Let's see what Bonnie experienced now a little bit okay?
That day had been hell for Bonnie too. All-day long she beat herself up for having been so careless. She knew that Victor was so careful and that he can't test positive and still she forgot to clean up last night. She had failed in her responsibility. With sharing a life with a police officer, a SWAT officer comes great responsibility not only for yourself. And they were sharing a life, even without the formal recognition.
Was she really able to do this?
She wanted to try at least. She had to manage making a change or multiple changes to her life if she didn't want to lose Victor. That much was clear.
And that starts a fire inside of her. She is by his side during his hearing. Takes as much of the blame as possible. It is hard being painted as the irresponsible party girl and not lash out at those remarks but she manages to get through.
For Victor.
Even Annie had reached out and told her to stay positive. Life can be a challenge with a lot of small things that make a difference. There is a lot to pay attention to. Bonnie learns, that Victor probably doesn't hate poppyseed bagels but it is more like a precaution that he doesn't buy them ever. A precaution to prevent a false positive drug test.
Bonnie plans to actively learn more and also takes a first step in deciding that no edibles are in her future. She'd have to clean out the stuff at home but that she just could give to her friends.
And if she had any doubt about how important this job was to Victor, the moment his commander tells him his test was clean and therefore no THC in his system... that smile, as he realizes he is allowed to work the case, is everything that Bonnie needs to know that her plans are right.
Yes, she'd have to change but for a future with Victor, she'd do everything in her power.
As a small apology, she prepares a quiet dinner for him and asks a few more questions to learn exactly what else she needs to know.
After the incident, both of them try very hard to make it work which in turn leads to some awkward moments. None is more awkward than when some of Bonnie's friends are over for an evening and she refuses the weed-laced stuff. No one ever questioned why Victor wouldn't partake due to his job but Bonnie seemed to confuse some of them.
"Pregnant?" is the first comment from the group and Victor has to contain a laugh. "Nope, she is still drinking," remarks the next one before Bonnie manages to tell their story while still blushing profusely.
Everyone now reacts with a lot of compassion and admiration for the two of them and when the first comments come to the fact that they must be very serious Victor gets a flash of that feeling again. That feeling he had back at their first Valentine's date. He wants to spend the rest of his life with Bonnie. And everybody should see they belong together.
But there was a step, a hurdle he had to overcome first before he'd actually dare to propose. And, no it wasn't Bonnie's father that scared him. He had met her parents and they got along great. No, it was his mother.
Victor manages to run into danger with his gun drawn and even enter an unknown situation without being scared, but his mother and convincing her that he was a good man. That his life's choices were right. That was a hard task. He hated being constantly compared to his brother and it felt like his mother preferred Jacob over him.
But still, he knew deep down inside that before Bonnie could officially become a part of the family the two most important women in his life should at least meet.
Fear definitely wasn't the right word to describe his feelings today. More like panic. Plain and simple.
Even Bonnie was slightly nervous, which was to be expected but that really didn't help Victor to lessen his turmoil. He tries to tell himself "It's just dinner with mom," but that really doesn't help.
He tries to read every little expression or twitch of his mother's face and interpret the way her eyes move. He had no clue what she was thinking. And the feeling of being judged and criticized was all-encompassing. But then something unexpected happened. To his initial delight, his mother and Bonnie seemed to get along great. An impression that gets confirmed when Bonnie goes to the bathroom for a short while and his mom openly states "I like her."
Those three words are a silver lining, they give him hope. Now he just had to muster the courage and ask for the bracelets. But how could he manage that without being criticized again? He can already hear all of his mother's questions and knows if he answers all of them honestly she will be hurt and rightfully so.
He manages to form the question anyway.
"Are you sure? How long do you really know each other?"
Yes, as predicted. Victor knew his mother too well. "Mom, we've been living together almost two years now. I am sure." he tries to use an even, soft voice and looks his mother straight in the eyes.
He can see her eyes form into small slits. She is definitely disappointed and hurt. And Bonnie returning prevents any answer that might've come.
The rest of their dinner conversation is pretty positive and the impression remains, that the most important women in his life get along great.
Now it is really up to his mother, and any deity he can pray to if his mother can forgive him and blesses his plans by gifting him the bracelets.
He can't fathom what he would do if she denies the request and thankfully he doesn't have to think about it for much longer.
Victor guards the small box his mother gave him when they said farewell almost more than the small velvet one that he has been hiding in his drawers the last couple of days.
He is contemplating how to pull this next part off. Yes, he could go the traditional route of his family and only use the bracelets but that wouldn't be Bonnie's culture and family expectation. He should try to make it as special and as diverse as they both are. He wants to make sure they both can live out their dreams and mix their lives even better.
In his mind, he is already making plans for a beautiful day just the two of them and then the new shift schedule helps him out even more. A day off and they could be spending an amazing day together.
But what he couldn't have foreseen was his past. Gangsters he put away years ago chose the exact moment he picked to ask the most important question, to take shots at him. It hails bullets on them and he is so damn scared that he might've lost Bonnie now.
Not because she had been hit, but having her experience this moment, because of him. Would she run or would she decide to stay?
In the chaos on the scene, he had on top of it all lost the ring. He had dropped it when he had flown across the table to get Bonnie to duck and now it was lost. He had tried looking for it but nothing.
It felt good to open up to Street, even if he hadn't planned on telling anyone about his plans. What if Bonnie said no? Victor shakes his head. He can't get lost in his thoughts right now. He has to stay focused and do his damn job.
These guys ruined his day. And right about now that's as good as any reason to get them back behind bars. They had put the love of his life in mortal danger and they would pay for that.
Their morning had been so amazing. A rather romantic stroll on the beach and they had been on track to have breakfast at Bonnie's favorite cafe and in a blink of an eye, everything had been ruined. It was scary as hell but somehow Bonnie had felt safe as long as she knew Victor was at her side.
After the bullets had stopped flying she had trouble to get to Victor. He had switched to work mode in a flash but she felt that he wasn't fully himself too.
She wanted to help him but had no idea how.
In the end she did as she was told for the day. Trying not to get in the way but still being at HQ and observing from the outside how Victor and his team worked diligently.
The other thing Bonnie notices is, that Victor pats his pockets at random intervals as if he expects something to appear in there. Something he really wants to find again.
After the shooters have been arrested Victor is more present and actively at her side but something still seems to burden him.
"Victor? What's wrong?" Bonnie finally asks. She can't continue watching in silence until her boyfriend breaks or explodes. He stops dead in his track and almost imperceptively shakes his head. She'd swear she heard him mumble "What the hell," before he went down on his knee.
Bonnie's heart skips a beat and her lips tremble before he even starts talking. There is only one answer and she'd never need a ring for that. Bonnie softly tugs at his hand and whispers "Yes," before kissing him firmly.
Bonnie feels her feet leaving the ground when Victor twirls them around.