Later, Jim would congratulate himself on his wise decision to move to the living room, away from any beds. As the minutes passed with them seated on the couch, her clinging to him, it became obvious in his mind that most of this was a ruse. She probably did have a bad dream, he thought. But by now she was over it and her act was intended to weaken his resolve. Anger stirred in him; he'd thought that finally the games were over between them. Not wanting to makes things worse, however, he simply began to try and disengage, moving away from her slightly, holding her hand instead of her. Another few minutes passed and he asked if she needed anything… a glass of water?

Nancy looked up at him then, her eyes still watery but the tears gone. "I need you, Jimmy."

"I'm here," he said evenly, fear resonating through him. He didn't like where she seemed to want things to go…his heart couldn't take the inevitable pain.

"Yeah, but…not like I want you to be here for me," she whispered.

"I can't be that for you, Nancy. I don't think I could handle another …"

"It wouldn't be like that," she tried to say.

Jim tilted his head, his eyes steady and his face quiet. He didn't want his expression to give away his inner turmoil. "Sure it would; maybe not right away, but eventually. And…I'm too old for that."

She looked perplexed. "Too old? Neither of us is young anymore Jimmy; which is why I think it could be different. We're older, wiser."

Jim's smile was sad. "That's why I can't go where you wanna take us….I'm wiser."

"But…."

"Nancy, I do still love you; I don't know why and I've denied it for years. But that doesn't mean we've changed; we're still oil and water."

"Makes for a little excitement, don't you think?" She tried to use a mischievous tone but it came off as more desperate.

"I've had all the excitement in my life I can handle, Nancy." He sighed wearily. "I dunno, I've even been thinking I'm too old for the job anymore. The excitement and the fear used to give me a rush; now it just wears me down. I'm tired, Nancy; tired of always being on edge. If I did find somebody, she'd have to be someone I could relax with, somebody I could trust; and that isn't you."

Her tears surfaced again as she looked at him stricken. "Jimmy…."

"Please," he said pleadingly, his hand up to stop her. "Please don't make this harder. I'm glad we could spend some time together, glad we were able to help each other find Ellie and get her back, glad some things have been laid to rest. But I can't go back, Nancy. What we had… it was a long time ago, a very long time ago. And it has been over for a long time too."

"So we could try something new…"

"No. I gotta be able to trust you and I never will. And there's no changing that. Maybe if we'd tried years ago we could have mended it, but not now; it is too engrained."

She sighed and then stood angrily. "Well alright… I'll leave in the morning. I'm sure I can find a hotel somewhere and spend some time with Ellie before I head back to Jersey."

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea," Jim said.

He watched as she walked back to her room and slowly closed the door behind her. Letting out a long breath, he thought he should feel some relief; but all he felt was sadness.

She moved out the next morning. He drove her to The Bellagio, where she had booked a room. "You need anything else, just call," he told her as he walked her to the front desk.

"Yeah, I will," she assured him. Once she was checked in, she turned and smiled at him. Her smile didn't take the sadness from her eyes though. "Thanks Jimmy, I know this wasn't easy for you but you've been there for me and for Ellie."

Jim shrugged. "Yeah, well…"

"Its okay, Jimmy; I understand," she said softly. "I do. I wish it was different but…I understand."

He studied her face and saw her sincerity. With a smile sigh, he smirked. "I wish it was different too…"

"I'll call you before I leave. And I'll try to convince Ellie to stay in touch."

"Thanks."

"Okay, well….I'll head on up then," she said nervously.

Nodding Jim stood still. He glanced at the elevators and then back at her. "Yeah…" And then he leaned in and hugged her, not a romantic hug but more than a friendly hug. "You take care," he said before he kissed her cheek. Then looking squarely into her eyes he added, "and call me if you need anything."

"Right," she nodded before heading to the elevators.

Jim stood and watched as she stepped in and the doors closed. He felt something in his chest constrict at his last glimpse of her, as if a door was being slammed shut on an important part of his life. Shaking it off mentally, he turned and walked back to his car.

Nancy didn't call him needing anything. Ellie did call him once later in the week and they arranged to meet for lunch the following Monday. She asked if he would mind if she brought Heather. He knew the tactic; Heather would be a buffer between them. "No, not at all. Yeah, bring her with you," he answered, glad to have any contact with his daughter. Besides, he'd found out through the whole ordeal that he really did like Heather, now that she wasn't in "the business" anymore.

Nancy called him that Sunday. "I'm catching a morning flight back," she told him. "Just wanted to thank you again and…well…to say I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"A lot of things," she answered. "But mostly for stirring things up again for you. I just…"

"It's okay," Jim replied. "Maybe it took a little stirring to finally let go of some things. Maybe we can be friends."

"Friends, yeah…I'd like that," she told him.

They chatted a few more minutes and then she said good-bye. Jim stared at his phone for a long time after the call ended. He felt freedom, a new kind for him. Oh, he'd felt free after the divorce, in a destructive sort of way. And moving to Vegas had further freed him. But there had always been something that held him back, some invisible chain to the past, their past. But somehow in the course of the last few weeks that chain had disappeared; it was gone and he was finally free of it all. And suddenly Jim Brass felt younger and more energetic.

He met Ellie and Heather at a quiet little bistro a few blocks from Heather's house. He has glad to see Ellie looking lighter, less angry. As he took in Heather's appearance, he noticed she was dressed simply, no indication of her previous life visible. "You look nice," he said to her. "You both do," he followed with a glance back at Ellie.

They ordered and then began to talk… nothing heavy, no healing of old wounds or therapy, just small talk. As the conversation continued, Ellie grew quieter, silently watching the interchanges between her father and her new friend. It confused her at first, her feeling about them as they were obviously growing closer. But by the end of the meal she was smiling. She liked her dad like this, relaxed and comfortable. Hell, he was even funny. She'd forgotten that about him. As a child she'd thought he was very funny.

His eyes were alight with good humor and mischief. This new relaxed version of her father smiled more, a nice smile she decided. And he wasn't wearing the worry lines that she associated with most of her encounters with him. He was warm and sincere and none of the usual sadness when he looked at her was present in their conversation. Yes, Ellie decided she liked this version of her dad.

Looking at Heather, she noted that her friend seemed happy as well, laughing and enjoying the meal. Looking down at her napkin in her lap, Ellie wondered how long it would be before these two shared a meal alone and where that might lead. Oddly, she liked that notion.

Looking back at her father, Ellie decided she wanted him to be happy and she would do what she could to make that happen. Taking advantage of a lull in the conversation, she spoke. "Heather says there is a really good rehab program at the clinic where she works. If…if you're still willing to help me…with the finances, I mean, I think I'd like to try it."

Jim blinked, surprised by her request. Glancing briefly at Heather, he saw confirmation in her eyes that he'd just heard what he'd heard. "Yeah," he answered. "I'll help anyway I can, Ellie." He was too overcome with emotion to say anything more, but as Ellie looked at him and saw the water gathering in his eyes and the smile on his face, she knew what it meant to him that she'd asked.

"Good then," she nodded. "I…I want to start soon…"

Jim's grin broadened. "That's my girl," he said proudly.

Tears formed in Ellie's eyes as she looked back at him. It had been a long time, a very long time since he'd spoken to her with pride. Glancing away, she missed the wink that Jim shot Heather and his mouthing of "thank you," but she felt the subtle shift in the atmosphere between them. Looking up at Heather, she decided that perhaps she could accomplish a lot more than just her rehab with this; perhaps she might help her dad find some happiness too. After all, there was something going on between them, something fundamental that couldn't be denied. But Ellie was smart enough to know that only time would tell…

AN: I got the inspiration for the story from the old song "As Time Goes By" by Herman Hupfeld, even though the story doesn't exactly follow the drift of the song. - Well, the song and the most excellent Paul Guilfoyle;-) I do hope the CSI writers have done him justice with the script for episode one of the new season. They don't often do that and waste such marvelous talent by not giving him more. I hope you enjoyed. Sorry it took me so long to get it all out. Comments and reviews are always appreciated!

"As Time Goes By"

music and words by Herman Hupfeld

This day and age we're living in
Gives cause for apprehension
With speed and new invention
And things like fourth dimension.

Yet we get a trifle weary
With Mr. Einstein's theory.
So we must get down to earth at times
Relax relieve the tension

And no matter what the progress
Or what may yet be proved
The simple facts of life are such
They cannot be removed.

You must remember this
A kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh.
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by.

And when two lovers woo
They still say, "I love you."
On that you can rely
No matter what the future brings
As time goes by.

Moonlight and love songs
Never out of date.
Hearts full of passion
Jealousy and hate.
Woman needs man
And man must have his mate
That no one can deny.

It's still the same old story
A fight for love and glory
A case of do or die.
The world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by.

Oh yes, the world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by.