#brining up bates

[imaginesforeveryone]

Navy Nurse (Part 2)

Pairing: Rooster x Y/N Summary: You were a Navy Nurse, formally a navy pilot. You moved into being a nurse after you had done your time in the air and wanted to go into being a nurse. But, being presented with an opportunity to leave you home base to go to California changed your life in a few different aspects. Warnings: angst, language, flirting 

It was the following morning, and the first day of Top Gun. You were quite tired because you stayed up most of the night texting Rooster. You two had a lot in common. He didn’t know you were even in the Navy, for some reason it just never came up in conversation at all. But, you both had the same sense of humor, both loved doing the same things like going to the beach, working out, music. But, you needed to get ready for the day. You rolled out of bed and going to the bathroom to shower, and do you hair into a tight bun, put your khakis on, lacing up your boots and leaving to your car. You drove to base, showing ID before they opened the gate. You parked next to a very beautifully clean Bronco, getting out and locking your doors. You walked through the halls, some of the men and women walking passed you greeting you with a “Captain.” Making it to the hanger where you stopped before the doors when Maverick was stood there.

“Mav.” You said with a smile. 

“Rat. Look at you. Jesus. Look how much you’ve grown.” He said with a wide smile brining you into a hug. 

“How’ve you been?” He asked. 

“Good. Really good actually. Crazy to be at Top Gun. Thought I’d never see what you guys did back then. Now look at me.” You said with a giggle. 

“Yeah, here we are. How’s your dad?” He asked. 

“Old, but still a hard ass as always.” You said rolling your eyes. 

“Good, I’m glad.” He said with a smile. 

“Well we should probably go in.” You said. Mav openned the door letting you in first. You saw all the pilots stood in rows as the Admiral spoke. 

“Good morning. Welcome to your special training. Be seated.” Warlock said to the pilots. You and Maverick hung back till he finished speaking.

“I’m Admiral Bates. You’re all top Gun graduates. The elite, the best of the best. That was yesterday.” He said bringing their egos up, then quickly down with just a few words. 

“The enemies new 5th generation fighters have leveled the playing field. Details are few but you can be sure we no longer posses the technological advantage. Success, now more than ever.” He explains why he said what he said but you could see the pilots getting a bit squirmy with his words. 

“Comes down to the man, or women in the box.” He says looking at all of them. You looked at the pilot noticing one of them looking at the only female there. Quickly recognizing that jawline. 

“shit.” You said under your breathe. 

“What?” Maverick said. You just shook your head and looked back at Warlock. It was Hangman, you’d be helping train Hangman. This was going to be fun.

“Half of you will make the cut.” Warlock continued pulling you from your thoughts. 

“One of you will be named mission leader. The other half will remain in reserve” He said and noticing Hangman again looking behind him at one of the other pilots. Man, was this guy cocky in himself.

“Your instructor is a Top Gun graduate with real world experience in every mission aspect you will be expected to master.” Warlock began talking of Maverick who stood straight up getting ready to walk down the isle. 

“His exploits are legendary. Along side him, is also a very decorated women in the Navy. She fought along side some of the best pilots when she first started. Recently has moved here from the Virginia base to help with this mission along side this man. Her father was also a very well known pilot in his time. He was Commanding Chief of Top gun. Your instructors are known to be one of the finest pilots ever produced by Top Gun.” Warlock began introducing the two of you. You began walking together, the men and women looking down the isle. You made eye contact with Hangman who quickly turned around letting out a sigh. 

“What they have to teach you, maybe very well be the difference between life, and death. I give you Captain Pete Mitchell, call sign Maverick and Captain Y/N Metcalf, call sign Rattle.” Warlock said before stepping off stage and you and Maverick getting up. You scanned the men and one women realizing it was Phoenix. She smiled and shook her head at you. You kept scanning to finally make contact with Rooster, who you did not know was a Top Gun graduate. He looked at you then at Maverick making a sour face. You didn’t know what that was about, but you stood behind Maverick as he stood at the podium. 

“Goodmorning.” He said and Hangman giving him a smile and nod and then a wink to you. Rooster still not looking at you or Maverick. 

“The F-18 natoms. Contains everything they want you to know.” Maverick said patting the book and setting it down. You sighed out knowing what he was about to do. 

“I’m assuming you know the book inside and out.” He said.

“Damn right.” Payback said from the front row making you smile out that they knew their stuff already. Maverick paused and looked over at the higher ups, but threw it in the trash.

“and we’re off.” You said under your breathe. You let Pete do his speech while you stood there listening. After it was over and everyone broke off to go change into their suits, you followed Phoenix closely. 

“So, just a nurse? Huh?” She said with a giggle. 

“I’m sorry I just didn’t want people to look at me different because I’m decorated.” You told her as you two went to the locker room. 

“No, your fine. Shouldn’t be saying sorry to me. If you told me your call sign and your last name, I most definitely would have known who you were.” She said with a smile. Once you got to your locker you got your flight suit on and took off the rest of you clothes, zipping it up and lacing you boots again. 

“Exactly why I didn’t tell anyone. Didn’t want them to treated me differently outside of work. Wanted to make friends without them treating me like I’m the daughter of a very good pilot, like I was their captain at all times.” You said as you and her walked out. 

“Your fine Captain. Nothing to be sorry about, I get it.” She said. You put all your gear on as you walked. You helmet in you hand that was decorated with scales of a viper in brown and black and your call sign on the back and the front of it. 

“Come on, lets get out there and do our check.” She said walking through the doors out to the tarmac. You looked around hoping to see Rooster so you could explain yourself. But, no sign of him yet. You went over to your jet that was parked next to Mavericks and started your check. 

“Rooster.” You heard a voice say. You turned to see Rooster walking, but Maverick following close behind. 

“Bradley.” Maverick said trying to get Rooster to turn around but he just ignored him. 

“Lieutenant Bradshaw.” Maverick said with a more stern voice. Now, Bradley stopped to talk to him right in front of your plane where you were. 

“Yes sir?” Rooster said turning around to Maverick. 

“Lets not do it like this.” Maverick said, making you confused as to what he was talking about. 

“You gonna wash me out?” Rooster asked. You eyes went wide thinking this must have to do with his dad and Maverick. What happened all those years ago. You didn’t want to eavesdrop on their conversation so you went back to your check, hoping to slip in after Maverick was done talking to him. But Rooster seemed already pissed off so you didn’t want to fuel the fire. You decided to wait till you two were waiting to go up. You finished your check on your plane as Rooster walked away. 

“Just follow my lead, and do some of that pilot shit you do.” Maverick said to you as he walked passed you. 

“Your the one who does that pilot shit sir!” You yelled back with a smile and saw him shake his head and smile. You geared up and got into your plane. It was just you for right now. 

“Goodmorning Aviators.” You said through the mic to the rest of the men and women who were flying with you. 

“This is your Captain speaking, welcome to basic fighting maneuvers. As briefed todays exercise is dog fighting. Guns only, no missiles.” Maverick said explaining what was happening today. 

“You have not only 1, but 2 enemies in the sky right now. Me, and Rattle. Watch your back. They don’t call her Rattle for nothing.” He said and making you think back to how you got your name. Well, few different things that made you get your name. Obviously, rattlesnake Viper, your father. But, you had flown for a few years when you started in the Navy. That was what you started out doing. You flew with Maverick for awhile. He actually taught you everything you knew, you father also, but you dad retired soon after you went into the Navy, so Maverick practically became your Navy father. Your mentor if you will. You two were on a mission with a few other pilots, you were in a dog fight with an enemy and couldn’t shake them, so what you decided was the best thing to do was pretend to fall to get your enemies to pass you by, by rattling your aircraft side to side in a sense for them to be confused as to why you were doing that. It was to distract them, making them wonder what the hell was going on with your flying skills. But quickly coming back up behind them and taking them down like a venomous rattlesnake. 

“We’ll see about that.” Rooster said over the mic, sensing that he was angry with you, and of course Maverick. 

“Working as a team you have to shoot me down. Or else.” Maverick said. 

“Or Else what sir?” Payback asked over the mic.

“Or else I shoot you back. same goes for Rattle.” He said. 

“If I, or rattle shoot either one of you down, you both lose.” Maverick continued explaining. 

“How about we put some skin in the game?” Payback said. 

“What do you have in mind?” You asked liking a challenge. 

“Who ever gets shot down first has to do 200 push-ups.” He suggested.

“Thats a lot of push-ups.” You said with a laugh. 

“You got yourself a deal gentleman.” He said and you put your mask on getting read to play. 

“Lets turn and burn.” Maverick said. As he said you two were below the two other aircrafts and pulled up to go straight for them. 

“Anyone see them?” Rooster asked his wing man. 

“Nothing on radar.” They told him. As you began getting closer you turned your plan so the bottom of it faced Rooster and flew by causing them to gasp out as Maverick went between the two. 

“How about we try not to get fired on the first day?” You asked Maverick. As you gained on the men almost in sight they broke left and right, you went for Payback and Fanboy and Maverick went for Rooster. 

“Rooster just saved your life, but it’s going to cost his.” Maverick said over the mic. 

“Not today Old man!” Rooster yelled out trying to shake Maverick off his tail. But he was getting to close to the hard deck and had to pull up causing Maverick to get a shot. 

“Shit!” Rooster yelled out as he got shot down. You all went back to the base and landed you planes. Rooster getting out of his plane and dropping down to do his 200. You walked passed him and up to the office where the rest of the aviators waited. Once Rooster finished his push ups he made his way upstairs, but didn’t come into the room. You decided to go look for him. Leaving the room, and beginning to walk down the stairs but there he was. He sat on the stair with his head hung. 

“Rooster.” You said getting his attention and he stood. 

“Captain.” He said with so much sass in his voice. 

“Stop it Rooster.” You told him. 

“Stop what?” He asked knowing what he was doing. Giving the attitude. 

“You cant be mad at me for not telling you I’m in the Navy. Not something I enjoy telling people I just met, on top of what my name is to Navel Aviators that know my father. I didn’t want people to look and treat me different. This is a whole new world for me out here. I know no one, I’m new, so don’t hold it against me.” You told him standing on the last stair and he stood at ground floor, now making you taller than him at all. 

“I’m not mad at you. I still like you for you. I may respect you a little more because well your my Captain, but I wont treat you different out of work. I will treat you like a Captain should be treated on base though.” He explained looking at you now. 

“Then what’s with you? What’s up with the back talk, the sass, and the anger towards Maverick?” You asked him trying to get more details out of him. 

“It’s nothing.” He said as you physically saw him tense up and walk passed you up the stairs. You followed behind him and got into the room where everyone was. You had a few more runs with everyone, Rooster not being able to get a kill on Maverick or you making him progressively more and more mad through out the day. The last dog fight was Maverick, Rooster, and Hangman. You decided to go up as Hangman’s backseater just to watch him. 

“So Rooster, mind if I ask you a personal question?” Hangman asked over the mic looking over at Rooster in his plane. 

“Would it matter if I did?” Rooster replied with a witty comeback. 

“So what’s the story with you and Maverick?” Hangman asked and you smacked him on the top of the helmet hinting not to ask that question. 

“Its none of your business. Now where the hell is he?” Rooster asked. 

“Been here the whole time.” You heard Maverick come on the mic all of sudden. You looked over seeing Maverick flipping his air craft upside down on top of Rooster. 

“Holy shit.” Hangman said looking at the maneuver Maverick just did. 

“You see me now?” Maverick asked now directly above Rooster. 

“What the hell is with these two?” Hangman asked. 

“Don’t ask.” You said now just watching what happened below you. As you watched them plummeting straight to the ground you were so tense watching this happen. Hang man now staying away but close enough to watch what happened. Quickly the fight came to an end when Rooster could get close enough to take the shot and Maverick got behind him to take him down. 

“Same old Rooster.” Hangman said. You two veering off to go back to base. 

“Do you know what’s with them?” Hangman asked you. 

“I don’t and if I did I wouldn’t tell you because its no ones business besides theirs.” You told him. 

“Well, can I make your business my business then?” He asked flirting with you. 

“Lieutenant not a good time to flirt with your Captain.” You told him. 

“Oh, Captain, it’s always a good time for flirting.” He said and could hear his smile. 

“Just get us back to base.” You told him. So he did. landing the plane he got out first to drop the ladder and you out second. You watched as Rooster did his push ups. Hando counted out 200 and Rooster kept going. 

“Rooster, thats enough man.” Hando said. But Rooster didn’t listen so he just walked away. After 2 more he finally stopped. 

“Breaking the hard deck, insubordination? You trying to get kicked out?” You asked Rooster kind of annoyed with the way he acted. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Is all he said. You sighed and bent down to him. 

“Look, I may not be going on this mission, but I’m here to train you guys for the mission. If you get kicked out, then that leaves the rest of them to rely on Hangman. Are you willing to put their lives in the hands of Hangman? Talk to me. What the hell was that?” You asked Rooster who didn’t make eye contact with you at all. 

“He pulled my papers.” He said causing a confused look to spread in your face. 

“Who pulled you papers?” You asked him not getting a hint. 

“Maverick.” He said plainly. 

“He pulled my application in the Naval Academy. Set me back 4 years.” He said finally looking up at you. 

“Why would he do that?” You asked. But no answer from Rooster. You decided to leave him to what ever he was doing and go to the locker rooms to take a shower. Quickly taking one, and getting your civilian clothes on to leave for the day. You walked out of the locker rooms, down the hall, and out to the parking out. You got to your car and saw that the beautiful Bronco was still next to you car, but coming around you saw Rooster. He was unlocking the door to the Bronco. 

“This is yours?” You asked breaking his focus as he looked over to you. 

“Yep. She’s mine.” He said with a slight smile. The first one you’ve seen since last night. 

“It’s nice. See you tomorrow Lieutenant.” You said walked passed him and to your jeep on the other side. You unlocked your door and got in. Hearing a tap on your window, you turned and saw Rooster. You rolled down the window to see what he needed.

“Listen, I know we just met yesterday. You are my captain now, but I do actually like you. I’m sorry for being an ass all day.” He explained his feelings to you.

“You had good reason for being upset. But the way you flew today was not the way to express that. You could have killed yourself, and Maverick doing that shit.” You told him leaning your arm on the frame of the window. 

“Yeah I know, I know. I let the anger get the best of me. Look, I wanted to ask if you wanted to go to the Hard deck with me tonight?” He said looking at you with his aviators on. 

“Maybe.” You said beginning to play hard to get. 

“Maybe? Huh? So should I go or no?” He asked pulling his sunglasses below his eyes. 

“Maybe.” You said again with a smile and backing your car up and leaving him wondering. 

“She’s going to be fun.” Rooster said watching your car leave out of the lot.

[bread-roses-and-chrome]

Contractual Obligation

The static frothed and roiled in the corner, sputtering its crackling words. The curious monotone of the radio announcer preached its gospel of a dying world. "The Chinese occupation of Sakhalin continues into its fourth week. Negotiations continue in Rason and Seoul as the world watches with bated breath." "I saw the oil fields burning. In Guarico. Flames dancing in the sky like feasting imps, leering and laughing and crunching bones between their teeth. The infantrymen kept trudging on. None of them said a word." "Washington D.C. announced further restrictions on interstate travel, in accordance with the provisions of the Wayfaring and Roads Act." "The Sixth Republic of the Philippines celebrates the birthday of the beloved Chairman of the Council of National Preservation, Emilio Clemente Abracosa." Kurtis Dagohoy listened, but he did not listen at full attention. He was too busy setting up the interplay system. The odd mess of thick cables and wiring lay like spilled guts on the smooth concrete, picked apart only by worn, deft hands and the recognition of experience. He could tell them all apart in the dark by now. He could tell them apart in his sleep. He could tell them apart guided only by the flickering light of a fluorescent bulb, with nothing else to give and decrepitude and death in its sights. The drone of the electric fan pressed into the edge of his hearing, barely overcoming the warm, sickly air. 14:00. 37° in Manila today. "Not gonna show up for work, are you? Don't be an idiot," the metal voice from the tank whispered. It sounded like it had been through seven different voice changers, being filtered through corrugated iron and a tin can. Spoken by someone up from a long, long sleep. Aklanon painstakingly rendered by a woman who seemed to have never spoken this language before. Even though she had. All her life. Soothing, but not endearing, to most. Almost dead herself. Not to Kurtis Dagohoy. "You pay me better than they do. 50,000 ain't small in this economy, even with prices this high," he replied matter-of-factly. The man didn't even look up. "The day Mack-Ras or Veterans' Affairs give me enough to feed the kids is the day I die happy. Kaarawan ng Kanyang Kagalingan, bah! I applied for this last Christmas! Stingy little fuckers, all of them!" "Don't you talk like that about Abracosa!" The voice's sarcasm was unmistakable. Her confidence could get them killed. He liked that about her. Sometimes. "Sure, he's a coup plotter. Sure, he's thrown millions in ditches with bullets in their heads. Sure, the war in Mindanao's back on. And sure, the Junta's still in charge ten years after he promised to abolish it. But he'll save the Philippines! What's left of it!" "What's left of it? What's left of you!?" The man's laugh was hoarse, ruined by decades of nicotine, Ginebra, and untaxed moonshine. "I don't even know what's left of you! I can't see shit through this goddamn brine!" "You went there! You went there! I knew you'd get there, you son of a bitch! The laughter echoed through the musty, run-down apartment. Then it faded. The quiet whirring of the electric fan returned. The red glow from the tank reflected crow's feet and a salt-and-pepper beard. Contorted into the face of a scared, bitter man. ================================================ Next.

[roleplaysofhelios]

The feeling of Phantom's cooler fur against his very warm skin made Brine let out a small whine at first. Being a Demi-Deity with natural fire powers, he was never one to like the cold or cooler temperatures. Her warmer breath made it so he didn't pull away completely, but it was the low purring that made him finally relax when he had been so tense this whole time.

Brine found his watery eyes beginning to dry as the Warden kept her muzzle against him for a bit. As Brine's mind began to clear, he could sense something... off, about this creature. There was a different, but familiar feeling to her that made Brine's brows rise a bit as he finally opened his eyes.

Lucky looked down at the being with bated breath as his companion blinked a couple of times. Brine finally spoke with:

He let a weak chuckle escape his lips as he looked up at Phantom. That energy was there, he couldn't deny it. And it made him wonder how old she was or how long this Warden had been here. The energy he was sensing was powerful to him, and definitely not of the kind with normal mobs or other monsters he had met.

Brine tilted his head as he beamed a bit. "I imagine you miss them. I'm very old too, and I know I miss some of... some of the humans I once knew from a long time ago. Their lifespans just... sometimes seem like a blink to those ancient." His lip seemed to tremble a bit, but he shook it off to keep from crying again.

Brine blinked a couple more times in what seemed like exhaustion. "You must have been very important to the humans who lived here. I know many don't like Wardens, but you seem like one they treated with great respect and love."

[Continued roleplay with @the-phantom-of-the-deep from this post here!]

Lucky did his best to fall in step with the ancient mob, finding himself looking over her as he held Brine close to his chest. The Warden was gigantic, and despite her stature, she was incredibly docile. He also hadn't met a mob such her that could speak the same language, and her accent was very pleasant to the ears.

Lucky trailed behind her for a bit, keeping his gaze on Phantom until the ancient city where she lived came into view.

The Amorapuff had heard of such structures from Brine and Steve, but never had he seen or been to one. The buildings and structures showed age, and clearly everyone else who had once been here had been gone for a long time now. Lucky didn't know how long this city had been here or how old Phantom was, but he was surprised by how preserved everything was.

The library was quite a sight to behold. Everything in it seemed to have bee saved from the harshness of age, and as he sat down not too far from the Warden in her nest, Lucky couldn't help but marvel at everything. Lucky nodded when she asked them to be gentle, responding with, "We will. I wouldn't dream of not being careful in such a beautiful place."

Brine nuzzled against his companion's chest, and Lucky held him just a little closer.

The big, toothy smile Phantom gave Lucky unnerved him just a bit, but he tried to push that fear aside to look at her and comfort Brine as well.

Lucky looked to where eyes would have been on the Warden's face if she had any, and there was something about her face that read that she wouldn't hurt them. It was... comforting, in a strange way.

"So... I'm guessing there used to be people here," Lucky started. "This place seems like no one else has been here for a long time... Is it just you here?"

[houseoffundies]

Here are a couple of weird things I notice about the Bates that no one mentions.

1) Tori Bates Smith rarely posts on her IG page, but it's weird to me that she only wishes Kade a happy birthday but not Kolter.

2) Trace is dating a girl who is about to be deported. Wouldn't marriage be a question she is doing to stay in America, not that she loves Trace? Is it because she's blonde that it's not a question that she did not come here the right way?

3) Erin stopped participating in the boutique before she was sick or having pregnancy issues, but fundie snark likes to say that it's because of her health that she's pulled back, but her health is okay to open her own business. TBH Erin stopped being involved once they hired people outside the family.

4) After the racist comment on Carlin's IG story by one of her brothers, Kelly has started to follow her black sisters on IG.

5.) Once a relationship starts with a Bates member, the person entering the relationship with the Bates stops posting images of their family and will only post about the Bates.

6) Tiffany was a backup bridesmaid to Esther because of her sister's drama, and she left the wedding party.

7) Chad's construction company is a hobby and not a career. Don't believe me; where's the website for Paine Construction to hire fabulous Chad to do work? Doesn't exist, but the cards for Erin and Chad do. The Bates kids who use Chad don't pay him but buy the materials, and he does the labor for free.

8) Kelly doesn't have a great relationship with her mom or MIL, and this is why she cannot let her daughters leave and has to be at each birth.

[keepingupwithfundies]

BuB 821: New Beginnings

The Bates sisters plan their new business venture, Kelly takes the little girls to a ropes course, Carlin and Evan have a wedding shower, and the new church is dedicated. 

-T

At Zach and Whitney, Erin arrives with Carlin, Chad and Everly to discuss their boutique. They are waiting to hear back from the state with their business license before placing their first order. They discuss an April launch, assuming that comes through in time. They talk about return policy, they don’t know anything about ordering sizes. They are excited for working together, and even if it doesn’t work out, they will have fun trying.

Kelly takes the three little girls to a nature center to do some ropes courses. Kelly says she has been busy with the wedding, and she felt like she needed some time with the younger girls. Lawson reminds us that Kelly is not the biggest fan of more adrenaline seeking stuff. They do the first course, and Callie goes first. She is nervous to go first but does a great job. Everyone follows her lead. They arrive at a point where Callie panics. Her sister immediately encourage her, and she finishes strong. Kelly struggles through that same obstacle, and jokes that next time they should just get ice cream. Kelly’s daughters encourage her through it. They all talk about how Kelly always does things with her kids, and she just wants to be right there with them, even if it isn’t her favorite thing.  They zip line down, and high five to celebrate.

At Bible Baptist Church, it is time for Carlin’s wedding shower. They are so excited to be getting close to the big event. Carlin is also touched that this is the first event in the new church. The family greets the arrivals. Gil welcomes everyone, and says this is getting real. Then Zach calls Gil & Kelly, Evan’s parents, and Mama Jane and Papa Bill up for quick advice. Kelly tells them not to stop being affectionate. Gil says to always put the other person first. Mrs. Stewart says always kiss goodnight, and never go to bed angry. Mr. Stewart says to always have date nights. Papa Bill says “listen to what she says.” And then “if she’s not happy, you’re not gonna have a good time.” Then, Carlin and Evan open gifts, and thank everyone. Carlin says she was trying to watch and take everything in. Carlin opens one fist from the mother of her piano student, who painted the lighthouse where Evan proposed.  Carlin thanks everyone for coming, and says she needs to take it all in for a moment, and how thankful she is for everyone in that room. She tears up and jokes it is a wedding preview. She says she cannot wait to become Evan’s wife. Gil is sad she is moving out of the house, but excited she will be close.

On Sunday, the Bates family fill their new church for the Dedication Service. Carlin says this was one of Gil’s biggest dreams. Gil says God was involved from the beginning doing miraculous things for that church. The Stewart Family sings, and Gil tears up. Carlin is touched they sing, and she also tears up during the signing. Gil preaches, and then they all pray together. Erin says they are happy for Gil. Gil says that first big meeting was a dream come true.

[duggarbatesfan]

Whitney Bates and her daughter Kaci.

Source: Whitney Bates’ Instagram

[houseoffundies]

Esther shared that her mom doesn't like to fly. Which is fine buy Renee could have come to her. She did that for the Duggars. The other girls were her sisters-in-law that did attend.

When Esther went wedding dress shopping it seems like it was mostly Bates people who went with her. I wonder where her mother and sisters were and if they wanted to be apart of it? I know Esther comes form a big family as well but I think at least her mom would want to be there as well you know?

maybe esther and her parents aren’t as close? or her mom could be self conscious and not want to be in photos or have them posted

[siremasterlawrence]

Ensnaring The Royal Family

Part 1

King Lance Michael Andrew Tyler is the only member of a Royal Family to attend the met gala.

I knew he is the perfect specimen to bring my idea to life so I waited for him inside of The Met.

He stays on the red carpet smiling wide with a bright white teeth and poses for the height tech cameras.

Entering the met I can see him from a bit of distance I make a dash behind him with a needle in the half.

He spikes the drip grabbing hold of the tux collar in his right hand yanking it down as he reacts.

The needle lifts in to the air raising it higher and higher injecting it in to his neck sleekly.

I press it down letting the needle sink in as the serum drips in to his skin slowing into the blood.

The serum floods through the blood become a roaring, raging and hot red color in to blue.

His blood, and veins become icy cold fading under my weight in to my arms.

“Sorry your Majesty”

“What is happening to me?”

“I am claiming possession of him”

“I have ensnared you”

“Nnnnnnoooooo…fuck”

“Accept it! I am in control now “

“Those eyes turning ice cold blue”

“Excellent! Call me Master Lawrence”

“Yes My King, I surrender”

“Ddddddddaaaaaammmmmmnnnnnn!” My King Lance shouts.

I shoot up from under the covers sitting up on to my pillow, and he catches himself.

His hand in his hair rubbing it slowly in a embarrassing state at my noticing him.

“Sorry about that Master!”

“It’s the Golden Jubilee of my Coronation”

“What’s the issue?”

“It’s my my moronic son causing a stir”

“He is in jail, they just bailed him out”

“He has no idea what a fool he is making me seem like.”

“Will you go back with me to the island?”

“For what?”

“I don’t want to lose you if I go back there.”

The end

Ensnaring The Royal Family 2

Part 2

King Lance kisses me as we move in to the entrance of his private jet setting across him in the seats nicely decked.

We place in our airplanes seat belts in to the locks with all excitement in his eyes blow up.

The plane flew through the sky for five hours straight till we land on the enormous private island.

The limo is waiting for us diving to the Kings lavish mansion the gates swing open to my surprise no big reveal.

His employees wait by the gate with bated breath and clap loudly as we appear out of the car.

He takes my hand leading me In to the giant archaic castle largely looming over me I can

hear foot steps.

“Oh Father ! You are back so great!” His hot wayward son claims.

“How could you? Do you understand you are a Prince Jackson?” Lance yells furiously.

“Prince? Who the fuck cares about outdated and pretentious titles?” He retorts.

“I thought…this is still a systemically built absolute monarchy?” I ask innocently enough.

“Of course it is! Jackson is a useless alcohol driven dilettante Prince” he swears.

“You old fool!” Jackson stomps back up the spiral staircase.

Apparently the sight of me makes him sick to his stomach or his core I can’t tell.

I’m use to that look it leaves me broken so I excuse myself out of the room.

I head in to the garden a massive beauty if I ever saw one so magnificent.

The sunlight is so bright washes over us on to the glass.

The light is so glorious flashing over me as he walks out.

His hands wrap my waist from behind me in a shocker I jolt upward.

“I hope he did not dissuade you from me.”

He states.

“What if he did?” I suggest pulling away in annoyance.

“What kind of answer is that?” He demands me to face him.

“You are not my king” I fight back with this eager expression.

“Never forget that.” I state in defiance as he frowns.

“You are my everything” he states falling to his knees.

“Please do not give up on me.” He begs.

“I love you.”

“Can’t you see that?”

“I believe you”

“Good? How should we proceed”

We walk back in to the castle long length hallway leading to the showroom where we find Jackson slouching around in disgust.

The television is on with a spiral brining him in to a mindless state.

The end

[fundiebabynamebible]

Brining Up Bates season 3 is done. Ashley had a lucky escape from being stuck with Nathan for the rest of her life. It's sad that Carlin and Tori have grown apart. Onto season 4 now.

[rmtndew]

Begin Again

Summary: Walter Marshall is a dedicated homicide detective doing his best to balance his work life with being a single father to a teenage girl. Fiona Sparks is a woman doing her best to take care of everyone and everything around her, except for herself. Neither has had the best luck with relationships, but once they meet, they’re willing to give it another shot, this time with each other. (It’s basically just romantic fluff) 

Pairing: Marshall and OFC.

Rating: PG

Warnings: Mentions of death, cancer.

A/N - This is a sequel to ‘All I’ve Ever Known’. I started writing this because I needed an escape for some personal stuff going on and my coping mechanism included giving Marshall all the love that man needed, and imagining him being the softest boyfriend to me, then passing those details on to Fiona (my OFC).

I also made a Spotify playlist for this story, if anyone is interested - Begin Again Playlist 

 Tag list - @hollydaisy23, @alyxkbrl, @onlyhenrys, @omgkatinka, @speakerforthedead0​, @gearhead66,  @thethirstyarchive, @oddsnendsfanfics, @littlerinoa, @agniavateira, @aaescritora, @justaboringadult, @beenthroughalot, @seriouslygoodlookinggents,  @xxxkatxo

If you want to be added/removed from the tag list, let me know!

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7

The last Wednesday in October was a gray, misty, windy day. It was cold, the kind you felt more in your bones than anywhere else, with the sky occasionally spitting out sleet. I spent the entire twenty-minute drive to my job at Waverly Catering clutching the steering wheel so tightly that my hands were cramping by the time I arrived from white-knuckling it the whole way there. Usually, I would get to work early enough to enjoy the silence and finish off my coffee before officially starting my workday. That day, however, I spent the very little extra time I had trying to get my hands to stop hurting, then chugged down my coffee that had cooled dramatically to a gross lukewarm temperature. 

Before going in, I checked my phone. I always kept it on silent while I drove. My mom had a tendency to text me, make a dozen spelling mistakes because of auto-correct, then correct them one by one, leaving me with about thirteen separate texts to read. It didn’t use to bother me, I thought it was charming and very distinctly Mom. But when she’d gotten sick at the beginning of the year, every text she sent that I couldn’t read immediately made me panic, worrying that something terrible had happened to her, even when I’d just seen her at home a few minutes before. So for my sanity - and hers - I started putting my phone on silent until I got to work, or wherever else I was going. It was a habit I’d kept even after she’d gone into remission because her cancer may have been gone, but my anxiety over her wasn’t. 

That morning when I checked my phone, I saw that I had two texts, but they weren’t from Mom. 

Marshall:  Good morning, Fi. I hope that I get to see you today. I’ll be chained to  my desk with paperwork for a while. This is the first time I’ve not dreaded it. You’re my silver lining.

That was cheesy. I’m sorry. I’m bad at this.

And just like that, all of my stress melted away. The weather didn’t matter, my disappointing coffee didn’t matter, even the cramping in my hands didn’t matter. All that did matter was that Walter Marshall thought of me as his silver lining. Yes it was early days, yes we’d barely known each other a month, yes we’d only gone on two dates, but he made me happier than I’d been in a long time. I felt like I’d been holding my breath for two years, starting when my dad had died in a car crash, followed by my boyfriend Ezra breaking up with me, then losing my job as an interior designer, and capping off with my mom’s cancer diagnoses. Then Walter came along and it was like I could finally breathe again. 

Me:  Please don’t apologize. You have no idea how much I needed to read that this morning. Feel free to be as  cheesy as you want. And I hope I get to see you today, too, even if it  means you’re chained to your desk.

Marshall:  If I don’t see you for some reason,  can I call you tonight? I miss your  voice and you make me want to get better at this talking thing. 

I could feel myself blushing. Even over the phone he made me feel like a teenager with a crush. I had no idea that anyone could make me feel that way as an adult, but he did every time he texted me. 

Me:  Of course you can. Even if we do see  each other, you can still call, if you want? Practice makes perfect, and all that.

Marshall: I’d like that. Talk to you soon.

I sat back in my seat with a sigh as I looked out at the sleet falling from the gray sky, spattering my windshield, blurring out the image of the trees in the park across from me blowing and bending in the wind. 

It was going to be a good day. 

“You look...dare I say it? Happy?” Darcy said as I walked into her office.

I smiled. “You may dare to say it because yes, I am quite happy.”

“And what brings you to such an extreme emotion so early on such a disgusting day?”

I went to her desk and sat in the chair opposite her. “Well, for one, I know that you’re about to do me a big favor that I will forever be grateful for.”

“Fiona Sparks asking for a favor? I’ll mark the day in my calendar,” she joked. “What kind of favor do you need?”

“I need a copy of the peanut butter cookie recipe.”

“For what purpose?” 

“See, that’s where the happiness part comes into play and you, being one of my dearest friends, would love to see me happy.” 

“I would but I’m unsure how a cookie recipe is going to do that.”

“It’s not for me,” I said, smiling wide. “I met this guy -” 

“What? Who?” she asked enthusiastically, her eyes wide with excitement.

“His name is Walter Marshall. He’s our detective who never changes his lunch order.”

“You’re dating one of the homicide detectives? You can feel free to thank me later for giving you that order, by the way. But right now I want details: How long have you been dating and why am I just now finding out about it?”

“We’re not technically dating. I met him a few weeks ago for the first time and we went on two dates last week.” 

“You haven’t dated anyone in over two years, and then you go on two dates in one week?”

“Well, the first was just a coffee date. Saturday we tried having a proper one.” 

“Tried?” she asked, raising her eyebrow. 

“He wanted to take me to dinner, so we went to an Italian place, but before we could order, his daughter called. She was supposed to be at a Halloween party, but some of her friends had lied to her, I guess, and it ended up being a basement party with slightly older boys and she felt uncomfortable, so we went and picked her up. Then we all went for pizza together.”

“He has a daughter, which is some heavy baggage to begin with, but you met her on your second date? That’s a lot, Fiona.” 

“I know it seems like it, but it’s really not. She’s a good kid. And he’s an amazing father, which, oddly, just makes him more attractive,” I said. “But that’s not the point. The point is that his daughter was, understandably, a little iffy about me being with him when he picked her up until she found out that I’m the one who brings the cookies. She apparently loves them and I told her that I might be able to get her a copy of the recipe and that seemed to pave the way for her not hating me instantly. And she’s thirteen, so that’s a pretty big deal.”

“I have so many questions right now but I can’t sort them all out so I’m going to be annoying you with them all day, just be prepared for that. All I want to know right now is if you want the recipe laminated or not?” 

I let out a relieved breath. “Yes, please, if you don’t mind. And thank you so much, Darcy. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“I do know. You never ask for anything, even simple things, so the fact that you’re willing to ask me for a favor means this is a pretty big deal,” she said. “He must be a good guy.”

I nodded. “He really is.” 

I arrived at the police station that morning a little before eleven. I’d left the shop early, worried the weather might get bad again and didn’t want to be late for my delivery. Thankfully the sleeting had stopped, allowing me to get there a few minutes early. A few minutes that I used up trying to pull my dolly through the parking lot. The lot had been salted, which was good in that at least it wasn’t icy, but the wheels on my dolly didn’t seem to like the brine mixture. They kept locking up on me. Between that and having to fight against the roaring wind, it took me an embarrassingly long time to reach the station door. Before I could push it open, someone opened it from the inside for me. I looked up, expecting to see Officer Bates. He was the security officer that was posted downstairs and always went through the containers full of lunches that I brought to the homicide unit every week. Instead, I saw Marshall.

“Hello,” he said with a smile. 

I immediately felt like giggling. The last time I’d seen him, we’d kissed. And seeing him right then, seeing his beautiful, handsome face, I wanted so badly to kiss him again. Instead, I felt myself grow shy as I blushed so fiercely that my cheeks stung with the new heat that rushed to them. 

“Hi,” I said. He pulled the door open all the way, then stepped back, allowing me to walk in. My stomach fluttered as I looked back at him. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He closed the door behind me. “May I help you with your cart?”

“No, it’s okay.”

“Would you let me help you take it back to your car when you leave, at least?”

I fought every instinct inside of me that insisted I say no. Darcy was right: I hated asking for even simple things. I never wanted to burden anyone. But since I’d met Marshall, I’d learned that his way of showing interest or affection was to do things for me. But he always asked first, wanting my permission. It challenged me, but in a good way. I didn’t need to always go it alone if I didn’t have to. 

“Um, yeah, I’d appreciate that. Thank you,” I said. “The wheels didn’t seem to agree with the salted parking lot. You could probably pull it a lot easier than me.” 

Marshall stayed with me as Officer Bates went through the containers I’d brought in. He wasn’t close enough to make anyone passing by question it, but it was close enough that my hand hanging at my side could feel the heat coming from his hand and forearm, that was visible from the blue henley that was pushed up to his elbows in a way that I found incredibly attractive. My fingers itched to seek out his, but I fought it. Keeping them obediently beside me. Once Officer Bates was done and gave me the all clear to take the food up, Walter walked me to the elevator and pressed the button to call it down. Then he held the door back, letting me in first before following me. After the door slid closed, he fell back half a step, putting him right beside me. His hand bumped mine, his fingers snaking through, gently holding mine. I smiled, knowing I wasn’t the only one itching for contact. 

I turned without a thought and placed a kiss on his shoulder. Then I paused, a moment of panic rising in me that maybe we weren’t at that level yet. But before I could move or feel too worried, he placed a kiss on the top of my head.

“I keep thinking about Saturday,” he whispered. 

“Me, too,” I said. I looked up at him. “It was...pretty amazing.”

He smiled. I could see his sharp canine teeth. They were oddly charming. “Yes, it was.” He laced his fingers with mine more securely, properly holding it. “I know I mentioned calling you tonight, but I hoped that we might have dinner again instead. If you’re not busy?”

“I’m exceptionally not busy tonight.”

“Good.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead before turning his head back to face the elevator door. “I won’t be able to finish all my paperwork today, there’s too much and it keeps multiplying like rabbits, so since I have to do it tomorrow anyway, I’m going to knock off here around five. Could I pick you up after that? Around five-thirty, perhaps?” 

I nodded, smiling. “That sounds great.”

The elevator dinged as we reached the homicide unit floor. He gave my hand a couple of gentle squeezes before letting it go as the door slid open. He stepped out, then held the door for me like he had before, letting me pull my cart out. He walked with me almost all the way to the break room before a shorter man with glasses stopped him. 

“Lieutenant Marshall, can I speak with you in your office for a moment?” he asked. 

“Of course.” Walter touched my shoulder. “Excuse me,” he said to me quietly before leaving for his office. 

I continued on and was met by most of the detectives waiting for me. Like usual, they didn’t talk to me much, just thanking me for the food before taking their box and going. I took my time, hoping that by the time that I was done, the man speaking with Walter would be gone before I brought him his lunch. When I was done, I packed up my cart before taking Marshall’s boxed lunch and walked down the hall, finding the door to his office open. I could hear him talking still and wasn’t sure what to do. I’d made a deal with him a few weeks back to always bring his lunch to his office whenever I delivered - the first time was because a uniformed officer looked like he was going to swipe it, after that, it was to thank him for rescuing me from a pushy creep while I was with my ‘friends’. We’d never discussed if I should interrupt while he was working. I chewed my lip, debating what to do for several seconds before deciding to just take a chance and knock on the door frame. The worst case scenario was that I looked like a very dedicated delivery woman making sure that all of my orders reached their proper owners. 

“Yep. Come in,” Walter called out in response to my knocking.

I entered his office only far enough to be seen and not a step further. I didn’t know if Marshall wanted people to know about us, so I was prepared to make a quick exit if I needed to. “I have a delivery for Detective Marshall,” I said. 

He looked at me and smiled, then waved me in further. “Harper, this is Fiona Sparks. Fiona, this is Commissioner Harper.”

“Hi. It’s nice to meet you, sir,” I said. 

“You, too.” He looked at me over the top of his glasses. “You don’t happen to be related to Rodger Sparks, by any chance?” 

I felt speechless for a moment. I hadn’t heard anyone other than Mom say Dad’s name in months. Finally, I forced myself to nod. “Yes. He was my dad. How - how did you know?” 

“We went to college together. You’re the spitting image of him,” he said. “I was sorry to hear about him passing away. I lost my wife around two years ago as well. A brain aneurysm.” He shook his head. “It doesn’t get any easier.” 

“No, it doesn’t,” I agreed.

He looked at me for a moment longer, then back to Marshall, who was standing patiently with his hands clasped behind his back. He looked back at me briefly before taking the folder he was holding and tapped it against Marshall’s shoulder. “You know what? This can wait until tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll bring it by in the morning.” He left Walter and stopped beside me before leaving the office. “I’m very sorry about your father. Rodger was a horrible sport when he lost at cards, but other than that, he was a great guy. And probably the smartest man I ever met.”

I smiled slightly. “He was a horrible sport at cards.” 

He smiled back. “The worst.” He gave me a wink. “It was a pleasure seeing you.” 

“You, too.”

When he left, he closed the door behind him. I looked at Marshall as he walked towards me. “Did I interrupt something important?” I asked. 

“No. He was just asking about a cold case.”

“I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to come in since he was here. Next time, if you’re talking to someone, would you rather I left your lunch in the break room?”

He stopped in front of me. He was so close. He smelled like coffee and Old Spice. I swallowed thickly, trying to meet his gaze as he looked down at me. He shook his head, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “No. I’d still like you to bring it to me, please. If that’s alright?” 

“Yeah, of course. I just don’t want to get in the way of your job.”

“You won’t,” he said. “But I’ve let my job get in the way of other things for too long, so maybe it’s time someone got in the way of it for a bit.” 

“You have an important job, though. If you were a boat salesman, I might feel a little differently about disrupting your work.” 

His smile grew as he tilted his head at me. “A boat salesman?” 

“I mean a job where it wouldn’t really matter all that much if you were distracted every once in a while. If someone doesn’t sell a boat, it’s not that big of a deal. But if you don’t solve a murder case...that has very real repercussions. I wouldn’t want to be a reason for something slipping by in a case.” 

He put his hand on my cheek, directing my eyes back to his. “That won’t happen,” he said. “I take my job seriously. That’s never been a problem for me. My problem has always been figuring out how to balance it with the rest of my life, which I never could, and I neglected a lot of people because of it. Especially Faye.” He shook his head. “I’m still not good at it. But I had a case back in the winter that...put Faye’s safety in jeopardy, among other things, and it made me realize that I need to put more of an effort in my life outside of this job. Despite how hard that is for me.” He stroked my cheek with his thumb. “You motivate me to slow down a bit. And that’s a good thing.”

I took my free hand and placed it over his, then turned my face slightly and placed a kiss on the inside of his wrist. “I would be happy to slow down with you,” I whispered. 

Marshall had a smile that somehow showed in his eyes more than his mouth, and that’s how he was looking at me right then. “I’d like that.” 

A knock on the door startled me. I took a step back, his hand falling from my cheek. He then ran it over his face, almost like he was trying to scrub the irritation of being interrupted off it. Then he folded his arms across his chest before calling out for whoever it was to come in.

The door opened and a man stepped up to the doorway. He was wearing plain clothes like Walter, so I assumed he was a detective, too. He all but ignored me as he and Walter spoke. Half of what they said was in a jargon I didn’t understand, so I just stood there, head down, waiting. After a few minutes, the guy left, only halfway closing the door as he did. When Marshall finally turned back to me, I could see that he was frustrated. I knew he wouldn’t admit it, but me being at his work right then was only going to cause more irritation with every interruption we had. 

“As much as I hate it, I should probably get back to the shop. We have a big order going out tomorrow, so there’s quite a lot to do today to prepare for it,” I said. “Plus, I have a date with a very handsome detective tonight that I want to get ready for.”

The frustration on his face seemed to melt away as he looked at me with a smirk. “Is it anyone I know?”

“Possibly. He does work in your unit.” 

“Is that so?” he asked. I nodded. “Well, if I see him around, I might have to have a talk with him.”

“And what would you say?” 

“I’d tell him that he better be good to you because you deserve to be treated well.” 

My stomach fluttered. “You can rest assured that he treats me very well. Better than any man ever has.”

“All those other men were idiots.”

I smiled. “Maybe so.” 

He shook his head. “Definitely so.” He reached out and took his lunch from my hand, then turned and placed it on a filing cabinet behind him. “Will you let me help you to your car now?” 

I nodded. “Yes, please.”

He put on his coat and followed me to the break room. He pulled my dolly for me, moving it like it was as light as a child’s toy. Even when we made it to the parking lot, he didn’t seem to have any issue with the wheels fighting against him. Then he picked it up and placed it in my trunk with ease, despite how I very often fought to get it back in. I thought about telling him that he was welcome to help me anytime he wanted, but I was afraid it wouldn’t come across as a joke and he would feel obligated to actually help. 

“Thank you. You made my morning a lot easier,” I said after I closed the trunk. I looked at him. “I guess I’ll see you around five-thirty?”

He nodded. “I’ll call you when I leave here, but yeah, I should be there by then,” he said. “And I promise it’ll only be the two of us and no cheap pizza.” 

“To be honest, I quite liked the pizza. It didn’t taste cheap. And I really, truly didn’t mind Faye joining us, but it'll be nice to have dinner with just you tonight,” I said. “But that reminds me - I put a copy of our cookie recipe for Faye in your lunch box.” 

He smiled. “Thank you. She’ll be very excited about that.”

“You’re welcome. And let her know if she has any issues with it, she can call or text me.” 

The crease between his eyebrows appeared as he looked at me thoughtfully. “Are you sure?” 

“Yeah. I’ve made them enough times over the last year and a half to make every mistake you can with them. If she has a problem, I can probably diagnose it over the phone.” 

“You don’t mind her having your number?”

I felt my facial expressions mirroring his, but from confusion. “Of course I don’t mind. As long as you’re okay with it,” I said. “Unless you think your ex-wife would mind? I don’t want to step on her toes or anything.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think Angie would mind for that purpose, and I don’t have a problem with it. But I don’t want you to feel obligated.”

“I don’t but I’ll leave it up to you. If you’d feel more comfortable being the middleman you can always call me for her.” I gave him a big smile. “And I can help you practice the whole talking thing. Then it’s a two birds with one stone kind of deal.” 

He smiled back, nodding his head. “And if she doesn’t need help?” 

“You can still call.” I shrugged. “As far as I’m concerned, you don’t have to have a reason for calling. If I’m not at work, I’m usually pretty free. I may be cooking, or watching ‘The Golden Girls’ with Mom, but that’s about it,” I said. “I’m afraid you’re courting quite a socially boring person.”

He laughed. “I’m not sure if you’ve caught on, but I’m not exactly a sociable person, either,” he said. “So perhaps we make a good fit for each other.”

“Perhaps so,” I agreed. “We can be selectively social together.” 

“Sounds good to me.” 

I let out a sigh and watched my breath turn to steam in front of me. “I better let you get back to your paperwork and I need to go help Darcy at the store. We have over fifty loaves of bread to bake before the end of the day, so depending on when I get home, you may have to deal with your date smelling like freshly baked bread.” 

He squinted slightly. “I’m not really opposed to that,” he joked with a smile that showed off the sharp ends of his canine teeth. 

I laughed. “Good to know.” 

He gave me a short hug, kissing my cheek as he pulled back. “I’ll see you this evening.” 

“I’m looking forward to it.

[houseoffundies]

Look at 2022 starting off so beautiful and new. No Duggars or Bates airing on TV but it seems that Gil was able to have some of his daughter's weddings paid off. Very interesting to see if the weddings will go back to the Erin/Alyssa ways or stay the same.

[keepingupwithfundies]

BuB 823: Home is Where the Heart Is!

Michael and Carlin set up their new homes, the sisters try their hand at modeling for their boutique, and Carlin and Evan get their marriage license. 

This is the penultimate episode of Bringing Up Bates this season. Next week, the season finale will be an hour long wedding special. 

-T 

In Norris, TN, Lawson and Nathan arrive at Michael and Brandon's new home. They have some furtinture and the mower.  Michael is going to nursing school at Tennessee College of Applied Technology and so the Keilens have moved back. The family gets to working unloaded the furniture; they unroll a rug and set up some sofas. Brandon is still working in Chicago and Michael came early to set up. Gil and Kelly are there helping as well. Kelly points out a wood stove in the living room, and Gil offers Michael free firewood.  Gil and Kelly are delighted to have their kids moving back- Tori & Bobby and Brandon & Michael. Callie is particularly excited to have Michael there to teach her to cook and to spend time with her. Michael is excited to join in on the couples dates night Gil and Kelly host as well as spending more time with her little siblings. Michael says family is one of God's most precious gifts and she is excited to catch up with her siblings.

At Carlin and Evans future home, also in Norris TN, Evan, Carlin and Warden are working on setting up the house so it is ready when they come back from the honeymoon. They are in the house that Michael and Brandon rejected on a previous episode as being a little too small.  Evan and Carlin are thinking of the best way to set up their kitchen and Carlin is overwhelmed. The family debates what the difference between a pot and a pan. As they are unpacking, they practice their wedding song, and forget some of the words. They need to get this finished, as it is wedding week.  Carlin says she might cry though the whole song, and Evan jokes he might need to write a solo if she is crying the whole time. Even though it is work, the song is important to them. Carlin is nervous about it getting finished in time.

At a warehouse, the Bates ladies are doing a photoshoot for their dress boutique. Carlin isn't sure why the boutique was started right before her wedding, but they are working hard to more styles on the boutique. Whitney says that she, Carlin and Erin are the owners but they love having their sisters come model for them. Whitney says it is fun to dress up and take pictures. They joke that modeling is awkward and they attempt to make it work. Hands in pictures are awkward, they agree. Carlin says the more they do it, the better they get and they are trying to be more chill about it.  At the end of the session, Kelly is explaining what she will do for the wedding tomorrow. Carlin says there are a lot of last minute details, but she is trying to stay focused on one thing at a time. Carlin says she is in marriage mode. Carlin calls Evan, who is struggling to set up their wifi. Evan says moving this week has hit him how big this is. They need to get their marriage license. Carlin wants to match to get their license and tells him to change. Carlin says that they almost fort the license but it is a big step- almost like becoming adults.

Carlin and Evan head to pick up their marriage license with Gil. They give their ids over and share identifying information with the clerk. Carlin gives over her parents names and messes up Gil's (his first name is William) and then they give their socials. They said they did premarital counseling, which saves them $60 on the license, which Evan pays for (although Carlin jokes Gil should as a gift.) Gil says he is happy, but it hard to get go. Kelly says it hasn't hit her yet. Carlin and Evan are excited to be so close to their big day.

[duggarbatesfan]

Bradley Bates with his younger sister Kaci.

Source: Bates Family Instagram

[duggardata]

All The Data:  Tori + Bobby

The Couple—

Tori Layne (Bates) Smith  (b. December 20, 1995)

Parents   Gil + Kelly Jo Bates

Child #   7 of 19

Hometown   Rocky Top, TN

Early Education   ATI/IBLP and Abeka Homeschooling

Higher Education   B.B.S. in Elementary Education (2018), The Crown College (Powell, TN)

Occupation   Stay–at–Home Mother (2018—)

Robert “Bobby” Ellis Smith III  (b. February 16, 1995; See Also Bates Family Live Chat  (9–21–17), ~5:30)

Parents   Robert + Sheri Smith

Child #   1 of 3

Hometown   Tampa, FL  (See Bates Family Live Chat (8–10–17), ~1:45)

Early Education   Hillsdale Christian School / Homeschool  (Until 2015; Tampa, FL) (Note—He was competitive in Bible Quiz in high school.  His school is occasionally listed in Bible Quiz materials as “Hillsdale Baptist Home School”—so, it’s unclear if he attended a church school, or was homeschooled.)

Higher Education   B.A. in Bible and Youth Ministry (2017), Pensacola Christian College  (Pensacola, FL)

Occupation   [Unknown Position], The Plumbing Authority  (Knoxville, TN; 2019—)

... Previously   Youth Pastor, Bible Baptist Church  (Hendersonville, TN; 2018—2019); Office Manager, Noble Metals, Inc.  (Oak Ridge, IL; 2017–2018) (See Bringing Up Bates (1–11–18), “Decorating Dilemmas and Job Decisions”); Camp Counselor, The Wilds Christian Camp  (Brevard, NC; Summer 2016) (See Brining Up Bates (1–5–17), “Summer Lovin’, Guitar Strummin’, and A Surprise A Comin’”).  

The Relationship—

First Meeting   Fall 2015

Details   Tori + Bobby met through Kelton Balka, sort of:  During the Fall of 2015, Kelton’s younger sister (Ariana), was working for the Bateses as a tutor.  On Fridays, Ariana would FaceTime with Kelton—who was away at college in Florida—while at the Bates House.  Sometimes, Ariana was joined by various Bateses or Kelton was joined by his roommate, Bobby Smith.  It was on one such call that Tori + Bobby first “met.”  (See Bates Family Live (8–10–17), ~4:40.)

Pre–Courtship   by February 14, 2016  (Duggar Data uses 2–14–16.)

Timing   We know that Tori + Bobby met via Facetime in Fall 2015, while Bobby was away at college; however, we don’t know at what point they became “special friends.”  Given this, Duggar Data wasn’t able to guess a pre–courtship start date...  I’m just using the earliest day that we know Tori + Bobby were ‘together.’   

Details   On Bringing Up Bates (6–16–16), “A Lovely Day,” Tori + Bobby visit the Bates Family Home for the annual “I Love You” Day celebration.  Because of this, we know they were ‘together’ by February 14, 2016.

Announced   June 16, 2016 on Bringing Up Bates (6–16–16), “A Lovely Day”

Courtship   October 28, 2016  (Friday)

Location   Pensacola Beach; Pensacola, FL

Timing   Tori + Bobby haven’t said when, exactly, their courtship started.  People often reports it as November 2016; however, Duggar Data thinks the data supports October 28, 2016.  Per Bringing Up Bates (2–9–17), “I ‘Donut’ Know What I’d Do Without You,” Bobby ‘courtposed’ 1 Day into Tori’s visit during Crown College’s Fall Break 2016.  (Which happened to run from October 27–31, 2016.)  On October 27, 2016, Lawson’s posted a photo on Twitter in which he, Tori, and Bobby are all wearing the same outfits as they are shown wearing (on Bringing Up Bates) on the first day of the Bateses’ Florida visit.  So...  It seems they arrived on October 27, 2016, and the ‘courtposal’ happened 1 Day Later, on October 28, 2016.

Details   Tori + Bobby enjoyed a walk on the beach, during which Bobby did a little speech and asked Tori to court.  After she said “yes,” they had a picnic on the beach, courtesy of Outback Steakhouse.

Announced   February 9, 2017 on Bringing Up Bates  (2–9–17), “I ‘Donut’ Know What I’d Do Without You”  (+104 Days)

Featured On  Bringing Up Bates (2–9–17), “I ‘Donut’ Know What I’d Do Without You”

Engagement   September 18, 2017  (Monday)

Location   Wiseman’s View  (Scenic Overlook); Marion, NC

Timing   Duggar Data is 99% sure that Bobby proposed on September 18, 2017, but the couple has never confirmed it.  For full details on why Duggar Data suspects that date, please refer to this Post.

Details   Bobby surprised Tori at school on a Monday, and whisked her away to the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina.  At a unbelievably beautiful scenic overlook, he popped the question and she said “yes.”

Announced   September 21, 2017 by People  (Exclusive; +3 Days)

Featured On   Bringing Up Bates (2–8–18), “The Best is Yet To Come”

Marriage   December 16, 2017, Unknown Time  (Saturday)

Location   Calvary Baptist Church; Knoxville, TN

Officiant   Gil Bates  (Bride’s Father)

MOHs   Carlin Bates, Erin Paine  (Bride’s Sisters)

Best Man   Kelton Balka  (Groom’s Friend)

Announced   December 16, 2017 by People  (Exclusive; Same Day)

Featured On   Bringing Up Bates (4–26–18), “Tori’s Winter Wonderland Wedding”

Honeymoon   Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip; California, USA  (See Bringing Up Bates (6–7–18), “A Heavenly Honeymoon and A Courtship Countdown.”)

The Quiver—

Robert Ellis “Kade” Smith IV  (b. November 9, 2018)

Pregnancy Announced   May 10, 2018 by Us Weekly  (Exclusive; 81 Days Along)

Sex Revealed   June 21, 2018 by Entertainment Tonight  (Exclusive; 123 Days Along)

Name Revealed   w/ Sex Reveal  (123 Days Along) (as “Cade”); July 26, 2018 on the Bates Family’s Instagram  (159 Days Along) (as “Kade”)

Due Date   November 24, 2018  (See Bringing Up Bates (7–26–18), “One Week, 3 Babies?”)

Birthdate & Time   November 9, 2018, 7:45 AM  (15 Days Early)

Weight & Length   6 Pounds, 1 Ounce; 18 Inches

Birth Announced   November 12, 2018 by People  (Exclusive; +3 Days)

Birth Details   Tori hoped for a drug free labor; however, she ultimately opted to get an epidural.  (See Bringing Up Bates (4–11–19), “It’s A Boy and Maybe One More.”)  The exact length of Tori’s labor is unknown.

Featured On   Bringing Up Bates (4–4–19), “Ready or Not, Baby Kade is On His Way” and Bringing Up Bates (4–11–19), “It’s A Boy and Maybe One More”

Kolter Grey Smith  (In Utero)

Pregnancy Announced   October 18, 2019 by Us Weekly  (Exclusive; ~99 Days Along) 

Sex & Name Revealed   w/ Pregnancy Announcement  (~99 Days Along)

Due Date   April 2020  (See Also) (Duggar Data is using April 16, 2020.) 

[houseoffundies]

Erin does NOTHING for the BSB, and it's so apparent. You see Carlin working her but off, and Zach. I have asked what the roles are for each sister, and I bet you that Erin decorates the dressing rooms and nothing at all. You never see Erin at the shop, but you do see Carlin promoting that and working it. Whitney pops in, but the reason why it keeps going is because of Carlin and Zach.

[keepingupwithfundies]

What is the next? Baby Stewart#1 or Trace&Chaney courtship?

Honestly I kinda feel a double announcement at the beginning of the new season of BuB? But who knows? I definitely don’t think we’ll have to wait longer than that to get Trace & Chaney news!

-T