I don't own HIMYM and never will. No copyright infringement intended.
Author's Note: I was convinced Marshall and Lily would conceive their second child during the wedding weekend, but I love what actually happened better. Hope you enjoy this!
Marshall and Lily loved spending their days outside with the kids (when they weren't being fussy, anyway, but Marvin and Daisy were usually pretty well-behaved). Rome was amazing, and the couple (plus their parents) loved living here. They did miss New York and couldn't wait to go back, but they were all still enjoying Italy. "You got the kids' snacks in case you get hungry?"
Lily nodded. "They're in the diaper bag so you can get some to eat if you want anything." She knew what her husband was like.
Marshall looked chagrined. "I'm not hungry right now."
"And right now is the key word." She grinned at him and laughed when he kissed her.
Marshall leaned down to the stroller. "How are you doing, Miss Daisy?" Their daughter responded by cooing at her father.
"Mama!" cried Marvin from his grandfather's arms. He held his hands out and whimpered.
"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Lily took her son off her father and started talking to him about random stuff, including his favorite toys. Raising two babies in Italy, away from their friends, wasn't exactly easy. As a result, Marshall and Lily were thrilled their parents had come along on the trip to help out when necessary. They had definitely been a big help during the pregnancy and right after Daisy's birth, something the two would forever be grateful for.
"We should go before Daisy starts complaining because nap time is soon." Marshall knew how she felt – he loved naps here. They were the best.
"Good idea." Lily set Marvin down, and the toddler ran to his father. The little boy started pulling on his father's pant leg.
"What's up, buddy?" Marshall kneeled down so he was eye-level with the two year old.
Marvin just beamed and hugged his father. "Love," he mumbled.
"Aw, kiddo. I love you too." Marshall couldn't believe how lucky he and Lily were.
"Hold?" their son asked.
Marshall had been about to start pushing the stroller, but he wavered. "I could, but would you like to help me with your little sister?"
"No." Ah, Marvin's new favorite word – the one that drove everyone crazy. They couldn't wait until he was past this phase.
"I'll push the stroller," Lily told him. She knew how much Marshall and Marvin loved spending time together.
"Okay then. Thank you."
She waved him off. "No problem. Daisy, Judy, and I need to spend some girl time together, and we don't need you boys interrupting us."
And with that, the family of six set off to get some gelato. When Daisy started to fuss, they stopped walking so Lily could see what the problem was. "You got her?" Marshall questioned.
She nodded. "Yeah, I think she just wanted some attention." The baby stopped crying, started smiling, and put her fist in her mouth and started chewing on it as soon as her mother picked her up. To make sure that Lily still paid attention to her, she let out a cry they swore was fake.
"Are you doing this on purpose?" A laughing Marshall couldn't help but be proud of his daughter – she knew how to get what she wanted.
Daisy gurgled and waved one of her tiny fingers (something that definitely wasn't on purpose, but everyone thought it was adorable anyway). When Lily put her back down in the stroller, she swore her daughter glared at her. "Tough luck, kiddo. We're almost there," she promised.
"Gelato!" Marvin cried.
"That's right! You hungry for some?"
"No."
"Of course. Why did I expect a different answer?"
Lily choked when she tried to hold back her snort of laughter. "Sorry. You knew he was going to say that, and you asked anyway."
"It's definitely my fault." Marshall was relieved when they arrived at their destination (their favorite place to get gelato, actually). They ordered and sat down at a table to eat.
Lily leaned her head against Marshall's shoulder. "They look really adorable, aren't they?"
They observed Judy feeding a now very messy Marvin some gelato. He seemed really into it, and grinned at his grandmother. They would definitely have to give him another bath when they got home because he wouldn't be able to wear the clothes he currently had on for the rest of the day. "They do." Marshall was honestly the happiest he had ever been. He was living in a foreign country with his wife and their two kids. And once they were finally reunited with Barney, Robin, Ted, and his girlfriend, he didn't think it could get any better than this.
Daisy, the only one unable to eat some gelato (although Lily slipped her a bite), started falling asleep. Her eyes fluttered closed and stayed that way. Lily made sure she was actually asleep and then returned her attention to eating. And once they were all done, even though Marvin was a mess, they restarted their walk around the city before returning to their current home. Lily sighed. "It's beautiful here."
"For sure." Marshall wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kissed his wife. "I love you so much."
"And I love you." Lily grinned at him. She was glad they had decided to come here. And when they returned to New York, Marshall would fulfill his dream of becoming a judge. She'd make sure of it and would not give up. He deserved to live out his professional dream just like her.
"We should take more pictures." Marshall wanted their friends to see what their life was like (although it probably wouldn't make them jealous since Barney and Robin loved traveling too).
"We should. And we should bring the kids back here when they're older and can remember. It doesn't seem fair that they won't remember a thing from our year here."
"I think that's a great idea." Marshall would definitely love to return to Rome in a few years and sightsee with the kids (hopefully they wouldn't be going through a rebellious stage or anything).
True to their word, Marshall and Lily did return to Rome with Marvin and Daisy a few years later, and brought along an extra, unexpected guest – their third and last child, daughter Violet. Fortunately, she was old enough to remember their Italian vacation too. And it was one of the best vacations of their lives. Their year spent in Rome a few years earlier had gone amazingly well, and they didn't regret going at all.
