9.1 (S)He’s just not that into you

After taking Michael Kyoti, the Grim Reaper wandered upstairs and started chatting to Joanna and Nicola about his relationship with the family and how much he was going to enjoy reaping souls at their parties, and he looked forward to seeeing a lot more of whichever Kyoti triplet became the heir in the future.  It was the first time the girls had ever really considered the whole heirdom issue.  They’d known for a while that one of the three of them would have that responsibility in the end, but none of them had ever really thought much about whom it might end up being.

Joanna decided to take her responsibility to the family seriously and went out looking for potential mates.  She didn’t have a great deal of success.  The neighbour across the road threatened to punch her…

…and her friend-seeking mission to the park was hindered by her unique choice of spot to play in.

Nicola, meanwhile, had had her fair share of loving, and whilst the idea of being head of the household was tantalising, there was one small problem – she couldn’t imagine the Emperor of Evil (which she was hoping to become) walking around covered in baby sick.

Their sister Gemma seemed a more likely target, but since her last boyfriend had died, she hadn’t had much chance of romance either.  The girls’ mother, Rae, decided to do something to help Gemma.  Now she had reached the top of the medical  profession she would have more time on her hands and she needed something to do to take away the pain of losing her beloved Michael.  She had met a guy a while ago whom she thought might be Gemma’s type.  He was rich, single, and, um, “quirky”.

Donnie Sawyer had a strange habit of talking to himself when he thought no-one was looking (and sometimes even when he knew they were).  He was somewhat unconventional, but he was harmless enough.

Rae invited Donnie round and made herself scarce whilst he and Gemma tried to bond over juice.  They talked about their interests and their fears.  Donnie was obsessed with the evil bunnies that lurked in the bushes waiting to eat you.  Gemma wasn’t impressed.  She  may have had her neuroses, but this guy was a total fruitloop.

Whenever Donnie came to visit, he would inevitably end up playing the guitar and dreaming of becoming a rock star…

…whilst Gemma was getting into novel writing.  Her latest work, ‘Gemma Quest’ was going very well indeed.

Eventually they found themselves in the bathroom-home of all flirting and romance-at the same time as each other, but Donnie spoiled the mood by having a little accident.

Fed up of their inability to connect, Rae asked Donnie to move in with the family, hoping that eventually he and Gemma would pair off.  Donnie began working towards his dream of being a rock star by getting a job in the music industry.  It was the first job he’d ever had – he was rich and a bit of a couch potato and hadn’t really ever motivated himself before.

Learning that Donnie was a couch potato like her intrigued Gemma and she wondered if maybe they had more in common than she’d first thought.  And of course, he was rich, which was a good thing – all she had wanted was to live off a rich man rather than getting a job, and that was becoming a pressing need.  Since Michael passed on, things were a little troubled in terms of the Kyoti household finances.

They’d been so busy grieving that they missed a bill payment and had their lamp repossessed.

And young Alfie Win became the first Kyoti teenager in a long time to take on a part-time job to help out, although he didn’t exactly enjoy working at the spa too much.

He did like Donnie, though, as did Joanna.  Gemma looked at the way Donnie got on with her siblings (and was hated by the evil alien replicants Jono and Nicola) and she started to think more about whether he was a serious marriage prospect.

Some more bathroom flirting ensued…

…and eventually they shared their first kiss.

Seizing the moment, Gemma decided to propose to Donnie.

Donnie refused.

Gemma stormed off, unimpressed.  This guy was behaving like a bit of a jerk.  She had been beginning to find him somewhat attractive, and the feeling was reciprocated, but there was something holding him back – and if she was honest, something was holding her back, too.

Over breakfast the next morning she contemplated what to do – should she really marry a man where there was no particular ‘spark’ between them?  But as Alfie Win chatted about longing for another new car, she realised having ‘the spark’ wasn’t what really mattered.  Donnie was a bit annoying, but he wasn’t a bad man, and there were even some things about him she liked – he could watch TV with her, and he was pretty good on a guitar.  They could be friends, they may even become really close over time.  And he was rich, which was the most important thing.

She proposed yet again, and this time he accepted.  They set the wedding for the next day and booked the park across the street.

The day didn’t get off to a flying start when the family got word that Harry Kyoti had died, but hey, death becomes a Kyoti party, so the show must go on.

Gemma carrying a half mixed bowl of waffle batter to the ceremony wasn’t a fabulous omen, mind you.

When the lovebirds arrived, they discovered their guests dispersed all over the large park.  The guests seemed more interested in chatting to each other than in celebrating the marriage.  Some guy calling himself “The Ninth Doctor” kept hanging around and shouting randomly in the background.  It all felt rather less than romantic.

Still, the couple started to hold hands and as they looked into each other’s eyes, they prepared to make their vows (even if Gemma’s brother Seth was looking away from them).

But, of course, Gemma’s mobile phone went off at the opportune moment with a fabulous opportunity to mend a friend’s stereo which she couldn’t resist.

They were ready to start again, but Gemma got hungry and demanded Jono whip the batter for the waffles for her before she proceeded.

Jono then had to go to work, and Rae was left holding the waffle pan ready to take home to cook.  In the meantime, all the guests left, bemused that they hadn’t actually witnessed any nuptials.

Gemma and Donnie decided to use their his’n'hers moodlet managers to get themselves back in the mood whilst Rae went home to cook the celebratory waffles.

As night fell, Gemma and Donnie had their own private wedding under the stars… and came home to the news that Gemma’s aunt Emma Mabel had died just after leaving the ‘ceremony’.  Gemma started to panic… were the fates against this marriage?

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