Journey to the past ~ A Casino Fanfic

Rate M for sexual content and language

Romantic, Drama, Hurt, and Confusion

Amy Rothstein is a strong and very successful woman trying to deny her mother's sinful past in Las Vegas. After her beloved father Sam "Ace" Rothstein passes away, Amy is left with untold stories that will lead her and her best friend Nicky Santoro Jr. on a journey into the past.

2007 – SAN DEIGO

Amy looked around her father's house not knowing where to begin. She let out a sigh and glanced in the mirror. She saw her reflection, hating the fact that she looked so much like her bitch mother but she didn't act like her at all, Amy was one of the top lawyers in San Diego and made a life for herself, not depending on a man like her mother once did.

The doorbell rang.

Amy smiled as she peered out the peephole.

"Nicky!" Amy yelled opening the door to a man she knew since childhood, Nicky Santoro Jr.

"Amy, how are you doing?" Nicky said putting his bags down to give her a bear hug.

"I've missed you my friend!" She said while she was hugging him and then they let go.

"I've missed you too, Amy. So how are you holding up?" Nicky asked as he picked up his bags and came into the house.

"I am hanging in there, some days are better than others; well of course you know what it's like to lose a dad."

"True, not a day goes by that I don't think of him." She said closing the door behind Nicky as he stop and looks around the big living room.

"I still can't believe that Ace is gone! Just like that over a heart attack."

"You can say that again, there are so many fun memories of us with my dad here in this room." Amy said with a tear in her eye.

Nicky softly put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey I miss him too, after my mother died, he was the only one that took me in give me a home, I will always be thankful to Ace for taking me in and he didn't have to do that especially after what happen between our fathers."

"I think that Vegas got to them all." Amy told him

"Yea Vegas."

"Anyhow Dad, You and me was a happy family. Oh Nick, where to begin?"

"God, I have no clue!" Nicky replied, "How about a drink?

"Sounds good to me! How's Lisa by the way?" Amy asked as they made their way to the mini-bar.

"Lisa is good, she is busy working."

"Do I hear wedding bells?" Amy teased him.

Nicky laughed at her as she got down two glasses and set them on the bar.

"Not yet!"

"Why? It's been six years since you met her." She said, pouring them something to drink.

"I don't know; just want to make sure that she is the right one for me. Man, I will never forget the look on my mother face when she found out about my dad and..." Nicky stopped to look at Amy.

"My mom?"

"Sorry." Nicky said looking away from her.

"Its fine, I use to it. It somehow always comes up when I meet someone new, and of course the movie didn't help." Amy said with a sigh.

"Fucking movie, and all the bullshit lies that was in it!" Nicky said as he took his drink and slip it.

"Was it really Nicky? Nail my mother to the tea!" Amy said rolling her eyes.

Nicky just looked at her.

"Ever wonder if we know the whole story between my dad and your mom?"

"No and I couldn't give a damn about it."

"Really, there's no part of you that's a tiny bit curious over what happened?"

"No Nicky, she was no mother to me, tying me up to my bed just so she could be with your dad. Besides, I love my dad too much ever to wonder!" Amy said with anger in her voice.

Nicky knew very well that she hated talking about her mother, Ginger.

"Amy, be cool it's just a question I have always been curious about."

"Now you know Nicky, don't care or want to."

"Got it… What I was trying to say was that, I couldn't hurt Lisa like that, that's why I haven't asked her to marry me yet." Nicky said changing the subject.

"That's why, because you are afraid to cheat on her?" She said, drinking her drink.

"Yes I am, by the way whatever happened with John?" Nicky asked her.

"Simple: we broke up. Nothing more to it."

"Amy!" Nicky said with a sigh.

"Don't Amy me! I already know I will wind up being alone and I am happy with the choice I made. Love makes your life more difficult, Now where do we start?" Amy asked. She wasn't in the mood to chat about her messy love life to Nicky who has been a big brother and her best friend to her.

"How about your father's den?"

"Why not? Good as any place to begin." She said with a sigh.

Nicky took Amy's hand.

"I love you Amy. You don't have to put on a brave face for me."

"Yes I do, it's the life I was raised in."

Amy let go of Nicky's hand and made her way to her father's den with Nicky followed behind her.

They enter Ace's den, now looking empty without the six TV's going and Ace wasn't on the phone betting on a game.

"Things look different now."Nicky said looking around the room.

"Yep, it sure does." She said, holding the tears back.

"Your father desk, which we was not allowed to open... Time to see what the old man didn't want us to see..."

"I bet it's just some betting paper and things from the mob."

"Or is it?" Nicky questioned.

"Will you knock it off?" Amy said with a sigh.

Nicky chuckled as he walked over to Ace's desk and pulled open the top drawer to find a picture on top. The look of Nicky's face turn puzzled as he picks the photo up and looks at it.

"Amy, look at what I found."Nicky said looking closely at the picture.

"What?" she said wondering over to him.

"It's a picture of your parents, my parents and two other couples sitting on the sofa at your old home. Hey - I remember taking this photo at a party!"

"Ah, it must have been taken before my mom went and slept with your dad." Amy said while looking at the photo.

"Seems like your dad is still trying to figure out what happen back in Las Vegas."

"Nicky! It's a photo that my dad has in his desk, nothing more!"

Amy just rolled her eyes as Nicky looked at her and then back down at the very bottom drawer of the desk, he bent down and pulled it open.

A look of astonishment came on his face.

"Amy, What if we got the story wrong about happens in Vegas so many years ago?"

"Nicky, did you forget? My dad told his side of the story to the person who wrote that movie. My dad had no reason to lie about what happened!"

"If you say so- but I think that you need to take at look at this drawer."

Amy let out a deep sigh and looked in and saw a lot of pictures and newspaper clippings, books. A letter with her name on it was on top. Amy looked at Nicky wondering what to do. Without a word she reached in, taking the letter out and then she quickly opened it. She read it aloud to Nicky:

"Amy,

By now I might be dead as you read this. I know that you hate your mother and have no reason to get to know her but I believe that it's time that you must get to know her. After all she is in you, Amy. Over the years I have been saving a lot of things that have to do with your mother and your Uncle Nicky so you can put the whole story together.

I was a fool to tie your mother down causing her to drink and do drugs. I was not always been a kind man, you know. I have a lot of regrets in my life and I carry all of them to the grave. Now it's time my dear daughter to put the pieces together from the past.

Love you so much, Daddy"

Nicky just looked at her not knowing what to say.

She wiped a tear out of her eye as she re-read the letter in her head.

"Dad!" Amy said rolling her eyes looking in the drawer.

"So what are you going to do?"Nicky ask her quietly.

"Fine, lets re-visit the past."

"You know I will be right here by you Amy, but are you ready for this?" Nicky asked.

Amy was speechless as her eyes fixed on a picture in the drawer, she reached in and gripped it, and saw it was a picture of her mother, Ginger, dancing happily with Nicky. Then she saw a book, lifted it from the drawer and opened it up.

"What is this?" Nicky question her.

"I have no clue!" Amy said opening it up and saw her mother's handwriting in it.

"Ah, it's her diary..."

Nicky and Amy just looked at each other, then something caught Nicky's eye in the drawer.

"No way! Look at this; I haven't seen this since I was a boy. It was always by my father's bed.

"What is it?" Amy wonder

"His diary."

"Yea right, someone like your bloodthirsty father kept a diary?"

Believe it or not, he did." Nicky said opening the diary up begin to read it aloud to Amy. _

1977 – LAS VEGAS

Nicky watched Ginger moving around the living room with a spring in her step. His heart was pounding as she danced around the room making her way to each of her guests. Nicky sighed wondering why he had such strong feeling for her; he couldn't deny the fact that from the moment they met he was attracted to her.

Nicky then was reminded of the kiss that they shared the other night when Ginger came and saw him at the Gold Rush when she was mad at Ace over what happened with Lester Diamond.

"Nicky how are you?" Ace asked walking up to Nicky, disturbing his train of thought.

"I'm doing great, Thanks."

"I am happy that you and the family came." Ace told him.

"Of course, how's the casino?"

Ace rolled his eyes letting out a deep sigh.

"Clark County Commissioner Pat Webb drop by today."

"Yea, what did he want?"

"Fucking cowboy wanted me to take back that loser low-life I had for a slots boss."

"What? That's bullshit!"

"Tell me about it! There is no way in hell I'm going to hire him back in my casino." Ace said shaking his head.

"Ginger looks her best tonight."Nicky said changing the subject.

"Indeed she does. She hasn't said a word since we got home from the whole Lester Diamond mess. Thanks for the help buddy!"

"Any time." Nicky said still watching Ginger from the corner of his eye.

"I better cheek on dinner. We can chat later."

"Sure. I need to ask you something."

Ace rolled his eyes and looked at Nicky, unsure if he wanted to know what he had going in his mind.

"It not that big of a deal. Besides, you owe me one."

"Later, we can chitchat."

"Sounds good." Nicky said as Ace start to walk away leaving Nicky alone once more. Nicky turned and look out the window and saw Nicky Jr., Amy, and some of their friends kids in the pool. Nicky then saw his wife Jennifer talking to someone by the pool.

It was a small intimate dinner: only him, Jennifer, Ace, Ginger, Little Nicky, Amy, and two other couples he knew, Mick and Doris, John and Jane, along with their kids... No one from his gang and no one from the casino...

Nicky then saw his wife Jennifer talking to Jane by the pool. Jennifer and he weren't in a happy spot in their marriage, she was now sleeping in the guest bedroom and they hadn't shared a bed in a long time.

Nicky turned back to the living room as his eyes met Ginger's eyes for the first time that night.

Ginger made her way over to Nicky.

"Hello Nicky." She said with a warm smile for him.

"Good evening!" Nicky replied with a nod.

"It's wonderful to see you. I'm glad that you, Jennifer and Nick Jr. came."

Nicky looked at her, feeling stunned by her beauty.

"Thanks for inviting us. Will you join me for a walk?" He said in a whisper.

Ginger looked at him and then turned her head back to the rest of the people in living room.

"It does have to be quiet and quick."

"It will, I just need to talk to you!" Nicky said as they start walking down a hallway quickly until they were out of ear shot.

"So did you talk to Ace for me, yet?"

"Not yet. I will later tonight."

"Okay, then what do you want to talk to me about?"

"Us?"

Nicky just looked at Ginger, sexual tension hung in the air between them. Nicky took Ginger by the hand and went into a room and closed the door behind them. Ginger looks at him astonished.

"What do you mean by us?"

"That night when you came to see me at the Gold Rush…"

"What about it? I had no one to talk to about what took place with my ex-boyfriend Lester..."

"Do you still love him?"

Ginger just look at him unsure where this was going. "Nicky, why do you ask?"

"Just wondering?"

"I do!" Ginger said taking a back by this.

"Then why did you kiss me?"

Nicky and Ginger's eyes met as sweet silence hung between them.

"I still am figuring that out. I was mad, was drinking and kissing you, I thought…"

"It would hurt Sam?" Nicky said finishing Ginger's sentence.

"Well, yes… and no. Hell I don't know." Ginger told him.

"You have friends that you can go talk to, fuck you can even go and talk to my fucking wife about your problem with your ex and your husband - but instead you chose to come to see me that night."

Ginger let out a deep sigh.

"I do care for you Nicky, romantically, that's why I kissed you the other night, not because of Ace or Lester. Happy now? You have no idea what it's like to be in a sexless marriage. I'm not even fucking happy with Ace, fighting all the time, then going to parties or putting on parties and acting like Mr. and Mrs. happily married. You have no fucking clue!"

"I think I do Ginger..." Nicky got close to Ginger and put his arms around her and pulled her to him.

They just look at each other.

"Race you all to my room!" Amy yelled out and then the loud sound of kids running down the hall and yelling interrupted the mood between them.

"I should get back" Ginger let out a small laugh. "Nicky come on, this would never work between us, if I hop into bed with you. You are Nicky Santoro; you can get any woman in your bed. You know what - forget that kiss, Okay?"" Ginger said pushing back from his warm embrace.

She then turned her back on him.

"Ginger wait! I care very deeply for you and I could get any woman in Las Vegas to sleep with me… but I want you."

"Nicky let's…

Before she can finish her sentence, Nicky kiss her passionately.

Nicky stopped for a moment and just looked at her.

Without a word more, Ginger kissed him back.

Nicky open the door, Nicky and Ginger walked out looking at each other with something in their eyes that was only for one another. Then they went their own ways so no one could speculate anything. They entered the living room at different times; no one seemed to miss them.

A few minutes later Ace entered the living room from his den.

Ace was holding a camera in his hand.

"How about a photo of us together, everyone?" Ace asks.

"That's sounds wonderful, my dear." Ginger told him.

"Who is going to take a photo of all of us?" Asked Jane

"My son, Little Nicky can."Jennifer offered.

"Sounds good, where are all of our kids at?" Mick said.

"They are all in Amy's room. Let me call them out." Ginger said.

Ginger left the room not looking at Nicky and acting like nothing just happened between them.

Nicky looked around the room as Jennifer came up beside him.

"I hope that you will sit next to me and be my husband tonight!" She snapped in his ear.

"Of course I fucking will! Don't I always?"

"Don't give me that fucking shit Santoro; I know that you are seeing a showgirl at the Tropicana!"

"What, you fucking out of your mind?"

"I am not! Doris saw you with her the other night!" She said accusingly.

Nicky shot Jennifer a look. "It's my business Jenny! Got it?"

Before Jennifer could reply to him, Ginger walked back out with the kids following her, talking loud to each other.

Nicky looked at his wife.

"We'll talk later, okay?" Nicky whispered in her ear.

"What is there to talk about?" Jennifer questioned as she walked away from him. Nicky just looked at her coldly.

Amy and her little friends went on to play in the other room, as Nicky Jr. stayed behind and began to talk to Ace and Ginger.

"Okay, everyone sit down on the sofa." Ginger happily said, as Ace handed Nicky Jr. the camera.

Everyone made their way to the sofa and sat down. Ace and Ginger sat in the middle with Mick and Doris and John and Jane on each side of them. Jennifer sat down next to Jane. Nicky looked at Jennifer as he sat down besides her, putting his arm around her for the photo.

"Everyone says cheese and wine!"Nicky Jr. said, putting the camera up to his face.

"Cheese and wine..." Everyone happily said together.

Nicky Jr. took the photo of everyone smiling...

Years later, Amy was looking at this aged photo as Nicky stopped reading aloud and looked at Amy.

Amy looked up at him with wonder in her eyes.

"I want to know more." Amy told him.

Nicky just smiled at her.