"B-Bulldog…"

"Boy I sure showed them, didn't I?"

Her hand reached for his cheek but he flinched at the touch. "I bet that hurts, doesn't it?"

"Like hell." He finished. "But like I said, they won't be bothering you anymore."

"Did they do that to you?"

"Yes." He said matter of factly.

"So you did this… let them beat the crap out of you… for me?"

Suddenly he seemed rather shy. "Well yeah, but they had it coming to them, they-."

She couldn't' help it. She began to cry… and cry and cry… She felt his arms around her, tentative at first and then encircling her. She cried until she could cry no more, her face pressed against his blue polo shirt. How had she not realized how muscular he was before? How… Oh God, he was rubbing her back the way Frasier often did to calm her. But this was different. It wasn't expected. It was…. Nice.

When she drew back, she could barely look at him. "Oh God, I've made a total and complete jackass out of myself, haven't I?"

"Those guys are the jackasses, Roz. Not you. You… Well you look-."

"Like hell, right? I'm a drowned rat. Look at me!"

"He looked her up and down. "Actually I was gonna say you look pretty dammed good."

She was pretty sure her mascara was ruined as well as the rest of her makeup. And she didn't even want to know what her hair looked like. But suddenly she didn't care.

"I-really?"

"Yeah. Roz, I-."

"Your eye." She said, interrupting him.

"What about it?"

"That has to hurt. Let's go inside and see if they have any ice. "

He escorted her back inside but she saw Taylor glaring at him. "I thought I told you to get out, Bulldog!" She yelled. "Haven't you caused enough trouble?"

"Taylor, leave him alone, all right? He's with me! Do you have any ice?"

She looked up, alarmed. "Oh… I'm sorry Roz. You said ice?"

"Yeah, for his eye. He wasn't trying to cause trouble. He was teaching those guys a lesson." She turned to Bulldog and smiled. "And I can't thank him enough."

Taylor stared at them only for a moment before disappearing into the back room and reappearing seconds later with a bag full of ice. "Here you are, Roz. I'm sorry Bulldog. I didn't know-."

"It's fine." Bulldog said. He paused, looking the young barista up and down. "Hey, do you have an older sister?"

Roz punched him in the side. "Bulldog!"

"Ow! I was just kidding!" he countered.

"Here, sit down and hold this on your eye, okay?" Roz ordered. "What do you want to drink?"

"Drink? Um… I don't care."

Roz walked up to Taylor; the fifty dollar bill in hand. "Two latte's please."

"Nonfat again?"

"No, just the regular. Whole milk."

Taylor's eyebrows rose. "Really?"

"Yeah." Roz smiled.

Minutes later Roz took the drinks and led them to a more secluded table. They sat down and began sipping their drinks. "Thanks Roz. This is great, but you didn't have to do this."

"Well, I wanted to. Not many guys will come to my rescue so it's only fair that I rescue them right back.

"You rescue them right back? Wow, that's very... polite."

Roz laughed. "That's a line from a movie; Pretty Woman. Have you ever seen it?"

"Boy, have I? That Julia Roberts; she's…"

Roz glared at him.

"Nothing like you." He finished. "You're much better than she is."

Roz ignored her flushed cheeks and the way the compliment made her feel. But her heart did not.