Gen 2 Ch 8: After all...

Bloom was reminded of the last time he had been in a limo - prom night. It felt like so long ago now. This limousine had been arranged for by Bloom's agent. Apparently he was getting too well-known to be seen going around town on the subway and in cabs. Normally Bloom would have felt a little uncomfortable with this, but tonight his mind was on other things. He was on the way to his own bachelor party!

When he arrived at Waylon's Haunt, his mother and sister-in-law were already there.

Arthur came in soon after, wearing something... well, once again Bloom wondered whether his father had gone senile.

The little speech Arthur gave was great though - he was his usual thoughtful self. So Bloom decided to let go of his worries and enjoy the party!

Beryllium and Bismuth arrived late, and dressed up as zombies for some reason.

They stayed in character the entire time, only talking in grunts and growls and staggering rhythmically instead of dancing. Tom Wordy was obviously weirded out, but too polite to ask about it. The rest on the family just kept on celebrating, familiar with Bis and Beryl's strange antics.

Soon they left in Beryllium's new spaceship - apparently to terrorize the local clubs in their crazy get-ups.

As Bloom learned later, the two of them had gotten married in a very small ceremony. Arthur and Kaitlin weren't too happy about that apparently, but did not want to stand in the way of their children's happiness. They weren't genetically related, after all. Bloom and Broccoli still found it weird.

For the moment though, Bloom's thoughts were entirely at the party. Finally his brother Broccoli arrived, party dancers in tow.

Broccoli himself did seem to be the one to enjoy the dancers most though. His wife, Aria, had already recovered from giving birth to their son Sedrick. Bloom couldn't wait to get a look at his new nephew!

"Bloom, I'm so happy for you.", his mother sad as she gave him a big hug. "I can't wait to meet your Matilda."
"Oh, she is wonderful, Mom. And maybe soon you'll have another grandchild!"
At that, his mother stepped back and regarded him with a strange look on her face. Bloom instantly tensed. It was unusual to see Kaitlin this serious.

She pulled out a wrapped present and looked at it for a while before speaking.
"You know, Bloom, I was so surprised to hear about Aria's pregnancy. At first I thought she was just trying to set my little boy up. After all..." Her voice trailed off.
"After all what, Mom?" Bloom asked, with a feeling of trepidation.

Kaitlin's face lit up into her usual smile again.
"Here, Bloom. Take this. It's a copy of the last of my research notes. This concludes all the information I have compiled on PlantSims."
Bloom took the box, still waiting for an explanation.
"I'm so proud of you, son. And you and your father will always love you, remember that."
Before Bloom could inquire further, his mother walked off and he was instantly swept up in talking to another excited party guest.

It was a great night. Bloom enjoyed spending time with his family - with Broc most of all.

But every party has to come to an end, and back home Bloom found his beloved Matilda fast asleep. He wondered what she was dreaming about.

Before heading to bed himself, Bloom quickly watered the thirsty greenleaf plant. Matilda never remembered to do that.

Finally the big day arrived! They had decided to get married on Love Day, because what better day was there for a wedding? Bloom had even managed to secure them a highly sought-after venue for their celebration - a romantic little wedding chapel right in the middle of Bridgeport.

His ever-growing fame had been quite helpful with that, for sure.

Beryllium arrived with a bulging pregnant belly, at which Arthur and Kaitlin stared in shock. Apparently they hadn't known either. They didn't say anything though, probably not wanting to ruin Bloom's big day. It wasn't the strangest thing Beryllium and Bismuth had done, Bloom thought. Beryl had even taken to wearing a wig now! Maybe to blend in?

The wedding reception was packed with celebrities. Bloom thought that maybe his agent had been responsible for that, but he didn't mind when the famous pop icon Lola Belle provided the musical entertainment.

Finally Bloom's parents got to meet Matilda, and to Bloom's delight, they really seemed to like her. How could they not?

She seemed to get along especially well with her sister-in-law to be and fussed over Beryllium's baby belly for a while.

Broccoli and Aria surprised everyone with a romantic duet on their guitars. Bloom hadn't known that his brother could play at all, but apparently Aria had been teaching him.

Despite their advanced age, Kaitlin and Arthur were laying it down on the dance floor.

At one point, Arthur gave everyone a shock when he suddenly bent over backwards. Had all this excitement been too much for him?! People rushed in to help.

However, it turned out that it had just been a dance move he'd been practicing.

Then it was finally time for the ceremony.

All the guests scrambled to get the best view possible.

Bloom didn't even notice the excited crowd gathered around them. He only had eyes for Matilda.

With her gentle hands, she carefully slid the ring onto Bloom's finger.

She seemed more than excited to see the glittering diamond on her ring.

Broccoli apparently thought that this was the perfect moment to ask Lola Belle for her autograph.

Arthur and Aria stared in disbelief, while the other guests swooned over the romantic ceremony.

But Bloom and Matilda were too engrossed in the ceremony to notice anything. Bloom barely even heard the strumming of Bismuth's guitar behind him.

And finally, they were married!

Bloom thought that he couldn't be happier.

It felt good to see his family's smiling faces as they cheered on the newlyweds.

There was another brief musical interlude.

After that, everyone crowded inside to watch the cutting of the wedding cake.

As a PlantSim, Bloom didn't feel the need to eat. That did not stop Broccoli from devouring three whole slices though!

Matilda kept admiring her new wedding ring! Bloom was glad he had chosen something she liked.

She was just too cute!

Broccoli really did seem to love the cake! Bloom wondered how many more slices his brother would be able to eat, but before he could find out, it was time for the newlyweds to leave.

"Where are we going?" Matilda sounded confused when the limo driver took a left turn. "This is not the way to your apartment."
"No, it's not." Bloom grinned. "It's the way to our apartment!"