Last Hoo-rah. [Chase/Ari]

Chase sat at the counter. "Just water, for now," he told the waiter, who was polishing a glass and glaring at Chase simultaneously. Wow, multitasking. He had been ordering water for the past twenty minutes, waiting for Ari to show up. He didn't want to have anything else until his pal arrived - he actually wanted to enjoy the night. Not that he often got drunk. And not that he would tonight, especially with his family in mind, and especially considering what he and Ari were celebrating - Ari's soon-to-be fatherhood.

Ari had finally made it to the Inn--he had been getting caught up back at the house but he finally managed to escape and went down to the Inn. "Hey Chase." He greeted him as Ari spotted him sitting up at the counter, so he quickly went over to him. "Just water, Chase?" He chuckled, "Are you the pregnant one now?" He poked fun at his friend as he took a seat next to his best friend.

Chase chuckled. "Well, I have put on a couple of pounds..." he patted his stomach. "Okay, now I'll order something real. Sorry," he apologized to the still-glaring waiter. "I'll have the wine," he said, pointing at the bottle on the shelf behind the waiter. "And my friend here will have-" He looked over at Ari, and grinned. "Anything he wants. It's on me. A little bit of freedom before the shackles, eh?"

The waiter brought him his drink. "It's not that bad, though," he said, taking a sip. "Really, it's not. I'm being dramatic. Being a dad is one of the best things that's ever happened to me. Besides Mia, of course."

Ari chuckled, "You have to watch yourself, Chase." Then Chase order then told him that he would have whatever he wanted, "Oh boy, a little bit of freedom." He chuckled, "Hmm, let's see. What do you recommend, Chase?" He questioned his friend. But he decided before Chase could answer, "Just give me the strongest thing you got."

The waiter then brought his drink as well and Ari continued to listen to Chase, "Oh, I bet." He took a sip of his drink then sighed--he hadn't have a drink like that in so long and it had definitely been overdue. "It really doesn't look that bad." He agreed, "It probably is the best thing. But right now, I only have Dylan but the baby, I'm just nervous about that."

"They don't have very strong stuff here," Chase sighed, looking in his glass a bit mournfully. "This is the best, relatively."

He took a swig, regardless, and wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. The wine stung the back of his throat, but Chase barely registered it. It was a dull sensation, anyways. "It seems impossibly scary," he agreed. "At least, from where you stand." He paused, and added, "Scratch that. It's still impossibly scary. You second-guess yourself at every turn, wondering if everything from the food she's eating to the TV shows we're letting her watch is stunting her emotional or physical health. Especially with girls. I don't even want to think about Clara as a teenager." He shuddered. "But it's worth it. Every single second."

Ari looked down towards his drink with a sad face, "You're right." He let out a sigh, "It'll have to do for now, I suppose." He chuckled, swirling the drink around lightly in it's glass.

Ari laughed, "You know Chase, you always make me nervous about things like this." He smiled, "Just like how you did at my wedding. I don't know how I ever get along with your advice." He continued, taking another sip of his drink, "But I appreciate your words, I really do. Whether they calm me or make me a nervous-wreck." He mindlessly let out another soft chuckle and continued to listen, "I don't think I can imagine what they would be like. I can barely imagine my boy growing up." He glanced over to Chase, "I have a feeling it's going to be a boy, I don't know why, but I just do." He shrugged. "But your daughter will be a pretty one, and then you have lovely things like boys trying to woo her just like you had to do for Mia." He took another sip of his drink.

"Just watch your back, Chase. These times are going to fly right by."