Rose smiled, her eyes dancing as she and Dende walked down the street towards the little bakery. The October air was crisp and chilly with a slight breeze, turning her cheeks pink. "Just wait until you try their cinnamon buns," she grinned. "You'll think you've died and gone to heaven." She was feeling so much better now that she was sleeping soundly through the night. She could smell the delicious scent of the bakery already, wafting towards them on the cold air.

Dende chuckled, "It's good to see you in such high spirits, you are looking much improved since that day you came to the Lookout dead tired." He sighed happily, breathing in the cold air, the fragrant scent of the bakery made his stomach growl with hunger. He chuckled, "My apologies, I've been looking forward to these."

"Then wait no longer," Rose grinned and opened the door for him to the warm, inviting bakery. She didn't know why she felt so giddy. Maybe because she was actually getting to do something kind for him instead of always asking for his help. The glass display case held a beautiful arrangement of sweets, but Rose didn't have to look long to find the ones she wanted. She pointed to the cinnamon rolls the size of a dessert plate. "Told you these things were huge," she giggled. She bought two of them and two cups of coffee for her and Dende. "I'm so glad you came with me today."

"I was happy to come. Thank you for having me along, Rose." Dende marveled at the size of the treat before he took a bite of it, his eyes rolling in the back of his head. The roll was moist and delicious, cinnamon laced throughout and the sweetest glaze of cream cheese icing melted on his tongue, "OH... Oh wow..." He smiled widely over at her, "Rose! These are amazing!"

Rose wanted to answer, but her mouth was full of pastry and all she could do was smile and nod. They sat at a little table off to the side of the bakery, happily enjoying their treats. "Thank you so much for helping me with those dreams," Rose said between bites. "I've been sleeping so much better. You have no idea how much I appreciate that."

Dende smiled and nodded, eating his own, chuckling as he saw a little bit of the icing stick to her nose. He just shook his head and reached out, wiping it off, "Messy. I think you've been hanging around Goku too much, you are starting to eat like him," He laughed and took another blissful bite. He loved the weather like this, to bundle up and enjoy the warmth of coffee and good food with wonderful people, "I'm just glad I could help you out. Sleep is a sacred thing."

She giggled when he wiped at her nose, her heart fluttering at his touch. This was fun. Just a day to spend doing whatever she wanted, not worrying about her work. She prayed her cell phone didn't go off. Not today. Today was about spending time with Dende, not worrying him over her or her problems. She wanted to show him that she valued their friendship, that she didn't want to just take from him all the time. The hot coffee was perfect with the cinnamon roll. "So any ideas about what you'd like to do after this?" she asked.

Dende sat for a moment, thoughtfully licking his fingers clean after he ate the last delicious bite of that cinnamon roll. Oh he never should have revealed to her his one weakness to her was that sweet tooth of his. "I didn't have anything in mind. It is a chilly fall day. I wouldn't mind walking along the streets and shops, looking at the decorations. Maybe even, window shop, as you say?

"Sure!" Rose agreed, finishing off her own roll as well. "Oh my god, that was so good." She drank down the rest of her coffee, then stopped and snickered at herself. She had icing all over her fingers. "I am as bad as Goku," she muttered. She sucked the icing from her fingers, one at a time, her cheeks hollowing. "Mmmmmm." She let her last finger pop from her mouth with a smack of her lips. "Soooo good," she giggled.

Dende felt his cheeks grow hot as he watched her with rapt attention as she noisily sucked her fingers, his body betraying him as he remembered that vivid dream he had of her, those full pink lips latched around his cock, suckling his flesh. He swallowed hard and laughed it off, "Good gods above, Rose. What are we going to do with you?" He giggled with her at the expression her face, "Remind me not to get between you and that cinnamon roll," He offered his arm to her.

She laughed and took his arm, slinging her purse over her shoulder. "You might lose a hand if you do that," she grinned.

They stepped out of the bakery into the chilly afternoon air. The trees were beautiful with their gold and red leaves, the breeze causing some of them to fall gently through the air.

Rose couldn't stop smiling at the feel of Dende's arm in her hand. She loved how much of a gentleman he was. That seemed like such a rare thing nowadays. She sighed happily as they strolled down the sidewalk, looking at the window displays of the shops. Some of them were starting to put out their Christmas decorations already, even though it was still a bit too early for that. "I should grab some new ornaments for my tree," Rose thought aloud. She looked at Dende, "Do you celebrate Christmas?"

Dende smiled at her, turning from a display of an ornately decorated tree covered with pretty little baubles and twine, "Of course, but more for the, um, how to say this. More for the meaning, the thought, rather than the religion. It is good to think of others and give without thinking to receive anything in return." He looked back at the tree, "Jennifer always puts up a small tree on the Lookout. She says its because of the ornaments, the tradition. Each ornament holds a special memory and that's why she does it. It's a story, more or less."

Rose smiled. "I'm not really religious, either," she said. "I just like the way the tree looks. And I like spending time with my family. It's about the only time I get to see my brother." She smiled warmly at the thought. "And I like to give gifts to others more than I like getting them." She paused to laugh, "You know, when I was little, my mom always said it was more fun to give gifts than to receive them. I thought she was full of it. But now I understand."

Dende laughed out loud, "Yes, I agree. Something about it. Seeing the looks on other peoples faces. It warms the heart. " He chuckled as they continued walking on down the street, "You should see the looks on the girls faces at Christmas time. Paige especially, so adorable. Has to make sure everyone sees what she got and how it's so amazing."

She smiled again as they started down the street again. "That's adorable. She was so cute that day I met her."

They stopped to look at another window display, but something caught Rose's eye, making her smile fade. Two men were blatantly staring at her and Dende, disgusted looks on their faces. Rose swallowed nervously and looked back at the window, trying to ignore them. They were big and rough looking, leaning against the brick wall of a shop, muttering to each other, occasionally making cat-calls at women walking by on the street. Rose stepped a bit closer to Dende, casting another glance at them, only to cringe as she realized they were looking her way again.

Dende saw them and easily picked up on their nasty thoughts from more than a few steps away. He protectively pulled Rose closer to him, casually, and looked across the road, "Shall we cross here then? Looks like there are some more shops further down." He asked, looking into the store and seeing some fuzzy throws and handsomely made quilts. He briefly thought that Goku would like one, as he did enjoy staying warm.

"Hey, where ya goin'?" one of the men called in his rough voice, both men walking towards Rose and Dende. The one who had spoken stepped in front of Dende, blocking his path. "Now what's a pretty lady like this doing with a green freak like you?"

Rose gasped at his words, blinking at the man in shock. That hurt to hear someone say something nasty like that to Dende. Why would someone say such a thing? Just because the color of his skin was different? The other man looked Rose up and down like she was a piece of meat. She threw him a nasty look.

Dende pressed his lips thin, "Apparently keeping her safe from trash like you. Excuse us," He made to move around the men, making sure that he had a good grasp on Rose, "Hold onto me tightly," He said quietly to her. He didn't much care for violence, but Piccolo had taught him a few moves that were more than enough to take down these thugs. However, he certainly did not want to fight in front of Miss Rose.

Rose slid her arm around Dende's waist, squeezing him a little harder than perhaps she should have, but she didn't like these men.

The man who hadn't spoken yet grabbed her arm, "I think she'd better stay here with us. I don't think you have any business being with a woman like her. Now get on outta here, ya freak! Go back to whatever planet you came from!"

Rose tried to yank her arm away, but he tightened his grip and she cried out in pain. "Let go of me!" she dropped her grip on Dende's waist to claw at the man's hand, but he merely laughed at her and pulled her closer.

Dende felt an anger rise up in him that he had never felt before. How dare this man even lay one finger on Rose. He stepped closer, feeling his power rising and quicker than lightning shot his hand out to grasp at the man's wrist that was holding onto Rose and squeezed, his nails digging into the mans flesh easily. His eyes were flashedwith a dangerous gleam to them, "If you don't let go of her, I'm going to do something in front of the lady I am going to regret." He looked at her seeing the pain on her face, disbelieving that anyone could cause such a gentle creature harm, "You let her go now or I will make you."

The man released Rose's arm and she fell back hard against the pavement. The man who had stepped in front of Dende now jumped on his back, trying to wrestle him to the ground.

"DENDE!" Rose screamed as the two men attacked.

"What the fuck are you, anyway?" shouted the man who had grabbed Rose and he swung his free arm at Dende, trying to land a punch to his face, but missed. "Let go of me, ya sonuvabitch!"

Rose scrambled in her purse, looking for something, anything, to chase these men off. Where had that keychain with the pepperspray on it gone? In her panic, she couldn't find it.

The man cried out as Dende forced him to the ground, his arm twisted back in such an awkward way. The guy who had grabbed Dende around the neck kicked the back of Dende's knee, causing his leg to give on him.

Dende fell forward and twisting the arm of the man in his grasp even further. He growled, "I'm so sorry Rose!" He roared as he powered up, his own energy throwing back his attackers away and he stood up, "You will not INSULT HER!"

Rose scrambled backwards across the sidewalk as the man who had a hold of Dende's neck actually flew backwards and landed hard on the sidewalk without Dende hardly moving at all. She stared up at him in surprise. She'd never seen Dende angry before and it frightened her. He'd always been so calm, so polite and gentle. She didn't know what to think of this, yet at the same time she was glad that he was able to protect them both from these men.

The man's head hit the sidewalk with a sickening smack. He went still and didn't get back up. The man whose arm had been twisted back rolled over, staring in shock up at Dende. "The fuck are you?!" he repeated, trying to crawl backwards away from the Namek.

Dende stood up and turned, heading immediately towards the man who had been thrown from his back. "Now see what you've gone and done?" He knelt down to the ground, his hands glowing a soft gold as he ran them over the man's head for a moment. He sighed and finally stood up, seeing the man starting to groan and twitch, "Your friend is going to have a serious headache when he wakes up. I suggest you get him home unless you would like to join him on the pavement." He took a breath and powered down, turning to Rose and going towards her. He offered his hand to her, "Are you hurt?"

She took his hand and let him pull her to her feet, casting a wary eye at the two men who were heading away, grumbling to themselves over their injuries. "Dende, are you okay?" she asked in a worried voice. "I... I was so scared. I didn't know what to do." Her hands shook and her eyes welled with tears that she fought to not let fall. Her wrist was throbbing, but she ignored it, far more concerned with his well-being than her own.

Dende carefully took her wrist in his hands, healing her, "I am sorry I had to do that in front of you." He lowered his head, kissing her knuckles, "Forgive me, I know you abhor violence ."

Rose's heart fluttered at his soft touch and her knees went weak when his lips touched her hand. "It's okay," she said softly. "I'm sorry for what they said. For the things they called you." She had to swallow to keep her voice from cracking. It broke her heart to hear someone judge him just by the way he looked. And she had been so worried that he was going to get hurt. "Are you okay?" she asked again.

Dende smiled at her and cupped her cheek, "Yes, I am fine." He tucked her hand into his arms, "Where were we before they happened?" He laughed, "It's not the first time I've been called terrible names. It is what happens when you are different. It doesn't make any difference. The difference is that I know that I am better."

She smiled at him and nodded, giving him a big hug. "You ARE better," she said softly in his ear. She gave him another squeeze before she stepped back and wiped at her eyes. She picked up her purse off the ground, shakily placing it over her shoulder again. She slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow and squeezed it gently. "Thank you, again, Dende, for coming to my rescue," she said. "Will there ever be a time when I don't owe you for helping me?"

Dende chuckled and placed his hand over hers and continued down their original path, "Everyone needs someone out there looking out for them. Though, I have to say, that's the first time I've defended someone's honor. How did I do?"

He thought on it as he said the words, the scuffle turning over and over in his mind. He had felt so angry, so protective of Rose. Nevermind what was said to him, it was her he cared about more and seeing that man grab her and pull her to him. The way he looked at her like he was ripping her clothes off with his eyes. It made his blood boil.

"You did good," Rose answered. She really hated violence, but Dende had only used it as a last resort in order to protect her and himself. Those creeps were the ones who had started it and they deserved everything they got and probably more. Yes, they definitely deserved more for what they had done and the things they'd said to Dende. Judging him on his appearance. What did that matter? They didn't know the kind soul he was underneath. They judged and attacked him based on the color of his skin alone. And even then, Dende still healed the man who had tried to hurt him. Most people probably wouldn't even bother to check on someone who had just attacked them, much less try to help that person. Yet Dende had done it without a second thought. "You have to be the kindest person I've ever met," she said.

Dende chuckled, smiling at her, "Have you met yourself? Rose, meet Rose, the kindest human you've ever met. Don't sell yourself short. You are a remarkable person. I only wish everyone were more like you, the world would be a better place." And he meant it. If everyone had the same ideals that Rose held, violence would be a thing of the past. Not be mistaken for fighting with good intentions. A friendly spar now and then had to be permissible or Goku would be out of work entirely.

Rose blushed slightly and smiled. "Thank you, Dende." Gods, she could just spend every day like this with him, save the scuffle on the sidewalk. Just walking arm-in-arm, not having to go anywhere or do anything in particular. But she knew that she had work to do, she had just barely gotten caught up on her work lately after all those weeks of going without sleep. Just because she had a day off didn't mean that there weren't children out there still hurting, needing her. "Ah, it might get kind of boring if we were all the same, I suppose."

Dende nodded, "True, but the idea would be nice. Less pain in the world would do for me. Certainly make my job easier." He smiled at her, "Why don't we enjoy the day. Hopefully, no more trash will get in our way, yes? And let me buy us some lunch when we mosey over to where ever. I don't know about you, but a hot bowl of soup and a grilled cheese sandwich would be perfect for this cold day."

Rose smiled and nodded, squeezing his arm just a bit tighter. "Sounds wonderful."