Disclaimer…I do not own GH or the characters….No copy write infringement intended…..For entertainment purposes only….

A/N: Sorry it's been so long. My lovely son crashed my computer and it's been in the shop. Unfortunately, it deleted the saved chapters I had completed, so now I'm trying to rewrite them. He's so lucky he doesn't understand what he did, or might have hurt him. LOL

Anyway, thanks for all the reviews and for continuing to read. You all rock!

Chapter Thirty-Three

Elizabeth winced at the sight of Georgie's bloodshot eyes when the younger woman let her in the quiet house. Wondering if planning her visit for when she knew Baylor normally napped had ruined the obviously exhausted mother's chance of her own nap, she glanced around the living room. "I can come back later if you want to rest while Bay does."

"Don't be silly. If I sleep during the day I'll be up all night." Motioning her to sit, Georgie flopped on the chair and tucked her feet underneath her. "I'm happy you stopped by anyway. You can help distract me."

"I don't know about that. I wanted to see how you were holding up. And with John with Jason at the office, I figured you could really tell me what you're feeling."

Georgie blinked. "Um, Johnny and I already discussed everything. Believe it or not, my answers would be the same even if he was here."

Elizabeth grinned. She took them honestly communicating as a good sign. "Good. Jason told me about Diego being spotted last night after presumably leaving you a surprise."

"I wish the flowers were all that he had done," she scoffed angrily. "I'm going to kick his ass first chance I get."

"Huh? What else did he do?"

Stealing a glance at the stairs, she sighed. "He woke Baylor up and introduced himself." At Elizabeth gasp, she miserably nodded. "Yeah, I know. I couldn't believe it either. She's so confused, Liz. Johnny and I were fielding questions in the middle of the night and then again this morning."

"How did he get her to believe him? Diego disappeared before you even had her. And I know you explained to her that he died."

Georgie took a drink of her coffee before responding, keeping the warm mug in her hands to ward off the chill she couldn't shake. A nap would have been great, but she'd been afraid to sleep. What little bit of rest she had managed last night had been filled with one nightmare after another. "I never hid who he was. Baylor's seen what pictures I have of him. I thought it was all I'd be able to give her of him. The first time she ever asked about him, I sat down with her and went through the album."

"I take it John lost it at what he did."

"He dealt better than I did," she admitted sadly before her face crumbled. "He could have just taken her and left, Elizabeth! It scares me that he got in here without anyone noticing. It's not like the house was empty."

"But he didn't take her," she soothed even as she understood the fear. "Whatever else, Diego has to know that you'd do anything for that baby upstairs."

"Which is exactly why I agreed to Johnny's suggestion of leaving for Italy tonight. Until I know his frame of mind, I want Baylor out of his reach. He crossed the line last night."

"You think he'd hurt her?"

"No," Georgie admitted adamantly and without hesitation. "I know he wouldn't, not on purpose. But that doesn't mean he wouldn't try and snatch her or approach her without thinking about her emotional wellbeing. She thinks he's an angel from heaven, no matter what I say otherwise." Frustrated and exhausted, Georgie ran her fingers through her hair. "Once he was located and we had the chance to talk, I planned on telling Baylor, explaining things, and then introducing them, slowly letting her adapt. She's two and a half, damn it! She doesn't understand what's going on. Hell, I don't either!"

Unsure exactly what to say, Elizabeth twisted her engagement ring. "She'll be alright. Kids are resilient and much smarter than we give them credit for. Are you sure leaving tonight is a good idea though? Won't you be needed here the next couple days?" she asked evasively.

"I-I just can't do i-it," she stuttered uncomfortably as her heart accelerated as memories of last night's events flooded her brain. "Maxie's probably never going to forgive me, but I can't go to his f-funeral and pretend that I give a shit." Georgie swallowed the tears threatening to break free, dropping her head to stare at the floor. She was so tired of crying, showing weakness. "Let's talk about something else," she practically begged.

The raw emotions unhidden on her tired face had Elizabeth immediately complying. Jason never disclosed anything personal about anyone else, but she couldn't help but wish he had at least warned her to avoid bringing up a painful subject. "I wish you weren't leaving, but I understand. I kinda hoped you and Bay would be at the carnival but I guess it doesn't matter. OB and Frannie both freaked at the idea. Jason wasn't happy I wanted to still go either."

Georgie snorted as she stared at her. "Oh my God! I'm glad they shot that plan down. Seriously? There's too much going on right now, Liz. Being out in that crowd is like asking for trouble. You know that."

"Okay, OB," she snarked back sarcastically. "It's just the boys were so excited about going. And I hate being confined like I'm on house arrest," she added.

"I know, but too much is going on. The warehouse fire and all the other crap, it's just not safe. The boys will get over it. And you know the guys are only trying to protect you all."

Elizabeth nodded in agreement. She did know that, but since she wasn't working, the walls at the house seemed to be closing in on her. Being idle wasn't her strong suit. "Yeah, OB already lectured me like I was a five year old." Thinking of Italy, she perked up. "Are you excited about going to Milan? I love Italy. It's my favorite place to visit and so incredible."

Pausing and biting the inside of her cheek for a second, Georgie considered the question. "My last experience in Italy didn't leave a good impression. But I am anxious for Johnny to show me some of his favorite places when he finishes up with the reason we're even going. When he talks about the different places I can tell how much he loves it there. It's too bad all the trouble going on here. I wish you, Jason, and the boys were able to go too."

"Next time hopefully," she responded, her sapphire eyes sparkling at the idea. "Maybe after I have the baby. The urge to paint is a lot stronger for me over there and I can't use my paints while pregnant. How long are you planning on being gone?"

"I'm not sure. Johnny said at least five days if not more. I hate that he's leaving everything to fall on Jason while we're gone though."

"Don't worry about that. OB and Frannie are here, along with Max and Cody. Besides, isn't Johnny going to finish up the business with his uncle? He had just returned from making the proposition the day Baylor ended up at GH. I know they were working on a deal of some sort with him."

"Yep. I just feel bad. My showing up created this whole mess and now Jason is stuck with it until Johnny gets back."

"No, you didn't cause any of it," Elizabeth instantly corrected. "Lucky has nothing to do with you and the rest would find some other way to act out."

Georgie chuckled. "Probably, but it still sucks."

"They guys are used to dealing with various messes that crop up. It's when everything is calm that the worry about someone could be plotting."

"Since you're grounded," she teased with a smile, "what are you going to do tonight?"

Elizabeth smirked, an expression boarding on impish. "Monica invited us to dinner and I accepted."

"You're so bad," she giggled. "Jason's gonna strangle you!"

She chuckled. "Serves him right, and he won't be the only unhappy fellow at the table. Monica invited OB and Francis too. I accepted on their behalf."

Georgie's eyes popped wide open comically. "You should be glad you're pregnant. OB might have hurt you otherwise."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Reading over the contracts Diane had drawn up, Johnny tiredly rubbed his neck. Finding everything worded like his uncle had stipulated, he gave the attorney a nod. "Thanks again, Diane. After Uncle Rudy signs them I'll fax them to the office so you can complete the transactions."

"Perfect. My assistant knows they will be arriving within the next couple days." Snapping her briefcase shut, she shot Max a coy look as she stood. "I'll leave you gentlemen to do whatever it is you do when not entertaining the police. I need to track down Jasper Jacks. I have the guardianship papers signed by the judge. He's been anxious to make everything legal. Ta-ta, boys!"

Jason pretended not to notice Max following Diane out the door and focused on Francis. "Any luck with your contacts?"

"No. As far as I can tell, Donley made no inquiries relating to any type of explosives lately. I wish I had a lead, but right now we have nothing new. Unless something breaks, I'm afraid we may not have answers until whoever bombed the warehouse makes another move. But I have men searching for any irregular moves by anyone. Nine men lost their lives. We're going to keep looking, Jason. I have a new guy Cody recommended going over footage of the area as well. We might catch a break and hit something that way." His eyes swung to Johnny. "Barrett won't be found until tomorrow morning instead of today. I didn't want Maxie to guilt Georgie into staying. She's a sucker for trying to take care of Maxie."

"Not gonna happen this time, but thanks anyway. Maxie's going to have to depend on Mac and the rest of the family to help her cope with what Barrett did."

"What about Spinelli?" Jason asked while shoving the papers away after reading them when Johnny finished.

"Depends on how often Helena and Nik have Spoon Island's outer grounds patrolled."

Jason arched an eyebrow.

"Hey, I wanted to drop his body at Robin's but O'Brien pointed out that her daughter could discover it by mistake so I decided against it."

Impressed, Francis slowly grinned. "If it wasn't for that small consideration, it would have been a great thought. Her parent's burial was today so she's suffering as we speak anyway."

"Not enough," Johnny muttered while leaning back in his chair.

"What about Spencer now that the plastic skank is taken care of?"

"Holed up on Spoon Island," Jason spat. "Unless we want to wage a small war that will attract lots of attention, we wait until the bastard thinks he's safe and ventures back out. He'll get horny soon enough and go looking for Sam. Shouldn't be too long."

Cody crossed his arms while leaning against the brick wall near the window, an amused look on his normally serious face. "Our guy at the PCPD checked in with an update. Carly seems to still be under the impression that you will ride to her rescue, Jason. Even after Diane refused to represent her, she won't accept the lawyer Jacks hired for her. The way she's going, you wouldn't have needed to pay off the judge. She's hanging herself out to dry all on her own."

Her unwavering belief that he'd come through in the end didn't surprise him. But Jason wanted to make it clear she was on her own for once. "I guess I'm going to have to chat with Carly and point out a few truths for her."

"Oh please let me join you!"

Johnny chuckled. "Awfully enthusiastic to volunteer, O'Brien. Should your wife be concerned?" His grin only widened when the man flipped him off.

"Speaking of Sarah, she finished up sooner than expected. She'll be arriving in three days. She's not too happy that Georgie will be out of the country either. Sarah and Georgie spent a lot of time talking and were close by the time Georgie and Bay left."

"We're only going to be gone for five to seven days. I don't like leaving for too long with everything up in the air."

Jason waved away his concern. "It'll be fine. Georgie needs the break and some of troublemakers won't make any moves without her around."

"You can't depend on that, Jason."

"It doesn't matter anyway, John. Either way, we need to get those documents signed and the properties switched over to us. It's not like you are going on vacation. And your uncle was very clear that he'd only deal with you."

"Any sign of Alcazar yet?" Cody asked. That the man had entered their home, let alone approached Baylor, did not sit well with any of them.

"Not yet. He can't stay hidden forever though. All the guys know to discreetly pick him up once he does reappear." Francis grimaced at the thunderous expression on Zacchara's face.

"Fine. Let's just hope pops back up soon. Georgie's a bit out of sorts."

"Ya think?" O'Brien scowled. "We got lucky that he didn't do more than talk to Baylor last night. He could have easily grabbed her and took off."

"Exactly why he needs to be found. Georgie won't be able to keep it together if anything happens to Bay." After Baylor's shocking announcement the night before, Johnny immediately started making plans in his mind to leave for Italy a couple days sooner than originally planned. Hopefully in the time they were away Diego would be picked up, but if not Johnny was considering moving them into the penthouse since he still owned it. Security would be much harder to get past with only the one entrance. Georgie loved her house, but if it came down to the house or their safety, he had no qualms about moving them until they knew exactly what Diego's intentions were.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Robin felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Warily getting to her feet, she continued to clutch the framed photograph of her parents. Wishing she hadn't fought with Patrick, refusing his offer to stay after dropping her off after the memorial service, she moved to the foyer and checked the dead bolt on the front door. Finding it still locked, she shook her head at her paranoia.

Maybe she should have gone to Mac's like most of the people who had attended the service. But Mac had made it clear that he disapproved of her banning Georgie and Johnny from the church. Robin huffed noisily. They would not have showed up even if she hadn't thrown a fit and screamed at them the day of the explosion and then made sure to make it known they were unwelcome at the funeral services because she blamed them for the deaths. No matter what Mac said, Robin knew without a doubt that Zacchara killed Robert and Anna. He'd basically taunted Sean seconds before the blasts.

When her parents approached her in the beginning, needing her to help lure Georgie to the park, Robin had believed she was doing the right thing. Nothing had been mentioned concerning hurting the young woman she'd watched grow up. The plan outlined to her made it sound like after Jerome was in custody of the WSB, Georgie would be returned home, safe and sound. Instead it all fallen apart from the very beginning when Diego Alcazar interfered. And Julian Jerome either died as originally thought or the man refused to step in and help his daughter. But the worst part was what Georgie had endured as they became desperate in their attempts to flush the man out of hiding. Robin shuddered, hating herself for ever agreeing to help. Now Georgie had married a man who killed her parents for their part in the mess and she was terrified Zacchara could order her death as well. She prayed Jason wouldn't allow him to kill her. She hadn't meant for Georgie to suffer, but the past couldn't be erased.

Deciding to pick Emma up from Mac's to spend some time with her daughter, Robin returned to living room and snatched her purse up from the coffee table. Busy digging her keys out, she never noticed the man until he grabbed her roughly and spun her around, her back smashing into the wall.

Clamping a hand over mouth to cut off the scream, he saw the fear and panic enter her wide eyes. "Shut up!" he ordered sharply. "I think we need to have a small discussion, Dr. Scorpio." Ignoring her sobs, he dragged back to the living room and shoved her toward the couch. "Sit down and keep your mouth shut unless you are answering a question. If you don't," he held up the gun in his hand, "I'll kill you. Understand?"

Robin swallowed hard and nodded, terror making her movements jerky. "Please…" she whispered.

"Please," he sneered, "please what? Spare you? Answer my questions and we'll see if I am feeling charitable after you explain how you could turn on an innocent young woman that was raised almost as a sister to you. First though, you are going to do me a favor."

Even terrified as she was, Robin glared. "Yeah, I made a huge mistake, but what is your excuse! You only came out of hiding because Lucas, your son, died. You never gave a damn about your daughter when she needed you!" Seeing the way that Julian's face flushed at the accusation, she felt a twinge of satisfaction. "And now Georgie doesn't need your help and you decide to show up. Do you think her husband won't retaliate for you leaving her open to attacks? Trust me, he will. John Zacchara isn't going to let you waltz into her life because you find it convenient to grace her with your wonderful presence now."

"Shut up!" Julian barked as he shoved down his own feelings of Georgie marrying John Zacchara. "You have no idea why I never stepped into that mess. You shouldn't believe all that you hear, Robin. Didn't you learn anything from agreeing to help Anna and Frisco remove Georgianna from Port Charles without demanding full disclosure?" Ignoring how her eyes filled with tears, he took a deep breath. "Without your assistance, my daughter would have never been at the damn park and ended up in South America." When she started to protest, Julian tossed her the cell phone he retrieved from her bag. "Don't waste your breath. Nothing you say will excuse what you did. Call Donley and get him here without letting it slip I am present. If you do that, Dr. Scorpio-Drake, I just might call your debt to my family even. After all, I'm positive Zacchara might be disappointed if I took you out of the playing field."

Robin froze, her fingers on the send button. "You said we'd be even."

"With my family. John Zacchara is not a part of my family." Motioning with the gun, he closely listened as she started to talk, asking Sean to meet her at the house, that something had come up that she needed to discuss with the man.