A/N: Sorry it's taking so long for updates. Chemo is kicking my ass.

Dom bent over the engine of the RX-7 and tightened the bolts. His mind wasn't in his work today. At this point he was seriously considering quitting for the day and going home to relieve the babysitter and spend time with Lily. She was with her new sitter, and he wondered how that was going. Plus he just missed her. The thought seemed more and more appealing as each minute went by. It didn't take long for him to wash up and put his plans into motion.

Regan was in the process of painting the guest bedroom when she heard screaming and crying from next door. Frowning, she recognized Lily's distinctive cry and wondered what could possibly be wrong with the little girl. Her frown deepening she headed outside the back door and over to Dom Toretto's back porch. Rage flashed through at the shocking sight before her. Lily sat on the porch sobbing hysterically. She was filthy, and a woman, a few years older than Regan, stood over her screeching angrily. The woman was holding a wooden spoon and looked like she was about to smack the toddler. "What the hell do you think you're doing!!!" Regan roared.

The woman spun around in shock and her mouth flew open in distress. "Who…" The woman was heavily made up, and clothed in something that Regan could only imagine one might find on a two-dollar porn star reject.

Regan felt the blood rushing through her body as it boiled. Fury took her over and she stalked forward. Lily saw her and raised her chubby little arms towards her, "Pitty Annan," the little girl sobbed. Regan scooped the little girl into her arms and cuddled her close. "How dare you! How dare you contemplate putting your hands on this child! You have just made the biggest mistake of your meager, incompetent life." Even through all of the paint splatters her breeding was visible in the way she held herself as she stared at the woman with pure contempt.

"What's going on?" Dom asked as he approached. He'd heard the commotion as soon as he'd gotten out of his car. Annie looked pissed, the sitter looked shocked, and Lily was clutching Annie for dear life and crying. "Annie? Gisella?"

"She frightened Liliana, Mr. Toretto." The babysitter, Gisella, stammered.

"Oh I don't think so!" Regan whispered furiously as she rocked back and forth to soothe Lily. The babysitter was moving towards Dom and pushing out her cleavage. Oh how obvious, Regan thought in disgust. "Perhaps you think that batting your eyelashes and jutting your breasts out like some x-rated harlot will sway Dominic you wretched hag, but I know what I saw!"

Regan was flushed a bright red, and even though he knew it was certainly not the place or time, that passionate anger and the way she cradled his daughter protectively aroused Dom…fully. "Annie, what happened?" he asked managing to keep his calm.

Regan tried to calm herself. She dropped a kiss onto the quieting Lily's head. "I was painting and heard yelling and crying. I recognized Lily's cry."

At her name, Lily looked up. "Pitty Anan Da, Pitty Anan." She still clung to the redhead.

"Shhhhh," Regan soothed. "I came out to see what was happening to find Lily sitting on the porch, dirty as can be, and crying hysterically. This woman, and I use that term loosely, was screeching like a banshee, and brandishing that spoon. She was going to hit Lily." Regan finished through gritted teeth.

There was absolute silence as something well past fury engulfed Dom. He turned burning eyes on Gisella who shrank back from him immediately.

"She wandered off…" the woman began.

"Get the fuck off my property. Get off my property before I beat YOU with that fucking spoon." His voice was the coldest thing Regan had ever heard.

Obviously it was the same for Gisella. The woman shrieked in terror, ran inside, grabbed her purse, and raced out the front door.

Dom had to force his muscles to relax before turning to his daughter. Guilt washed over him. He'd hired the woman and God only knew what she'd done to his child. He moved over to Annie and Lily softly. Lily reached for him immediately. "Ba monna Da."

Dom held her close. Ba monna….bad monster. "It's okay baby. Bad monster all gone." He murmured. He looked to Annie. "Would you get the door?"

Regan did so immediately. She'd never been inside his house before. It was nice. Very masculine, but there were liberal baby toys scattered about. There were also tons of family photos everywhere. She followed him as he climbed the stairs and into the nursery. It was a bright and cheerful place and there were photos of Dom and his 'family' hanging on the walls. There were also pictures of a blonde woman. She was beautiful. Her hair was a pale blonde and her body was lean and tough. In one photo she leaned against a purple Charger.

"That's Valeria." Dom's voice was quiet.

Regan turned to see him cleaning Lily with baby wipes. "She was lovely."

"Yes she was."

"She liked cars?"

"Raced. Real good too." He'd moved on to the baby's diaper, and Regan moved closer to observe. She'd never come close to changing a diaper before. "She was also a mechanic, and worked at my shop. That's how we met."

Regan didn't meet his eyes. "She looks so confident." So different from herself, Regan mused. She put on a good show, but in the end she was so unsure of so many things.

"On most things she was. In the end she was confident in everything."

"I think I would envy that." She told him softly.

Dom set the sleepy Lily in her crib and they moved to the door. "Val had to be confident. She had a rough life until shortly after we got together. She had to fight for everything." They made it downstairs and to the front door. "Thank you Annie. Thank you for coming for Lily."

She turned and looked up at him. He was closer than she'd thought he'd be. "Anytime." She managed.

Dom moved slowly so as not to scare the skittish woman. As soon as their lips met he knew he'd messed up. This woman was sweet, innocent, and called to everything within his being. He found himself wanting to snatch her up and keep her. Never let her go. He pulled away and fought the strange urges.

Regan blinked up at him dazedly. She took a step away and then drew in a deep breath. She turned to leave, but at the last moment turned to look back. "Dom, what was the woman's name? Gisella? What was her name?"

"Gisella Martin. Why?" He asked, now thoroughly confused.

Something glittered in her navy eyes. "Because she made a terrible mistake today." She left him quickly. There were calls she had to make.

**

"Her name is Gisella Martin Uncle Theodore. My detective told me she's thirty two, lives in a condo in Santa Monica, and has no known source of income. I'm emailing you his report." Regan was already hitting the send button.

"How did this woman come to your attention again Cupcake?" the older man sounded a bit confused.

"She abused the toddler next door. That baby is sweet and that woman was horrid to her. I thought it odd that a babysitter would be wearing Louis Vuitton shoes. There was something really off about her, besides the trying to beat the baby thing. So, I called Cooper Agencies since Daddy uses them all the time. This woman is some kind of criminal, I know it. And Max Cooper thought it was suspicious too."

"Okay Cupcake, okay. Don't worry your pretty little head about it. We'll take it from here."

Regan gritted her teeth at the indulgent tone, but managed to keep her cool. "Thank you Uncle Theo."

"Anything for you Cupcake." He chuckled. "I understand Cara is going to be staying with you for a while?"

"Yes sir. She said she should be arriving by the end of this week. It'll be good to see her."

"Good. I have to tell you she's been spending some time with people of whom I don't approve. I know you'll do your best to keep her out of trouble."

"Well, I'll certainly try. I haven't been doing much that could get me in trouble, so hopefully that keeps working."

"I know you'll do good Cupcake… Did she by chance mention to you what happened with that ass Canton? She won't tell me or her mother."

Regan lied without remorse. "No, gosh Uncle Theo, she hasn't, but maybe she'll get here, relax, and feel like talking about it." If Cara had wanted her parents to know then she would have told them. Hearing a knock at the door Regan hurried from the computer room and made sure to shut the door. She opened the front door to admit Dom and Lily. "I have to go now Uncle Theo. I've got company. Love you bunches, Give my love and kisses to Aunt Kitty." Finally she hung up and gave them a brilliant smile.

Dom hated bothering Annie, but he was out of options. He only hoped she would, and could help. When she opened the door and ushered him in he had to take a deep breath. She was in the cut off denim shorts again, and a blue sports tank that stretched over her curves. There were freckles all along her shoulders, neck, and clavicle, and he wanted to taste each one. She was finishing her call, and then she was smiling at them and Lily was reaching for her.

Regan took the girl without question. "How are you both today?"

"Lily is wonderful; her Daddy is freaking out." He said bluntly.

Regan frowned with worry. "Oh no, what's wrong?"

"I have a huge favor to ask. If you can't do it I'll completely understand…"

Regan interrupted him. "Name it." She snuggled Lily closer.

"I don't have a sitter. I'm worried about them ever since the Martin woman. I have to go to the garage. I haven't gone in this past week, but I have to go in today. Mia's at a seminar, Letty took Vali to the doctor, Sonja is at her own doctor appointment, and Cass is working. I'd call one of the guys but they're all at the garage, well except for Cam and Trev, but they're out of town. I would just say fuck it, but this guy brings in a lot of business for us and I've already put it off since…"

Regan watched Dom babble on with some amusement. "Dom…Go to work. Of course I'll watch Lily. I'd never have any problem watching Lily. Heck, I'll watch her until you find another sitter, or whatever. She's not a problem. I'm not working and Mia's here half the time anyway. If she needs anything I don't have then I can just run next door. Stop putting off your business. I've got this."

"Oh thank you." He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." Dom leaned in and kissed Regan's startled mouth. Then he dropped a kiss on a delighted Lily. "I brought her diaper bag just in case, and my house is unlocked. Also, there's a car seat in the laundry room if you have to go anywhere. Oh, and I put a list of phone numbers in the diaper bag. Any number you might possibly need."

"Go to work Dom. We'll be fine." Regan laughed.

With a few backwards glances Dom was out the door and heading to his car. Regan and Lily watched him go. "Da?" the little girl questioned.

"Your Daddy went to work." Regan murmured looking at the expensive vehicle tear down the street. "I can't believe he gets a car seat in that monster." She looked down at Lily and smiled again. "Now we get to play."

It was eight o'clock that night by the time Dom got home from the garage. He'd called and gotten a hold of Mia who'd told him everything was fine and taken care of. He figured he'd have to thank Annie the next day when he dropped Lily off with her. A note on the fridge told him dinner was in the microwave, and he headed upstairs expecting to find Mia putting Lily to bed. Instead, as he drew near the door, he could hear Annie's soft voice telling his daughter a bedtime story. He stepped into the doorway and just stared. Annie sat in the rocker with Liliana sprawled out in her lap. She was just finishing one of Lily's favorites, Brown Bear Brown Bear. His daughter was the first to see him and she smiled sleepily. "Da." She murmured and held her arms out.

Regan stood and her smile was tired. She handed Lily to Dom and stepped out of the room. Dom finished tucking in and kissing his baby girl, and then he joined her in the hall. They moved downstairs in silence. "So, you'll drop her off tomorrow morning?" Regan murmured.

Dom nodded. "Thank you Annie."

"Seriously, don't mention it."

"Annie…" He began.

Regan moved closer. "What?"

"I haven't done this in so long." He smiled wryly. "I'd like to take you to dinner. Would you go to dinner with me?"

"Dom…"

"Look, I haven't been a hermit since Val died. It's all been about sex, but this is different. That's not what I'm trying to…hell, I don't know what I'm saying."

She'd planned on saying no. Everything in her kept screaming complication. Instead she said, "Yes, Dom, I'll go to dinner with you." This time she reached up on tiptoes and kissed his lips. "I'll see you both tomorrow morning."