As I watched the 418/427 episode, I was touched by what Brass must have been feeling as he dealt with Daniel Moore. I just really had this feeling that Ellie was in the back of JB's mind. And this just sort of poped into my head.

Ellie. That's all that Jim Brass could think about; his daughter, Ellie. He stood in the hallway, looking through the glass door at Daniel Moore. The man had screwed up, royally. He'd let his obsession with a case get in the way of everything and in the process had lost it all. The detective, Jim Brass, could only look on with disappointment. The FBI agent had let them all down, everyone in law enforcement, by letting the case take over. He'd manufactured circumstances and evidence to get the bad guy. And in the end, Moore had become one.

But Jim Brass, the man, looked at the younger man and it hurt. He knew why it hurt but knowing didn't help. A younger Jim Brass had made similar mistakes. Oh, he'd never crossed the line like Moore had with a case. But, he'd let his job get in the way of the people he was supposed to love, who were supposed to matter the most. He'd been so busy chasing bad guys that he'd left his wife home alone too much. And when she'd complained, he hadn't listened; not really. He was too busy being a good guy.

And then, there had been the affairs, his and hers. And still, he put the job first. By that time, it was as much about escaping from the disastrous marriage as it was about catching the bad guys. And then, there was Ellie.

Ellie was such a beautiful baby, an unexpected joy in his miserable existence…a reason to keep trying. And then the truth had outed and the joy was tainted. But still, she was such a beautiful child, such a happy child. And the way she looked at him, her eyes lighting and the smile that brightened his bleak world; his heart was hers.

But he was drowning, sinking into the filth that surrounded him. So he broke free. But it meant leaving her behind, except for the occasional trips back East and her even less frequent trips to see him. But she still brightened his world.

Ellie. She wasn't his little girl anymore. She had grown up. And she had lost her innocence. And he had lost her. "It's too late," she had told him. And the things he said to her… he didn't even want to think about that.

He'd fought it; refused to accept it…for awhile. And then he'd seen it up close and he knew. And as much as it hurt, he accepted it. It was too late; except for that little flicker of hope that he kept buried deep in his heart.

Finding Holly; it had been like another chance. Oh, it wouldn't fix things with Ellie. But maybe, he'd thought, just maybe he could help another man with a daughter…help the man whose shoes he'd walked in; well not exactly, but close enough. And he had found her. But the result was the same. It was too late.

So as he stood, looking at the other man, he knew. He could feel what Moore was feeling; the relief and the anguish. And it hurt. It hurt that he couldn't do better … didn't do better. It hurt that he'd walked away when maybe if he'd stayed… No, if he'd stayed, he would have become the man who sat in front of him. No, he couldn't have stayed.

So what could he have done differently? How many times had he asked himself that one? Too many…

He gave the man the toy fox. And he sat with him, in sympathy. Filled with regret for his own shortcomings, he accepted the man's thanks and hoped someone else would save his daughter, his Ellie.

And then with a sigh, he left. He trudged down the hall to his office with a heavy heart. But still, there was that little glimmer of hope. So, for the first time in months… no, years, he picked up his phone and dialed the number.

"Ellie? It's your Dad…"

So, what do ya think?