Prompt 25: "Where do you think you're going?"

Summary: It's Angela's first date and certain people aren't handling it well.

A/N: I'm sorry I died! Life got in the way, but I'm going to do my best to at least do one a week. Thank you all for your incredible support of my writing! Also, Shelagh's trick with her daughter is something my mom did with me when I didn't want to talk, but she needed to know what was going on. I always thought it worked really well. :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"So that's 16 and 8, which is 24 points for me!" Teddy exclaimed. Patrick nodded in acknowledgment, but his focus remained on the window. "Dad, come on, you're not even trying."

"I thought I was done with cheek when your brother went to university…" Patrick murmured under his breath.

"I heard that." Teddy quipped.

"Teddy, leave your father alone. He has a lot on his mind tonight." Shelagh gently reminded with a smile as she brought a fresh cup of tea to their table and placed it in front of her fretting husband.

"Shelagh, you didn't have to do that, I have tea." Patrick pointed out.

"That you haven't drank in nearly two hours, dearest. It's not tea anymore." she corrected, pulling the now-cold cup away from him and nudging the warm one closer. "Now, who's winning?"

"Do you have to ask?" Teddy grinned.

Shelagh looked at her son pointedly, but then glanced at the score sheet and laughed. It was true, Patrick normally went easy on Teddy in Scrabble, but the boy was up by nearly 70 points and Patrick didn't even seem to care.

"Not your finest game, Patrick." Shelagh observed, thoroughly amused.

"Can I help it if I'm a little distracted?" He replied defensively.

"Because Angela might do mushy stuff?" Teddy asked.

"Who told you that?!" Patrick whipped his head around to fully face the youngest Turner. Teddy leaned back a bit from his seemingly insane father.

"Tim. Last week." Teddy explained hurriedly. "I told him Angela was going to the pictures with a boy and that you two were all out of sorts about it and he said it was probably because you didn't want Angela doing mushy stuff."

Patrick was at a loss for words, but Shelagh burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Teddy questioned cautiously.

"Your brother and his authority on the subject of 'mushy stuff' as you like to call it." Shelagh giggled.

Patrick was going to respond, but the muffled sounds of two teenagers outside the house quickly killed his train of thought.

"Dad-"

"Shh!" Patrick waved his hand at Shelagh and Teddy, telling them to be quiet before standing up, but Shelagh would have none of it.

"Patrick Turner, where do you think you're going?" Shelagh asked insistently.

"Where do you think?" he replied without looking at her as he made his way towards the door.

"Are we going to spy on Angela?" Teddy asked a little too excitedly. "Can I come?"

"No!" Shelagh replied firmly to Teddy. "And absolutely not. Patrick, sit down." She tried to stop him, but he was already at the door. She ran over to pull his hand away from the handle and drag him into the kitchen.

"I will not let you embarrass her like that." Shelagh admonished.

"Shelagh, how can you not want to know?" he asked exasperatedly.

"I do want to know, but I want to know because my daughter trusts me enough to tell me, not because I eavesdropped on her first date." she insisted. "You know, you weren't like this when Tim went out with Caroline for the first time."

"That was different." he deflected.

"How?" she probed.

"It just...was." he finished lamely.

"Patrick, I know you love our daughter," she smiled, "but she's a fifteen year old girl. Possessive father or no possessive father, she has to spread her wings."

"How long have you been waiting to throw that back at me?" he asked wryly.

"Oh, only about 15 years." Shelagh smirked. "Patrick, stop worrying. She's a smart girl on a first date, let her be."

"I suppose…" he was still extremely unsure. Shelagh glanced past him towards the door.

"Well, if it's any consolation, anything you didn't hear will be immediately repeated by your nosy son."

Patrick turned to see Teddy, ear pressed against the front door, a look of fierce concentration on his face. Suddenly, the door opened and Teddy fell backward. Angela Turner looked down at her brother and rolled her eyes before marching upstairs. On the way up, she paused and held out her right arm so that Shelagh could see. Mother and daughter shared a secretive smile and Angela scurried away.

"What was that about?" Patrick inquired. "Don't we get to ask how it went?"

"No need." Shelagh answered contentedly. "I gave her one of my bracelets before she left and told her to wear it home. Right arm for 'it went well', left arm for 'it went badly'. She'll tell us more when she's ready. I know what it is to have everyone demanding to know your secrets"

Patrick beamed.

"You really are a miracle of a mother, you know that, right?"

Shelagh blushed.

"I don't have much advice for her in terms of dating. I didn't want to come off overly concerned and have her be angry with me." Shelagh admitted.

"Like me, you mean?" Patrick teased. Shelagh went to protest, but he silenced her coming apology with a kiss. "Darling, I know I was being over protective. I don't think I'll ever be able to stop where she's concerned, but I'm aware of it. And, if I may say so, you have may not have much dating experience, but I don't think any girl in the country has a better role model of a wife and mother."

Shelagh pulled him back down to her and indulged herself in a longer kiss.

"Ugh, never mind Angela, there's enough mushy stuff in this house already." Teddy grumbled as he walked past the kitchen.

HALF. WAY. POINT. 25 down, 25 to go! Enjoy!