After the altercation with the man just before dinner, Grace had finally settled into enjoying the evening with Matt. They’d enjoyed dinner and now she was staring into her empty wine glass. She’d had one glass but she really wanted another one. No. She was reasoning with herself trying to convince herself she didn’t need it but really what she was hearing was No, you need something harder. It was one of those nights.

When the waiter came back to the table she ordered herself a much harder drink than usual. “Long Island Iced Tea, Please.” Grace wasn’t much of a drinker, but she wanted to forget about the upcoming deployment. She’d just gotten to Tierney and Matt was leaving for Korea or something like that. It was the life she had to deal with. Matt’s deployments never came easy for her.

She’d gone quiet, not quite what to say much more. Though she got up and sat in the booth next to Matt after the waiter had disappeared. Even her stare was directed into the half empty water glass. Grace always tried her best to smile and be happy when Matt was around, but it was always hard when he was leaving. Grace got comfortable on his arm. “I may need something stronger by the end of the night.” She admitted. This routine was no different from any other deployment. Grace would drink until Matt cut her off.

Tag: Petty Officer Matthew Cole

(ooc: hope this works. the muse struck while i was at work)

Matt looked across the table at Grace staring into her wine glass, a very light smirk on his face as the usual thoughts ran through his mind of how beautiful she was and how blessed he was to have her.

Though seeing the look in her eyes as she looked at her well and truly empty glass he could see she had something on her mind that was causing her to be quieter than normal. The earlier altercation probably hadn't helped with that but he figured it was no doubt due to his looming deployment. It was never easy for either of them when he had to go and he knew Grace always worried, though truth be told he didn't realize just how much she worried.

When Grace ordered a Long Island Iced Tea Matt gave another little smirk along with a slightly raised eyebrow. He was partly surprised at her jumping from wine to such a strong drink so quickly, but at the same time a part of him was amused by the idea of her taking on such a strong drink, he could only imagine what that might look like later.

His eyes followed Grace as she got up and came around to sit next to him and he put his arm around her.
He kissed her on her head before turning his eyes to the half empty water glass to see what was so captivating about it as he held her close to himself. Though it was clear to see the glass had nothing to do with it and Grace was just somewhere in her own thoughts.

"Stronger?" He asked rhetorically.
It was the same routine, whenever he got a deployment she would drink until he had to be the voice of reason and cut her off when she had enough.
Matt wasn't under the delusion that his wife was perfect but in his eyes she was fairly close, and if having a few before his deployment was her only vice then he wasn't going to complain and he certainly wasn't gonna judge. He'd just be the voice of common sense when she was heading towards having one too many.

"Long Island Iced Tea has five shots of alcohol in it." He rested his cheek against her affectionately, "What's stronger than that apart from a quart of vodka?" He asked, mostly joking but partly serious.

Gracelyn Cole.

Matt would never know how much she worried, mostly because Grace was never going to let him see that worry. No doubt Katelyn would one day spill the beans but for now, she was young enough that Grace could still hide the worry from their daughter. She finished her wine and saw the concern that Matt had on his face about her Long Island Tea.

Grace didn’t have a bad habit of drinking. Usually it was one night’s worth as she ambled through the roller coaster of emotions. Sometimes it was just close the night after she found out, then sometimes it was the night before he left. It hit when it it and she didn’t take control over it. When his rhetoric cut in she just sighed. Right, perhaps her choice in words could have been better.

Right now half a gallon of Vodka sounded amazing. Though she decided not to voice that thought. The waiter brought her the drink and she ran her thumb over the glass rim again. She leaned on Matt but still hadn’t said much of anything. He’d asked two questions one of which wasn’t going to get an answer. “Nothing’s going to be strong enough.” She decided to state. No, the drinking never took away the rollercoaster. It only made it so that she could go to sleep without a care in the world.

She decided to go back to his earlier comment about the tea, “I’m aware of how much I’m having to drink.” It changed nothing. She took a sip of the drink and set it back on the table. It tasted like alcohol, it definitely didn’t fall under feminine fruity drinks. Though once she had the long island tea in her and the two glasses of wine, she had a feeling standing might be a chore later. Eh, Matt carrying her never bothered her anyway.

Tag: Petty Officer Matthew Cole

A small frown lined Matt's face when Grace told him nothing was going to be strong enough. Some times she took his deployments harder than others and tonight it seemed was one of those times when she was taking it harder. Truth was she got like this every time, only Matt wasn't aware of that because he wasn't always around to see it and Grace did a good job of not volunteering the information.

Whether he knew Grace got like it every time or not Matt hated seeing her like this, but what could do? Serving his country as a SEAL meant deployments. There was little he could say to make the rollercoaster of emotions she was feeling any better, he simply gave her a gentle kiss on the top of her head and stroked her shoulder with his thumb.

“I’m aware of how much I’m having to drink.”

Wow, the fact that he had been joking had gotten by Grace, or she at least hadn't been amused by it in the slightest. She had really taken a turn to the dark side this time.

Matt wanted to tell her it would be fine, that nothing would happen and that he would come back like he always did after every deployment, but Grace didn't like to talk about it. No, she liked to act like it wasn't happening, she liked to talk about anything but. Especially when they communicated while he was away, they had to talk about anything but what was happening and what Matt was doing over 'there'. Wherever there happened to be at the time.

"You're also aware I'm gonna have to carry you out of here when that drink kicks in. And I might well take full advantage of that." He joked with a little smirk, attempting to pull Grace back from the dark side.
Though if she didn't pick up on the fact that it was a joke this time then he was just gonna give up and knock back a couple of Jack Daniels himself.

Screw it. He was gonna have one either way.
Matt waved down the server as they pass the table, "Can I get a Jack Daniels, please."

Tag: Gracelyn Cole.

Just having him near her right now was helping. She smiled and turned towards him knowing he was worried about her. Grace reached out with her right hand and put it over his. “You are the world to me.” Well there was more to her world than that. There was of course Kaylee and family but the point remained. She just wanted her husband to come home safe. Reaching over she kissed him on the cheek. What she really wanted to say, she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

“So carry me out of here and take advantage of it. You won’t find any objections.” She knew he was mostly joking but baiting him was always fun. Grace smirked and when he ordered a Jack she quirked a brow. She’d never really seen him drink much. Okay well apparently she started the whole drinking thing, so she didn’t really have room to talk.

Grace moved up into his lap and laid her head across his shoulder. No, she didn’t care that they were in a restaurant or that she’d maybe already been pushing her limits of what she could handle. Reaching over she took another sip of her long island tea and let the alcohol seep into her system. It felt good. Grace only drank like this when Matt was around and it wasn't very often. She was always safe about it. And it was always a day or so before he had to leave on his deployments.

Tag: Petty Officer Matthew Cole

Matt felt Grace's hand on his, oh her touch always felt so nice. It always felt so comforting.
Hearing her say that he was the world to her Matt put his hand on her cheek and gazed in her eyes lovingly as he so often did. He usually told her that, he showed it more through his actions but he did say it as well... especially when he was in trouble, 'I love you baby, you're my world' was his go to response.
But hearing it meant more to him than anything, Grace meant more to him than anything. And Kaylee too of course. "You know you are my world too, baby." He replied softly before being kissed on the cheek.

Matt raised a brow when Grace told him to take advantage before taking a seat on his lap "Mmm." He smirked, leaning in ready to kiss her, "I'm gonna take you up on that." He said seductively just before his lips met hers.

He caressed her forehead as she rested across his shoulder, it felt good and if only that moment could last.
Matt watched Grace have some more of her Ice Tea, he took a sip of his Jack Daniels himself and looked down at her, "Think we'd better make these the last ones." He said being the voice of reason.
He always kept Grace safe when she went on her ritual drinking session and he always drew the line when she had drank enough, and they were about at that point. If Grace ordered another drink she wouldn't be able to stand.

Tag:Gracelyn Cole.

The ability to relax was amazing. Gracelyn smiled hearing him reply back with something as simple as almost hearing herself on repeat. This time he most certainly was not in trouble. Grace was well aware of his usual usage of that phrase. Though it was nice to hear it out of context, for once.

Grace was then caught up in her husband’s kisses. It took her a moment before she would be able to respond to the comment about being taken advantage of. “Mhmm, but not here I hope.” She wasn’t exactly the world’s biggest fan of public displays of their private lives.

She figured him cutting her off was going to happen soon. She took the last sip and smirked. No, she really wasn’t going to be able to stand but luckily she had Matt to keep her from taking out a wall or something. “I can handle that if you hold your promise.” She teased him a bit. Her words when she was drunk were a little more freeletting than her usual sober self.

Tag: Petty Officer Matthew Cole

“Mhmm, but not here I hope.”

Matt smirked amusedly and raised his eyebrows a little at her comment. There was so many things he could have said but instead he just let out a small chuckle before leaning in and kissing her lips again.

Each time Matt left for a deployment he never truly knew if he would be coming back home, it was a truth that went largely unspoken between the pair, but it was a truth that Matt knew deep down. So whenever he was leaving for a deployment he always got in a few extra kisses just before he left . It was his ritual, like drinking was her ritual.

After kissing her Matt stroked her hair lovingly with the back of his hand, then he looked into her eyes for a couple of moments as he so often did. Honestly it was Grace's smile that he fell in love with, but it was her eyes that kept him in love.

“I can handle that if you hold your promise.”

Matt looking back at her with a flirtatious smirk. Obviously the booze had well and truly kicked in by now but it wasn't anything he hadn't seen before, and it wasn't something he wouldn't see again, "Ok, I think you've had enough." He said taking the glass from her and putting it on the table, a flirtatious smirk still on his face.

"Let's get out of here." If they stayed any longer Grace would drink herself under the table and Matt never let her get herself that far gone. No he had to leave for his deployment tomorrow and they needed to get back... besides he was going to stick to his promise.

Matt stood up and held onto Grace, supporting her so that she didn't accidentally walk into anything or fall over in her current state. Though chances were he'd probably end up carrying her once they got out of the restaurant.

Tag: Gracelyn Cole.