The Engagement
(Author's note: This story is inspired by the episode "Head over Heels, written by Loraine Despres.)
"Jon, Vanessa and I are getting married!" Frank Poncherello exclaimed gleefully over the phone in his apartment in Los Angeles.
"I can't believe it! I didn't think I'd live to see the day Francis Llewellyn Poncherello would settle down and get married. I'm happy for you, Ponch!" Jon Baker said happily from his family's ranch just outside Rawlins, Wyoming.
"It's hard to believe that I nearly lost her to a misunderstanding with her former husband Fred, " Ponch said to his former partner and long-time friend.
"Vanessa sounds like good people. Who knocked some sense into you, partner?" Jon asked.
"My new partner, Bobby Nelson, and another motor officer, Kathy Linehan. They were real persistent in getting me to give Vanessa a second chance. Kathy is planning a picnic Saturday to honor Vanessa and I on our engagement," Ponch replied.
"How did the two of you make up? After seeing what you told me you saw, I'm very surprised that the two of you ever got back together again. I know about your temper," Jon said.
"Vanessa saw Bobby and I make a stop, and she and I started kissing on the side of the street," Ponch said sheepishly.
"Kissing on the side of the road is against regulations. I can imagine Getraer's face when he heard about that," Jon laughed.
Ponch then took a deep breath. "Jon, I have to ask you something," Ponch said nervously. "Could you be my best man?"
"Yes, I will. You set the date and I'll be there," Jon replied without hesitation.
Ponch breathed a sigh of relief. "I knew that you would stand up for me at my wedding. Vanessa is looking forward to meeting you," he said happily.
"I'll make sure that you make to the church on time. I also know about your lack of punctuality," Jon said teasingly.
"Ha , very funny, Jon," Ponch replied. "Oh, I have to meet Vanessa in fifteen minutes. We're getting our pictures taken. I'll send you one."
"Well Ponch, I've got some work to do on the ranch before winter comes. You and Vanessa better behave yourselves," Jon said teasingly.
"It's been real good to talk to ya, partner. Goodbye," Ponch said.
As Ponch hung up the phone, he thought, I can always count on you, Jon. Thanks partner.
###
Twenty minutes later, Ponch pulls up to the apartment of his fiancee, Vanessa Martin. She met Ponch at the door with a deep, passionate kiss.
"You're late," she mockingly scolded.
"I have an apple for the teacher," Ponch said as he handed her a big, shiny, red Jonathan apple. "I'm having too much fun being the teacher's pet."
"Let's get to the photography studio before it's too late," Vanessa told Ponch.
After the photo shoot, the couple made their way back to her apartment.
"Ponch, please don't go. Stay with me tonight," Vanessa gently begged.
"Make love to me," Ponch said breathlessly.
"Do you know the difference between sugar and spice?" Vanessa asked passionately.
"Show me," Ponch answered, kissing her neck.
"This is sugar," she said, kissing him on the lips, "and this is spice," Vanessa said, gently letting her lips caress his body.
They made their way to her couch. Ponch gently caressed Vanessa's curly brown hair as they kissed. Then Ponch gently lifted Vanessa as he carried her to her bed. Ponch then lays next to her, gently kissing and caressing her.
The afterglow of their lovemaking soon set in for the couple, with Vanessa sleeping soundly on Ponch's chest. Ponch thought, You are the best thing in my life.
###
As Ponch drove into Central in his blue Trans-Am, he was met by his current partner, Bobby Nelson.
"I tried calling you last night, but you were not home. Another night at Vanessa's, partner," Bobby said.
"Of course," Ponch said.
As Ponch and Bobby entered the station, they heard the strangest sound coming from the break room.
"The shadow of your smile," Artie Grossman sang off-key as he tuned his guitar. Sitting in the room with Grossie were Cadet Bruce Nelson and Officer Ben Webster. They sat smiling as Grossie continued warbling.
Ponch and Bobby made a hasty retreat to the locker room, followed closely by Ben and Bruce. The men quickly closed the door. Bruce then pulls two pairs of earplugs out of his duffel bag.
"Thanks, Bruce," Ponch said as he grabbed the earplugs.
"You can always count on my little brother," Bobby said as he took a pair for himself.
"I really hope that Grossie's not singing at your wedding, Ponch," Ben said.
"No way, man," Ponch answered.
Just then, the locker room door opened and shut quickly. Ponch, Bobby, Ben, and Bruce turn around and find Sergeant Joe Getraer standing behind them.
"What's Grossie trying to do, wake the dead?!" Joe asked hypothetically.
"Grossie paid for twenty-six guitar lessons," Ponch told Joe.
"He should stick with stand-up comedy," Joe said as he grabbed a pair of earplugs from Bruce. "Briefing in five minutes," Joe added.
###
Ponch and Bobby were on patrol when their radios became active.
"LA 7 Mary 6 and Mary 7, please respond to the Ventura Freeway and Balboa. Mary 9 and Mary 10 need a Spanish speaking officer. Subject is uncooperative," Stella said.
"LA, Mary 6 and Mary 7 are two away," Ponch yells into his mic.
As Ponch and Bobby arrive, Grossie and Kathy are trying to calm down the subject.
"Como se llama?" Ponch asked.
The man refused to give his name.
The four officers attempt to box in the man, but Bobby gets there a fraction of a second late and the man runs through the opening between Bobby and Kathy, yelling Spanish expletives.
"Pare, pare!" Ponch yelled, but the man refused to stop.
Ponch, Bobby, and Kathy grabbed their batons and gave pursuit on foot, while Grossie hopped on his motorcycle. Ponch continued yelling orders to the man in Spanish, nut to no avail.
A half mile later, Grossie was able to cut the man off with his motor. Kathy then tackles the man.
"Ponga sus manos detras su cabeza!" Ponch ordered. The man put his hands behind his head.
Grossie cuffed the man as Ponch read the man his rights. As the officers lead the man to Ben's cruiser, the man kicked Ben in the right leg. The officers hog-tie the man. As the cruiser pulls away, the man is still cursing out he officers in Spanish.
Grossie then searches the car, which was pulled over for a broken taillight. He found a large amount of heroin and drug paraphernalia.
"No wonder he ran," Grossie said.
"The foot pursuit would not have been necessary if Bobby had been paying attention," Kathy said.
"What were you thinking out there?" Grossie asked angrily.
"I didn't think he would bail," Bobby said.
"Sarge won't be happy about this when he reads the report. Your mistake could have gotten us killed," Grossie yelled.
"Sarge needs a translator," Ponch said.
"I'll handle the paperwork on this one," Kathy said.
At Central, the man was identified as Pablo Guttierez. He was wanted in San Diego for questioning in the murder of a CHP officer.
###
Sergeant Getraer asked Bobby into his office.
"Nelson, according to Linehan's report, you failed to surround Mr. Guttierez. Grossman and Poncherello concurred with the report. I'm not going to put up with mistakes like that again. I'm putting a censurable incident report in your jacket. Next time this happens, I will suspend you. Is that clear?" Joe yelled.
"Yes, sir," Bobby said.
###
"Hello, how's the blushing groom doing?" Jon asked over the phone.
"Couldn't be better. I asked Grossie, Harlan and Joe to be my groomsmen, and the all said yes," Ponch answered.
"Thanks for the Barcelona Man poster. I just received it today. I don't know where I'm gonna put it yet," Jon said.
"Do you miss being on the patrol?" Ponch asked Jon.
"I sure would like to come back, but my family needs me here on the ranch, " Jon answered.
"It's been real interesting being Bobby's training officer. He did earn his nickname 'Hot Dog'," Ponch told Jon.
"When are you and Vanessa going to set a date?" Jon asked.
"We'll be discussing it after the picnic tomorrow," Ponch answered.
"I've got some great stories to tell Vanessa about your antics. Where do I begin?" Jon asked teasingly.
"Jon...," Ponch answered.
"Well, she'll love hearing about the time...," Jon teased.
"You wouldn't," Ponch interrupted.
"Wanna bet," Jon answered laughingly.
"I've got to pick up Vanessa for dinner and dancing, so I've got to get going," Ponch said.
"I hope you and Vanessa have a good time tonight. You kids better behave yourselves tonight," Jon teased.
As Jon hung up the phone, he thought Ponch has finally found the perfect woman.
###
"I am looking forward to meeting Jon. He sounds like a nice person," Vanessa said to Ponch as they were having a romantic dinner.
"He's still trying to write a book about life as a cop," Ponch said.
"I could give him a few pointers," Vanessa laughed.
"Now wait a minute, who are you marrying, him or me?" Ponch asked jokingly.
"You, but I know someone that he would like," Vanessa answered.
"Aha, that's why you asked your best friend Andrea to be maid of honor. She and Jon would be simpatico," Ponch said. "What about dessert?" he asked.
"It comes at your place," Vanessa said lovingly.
###
While Ponch and Vanessa were dancing, her ex, Fred, came into the club. Fred drank his scotch and soda while watching Ponch and Vanessa very closely. As Ponch left the table to order drinks, Fred approached Vanessa, obviously in a drunken state.
"Hello, gorgeous," Fred said to Vanessa.
"Leave me alone," Vanessa said angrily.
"I will always love you. I'll never find another woman like you," Fred said.
"Don't you understand, it's over between us," Vanessa said tersely.
"Please, I beg of you," Fred said.
"Could you please leave?" Vanessa asked angrily.
Ponch saw the angry exchange between Vanessa and Fred. Ponch came back to the table.
"I thought she asked you to leave hear alone," Ponch told Fred.
"Well, well, well, aren't you the righteous cop that stole Vanessa away from me?" Fred asked sarcastically.
Vanessa moved behind Ponch, not knowing exactly what Fred was going to do next.
"I'm asking you once to leave," Ponch told Fred.
"Not without Vanessa. She can do a lot better than you," Fred told Ponch.
"She does not love you. The more you go after her, the more she'll hate you," Ponch said.
Vanessa left to get the bouncer and to explain the situation to him.
"Sir, you have to leave the building now," Terry, the bouncer, told Fred.
Fred threw a punch at Terry, hitting him in the nose. Ponch and Terry then tackled Fred.
"You are under arrest," Ponch told Fred. Ponch then turned to Terry to make sure he was all right.
"I think my nose is broken," Terry said as a waitress held an ice pack to his face.
Vanessa called the police while Ponch read Fred his rights. The club manager came out. Ponch explained everything to the manager.
The paramedics arrived at the same time as LAPD. Ponch told the officers everything that happened.
"The bouncer is complaining of a broken nose," Ponch told Roy DeSoto and John Gage.
Ponch took off his jacket and gently put it on Vanessa. He gave her a hug to help calm her down.
"Why don't we come back after I help LAPD with the paperwork?" Ponch asked Vanessa.
She nodded quietly as they left for the station.
###
After Fred was booked, Ponch and Vanessa returned to the dance club and spent the rest of the evening dancing and talking.
"My place or my place?" Ponch asked Vanessa flirtatiously.
"I guess it's your place," Vanessa whispered as she gently nibbled Ponch's ear.
"I knew that you would say that," Ponch said.
When the couple went to Ponch's apartment, He put on a Johnny Mathis album. That put Vanessa in a romantic mood. They danced around Ponch's living room for hours.
They made their way to his bedroom to round out the evening.
###
It was Saturday morning. Ponch fixed Vanessa a nice breakfast.
"I can't wear this dress to the picnic today," Vanessa complained.
"I'll take you home to change before the picnic," Ponch told Vanessa.
"Thanks, Ponch. I love you," Vanessa said as she kissed Ponch.
"Can I watch you change?" Ponch asked playfully.
Vanessa playfully hit Ponch. As they left for her apartment, Ponch grabbed a small box containing his grandmother's wedding ring and put it in his pocket.