Chapter Two

Elizabeth was confused to see Johnny Zacchara standing on her porch. Shaking her head slightly to clear it, she opened the door. "Johnny?"

She noticed that he looked sheepish and unsure standing on her porch, which was so abnormal for what little bit she had been around the Zacchara heir. "Um, come on in," she offered as she held the door open wider.

Johnny entered her small house and looked around. The first thing he noticed was the warmth of colors and a lived in atmosphere that made it welcoming. Turning to the petite brunette he offered a small smile. "I am sorry to bother you so late, Elizabeth."

"It is alright. I figure that you have a reason for coming here, although I must admit that I am kind of surprised to see you. Have a seat. Would you like anything to drink?"

"No, thank you." He sat on the chair across from the couch where she sat, curling her feet underneath of her. "I guess I should explain."

Worrying her bottom lip, she nodded. "Ok."

"Well, I overheard Georgie talking with her sister at Kelly's tonight about you." He saw her wince and pale. "I know that this isn't an easy conversation for you, but I think that I can help you."

"How, Johnny? And why? We hardly know one another," she protested. Running a hand through her hair, she sighed. "You don't really understand what is happening. I can't place anyone else in the middle of my problems."

"You aren't, I am offering. You and your little boys deserve to be safe and protected. No offense, Elizabeth, but the police aren't able to handle one on one security and Georgie said you was refusing to ask Sonny for a guard." He raised an eyebrow at her. "That kind of surprised me. I know you guys aren't close anymore, but as much as I hate that man, I know that he would supply you with a guard."

"No! Sonny is not an option. I want nothing from him or his organization, including a no necked man on my door that I won't know or trust."

"Then you need to consider letting me help you," he stated.

She looked at him in disbelief. "You want to assign me a guard?"

Laughing a little at that, he shook his head. "The guards that work for us, well they are more loyal to my father. I am trying convince you to let me stay here with you and the boys until they catch this creep that escaped." He held up a hand as she started to talk. "Please, just wait. I know that you are unsure of my motives of being here, and I can't say that I blame you. We have never really been friends and talk only in passing. But I promise you, I only want to help you. No one deserves to live with the fear that you are experiencing. I will stay on the couch at night and keep an eye on you during the day until they catch this man."

Elizabeth blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall. While she knew that many people would be upset over it, she nodded slight. Relieved to not be alone, she also knew that Johnny was more than capable of taking care of himself. "I can't explain how much I appreciate your help, Johnny. Are you absolutely sure that you want to do this?"

"I would not have came here if I wasn't. I know that you turned Georgie down on her offer, and I know that you did it out of fear for her getting hurt." He offered her a cocky smile. "I am perfectly able to keep you and your family safe without risking myself."

With a watery laugh, she nodded. "I will be honest. Your ability to handle a gun and your life style is why I agreed."

Raising his brows, he smirked, easy the tension. "Never thought I would be happy that I was connected to the organization."

Giggling, she wiped the stray tears of of her face. She knew that he was trying to lighten the mood and was happy that he was making the effort. "Um, well, I am off for the next three days. I just finished four shifts in a row, so my schedule won't be too bad. I have a spare room upstairs. There is no need for you to stay on the couch."

Johnny shook his head adamantly. "I would rather be down here. I can here any noises better."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. But I do want to warn you. I don't think this arrangement will go over well with others. Can you handle that?"

"I have dealt with other people's negative opinions forever. I just need you to promise that your father will not come after me over this because he misunderstands the situation."

Johnny grimaced at the thought of Anthony. "I can guarantee that he will never even be close to you or the boys. I would never put you at risk with him if I did not have a way to contain him." Rubbing his neck, he asked, "Are you expecting anyone tonight?"

"No. Lucky will have the boys tomorrow, but I am meeting him and Shioban at p-park with them," she stuttered. Even mentioning the park now made her stomach clench. Lifting her red rimmed eyes to meet his knowing one, she asked, "Will you be there with me?"

He got up and walked over to where she was sitting and lowered himself next her. Squeezing her hands, he offered her some comfort. "Yes, I am going to be with you until he is back in the prison, Elizabeth. I promise to make sure that you are safe and protected."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~b~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elizabeth entered her bedroom and sighed, relieved that she was not alone in the house with Cam and Jake. Although she did not completely understand why Johnny had shown up, she was immensely grateful that he had. Just the thought of being alone had her cringing, but there was no way that she would have let Georgie stay. At least with Johnny, she knew that he could handle the situation. After all, growing up the way that he had and running the Zacchara Organization had ensured that he was able to survive dangerous situations.

Exhausted after the emotional evening that she had endured, Elizabeth quickly changed for bed. She had to meet Lucky at eleven and needed to make sure that the boys were packed and feed them breakfast in the morning. Lying down, she stared at the ceiling, praying that the PCPD was able to capture Tom quickly.

Johnny let himself back into the house after retrieving his overnight bag from his car. Checking all the windows and doors, he thought about the woman that was upstairs, hopefully asleep. Elizabeth had been in the back of his mind since the Black and White Ball and no matter how much he told himself that he should avoid her, Johnny found himself drawn toward the single mother.

He had read the file on Elizabeth Webber that his father had compiled and had been amazed at what she had already been through in her life. He was aware of every bad thing, every relationship that she had ever had, every little secret, and all the bright spots in her life. Knowing all this only made him understand her more. The attraction that he had tried to push aside had only grown.

When he had heard Georgie talking with Maxie, he had known that he was going to be watching over her. Even if she had not allowed him stay, Johnny was willing to stay in his car and keep watch over her house. Now all he needed to do was start his men on the search. He had no faith whatsoever in the police department putting an end to this danger. Grabbing his phone off the table, he was determined to end the threat hanging over head one and for all.

"Hey. It's Johnny. I know that you wanted to stay away from here, but I am going to need to back in Port Charles."

The other man sighed. "What is so important that I have to come there?"

"Tom Baker has escaped."

The silence on the other end was immediate and thick. "I will be on the jet within an hour. Do you have a security detail on her."

"Yes. I have also started the men searching for this piece of shit. I need you to come back. I have no else that is trust worthy enough to keep her safe if something happens to me."

The other man chuckled. "And I will, that is not an issue. You really should tell her how you feel, John. She is a great person. Even if she doesn't return your feelings, she would be an awesome friend.

"Just get on the plane," Johnny snarled before hanging up.