The energetic eight year old smiled as Grace leaned over to whispered in her ear. She grinned and laughed at her mother's words, glancing at her father who hadn't been able to hear what had been said. Though he knew Grace was saying something to tease him.

"Pfff." Was all Matt scoffed playfully when Grace tried to claim Kaylee was his creation.
He knew they both had fifty-fifty share in it because the girl had just as many of her mother's traits as she did her father's. But thankfully Kaylee was smart like her mother, not that Matt wasn't smart per se, it was just that academics came a little easier to Grace than it did to him was all, and Kaylee had taken after her in that respect.

Matt looked at Grace and simply poked his tongue out back at her like they were a couple of 5 year olds in the school playground, then he put one arm round each of them as Grace did the same. It was nice having both of his girls with him again. 

"Well I can cook, we can eat out or we can get takeaway." Matt replied, giving Grace the options.

He could see she was tired so he left the choice to her.
He was more that willing to take her out if she wanted, but didn't want to drag her out to eat if she was ganna fall asleep with her face in her plate like Kaylee used to when she was a toddler. And he honestly didn't mind cooking if that was the option she wanted to go for, he was expecting to cook tonight anyway and was about to get the dinner going when Grace had surprised him by being there, but the thought of curling up on the settee with a chines and having his wife fall asleep on his shoulder after (or while) eating sound nice too. He didn't care how they all got fed, he was just happy they would all be eating together after being apart for so long.

Matt gave Grace a peck on the lips, "You're the one tired from all that travailing, so the choice is yours." He said, looking into her face and gently stroking the back of her head affectionately.

Tag: Gracelyn Cole .

Ooc: He's no Gordon Ramsay, but yes Matt can cook haha.

Kaylee and Grace both had smug looks on their faces about the velcro shoes comment. Grace was certain that it would surface when Matt least expected it to do so. That was half the fun in telling Kaylee a secret, you never knew when it was going to be used as ammunition.

Grace had a bad habit of sticking her tongue out, though to be fair Kaylee had started it. Grace just usually played a long. “If it’s up to me, there is a couch right there and I am going to crash like a bird who sees himself in a window” She ascertained. Grace, despite the cat nap was exhausted. Though she knew she couldn’t skip eating. She’d never hear the last of it.

“Takeout means I can lay right here though.” She pointed at his shoulder and then the couch. Meaning if he sat down he was going to have a wife attached to him in mere seconds. She pecked him in return but the stroking on the back of the head was causing her to bob her head in a sleepy motion. Oh he was pushing some dangerous buttons.

Tag: Petty Officer Matthew Cole

Matt put his arm back around his wife and grinned at her comment about crashing, he loved her pictorial way of phrasing things. He gently pulled her to his shoulder after she had pointed to it, he could see she was tired and stroking her head any longer was just going to make her fall asleep standing up if he wasn't careful.
With Grace gently leaning on his shoulder he slowly began walking the girls towards the draw where they kept the menus, "So what do you guys want me to order?" He asked, opening it up to a poll as usual.

Ordering takeout was usually the same every time when it was a vote, everyone talking at once wanting different things, only to go around in a big circle and end up agreeing on one of the usual orders they had. It was always the same no matter where they lived, the restaurants may be different but the ritual was nearly alway the same. It was one of those things that made home feel like home to Matt no matter where they happened to be, because at the end of the day home wasn't the house, bunker, or tent that he put his head down in for the night, his family was his home to him and he missed the little nuances of family life like that whenever they weren't all together.

After the food finally arrived Matt set up a fold up table for Kaylee so she could eat in front of the tv, something he knew she wouldn't mind...and something he had let her do several times during Grace's absence. But usually family meals happened around the table unless there was a big parade or sports event on tv, however tonight Grace seemed tired after her trip and the opportunity to have her curled on the sofa asleep on his shoulder was too appealing for them both to pass up after so many months apart.

Matt unpacked the food, dishing it on to plates he took it into the living room. He handed Grace to hers with a drink before planting himself in the seat next to her.
He shook his head and smiled as he looked at Kaylee in front of the tv ahead of them making a nice little mess off herself. Then he found himself looking over at his wife with a warm smile renaming on his face, he admired just how hard she worked raising and home schooling their child, and how much work she had to do alone when he was deployed. He had enjoyed spending so much time alone with his daughter but he was glad to have his wife back and be part of a two parent unit again.

Gracelyn Cole,