A/N: This story is basically a response to the series finale. Like a ton of other people, I hated it overall, even though there were certain aspects that I liked. I wrote this as basically what I would have liked to see happen, and I did keep some elements of the real finale. This would definitely have to be expanded on, of course, if it were an actual hour long finale, and I know this is really late now since it's been months. However, it's this length and this late because I've been working on it in between working on other things, and I never had much time to focus on it. So, here's my kind of brief take on what I wish the series finale had been.
Also, the dialogue in the last scene came directly from the finale. I think that particular scene was complete perfection, and I couldn't bring myself to change it.
Kids, despite the protests of my friends, I had every intention to leave for Chicago that night, even as we all tearfully hugged goodbye before I left for the train station. Even today I can't say that I made a mistake leaving the reception early, and I don't think Marshall, Lily, Robin, or even Barney, who insists on complaining about it to this day, would change my decision either.
At the time, sitting in the rain at a dark train station with no one but a random woman for company, I started second-thinking my decision to go to Chicago. I couldn't shake a part of me that wondered if I was giving up and running away. The part of me who thought it was time to move on from New York was warring with the part of me that still felt a strong connection to the city that had been my home for years.
I was chatting with the only other occupant of the station when I caught sight of her out of the corner of my eye. It was the yellow I saw first, the exact shade of the umbrella I would recognize anywhere. I turned for a closer look and saw the same woman that I remembered as lead singer at the wedding. During the reception, I had been too occupied with other thoughts to pay much attention to her, but now I was struck with the sudden desire to go up to her. Something was calling me to her knowing that she was my future.
By now, Robin and Barney would have set off for their honeymoon, and here I was in a damp train station unable to work up the courage to go and talk to a random woman I didn't even know. At the time, I had thought I was leaving for good, so no part of me had expected to be there when Robin and Barney returned. No part of me thought that I would surprise them when they returned to New York several weeks later.
June 2013
"So," Robin cleared her throat, trying to ignore the awkwardness as she sat across from her best friend Lily. "How's Ted settling into Chicago? I haven't spoken to him since the wedding. We've been so busy lounging on the beach and, uh, various other activities."
"Oh," Lily's voice took on the high tone she often used when she was concealing information. "Chicago, right. Yeah, Ted's there."
"Lily." Robin set her beer down on the familiar table in MacLaren's. "Is Ted in Chicago?"
Lily just shrugged. She'd brought her glass of Coke to her lips, pretending that it was alcohol instead as she worked to distract Robin from her line of questioning.
"Who ever knows where Ted is?" she asked vaguely once she was unable to keep up the pretense of taking a drink. "He's always all over the place, you know."
"No, I don't."
Marshall and Barney interrupted Robin's questioning, returning from the bar where they'd been getting drinks. Barney was cheerful and still glowing after his honeymoon. Each man slid into the booth next to their respective wives, and Barney began loudly recounting a story about a crab. Lily welcomed the distraction, avoiding Robin's eyes as the other woman kept sending her inquisitive glances.
Barney had just gotten to the punch line when there was commotion at the door of the bar. Ted was walking through, and Lily watched as Barney stood in surprise and went to pull Ted into a hug before stopping himself and deciding on a high five instead.
"Ted!" he exclaimed as he settled back into his seat and watched Ted pull a chair up to their usual booth. "You're here! What happened to Chicago? Why didn't you call to let us know you were staying?"
"And ruin your honeymoon?" Ted responded with a large smile, looking far happier than he had at the wedding. "Nah. I told Marshall and Lily that I would just wait until you two were back in reality and gave them strict instructions not to let you know. I didn't take the job though. It looks like New York is the place for me."
"What caused this change?" Robin asked with genuine curiosity, although she did not seem at all surprised about Ted's presence. Lily still couldn't quite look her in the eye.
Ted's smile changed and Barney let out a noise of excitement.
"There's a girl. Tell me there's a girl, Ted."
Ted shrugged sheepishly. "There's a girl."
Marshall spoke up. "He met her while at the train station after leaving the wedding."
"It's fate." Lily nodded along with her husband.
"Well, I don't know about fate," Ted brushed off the comment, not successfully hiding his pleasure about his current relationship. "But things are going well. We've seen each other twice now, and really hit it off."
Barney and Robin seemed adequately impressed.
"When do we get to meet her?" Robin asked.
"You kind of already have." Lily smirked, happy to be the one to reveal the information. "She was the lead singer of the band at your wedding."
Robin and Barney both gaped in surprise.
"Really? I loved her!" Robin responded with joy once she was able to get over her surprise. "She absolutely saved me. Just when I thought I couldn't go through with the wedding, there she was to bring me to my senses. Good choice, Ted."
Ted was smiling brightly, glad to see his other two best friends taking the news so well.
"Really good choice, Ted. Let me tell you the story-"
"She already told all of us about meeting you on the street and how she's the one who convinced you to go for it with Robin," Marshall interjected, causing Barney to wilt with disappointment.
"Did she really?" Robin asked, looking even fonder of the woman she'd only spoken to once.
"Yeah," Ted spoke up. "Thanks for trying to get my future girlfriend into bed, Barney."
"But I didn't succeed," Barney defended himself. "She's one of probably two women," he motioned towards Lily, "in New York that I haven't slept with, so points to you for that choice."
Ted rolled his eyes, not bothering to comment further.
So kids, your Aunt Robin and Uncle Barney didn't even know your mother well, and I already knew they would get along great. Despite my hesitance to call it fate, that really did seem to be what it was. Two years later, any doubts I'd had about your mother not being the one were long gone.
2015
We'd been engaged for several months now, and wedding preparations were in full swing. We were both eager to be married. I have, after all, been telling you a story about my hopes of being married for eight years, so let's just say I wasn't interested in waiting much longer to finally settle down with your mother.
"You just can't go wrong with them," she insisted as she and Ted went over the options for music at the wedding.
"Sweetheart, I already told you Superfreakonomics playing would be fantastic, but I don't want you up on stage the entire reception."
"And I told you that I can't get a temporary bass player or lead singer to replace me. Do you want to deal with Darren 2.0?"
Ted laughed as he went to sit by her on the couch. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and felt the familiar warmth of her sinking into his side.
"There is something I need to tell you though, Ted. Other than the music for the wedding."
"What's that?" Ted asked absentmindedly as he picked up the binder full of wedding plans.
She took a deep breath before releasing her words quickly. "I'm pregnant."
Ted continued to flip through the pages of the binder for several seconds before her words hit him. He looked up to see his fianceé looking at him expectantly.
"Pregnant?" Ted repeated.
"Pregnant."
He stared at her in surprise for a second longer before letting out a joyful laugh and pulling her to his chest.
"That's-That's… Wow."
She was smiling as Ted pulled away. Ted's eyes immediately dropped to her stomach, although nothing had yet changed.
"The wedding." His smile became somewhat concerned now as he came back to reality. "What are we going to do about the wedding? Would you be able to fit into your dress in a couple of months?"
"Maybe not in a couple of months." Her smile didn't waver. "But, I was thinking. We have everything mostly planned. We should be able to get the rest of it together within a month. That's enough heads up for Barney and Robin to make sure they're in New York and for your mom and stepdad to fly in. What do you think about pushing the wedding up?"
"Let's do it," Ted replied without a second of hesitation. The couple laughed together happily as they began planning with even more excitement than they had been before.
So, we were married the next month with all our friends and family at our side, and Penny, you were born about seven months later. Things seemed to be going just how I had always dreamed of, especially when you came along a couple of years later, Luke. The only blemish of unhappiness came from Robin and Barney's distance in our lives.
2021
Kids, you may or may not remember that your Aunt Robin and Uncle Barney weren't around that often in your early childhood because they were busy traveling the globe for Aunt Robin's work. It was a job that your Aunt Robin had dreamt about for years. We were all happy for her, and Barney seemed to love it as much as she did. His blog was always being updated about the crazy things he did in various countries, including the most viewed post on his blog ever which was about how he almost got kicked out of Denmark. (That's an amazing story remind me to tell it to you later.) But we'd have been lying if we said we didn't miss having them back in New York.
In 2021, it was time for our Star Wars rewatch that your Uncle Marshall and Uncle Barney and I have every three years, and Robin and Barney had made sure to be in New York especially for it. We held it here in this house for the first time that year. Marshall had brought Marvin and Daisy, and with the two of you also here, we needed the space the house provided. Your mom, Aunt Lily, and Aunt Robin had gone out to spend time together that they rarely got when Aunt Robin was gone.
The day went great, with nothing much happening other than watching Star Wars, Barney recounting the Denmark story for us, and Luke almost toppling off the roof. (Which, remember, we've all agreed to never tell your mother about that.) We had just finished the marathon when your mom and aunts returned, and we were all settling in to do some catching up as a group while you two played with your cousins in another room.
Robin gripped Barney's arm to get him to look at her. He turned to her, clearly expecting the look she was sending his way.
"Right." He cleared his throat to gain the attention of the others. "Robin and I have some news."
He looked at Robin, anticipating her taking over from there.
"I've been offered a new job," she informed them with a smile. "It's on a nationally broadcast news show with high ratings, but the greatest part is that it's a hosting job. Barney and I will be back in New York."
Lily didn't bother to hide the tears in her eyes as she shot up and grabbed Robin, burying her face in her best friend's shoulder.
"You'll be here for the baby," Lily mumbled, causing Robin to freeze.
"Baby?"
The others of the group were all watching Lily and Marshall expectantly now too. Lily pulled away, sheepishly realizing what she had revealed.
Marshall shrugged. "We were going to tell you sometime before Robin and Barney left, or when we thought you were leaving..."
"I'm pregnant!" Lily exclaimed, tears still flowing from her eyes.
All of the women were suddenly in a group hug as the others fondly talked to Lily about how excited they were for her and planned all of the things they needed to do before the baby came.
And just like that, kids, things seemed to be getting even better. There would be another child among the group, and they were coming just in time to have their Aunt Robin and Uncle Barney in New York permanently. Robin and Barney bought a new place in the city, even nicer and larger than the one they had been using as a base during their infrequent visits back. They seemed happy to be settled down in the city, not far from the apartment that Lily and Marshall still occupied.
With their third child on the way, Lily and Marshall were struggling to fit their entire family into the apartment, but none of us could quite bear to see it leave the group yet. Three years later, when your youngest cousin was about two years old, the Erikson family was still packed into the limited space that apartment provided.
2023
We had all gathered in the apartment like usual on this particular day. It had the least space of all our homes, ironic considering it contained the largest household, but it was right above MacLarens and the place we all just naturally gravitated towards on any given day. I think we all still considered it our home, even Barney and your mother who had never actually lived there. It and the pub downstairs were the center of our group, the axis around which we rotated. That's why none of us were prepared for the bombshell that would be dropped on us that day.
Lily took a seat on the arm of Marshall's chair, signaling that it was time to share their news. Marshall frowned, not looking forward to being the one to drop the bombshell. The kids didn't even know yet on Lily's recommendation. She was worried they would drop the bomb on their aunts and uncles without a thought.
"Lily, and I have some news," Marshall announced before he could lose his nerve.
The group quieted. They seemed to have picked up on Marshall and Lily's seriousness, and they watched with frowns of their own as they waited for Marshall to continue.
Marshall struggled to speak but couldn't find the words. "Lily," he forced out, looking anywhere in the apartment but at his friends.
Lily seemed close to tears as she spoke. "Marshall and I are moving out of the apartment. Marvin's gotten way too old to be sharing a room with his two little sisters, and a family of five just can't live in a two-bedroom apartment. We love this place, but we're losing our minds. With Marshall working as a district judge now, it just seems even more ridiculous to keep living here."
The group was silent as the words sunk in. Everyone was fighting tears as they faced the reality of the situation.
Kids, I thought I had said my goodbyes to that apartment long ago when I moved into this house, but I was realizing then that a part of me had always held on to that apartment. It was a reminder of the good times of my bachelorhood, of my times with my friends. A part of me hadn't wanted to say goodbye to that time of my life, but now I was faced with no choice.
2013
But as we set about helping Marshall and Lily pack up for a house in the suburbs, I finally let go, and I realized something. While that apartment was a sign of an amazing period of my life, I really had moved on. I still had my wonderful friends who made those years what they were, and that was what mattered. I didn't need that apartment anymore, and I hadn't since that time in 2013 when I went over to your mother at that train station and started a new stage in my life.
"Excuse me. Hi," Ted said brightly to the woman holding the familiar bright yellow umbrella.
She turned around to look at him, answering back with an enthusiastic, "Hi."
"I'm the-"
"Best man," she interrupted, nodding in understanding. "Get in here. Get in here."
She held the umbrella out, trying to shield Ted from the rain.
"Here, let me," Ted offered. He took the umbrella from her hands, smiling as she thanked him and glanced up at the rain.
"Great show tonight."
She continued to smile, offering him more thanks.
"You're Cindy's ex-roommate, right?" he asked, recalling that it had been Cindy's former roommate's band that had been set to perform at the wedding.
"Yeah, and you are the professor." A hint of amusement could be detected in her tone. "I took one of your classes."
"Really?" Ted's smile had dropped in confusion as he tried to place her face amongst his past students. "Which one?"
"Econ 305."
"Econ 305? I don't teach-" He froze as the memory came to him. "Oh, no."
She was smiling up at him, not bothering to hide her amusement as she nodded. "Oh, yeah."
"Excuse me, I'm going to jump on the tracks now."
"No, no, no, no. Don't. You were great. You were great.," she assured.
Ted just scoffed and shook his head, trying to push away the embarrassment.
"Wait a second," he said suddenly, looking at the umbrella he held in his hand and realizing that it wasn't just familiar due to similarity. "This is my umbrella. I left this umbrella at Cindy's. You totally stole my umbrella."
The woman was looking at him now in disbelief. "What?" she asked with a slight laugh. "No, I didn't. This is my umbrella. I bought this."
"Excuse me," Ted continued, pointing to a spot on the bar of the umbrella. "It even has my initials on it right here. 'T.M.' Ted Mosby."
"Yeah, look again, Ted Mosby. Those are my initials." She pointed at the same place Ted at mentioned. "'T.M.' Tracy McConnell."
"Um, no, Tracy McConnell. It's 'T.M.' Totally my umbrella."
"Um, you're 'T.M.' Terribly mistaken," she continued to joke. "Because this umbrella has always belonged 'T.M.' To me."
Tracy laughed as Ted continued smiling at her. They were both enjoying the friendly banter. The woman looked up as she considered the situation.
"I did lose it for a few years there," she remembered out loud. "Um, so I went to this dance club-"
"On Saint Patrick's Day." The realization of what had happened finally dawned on Ted.
"On Saint Patrick's Day," Tracy repeated in disbelief.
They were both becoming more serious as they realized what a huge coincidence the entire situation was. It almost seemed as if this was an act of fate, as if certain events in their life had been pointing them towards this exact moment.
"And you left it there." Ted nodded as he spoke.
"And I left it there."
"And you never thought you'd see it again."
"And I never thought I'd see it again."
They were staring at each other in disbelief until Tracy started to smile and nod her head.
"Funny how sometimes you just find things," she said.
Ted couldn't help but continue to watch her in slight disbelief. A smile slowly formed on his face.
"Hi," he repeated.
Tracy laughed with more happiness than her even typically upbeat demeanor had shown him upon them first meeting. "Hi," she repeated.
And that, kids, was how I met your mother.