Rose couldn't help but laugh as Goten bounced in the backseat of her car, exclaiming loudly how excited he was to get to spend the night with his Dad. He loved camping, he loved to fish and hunt with Tien, he loved Sabriena's food, on and on he went, proclaiming just how amazing this weekend was going to be.
Rose had to admit, she was rather excited about it, too. Her supervisor had thought this was a rather odd request, to have a campout in the middle of an investigation, but Rose assured her that she would be present for the entire thing and it would give her a better understanding of their family and their way of life. After all, how different was camping from the way Goku and his mates lived, really? Most people's versions of camping were more luxurious than Goku's day-to-day life.
Rose wondered if they'd all laugh at her for buying a new sleeping bag and an air mattress. She'd never slept on the ground before and she couldn't imagine it being terribly comfortable. Plus, bugs could get on you easier if you were right on the ground, right? She prayed they had a tent. She'd almost bought one, but then couldn't decide which one to get as she realized she knew nothing about camping at all.
Goten was nearly clawing to get out of the car when they landed in the yard that morning. Rose smiled as she and Goten got out of the car. "DADDY! WE'RE HERE!" Goten shouted, running forward into his dad's arms.
Dende turned, watching as Goten flung himself into Goku's embrace, the bigger man being knocked completely onto his back, laughing and holding his son up before he hugged him tightly. Dende chuckled and walked over to Rose, seeing her and feeling her little bit of awkwardness. He bowed to her, "It is good to see you again, Goku insisted that I be here today. I have to admit, this camping idea is brilliant." He turned and watched Goku and Goten, warm feelings of love and happiness radiating from them like light from the sun, "You've done very well keeping Goten safe and happy."
Rose smiled at Dende. "I try," she answered.
Zip flew over landing on Dende's arm, looking over at the two Saiyans on the he ground before he turned and peered at Rose curiously.
She stumbled backwards from the huge bird that landed on Dende's arm. "Oh my gosh!" she cried as she nearly fell on the ground. "What... is that thing TAME?!"
Dende seemed completely calm as the falcon perched on his forearm.
She didn't like its sharp eyes as it stared at her, turning his head at odd angles. Maybe this camping thing wasn't such a good idea. Oh, she shouldn't have agreed to this. She looked at the strong claws as they clung to Dende's arm. "Doesn't that hurt? Where did it come from?!"
Dende looked at Zip and suddenly realized that Rose hadn't been introduced. "My apologies Rose, I thought for certain Goku introduced you." He chuckled and pulled back a little bit of his sleeve, showing the thick leather strapped there, "Tien was letting me train with him before you all showed up. This is Zip, he is Goku's hunting falcon or whatever they call them," he reached up and scratched the bird's head lightly, "Goku found him when he was a little baby, raised him and all that. ZIp, you be nice to this lady here. No biting." He said and held out the bird to her, "He won't harm you. You may pet him if you like."
Rose blinked, wide-eyed, staring at the bird as she stepped closer. She cautiously reached a hand out, letting her fingers trail lightly over the feathers. "Oh wow," she breathed. "His feathers are so soft." A smile played across her full lips, a soft giggle working its way up from her throat. "Well, he's better than the goat at least." She looked around suddenly, spying the fat lop-eared goat munching on some weeds at the edge of the yard. The new cow was there as well; Rose nearly laughed at the bright pink collar Sabriena had placed around its neck, complete with a cowbell.
Zip leaned into her touch for a moment as she petted his head, then spread his wings suddenly and took to the sky.
Rose flinched and shrieked, but then laughed again as she watched the large bird circle overhead. "I don't know what to think anymore," she laughed lightly.
Dende gave the bird a skeptical look, "I think he's trying to show off."
Goku laughed as he walked over, carrying his son, "You and Tien will have to go hunting later, I think Zip is getting a little restless." He laughed and looked up at his falcon for a moment, remembering the adorable ball of feathers he had been. He looked down at Rose, "Were glad that you could make it. Really!"
"I brought a sleeping bag and an air mattress!" she beamed, proud of herself for being prepared for their campout. "I'm guessing you have a tent, right?"
Sabriena turned from stacking the logs in the firepit as Tien got out the bowdrill. Sabriena laughed, "A tent? What would we need a tent for?"
"I... uh... well... where were we going to sleep?" Rose asked nervously.
Sabriena held her hands out from her sides, indicating the ground.
Rose gasped. "Outside? No tent or anything? But... I mean... aren't there bugs and snakes and stuff?"
"And bears," Sabriena answered as she turned to go into the cabin, "Don't forget the bears." Rose looked pale as Sabriena laughed and disappeared into the cabin.
Goku shook his head, "She ah...had a bad experience with bears when she first met Tien out here...no bears come this close to the cabin, and next to the fire the bugs will stay away. If you are really worried, I guess you could sleep in the cabin on the floor," he pouted, but smiled a moment later and kissed his son, holding him tightly, "Zip can protect you, he likes bugs, the big ones. And snakes too! But those aren't around here."
Dende just chuckled as his friend smiled at her, "You are not helping Goku." He smiled at Rose, "If you permit me, I know a bit of magick to make sure the bugs will not bother you tonight."
Rose brightened at that. "Oh! That would be nice!" There was a brief sensation of butterflies in her stomach as Dende smiled at her and she turned her face slightly away, her cheeks turning pink. Why did his smile have to be so charming? She thought back to the night he'd slept over at her house, memories of the dream flooding her mind, and she had to look away for a second.
Tien stood up, admiring his fire. "There we go. You guys wanna go fishing and catch some lunch?" he asked.
"Yeah!" Goten cried excitedly. He looked at Goku, "Can we Daddy? And can Sabriena and Miss Rose come with us?!"
Goku laughed and nodded, setting his son on the ground, before he looked up at Rose, "Would that be alright? Would you like to come relax by the river while we fish up some grub? We can go find some of those mushrooms for your meal! Those things are tasty! I could eat them all day!" He grinned at Dende, "You have to come too! I was telling Goten we need to have a contest to see who can catch the biggest fish! Oh and we got marshmallows and chocolate for s'mores!,"
Rose looked uncertain, but Goten had his little hands clasped together as if he was praying, a puppy dog look on his face. "Oh, all right," she grinned, reaching out and grabbing Goten's chin. "Who can say no to that face?"
He laughed and wiggled out of his dad's arms, turning and running down towards the river. "Come on, Dad! Hurry up!" he called.
Rose laughed as Goku ran after his son and Tien hurried after them. "I don't know if I can do this," she said nervously to Dende as she headed towards the path that lead to the river. "You... you won't laugh at me if I have to walk away from this, will you? I don't do well with this sort of thing. I don't know if I can watch."
Dende chuckled and offered his arm to her, tucking her hand into his elbow as they walked down towards the river, "You let me know if it's too much and we will make up some excuse to come back up here and see what other kind of trouble we can get into." He smiled, "I am very happy that your boss allowed Goten to spend the weekend. They both needed it," he said looking on at father an son, "Goku has been hurting so much over this, to find out about everything and to lose his son on the same day..." He shook his head, "You are truly a most remarkable person."
"I wish I could close this faster for him and get him sole custody of his son. I can't imagine how horrible he must feel," she answered.
Dende found them a sandy spot on the shore near Goku, but not too close so that Rose could make a quick escape if the sight of fishing bothered her.
"I'm just glad to see how much he loves his little boy. Most of the parents I encounter don't care at all. I had a case like this once before, though. The mother was abusing the daughter while her husband was out working two jobs. He had NO clue what was going on in his own home," she said.
Dende smiled and reclined back, propping himself up on an elbow and sighed happily, his antennae twitching in the warm sunlight, "How terrible, I am sorry to hear that. Goku wouldn't have noticed, Chichi learned to hide it too well. If it hadn't been for Sabriena, no one would know." He smiled as Goku and Goten splashed into the water, diving after anything that caught their eye, laughing at the look Tien was giving them for scaring away all the fish, "It really did almost kill him. Thank you, Rose. For all that you do."
"I hope this case works out the same," she said, snickering at Goten and Goku. "We got the father sole custody. They're happy now." She sighed and shook her head. "I hate the way the divorce courts work. They ALWAYS favor the mother. I don't agree with that." She paused to watch as Tien waded out into the water.
"Stop. Would you two stop?" he said, grabbing Goten and standing him up. "Now come on. It'll be Christmas before we get lunch if you all carry on like that." He stood perfectly still, easing his hands into the water, watching with an intense look.
Goten took on a serious expression, watching Tien.
Tien's arms suddenly jerked forward and the next second he pulled back, a large fish wriggling in his hands. "Now you try," he said to Goten as he walked back onto the bank and dropped the fish into a bucket.
Rose happily spent the rest of the day watching Goten interact with everyone, the way he'd insisted on helping Tien butcher the fish (Rose had to go lock herself in the barn with the cow for a while when she realized what they were doing), Sabriena showed Goten how to cook the fish over an open fire, and Goku just beamed at his son, hugging him at every given opportunity. Rose and Dende had eaten salads by the river while the rest of them ate their fish by the fire in front of the cabin.
Rose didn't know what to think, this twisting feeling in her stomach, the fluttering in her heart. She was so confused by it all. She wondered if Dende was feeling what she felt, they had spent so much time together that day and she remembered he'd told her he could hear thoughts and feel emotions. Were butterflies an emotion? She couldn't help but think that they were and she pondered this as they made their way up to the cabin in the waning light.
Sabriena was busy laying out pelts of fur on the ground around the fire.
Rose paused and stared down at them. "Uh, what are those?" she asked.
Goku walked over, carrying the squishy pillows from the bed to the mess of furs and quilts, "This is our bed! Well, you know, minus the mattress!" He chuckled and set down the pillows before he turned and picked up a sleepy Goten, "Hey kiddo, why don't you go wash up and get ready for bed?" He sent him off.
Dende chuckled at Rose's look, "It's just the way things are out here. It is a circle, animals provide for so much, food, warmth, companionship. It would be more of a wrong if they let so much go to waste, but Tien knows how to make every bit of an animal useful."
"But why use them at all?" Rose asked, looking sadly down at the pelts.
"Because that's what they're for," Tien answered simply. "It's not mean or heartless, Rose. Every animal I take is done swiftly and humanely. If they weren't hunted, their numbers would grow too big and they would die slow deaths of disease and starvation. Now you tell me - which is better?" He was firm as he spoke, but not harsh, but Rose still seemed to shrink away from him. He intimidated the hell out of her for some reason.
"Are they..." she swallowed, "Are they clean?"
Sabriena threw her head back and laughed. "Rose, you're not going to catch cooties by touching a pelt."
Rose looked uncertainly at the furs at her feet and knelt to touch one. It felt soft and warm under her fingers. "It is sort of beautiful," she said uncertainly before she retracted her hand. She supposed she could understand, but she still didn't like it.
Goku smiled at Rose before he went over to her and leaned down, rubbing at the soft quilt as well, "Tien made it himself" He smiled, looking over his shoulder at his husband, "There's nothing wrong with these. He never takes the mother's, there is a balance to be kept." He stood up and looked around as Dende came over spreading his own sleeping bag on the ground next to Rose's. His hands glowed a gentle gold as he cast a spell to deter the bugs and snakes from crawling over them through the night.
Goku smiled as he saw Goten come back, rubbing his eyes and yawning, as he made a beeline for Sabriena and stood next to her holding on to her pants leg, "I'm tired."
Rose laid down on her sleeping bag on her side, staring into the fire, propping her head up on one elbow, grateful to not have to sleep on the pelts. Maybe she should stop being so judgmental towards Tien's lifestyle. Perhaps that was why she felt a bit of tension with him.
Sabriena grinned down at Goten, a perfect miniature of her husband, and scooped him up in her arms. "Then come on, let's get laid down," she said, nuzzling his cheek as he giggled. Sabriena flopped on the ground in the middle of the furs, curling her body around Goten. "You're gonna sleep right here with me, right?" Sabriena asked, kissing at his cheek and hugging him tightly. Gods, how she'd missed him. She wanted to keep him there with her forever.
Dende chuckled as he watched the exchange. Good heavens, how that woman had changed from the spoiled little child he had first met those years ago. He never foresaw this coming. He smiled widely as Goten nodded, laughing and giggling as he got situated in her arms, leaning up and kissing her cheek before he laid down again. Goku walked over and looked down at them, a big smile on his face, "Hey now! Where's my kiss?" He leaned down to take Goten back from Sabriena.
Sabriena curled herself tighter around Goten, giving Goku an untrusting stare out of the corner of her eye as she nuzzled into his black hair. "MY GOTEN," she growled.
Goten's eyes went wide for a second as he looked up at his dad before he started laughing. Daddy looked surprised, blinking wide-eyes at them as he reached for Goten again.
"Mine," Sabriena insisted, shoving at Goku's shoulder. "Mine, mine, mine!"
Goten gave a shout of surprise and laughter as Sabriena suddenly rolled over, pulling Goten across her to lay on her other side, turning her back to Goku. "DADDY!" Goten laughed, reaching his arms out for his father.
Goku tilted his head back and laughed, giving Tien a look before he hopped over to Sabriena's other side, falling to his knees and reaching for Goten, letting his son pull him down to lay next to them, as he smiled at Sabriena who peered at him from behind Goten's black hair. He chuckled, leaning forward and planting a kiss on Goten's forehead, before leaning behind him and kissing Sabriena. From this angle, he had an unobstructed view of Dende and Rose and he smiled at them, "Goodnight!"
Rose smiled at them and gave a small wave from across the firepit. "Goodnight," she answered softly.
Tien stood, his hands on his hips, looking down at his wife and husband. "Yeah, nobody's fighting to sleep next to me. I see how ya'll are." Without warning, Sabriena reached back with one leg and swept Tien's feet out from under him, causing him to land flat on his back directly behind her. He gave a shout of surprise and groaned as his back hit the ground. "Oh, you'll pay for that in training tomorrow," he growled.
"Training? Since when do we train?" Sabriena asked, not looking at him, "All you and Goku wanna do is eat, sleep and fu-"
Tien clapped a hand over her mouth. "Goten's still awake!" he scolded in a whisper.
She laughed against his hand as he snuggled up against her back.
He let go of her mouth and said, "Now go to sleep before your mouth gets you in trouble."
Rose had sat up and blinked at them when Tien hit the ground. She'd been sure he would react to Sabriena knocking him over, but it didn't seem to bother him. Not really. "This is all so confusing," she muttered, laying back down on her sleeping bag to stare up at the stars.
Dende chuckled at them, tucking his arm behind his head, "Oh, that was nothing. They are martial artists you know. Goku and Tien have faced each other many times in the tournament. A little leg sweep is not the worst thing." He waved his arm at her when he saw her big eyes widen further, "My apologies, I know you dislike violence of any kind." He smiled, "I'm glad Goku invited me out, today was fun."
"I'm just having a hard time understanding how people can fight like that when they love each other," she answered, rolling to her side to look at Dende. "I mean, I've always only seen people hit each other out of anger. I don't know. Maybe I'm more sheltered than I thought. No one ever hit each other in my family. This is just all so different to me." She looked into Dende's dark eyes, a nervous fluttering in her stomach again. What was that? "I really am trying to understand, Dende. It's hard for me to not be judgmental when that's what my whole job is about."
Goku was watching them as his eyes grew heavy as he snuggled next to his son, wife and husband. He felt so warm and content, he could lay there forever if the world would let him, freeze this moment in time. His eyes snapped over to them, hearing something strange about the way they were talking and he listened.
Dende looked at Rose, her eyes were so captivating as she spoke with an innocence that he was sad more people in the world didn't share, "Oh...I understand, Miss Rose. This life and what you are used to are completely different..." He felt content around this woman and he didn't know why. Perhaps someone so close to his own ideals. Someone who disliked violence as much as him, "I grew up around it, I am used to it. You can tell, most of the time, when someone strikes out of anger or out of another purpose. Their faces will smile, deep in their eyes you can see the love there."
Rose gave a soft smile. "I hadn't thought about that." She thought back, the day she'd seen Goku punch Goten when they sparred. There was no anger in his face, no hatred in his eyes. Sabriena had sat calmly by, watching them, giving words of encouragement. And now she lay on the ground, cuddling that little boy as if he were her own. "You're right, Dende." A smile pulled at her lips, "I wish I was able to see people as clearly as you do." She pulled off her glasses and rolled to her other side to lay them on her bag near the fire. She shivered slightly, her back now cold as it turned away from the fire. "Oh! Cold chill," she said quietly.
Goku heard it clearly that time and he stared wide eyed at her, "Wow, Rose!" He said hushed excitement in his voice, "Thats amazing! When did you learn how to speak Namekian?"
Dende blinked over at the Saiyan as if he had grown another head. They certainly hadn't been speaking Namekian, he would have known if they were speaking his native tongue and there was no way Rose knew how to speak the alien language. He chuckled, "Goku, go to sleep, you are hearing things," He smiled at Rose, "Unless you were speaking Namekian and we both didn't know it."
Goku pouted, his lip sticking out as he hunkered down closer to Goten, "I know what I heard."
Rose blinked at Goku. "I don't know how to speak Nam... Namek..." She glanced over her shoulder at Dende. "I can't say that word," she said. "Na-mek-i-an," she forced herself to say slowly. She laughed, a genuine, throaty laugh. "G-Goku! How can I speak a language when I can't even pronounce the name of it?" The idea was amusing to her. "I can't speak a foreign language to save my soul. Should'a heard me in French class back in high school," she giggled.
"You were speaking it! Don't ask me how." He stuck his tongue out at them and turned around, closing his eyes.
Dende smiled at his friend and looked at Rose. In the fire light she was breathtaking and his heart pounded away in his chest. He had no idea what Goku had heard and Rose was thinking the same thing, "Goku's been very stressed. This whole situation with his son is getting to him, you know." He chuckled, "Oh, but maybe you should learn Namekian. It would be good to hold a conversation in my own tongue again. You will have to let me convince you to come with me when I go visit next time. The language is almost...methodical...relaxing...you would enjoy it."
Rose laughed again at Goku as he stuck his tongue out at her. She turned towards Dende again, smiling brightly at him, her voice growing a bit softer again as she spoke, "I would love to. But you'd have to be patient with me. Like I said, I don't really do well trying to learn a different language. I get all tongue tied. And my teacher said my accent was atrocious." She bit her bottom lip, still smiling at him. She didn't know why she felt so giddy in that moment. "I'm having such a good time. I'm glad you came. I feel safe out here with you. I'm happy I get to sleep with you... I - I mean... by you! I... oh... I'm doing it again," she groaned, covering her face with her hands. What an incredibly inappropriate thing to say to him after that dream he'd had at her apartment.
Dende chuckled and felt a blush grow across his cheeks at her words, knowing what she meant but it warmed him from the inside out, "Thank you, I'm glad I get to sleep with you too," He teased, feeling the butterflies twirling around in his stomach, "I don't think I've ever gone camping until I met Goku. He's big on the fishing and sleeping under the stars." He glanced up at the crystal clear night, seeing all of them twinkling. He pointed up at one, next to a brilliant cluster of stars, "That's New Namek right there. That tiny little dot." He chuckled, "Not too impressive from here, but you can get the idea. It has a little greenish tint to its light."
Rose squinted up into the darkness, everything was blurry to her. She snatched her glasses and put them back on, everything coming into focus and she saw the little greenish light he pointed to. "Oh wow," she breathed. "That's amazing. How weird to be able to see your home from here like that." She suddenly longed to go there, to meet his family, to see his old home. "I've never really looked at the stars. Now I see why everyone thinks they're so beautiful." She lost herself for a moment, there were so many stars out here without the streetlights of the city. It was overwhelming. "Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?" she whispered.
He was gazing at her, the way her eyes sparkled in the fire light, the way it caught her hair, "No," He whispered, catching himself, his cheeks blazing purple as he quickly looked back up to his planet, "You've really never gone stargazing before?" He said, astounded, "You'll have to come by the Lookout again when it's night. You won't find a place closer to the stars. Save for Everest, but it's a little cold there I'm told." He winked at her.
She gave a slight giggle and looked at him again, her breath catching at just how handsome he was. The green skin was a bit unnerving at first, but once you got used to it, it was easy to see just how attractive this man was. The firelight warmed the emerald green of his skin and made his dark eyes glow. There was a content, happy feeling settling into her as she looked at him. "I'd love to come look at the stars with you sometime. Just, as long as we don't have to be too close to the edge. I don't know how you can walk along the edge of the Lookout like you were the other day. That scares me. Although, you can fly, like Goku? I guess it wouldn't be so scary if you knew you wouldn't fall."
Dende laughed, warm and bright, "Yes, I can fly. But there's something about standing on that edge and looking down at a world a thousand miles below. The freefall alone is enough to set your soul free. To fall without fear. To feel that rush in your body as you fly free, no power holding you up. Just to experience it. Just once. To know that you are like the birds in the sky. You will have to try it some time. Know that I will catch you."
She blinked wide-eyed at him, her mouth falling open. "You... you want me to jump from up there?! You've lost your mind!" she laughed. She sobered when she saw the serious expression on his face. "Oh my god, you're serious. Dende, I... I don't think I could." She paused and studied him for a moment. Something deep down in her knew he wouldn't let her get hurt. He would catch her. She fixed him with a surprised but intense stare, trying to read him like he could read her. "Seriously? You promise you'll catch me?" The idea terrified and excited her at the same time. She'd never done anything so reckless in her life.
Dende chuckled, "Of course, what better way to conquer your fear than to jump without it. I will catch you and that fear will just fall away." He smiled at her, "I'll make a bet with you… if you jump once and don't ask me to let you do it again, I'll buy us lunch somewhere nice. But I bet you'll want to do it a second time." He smiled at her, feeling giddy, like he was trying to convince her to do something bad but it wasn't. Not really. He found himself wanting to be near her, "It's good for when the days seem to become too much. I guarantee that it will take your mind off of whatever ails you." He reached out and tucked a flyaway strand of hair behind her ear, completely missing the way Goku smiled at them from his position across the fire.
Rose's eyes fluttered shut at his touch, a jolt of happiness shot down her spine. It was like something inside her was crying out for more, yet she seemed frozen under his touch. She opened her eyes to look at him again, not realizing the sultry expression on her face as she said in a low voice, "Well then I'll just have to save it for a day when I really need it." A small smile pulled at her lips, "But you have to promise not to laugh if I scream and cry." She stared at him for a moment longer, his hand seemed to linger by her ear, his fingertips still in her hair. "We should probably go to sleep," she whispered, but didn't move to lay back against her pillow.
For some strange reason, he felt the oddest compulsion to lean forward and kiss her, but that would surely be unwelcome, especially after that awkward night at her apartment. He sadly nodded and let his fingers slip through her impossibly soft hair as he sighed happily, "Goodnight, Miss Rose. I am glad that we have become good friends."
Rose's expression brightened at that, her smile growing wider. She lightly laid her hand over Dende's wrist that continued to linger next to her face. "Friends," she said softly, unable to stop the huge smile that split her face.