ordered, her voice even and polite. She needed a reward for making it through lunch with her dad at the station.

"How have you been, hun?" asked Mike, with genuine concern. "Have you give any thought to coming back to work here?"

Georgie knew that eventually she would need to do something besides hide, she just wasn't ready yet. "Mike," she mustered up a half smile, "thank you for looking out for me. I…I just don't think I'm ready for that right now."

Mike nodded, accepting the reply. "If you change your mind, you are welcome back anytime," said the older man, with a smile.

Georgie nodded her thanks, then paid for her drink and when she turned to leave, she had to hold back a groan of despair. She had just run into the last person she wanted to see. Lulu Spencer. Her derision for the blond was pretty self explanatory. After fighting Sage for Dillion, the pretty blond showed up and soon chased after him. Perhaps a little fault fell to her because she believed Dillion could be faithful when history showed that he really couldn't. Not to mention, at a drop of a dime Lulu would go chasing after which ever man was her flavor of the week and leave Georgie to have to cover her shift when they worked at the diner. It didn't exactly endear the blond to her.

"Oh, my God! Georgie?" The blond blinked, then smiled widely. Too wide to be a real smile. "I am so happy to see you finally out and about! I mean after my boyfriend saved your life, we haven't even see you. Not even a phone call, I mean, come on."

Georgie gave her a flat look. Boyfriend, Lulu every time Johnny was brought up she would call him that like she was marking her territory or something. Georgie let a small sigh, and tried to walk around her when suddenly said boyfriend decided to walk through the door. Well crap.

Johnny froze for a moment, his brown eyes locked on to Georgie with a slightly stunned expression on his face. She was so beautiful, Johnny thought a little tongue tied. She ducked around Lulu and by the time she reached the door, he finally found his voice. "Georgie," he asked, "how are you?"

Georgie reluctantly turned around to face him. "I am fine," she said, quietly. "How are you doing?"

"I've been thinking about you," he blurted out, then gave a slightly embarrassed look. "I mean…I've been wondering how you've been doing since…Diego and everything." He had to fight down a blush because he couldn't have sounded more like a fool if he had tried.

Georgie arched a brow because she could swear that Johnny was blushing. The Johnny Zacharra blushing. Her eyes darted behind him where Lulu stood arms crossed, her face an unattractive shade of puce and she looked like she was about to explode. While a petty part of her wanted to further antagonize Lulu for revenge, Georgie ignored that part of her like she always did and decided retreating would be best. "Thanks, Johnny. I have been better, but I really shouldn't complain. It could have been worse, I could have been dead," she said, with a slightly strained chuckle. No one else looked like they found that particularly funny. "Tough crowd," she mumbled underneath her breath. "Uh, well, it was good seeing you, but I really need to be going."

"Wait, Georgie," Johnny reached out towards her. His hand grasped her upper arm, making Georgie jump ever so slightly. He eased up ever lightly when he saw the panicked look she gave him. "I was hoping to talk to you. May I walk you home?" He asked, a faint trace of nervousness in his voice.

The offer was tempting. More than he knew. "Um…maybe some other time?" Georgie said, hesitantly. Her hazel eyes darted to Lulu who stood there like a thundercloud and her heart just sank. "You look like you're busy."

As Georgie pulled out of his grasp, Johnny watched her leave with a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. With a heavy sigh, he reluctantly turned to the blond. "Lulu," he stated, stonily.

The anger on her face was gone in an instant. "Oh, Johnny, I am so glad you met me here. I have missed seeing you," she laid it on thick, taking a step towards him so he could see how nicely the tube top showed off her cleavage.

"Lulu," Johnny just stared straight at her face, more than a little impatience in his voice, "what do you need? I don't want to hurt you, but I told you that we are not going to be together."

For a while, he thought maybe there could have been something more. That was before he realized that Lulu just wanted to use him to make Logan and some boy named Dillion jealous. Apparently it was a favorite past time of hers, and he had shrugged it off. Until somewhere along the line the blond decided he was the better catch, and all she did now was chase him around. Honestly, it was getting pretty annoying.

Lulu placed her hands on her hips. "We can't be together, but you want to hang out with that mousy waif Georgie Jones? Please," Lulu said, disgusted.

Johnny looked livid. "Do not even say her name, you don't even deserve to speak it. Furthermore, she is twice the woman you could ever hope to be," he leaned down, and his face was twisted in a snarl.

"How do you know that?" Lulu snapped. "Just because you saved her doesn't mean you have to be with her white knight for the rest of her life!"

Johnny shook his head side to side.

Lulu could feel that she was losing him, and decided to use a different approach that had worked before. She walked up to him, and ran her hand down the front of his shirt in what she thought was a seductive manner. "I can make you feel things she never can, just ask Dillion."

Johnny grabbed her hand, and jerked it off him. The touch sickened him. "Seriously?" He honestly didn't think the blond could sink any lower, but she had just started digging. "You are going to stand here and suggest I should take up on your offer because Georgie's ex husband was stupid enough to fall for your bullshit? You're a little girl who has no idea what a real woman is, and you need to grow up and leave me alone!"

With that Johnny stormed out of Kelly's, hoping that if hurried that he might be able to catch up to Georgie.

END OF CHAPTER

Hello. I wanted to a story focused on Georgie and Johnny, and thought I would upload this first chapter to see what everyone thinks about it.

Read and Review! :D