Title: Friends may come..

Setting: Port Charles current

For the Record: I do not own any of the characters in the following story, the creators and writes of General Hospital do, and they do a damn fine job of making us watch.

Characters: For this scene; Diego Sanchaz, Georgie Jones and Dillion Quartermaine

Scene One:

Diego turned. He smiled when he saw her and she walked faster toward him. The car passing drew her attention for some reason and she turned to look at it. it was slowing...drawing even with Diego as he waited for her. She frowned in confusion even as she saw the hand pointing something at Diego.

"Diego!" she screamed as she recognized a gun.

Diego looked at the gun before raising his eyes to meet hers. She saw his lips form her name as the gunshot drowned out his voice.

"Diego!" she cried again, running to him as he touched the blossoming red stain. The tires squealed as the car raced off and she reached Diego just as he fell to the ground.

"NO, no! Diego. Can you hear me?" she sobbed, covering his hands with her own, trying to stem the flow of blood.

Diego looked up at her. "Georgie. I'm so sorry."

"Shh. you have to save your strength. you're going to be okay." She cried, wiping her tears with the back of her wrist.

"Forgive me." diego begged, shivering.

"I do. Diego stay with me. Somebody help me!" she screamed. Dillion, Maxie and Jesse stood staring at her.

"Georgie, get away from him." Dillion demanded.

"What?" she gasped incredulously. "no!"

"Diego Sanchaz, you're under arrest." Jesse said pulling out his handcuffs.

"Get Away!" Georgie screamed at him.

"Georgie, it's for the best. do the right thing." Maxie urged.

Georgie looked down at Diego, he was pale, his lips were turning blue. She stroked his hair gently and he opened his eyes.

"I love you, Georgie." Diego whispered before his eyes closed again and she felt his slip away.

"No. Diego..Diego!" She shook him, crying.

Diego headed for his room. he was tired, the day dragged through. Georgie hadn't worked, which would've made the whole thing bearable so he'd spent the majority of the day with his head down, working silently. He glanced across the hall, maybe she was still awake, he could knock...but Dillion was probably in there. As badly as he wanted to talk to her, see her, watching her with Dillion hurt. he turned away.

"Somebody help me!" someone shouted. Diego whipped around. It sounded like..

"What?..No!..Get away!"

"Georgie!" Diego shouted banging against the door.

"No!" Georgie shouted again and Diego hit the door with his shoulder. The door flew open and he froze in shock.

"Diego.." Georgie moaned from the bed.

A nightmare. Diego told himself as his heartbeat slowly returned to normal.

"Diego!" Georgie gasped. she was tearing at the pillow, her blanket was already a heap on the floor.

"Georgie.." he called softly, pushing the door closed to go to her.

"No.." she moaned painfully and he felt his chest tighten. was she dreaming about what he had done to her? about what he could do? Guilt and regret flooded him. he touched her arm gently, calling her name again. He kept his distance in case she was afraid of him when she woke. He stared down at her, her face was covered in tears and he hated himself.

"Georgie." Diego shook her carefully and this time she jerked upright with a gasp. He stepped back quickly but her wild eyes flew to him.

"Diego!" she cried out reaching for him. Automatically he went to her, even as the shock reverberated in his head. She launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him desperately as he sat down beside her.

"Georgie, it's okay. your awake now." he told her softly, rubbing her back soothingly.

"the gun..you didn't move." she cried brokenly.

"shhh. you're okay. i'm here." Diego said gently, closing his eyes, relishing her touch.

"I couldn't..I was so scared." she confessed, pressing her face against his shoulder. "Diego, you have to ask your father for help. I know your in danger, please?" Georgie pulled back to look him in the eye and he reluctantly let her go.

"I'm alright. it was just a nightmare." he told her reaching out to tuck a stray hair behind her ear.

"What about the guys at the pier? I know something's wrong. I can feel it. if you don't want to ask your father, talk to Mac?" she pleaded.

"No, Georgie. I can't. My father's busy with Skye and the new baby. And I'm not exactly Mac's favorite person, you know?" he gave her a self deprecating smile but she shook her head, fiercely.

"It doesn't matter. I'll talk to him, he'll help you." she grabbed his hand, squeezing it between hers.

"I-I'm really glad you care about me but.." he trailed off wishing he could tell her.

"of course I care Diego." Georgie protested and the need to tell her how he felt swept through him.

"Georgie"

"What the hell is going on?" Dillion demanded from the doorway.

"Di-Dillion" Georgie dropped his hand and Diego stood, moving away from her.

"She had a nightmare." Diego explained quickly.

"So she ran to get you to hold her hand?" Dillion sneered.

"I was walking by. I heard her yelling.." he shrugged.

"He probably thought I was being attacked." Georgie defended, shooting a look at Diego. Diego said nothing.

Dillion glared at both of them. "that's great." he bared his teeth at Diego. "Thanks for helping my WIFE. I think I can take it from here."

Diego nodded silently, walking toward the door.

"Diego!" Georgie called anxiously. He turned to look at her and she looked at Dillion. Dillion's fists clenched.

"Thank you, for coming to my rescue."

Diego looked at Dillion, he was starring angrily at Georgie. "It was just a bad dream." Diego answered. "good-night." he muttered stepping into the hall. The door slammed behind him and he took a deep breath.

"Georgie. What's going on?' Dillion asked through clenched teeth.

"What are you talking about?" Georgie evaded, getting off the bed to pick up the blanket she'd kicked off.

"Oh I don't know, how about the fact that I come home to find our door broken, my wife in bed telling another guy she 'cares' about him? Or how about the fact that the guy my wife is talking to is not only a convicted felon but the guy I specifically asked you to stay away from?" Dillion argued angrily.

She turned to face him frowning. "Well.. Diego's a friend and he's going through a hard time. I can't just abandon him."

"Georgie, he stalked you and Maxie. He drugged you both and Brooklynn. How do you ignore what he did to her? She can't even bear to come back here."Dillion demanded outraged.

"I'm not ignoring it! diego paid his debt to society and maybe he hasn't always made the right choices but neither have we. I don't want to argue about this anymore, okay?" Georgie told him with a pleading look.

Dillion sighed. "Just...promise me you'll stay away from him?"

For a moment her dream flashed in her mind.

"Georgie get away from him", Dillion told her, "Georgie, it's for the best. Do the right thing." Maxie said. And she looked down at Diego dying in her arms. "Georgie, I love you."

She looked up at her husband, her best friend, the man she loved forever.

"No." she shook her head sadly. "I won't."