(no subject)
This was supposed to be a measly 100 word drabble as part of the timestamp meme. The thing is, nnaylime actually managed to pic one theme I have lots of unwritten fic for floating around in my head. So she gets a whole darned fic. Unbeta'd, sadly, so feel free to concrit.
~~~
"Daddy? Will you extend my curfew til 10 tonight so I can go to the movies?"
Josh barely looked up from the report he was working on. "Who are you going with and what are you going to see?"
"Andrew," Isobel said, barely pausing before rushing to add, "The new Pixar thing."
Josh's head snapped up. "Did you just say… Andrew?"
She nodded. "Senator Walton's son."
"So is this like… a date?"
"He's a senator's son," she misdirected, smiling innocently at him. "And a democrat."
"He's also a boy and this sounds suspiciously like a date."
She made a face at him. "No, not really."
"Well, what would you call it?"
"Two friends going to a movie together."
"One of whom is a girl - my girl - and the other who is a boy," he clarified. "Which sounds suspiciously like a date."
"Well, duh, Dad. That's kind of the definition of a date - a boy and a girl going out together."
He frowned at her. "You're not exactly helping your case there."
Realizing her error, she tried switching tactics. "Mommy said I could go."
"She did?" he asked incredulously.
Isobel nodded. "She said I just needed to get approval from you on the time."
"Yeah, well, she miscalculated with that one," he said.
"Two of my other friends are going, too."
"Which ones?" he asked suspiciously.
"Daddy! Don't you trust me?"
"Sure I do. It's this Andrew boy I don't trust."
"Fine. Britt and Meghan."
"Fine. Be home by nine."
"But Daddy-"
"Nine," he repeated firmly.
"That's so not fair! Meghan's parents let her stay out later!"
"Well maybe Meghan's parents don't know that she's going out on dates."
"You just don't want me to grow up and do stuff normal girls my age do!"
"Damned straight!"
"It's not fair!"
Josh nodded, unrepentant. "Nope."
"Just so you know, Andrew thinks you’re a nut. And his dad doesn't even like you. He just keeps you on as a consultant because he knows you'll get him re-elected," she said as she flounced out of the room.
"Yeah, well I don't like them either!" Josh shouted after her, ending with a muttered, "I just happen to like the Senator's policies."
"What was all that about?" Donna asked glancing down the hall after their daughter and then back at Josh, who had slumped dejectedly over his desk.
Josh sat up straighter at the sound of her voice and scowled at her. "You're letting her go on a date?"
"It's not a date date," Donna said, shrugging and reaching over to the edge of his desk where a barely touched blueberry muffin sat. "It's a group date."
Josh grabbed the muffin away from her. "It's a date!"
"It's not going to be just her and Andrew. Britt and Meghan are going, too, and so is Andrew's friend Mark," Donna told him.
"It's still a date," he repeated.
"Funny," she said, aiming a crooked smile at him. "You keep repeating that like it's suddenly going to not be true."
"I wish it were not true," he grumbled, continuing to glare at her. "How can you let her go on a date?"
"Josh, she's fourteen! She's going to go on a real date eventually. Isn't it better that we let her go on a fake one a few times first to test it out?"
"No! There should be no dates of any kind. No group dates, not test dates, no -"
"Date dates?" Donna asked, smirking.
"Exactly." He slumped back in his chair and picked at the crumpled muffin in his hands. "It was a lot easier when all she needed to make her happy was a rendition of the Itsy Bitsy Spider," he said mournfully.
"I know," Donna synmpathized, coming around to his side of the desk and settling herself in his lap. Grabbing the mutilated muffin from him, she placed it back on the desk and wrapped her arms around his neck. "There are some perks to this, though, you know. If Izzie's out on this fake date, that means we have the house all to ourselves tonight."
He perked up a little. "Yeah?"
She kissed the corner of his mouth. "Yeah."
"There may be a good side to this fake date stuff after all."
~End~
~~~
"Daddy? Will you extend my curfew til 10 tonight so I can go to the movies?"
Josh barely looked up from the report he was working on. "Who are you going with and what are you going to see?"
"Andrew," Isobel said, barely pausing before rushing to add, "The new Pixar thing."
Josh's head snapped up. "Did you just say… Andrew?"
She nodded. "Senator Walton's son."
"So is this like… a date?"
"He's a senator's son," she misdirected, smiling innocently at him. "And a democrat."
"He's also a boy and this sounds suspiciously like a date."
She made a face at him. "No, not really."
"Well, what would you call it?"
"Two friends going to a movie together."
"One of whom is a girl - my girl - and the other who is a boy," he clarified. "Which sounds suspiciously like a date."
"Well, duh, Dad. That's kind of the definition of a date - a boy and a girl going out together."
He frowned at her. "You're not exactly helping your case there."
Realizing her error, she tried switching tactics. "Mommy said I could go."
"She did?" he asked incredulously.
Isobel nodded. "She said I just needed to get approval from you on the time."
"Yeah, well, she miscalculated with that one," he said.
"Two of my other friends are going, too."
"Which ones?" he asked suspiciously.
"Daddy! Don't you trust me?"
"Sure I do. It's this Andrew boy I don't trust."
"Fine. Britt and Meghan."
"Fine. Be home by nine."
"But Daddy-"
"Nine," he repeated firmly.
"That's so not fair! Meghan's parents let her stay out later!"
"Well maybe Meghan's parents don't know that she's going out on dates."
"You just don't want me to grow up and do stuff normal girls my age do!"
"Damned straight!"
"It's not fair!"
Josh nodded, unrepentant. "Nope."
"Just so you know, Andrew thinks you’re a nut. And his dad doesn't even like you. He just keeps you on as a consultant because he knows you'll get him re-elected," she said as she flounced out of the room.
"Yeah, well I don't like them either!" Josh shouted after her, ending with a muttered, "I just happen to like the Senator's policies."
"What was all that about?" Donna asked glancing down the hall after their daughter and then back at Josh, who had slumped dejectedly over his desk.
Josh sat up straighter at the sound of her voice and scowled at her. "You're letting her go on a date?"
"It's not a date date," Donna said, shrugging and reaching over to the edge of his desk where a barely touched blueberry muffin sat. "It's a group date."
Josh grabbed the muffin away from her. "It's a date!"
"It's not going to be just her and Andrew. Britt and Meghan are going, too, and so is Andrew's friend Mark," Donna told him.
"It's still a date," he repeated.
"Funny," she said, aiming a crooked smile at him. "You keep repeating that like it's suddenly going to not be true."
"I wish it were not true," he grumbled, continuing to glare at her. "How can you let her go on a date?"
"Josh, she's fourteen! She's going to go on a real date eventually. Isn't it better that we let her go on a fake one a few times first to test it out?"
"No! There should be no dates of any kind. No group dates, not test dates, no -"
"Date dates?" Donna asked, smirking.
"Exactly." He slumped back in his chair and picked at the crumpled muffin in his hands. "It was a lot easier when all she needed to make her happy was a rendition of the Itsy Bitsy Spider," he said mournfully.
"I know," Donna synmpathized, coming around to his side of the desk and settling herself in his lap. Grabbing the mutilated muffin from him, she placed it back on the desk and wrapped her arms around his neck. "There are some perks to this, though, you know. If Izzie's out on this fake date, that means we have the house all to ourselves tonight."
He perked up a little. "Yeah?"
She kissed the corner of his mouth. "Yeah."
"There may be a good side to this fake date stuff after all."
~End~