A/N: Okay. Implied violence and emotional pain. This chapter is dark and depressing. I had a hard time deciding if I wanted to go here, but there is a reason for it. There will also be a light at the end of the tunnel for her painful journey. Please don't hate me. She is one of my fav characters too. It will work out in the end.

Chapter Twenty

Picking up the living room, Elizabeth thought back over her day and laughed to herself. The trip to the PCPD had been entertaining. Dante and Mac had talked with Jordan, Jagger, and Father Mateo and then apologized for the inconvenience. Lucky's attitude, staring into the room while shut out, had been unnerving. But Elizabeth was not worried. She knew that Johnny had an eye on her ex. Wishing that he had not been called away by a phone call from Jagger, she threw the last toy into the basket and started toward the stairs.

Halfway up the stairs she paused when she heard Francis urgently calling her name from outside. Wondering what he was so upset over, she hurried down the steps and tugged the door open. Gasping at the sight that met her, she swallowed thickly before hurrying to his side.

"Oh, God! What the hell happened, Francis?" she demanded as she looked at the semi-conscious Georgie.

Lifting the young woman into his arms, he shook his head. "I have no idea. She came around the corner staggering and collapsed right here. She looks bad, Liz."

Running to open the door, she motioned him to lay her on the couch. Getting a good look at her in the light, Elizabeth winced and felt her throat go dry. Georgie's hair was matted with snow and dried blood. Her face had several small scratches on it, but it was the torn clothing and bruises that she could see on her arms and chest that caused her heart to break.

"Call Johnny. Tell him that Georgie is hurt and that I need him here."

Francis paused, his eyes taking in her pale features. "Shouldn't we call a squad, Liz, or the doc that John has?"

"No!" she answered quickly. Taking a deep breath, she met his eyes. "Let me look her over. Trust me, Francis. I will take care of her until she wakes up and can tell me what she wants. But I will not take the choice out of her hands."

Reading between the lines, he gave a short nod. Stepping outside, he punched the porch railing. Praying that they were mistaken, he dialed Johnny's number.

Inside, Elizabeth checked the knot on Georgie's head and exhaled at seeing that it was not as bad as she had feared. "Come on, Georgie. I need you to wake up and talk to me," she told her softly as she looked over the bruising on her arms that was visible under the ripped shirt.

Groaning, Georgie's eyes flutter and she moved quickly as she felt Elizabeth touch her arm. Whimpering in fear, she tried to sit up.

"Georgie, it's me. It's Liz. Calm down, sweetie."

Going limp in relief, she closed her eyes again as tears started to fall. "I had nowhere else to go. I am sorry, Liz."

"No, don't be. Tell me what happened. Do you want me to take you to the hospital?"

"NO! NO hospital," Georgie whispered frantically.

"Okay. Okay. Let me help you." Elizabeth swallowed when Georgie opened her eyes and she saw the pain and bleakness in them. It was an expression that she had seen in the mirror when she was younger. "Oh, Georgie," she breathed, pulling the her young friend into a hug.

Taking comfort from the one person that she had known would not push her, Georgie started to sob. "I tried, I tried so hard to get away from him. I never dreamed that he was still alive. I was so shocked, Liz. I thought that my mind was playing tricks on me at the mall, but it really was him. Why?"

Not fully understanding, Elizabeth only held her as she cried. Once she had cried herself out, Elizabeth leaned back and saw that she was shivering from her soaked clothes. "I won't push you, Georgie, but you know that you should go to the hospital. Now is the time to go. Do you want me to take you?"

"No," she whispered. "I c-can't. Please, Liz. I just want to get cleaned up."

Flashing back to the Valentine's Day night that she had insisted the same, Elizabeth sighed. She knew that it was the wrong choice, but it was not her choice to make. Georgie had came to her because she trusted her and needed the support that she could provide. There was no way that she was not going to be there. "Alright. I just wanted to make sure that you understood that there is no going back after you get cleaned up."

Gulping back more tears, Georgie nodded. "It doesn't matter. No one would believe me anyway."

"At least let me check your cuts out. Come on, I will give you a change of clothes." Helping the battered girl to her feet, Elizabeth eased an arm around her waist as she helped her up the stairs. "Can you tell me who?" she asked softly, not wanting to alienate her young friend.

"D-Diego," she whimpered brokenly. "He attacked me on the pier and drug me to a w-warehouse." Shaking her head, she started to stumble as the tears blurred her vision.

Stunned at the name of the dead man, or suppose to have been dead, Elizabeth shuddered. "Honey, are you sure?"

Bleak eyes met hers. "One hundred percent. He is alive, Liz."

Reaching her room, she helped Georgie into her bathroom and then grabbed a pair of sleep pants and a thermal shirt along with some socks. The next part broke her heart as she checked her completely over. The bruises indicated the fight that she had put up, but in the end, it had not been enough. Finally knowing that Georgie was set against any professional kind of help, she left the broken woman to let her shower, knowing that it would be a long, long shower.

Making her way slowly down the stairs with a heavy heart, she jump and squealed as the door opened. Seeing Johnny, Jagger, and Francis all enter, she shook her head sadly at their questioning looks.

Pulling her into his arms, Johnny could feel the her quivering. "How bad?" he murmured against her ear.

"As bad as it could be," she told him sadly. "God, Johnny. She is so broken. I recognize that look anywhere. She wouldn't let me take her to the hospital or call anyone for her."

Jagger cleared his throat. "Where is she?" he asked softly.

"Shower," she stated softly.

Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. "I'd say that Georgie came to who she knew would help her, no questions asked."

Francis had remained quiet, leaning against the wall, but now he stood and walked over to drop into the chair beside her. "Please tell me that I misheard the name that she kept saying when I got to her before she passed out."

Lifting her face, she shook her head. "If it is what she told me, I understand your denial. But this is Port Charles, Frannie."

"Dammit! He will be dead this time!"

Watching as Francis stood and looked ready to erupt, Johnny touched her arm. "Who?"

"Diego Alcazar," Francis spat. "I thought that guy at the mall looked familiar, but I thought that I was seeing things. After all, the little shit is suppose to be dead. Fuck!"

"WAIT! The TMK. Are you freaking serious? I thought that he was dead."

Glancing at Jagger, Elizabeth bit her lower lip but stayed quiet.

"What about the guard that we had on Georgie? Where the hell was Paul?" Johnny demanded as his anger grew.

"Dead. Tony found him behind the alley at Kelly's. His throat was slit." Jagger stood and looked out the window. "Why would he go after Georgie? I thought that they were friends when they were younger."

"Until he lied and helped Lulu get Dillion into bed while he was with to Georgie. He always had a thing for her. It is why he helped Lulu trick Dillion. Not that it took a lot," she muttered under her breath. "Right now my main concern is Georgie. She is going through hell."

"Should we call anyone?" Johnny asked softly.

"No. She doesn't want anyone to know." Seeing that Jagger looked ready to argue, she shook her head. "You have no idea what is going through her mind, Jagger. It is not your decision. It is Georgie's. Whatever makes her comfortable right now, well, that is what we do. My question is this... Why is Diego back from the dead? Who helped him fake his death? And why show up now? Lorenzo is dead. We all know that. So why is he back in Port Charles? There is nothing here for him."

"I never dealt with the South American arms dealer or his son. I have no clue why he would be back. But he will be found." Johnny nodded at Francis. "Get the men looking for him. I want the SOB found."

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

Lucky stared at him in disbelief. "You were suppose to go after Elizabeth, not freaking Georgie Jones! Have you lost your mind, Diego?"

The angry young man only smiled sinisterly. "How I do things is my concern. I wanted Georgie. She always acted like she was so perfect, such a good girl. She would never look at me the way that I wanted her to back when we were younger. Don't worry about your ex. I will get to her. I just wanted a taste of my dream."

Snorting at the explaination, Lucky just paced in the cheap motel room. "Just make sure that you make that bitch loose the spawn that she is carrying. I want her broken and begging for help. She will blame Zacchara for everything, opening her back up to me."

"You really are sick, Spencer, but whatever. You pay the right price and I will make sure that your ex is broken and regretting her choices." Diego grabbed the bottle of whiskey and took a swig straight from the container. "But I am gone after this."

Recognizing the gleam of someone up to no good, Lucky stopped and studied him. "What are you plotting? It had better not mess anything up."

Amused at the worthless sputterings, Diego chuckled. "Not at all. I am actually taking the only other person that will be able to ID me."

"You are going to abduct Georgie?"

"Don't look so stunned, Lucky. You are obsessed with Elizabeth. I have had a soft spot for Miss Georgie Jones for years. I learned to take what I want, so that is exactly what I am going to do. You called me back to put your plan into action."

"I don't think that taking Georgie is a good idea."

"I don't really care," he countered. "You helped me fake my death even after everything that had happened because you wanted to close the case. Imagine how everyone would react to know that you, Detective Spencer, let a killer go. That you are now paying him to torture one Elizabeth Zacchara. Do you think that the police would even have a chance at you, or do you think Johnny would kill you painfully." Smirking at the unease on Lucky's face, Diego nodded. "Yeah, my money is Johnny Zacchara too. You mess up my plan at taking Georgie, and I will clue him in on everything. Don't grow a conscious on me now, Lucky."

Frustrated at the blackmail material, Lucky nodded. "Fine. But this could really backfire on us both if you mess it up."

"And? I am the one taking all the risk, not you. Let me worry about things like getting caught. You wanted Elizabeth miserable, I can do that. But I get what I want out of the deal too. Why shouldn't I have who I want? You think that your ex needs to be begging for you even if you are with the Irish chick now, so don't get all high and mighty on me. After all, imagine Morgan's reaction if he found out that you let me escape, hell, helped me. Think he would be forgiving?"

Tired of hearing the insanity, Lucky walked to the door. "Fine. just do it soon. It is too dangerous for you to be here long. Especially if Georgie talks."

Diego's eyes sparkled. "I am dead, Spencer. No one will believe her. But Georgie won't talk. She is a good girl. They tend to be quiet and keep things in. Just like your Liz did all those years ago at first. By the time she might be thinking of talking, she will be gone."