Aloha and bonjour to all my faithful fans and reviewers! After a long hiatus of life, the universe and everything, Photo Album has been restarted once again...As always, comments and constructive criticism are welcome, so sit back, and R&R&Enjoy again!!

When Nick dragged himself into the house on Tuesday afternoon, he was ready to whimper in defeat. Hallowe'en had brought out the crazies of Las Vegas in spades, leaving him with case after case after case, not to mention all the old paper work to clear up from old cases that he'd had to put off for his honeymoon to Hawai'i. He'd barely seen Renee in the last week; he only knew of her comings and goings by the fact that she left him little notes on the counter or the fridge or on one occasion, when he actually was weeping in the shower from fatigue, on the bathroom mirror. The times they did have together weren't spent talkign about their days either, not with all the lovely lingerie Renee had been given as bridal shower gifts. By the time they'd finish wrestling, all he wanted to do was pull her close to him and sink into sleep.

And starting tonight, it was only going to get worse: he was getting a crash course in parenthood. Greg and Nadine had left that day for Jakarta to complete their adoption of a three-month old baby boy named Dharma and naturally, Nick and Renee were taking care of Sonny for two weeks. Nick adored spending time with Sonny, no question, but at the end of the day, she went back to her parents. Now he was, for all intents and purposes, the parent for the next fourteen days. During the day, it was fine, she would spend time with her nanny like she already did when Nadine was working days, and he'd be around too if he wasn't sleeping or working a double. But what about at night, when he and Renee were there, on their own with her? Sonny was an active bright kid, she needed lots of attention and energy. She was also only eighteen months old, she probably still was up at points during the night, what would happen if him and Renee were in the middle of an interlude and she climbed out of her crib and opened the door and was scarred for life?

Get a grip, he told himself sternly as he opened the front door, you sound like a soap opera. He walked inside and her a shriek from the bedroom he instantly knew was Renee's, followed by Sonny's. Immediately his hand went to the gun still holstered on his hip as he raced down the hall and peeked in. He put a hand on his chest in relief when he saw it was simply Renee changing Sonny's diaper and blowing rasperries on her stomach, making her squeal with delight. She adjusted the toddler's clothes and put her on her shoulder, then grinned when she looked up and saw him leaning against the doorframe.

"I didn't know you were home this afternoon," he said, a smile creeping instinctively over his face as she came over and greeted him with a kiss.

"I'm on a break from court. We're reconvening in an hour but Heather-Liy was done at four so I came home to stay Missy here until you were home. Can you take her? I have to get dressed."

It wasn't much of a choice as Renee handed the toddler to Nick, who held onto her in automatic reflex. "So what am I supposed to do with her? I've been at work for like eighteen hours and I thought we'd both be here to look after her. Besides which, I was kinda looking forward to a nice long soak in the tub with you tonight," he said with a flick of the eyebrows, hoping that Renee got the message.

"I know sweetie, but this case is a real mother, and I may be called to the stand again. Don't worry you'll be fine with her," Renee said, removing her sweats and stepping back into her silk suit. Once her pumps were jammed on her feet, she nuzzled Sonny's cheek and kissed her husband, whispering in his ear, "Don't worry, you'll get your hot tub with your hot wife."

She walked out the door, leaving Nick torn between panic for looking after a baby and molten desire for his bride. After a few minutes, he wandered out to the kitchen with Sonny, to the kitchen where he thought he would be able to find something cold to drink for the both of them. "You thirsty there, shorty?"

Sonny grinned and said "Oja."

"What?"

"Oja. Oja, oja."

Not having a clue as to what 'oja' meant, Nick pulled 5 bottles out of the fridge that were clearly labelled for his niece. Lining them up like lab samples, Nick put Sonny in her high chair and pushed her over to the counter. "Okay sunshine, which one?"

"Oja. Like Mummy."

"Oja, like Mummy," Nick muttered. What would Nadine drink that Sonny would too. The only beverage Nadine seemed to drink these days was calcium-enriched orange juice...which she would call OJ. That's what she wanted, he realized, the Oh-Jay, which had gotten lost in her translation. He took the fourth bottle off of the counter, popped the top off, and handed it to her.

"Can we have a bath?"

Nick froze on the spot. "What?"

"Can we have a bath?"

"Uh...sure?"

At this Sonny just giggled and drank her juice from her bottle, chilling Nick to the bone. He'd faced murderers, rapists, thugs, even had a stalker break into his house and been buried alive in the Nevada desert, and none of those made him feel as scared and sick to his stomach as he was when faced with the prospect of giving his niece a bath. He liked kids, absolutely, but not 'creepy-crawlies' or 'nipple-nibblers' as his brother called them; he loved Sonny, no question but he was way out of his depth. And now the tot wanted him to not just give her a bath but also.

He looked at the sheet of emergency numbers and was sorely tempted to call the nanny and ask her what he should do. Instead, he risked his hide and called Renee's cellphone. Court be damned, he had a true emergency on his hands.

"Doctor Sanders-Stokes."

"That is so sexy," Nick purred, hoping he could butter her up. "Listen I have a crisis with Sonny."

"Oh no, what's wrong, is she missing her parents? Did she throw up?"

"She wants me to have a bath with her."