Gen 2 Ch 9: Fires of Passion

Like so often, it was a gloomy day in Bridgeport.

Kaitlin had passed away during the night after the wedding. Arthur had sounded devastated on the phone.

Matilda even suggested going to Twinbrook for a while to be with Bloom's family, but Arthur had assured Bloom that his mother would not have wanted him to cancel his honeymoon because of it.

They did, however, make a brief stop at the Twinbrook cemetery to attend the funeral. Bloom was relieved to have Matilda by his side, gently wiping away his tears.

Then it was time to catch their flight to Champs Les Sims!

"I'm so glad we decided to come here anyway.", Bloom whispered softly, as he kissed Matilda's forehead.

First off, they visited a charming little café.

 Bloom watched happily as Matilda tried the different baked goods.

Afterwards, they browsed the local stores. Matilda was a little disappointed in the selection of clothing, but they had a great time regardless.

They spent a while sitting on a bench in a beautiful little park.

Talking about this and that, they enjoyed the warm breeze that seemed to carry the faint fragrance of lavender and grapes.

The weather here was a lot more pleasant and temperate than what Bloom was used to from Twinbrook and Bridgeport. He could feel the warm sunlight revitalize him.

They spent hours at the local museum, admiring the large collection.

But since it was their honeymoon, even the impressive ancient sculptures could not keep their minds from going to other things...

They probably spent most of their time in the hotel room, completely ignoring the magnificent view.

It was an incredibly romantic little hotel.

Most romantic of all was probably the sitting room with a fireplace, where Bloom and Matilda could often be found gazing deep into each other's eyes.

On the rare occasions when they were out of bed, they spent their days exploring. Once they visited one of the many nectaries for which Champs Les Sims was famous.

Bloom enjoyed tasting the different kinds of nectar with Matilda. He could not bring himself to try out nectarmaking himself though. Squishing all those poor tiny grapes with his own feet? He shuddered at the thought.

 Their fun was interrupted by a phone call. Apparently there had been a fire at their hotel, caused by the fireplace in the sitting room.

The voice on the other line spoke in a heavy French accent.
"Monsieur Wyman, we are trying to find out who might have lit the fireplace in the first place. Do you happen to know who it could have been?"
"Me?! Uh... no, no. I have no idea. I mean, uh... I had no idea there even was a fireplace in the hotel!" Bloom laughed nervously. But they seemed to believe him.

"Matilda, love, I have a surprise for you!"
"You do? What is it, Bloom?"
"I booked us a room right here at the nectary for tonight!"

Matilda loved the idea and Bloom was quite relieved.

"Oh Bloom, this room is lovely! So romantic... Look, there's even a fireplace! Should we light it?"
"NO!"

Matilda looked at him with big eyes.
"Uh... I mean... No, love. I know a much better way to keep warm..."

As Bloom was informed later, there were several more fires at the hotel in the following hours, all originating from the same spot. Bloom wondered idly why no one had thought about putting the fireplace out.

But at that very moment, Bloom's thoughts were entirely with Matilda and their wonderful honeymoon.

Much later that night, they were woken by some strange clicking noises coming from inside the room.

Darned paparazzi! Even on their honeymoon?! How had that guy even gotten in here?

Bloom had never been this furious in his life! He kicked the paparazzo out and locked the door twice, just to be sure, but they both couldn't get back to sleep.

Not even a good soak in the tub could calm Bloom's anger that night.

The next day was going to be better! They spent most of their time out in the countryside, just enjoying the view and each other's company.

But now that the paparazzi had caught their scent, it was evident that escape was impossible.

"Bloom, honey, this trip has been wonderful, but... how about we cut it a bit short and head back home?"
"Really, Matilda? Well, if you're sure..."

And so Bloom made all the arrangements and they were on their way back to Bridgeport the same day.