I know, I know... This isn't ch. 2 of No Tomorrow. I was hard at work on that, until a few impromptu Labor Day visits to family earlier this week, which included a couple of ALS ice bucket challenges. And then I thought, "What if Ted and Tracy accepted the challenge?" And, thus, a story was born. As always, it is pure fluff, and exists within the same universe as my other stories.
(Also, hope I don't offend anyone with the broken English of a certain Greek character below. Not racist in the slightest; I'm Greek, so I grew up with my fair share of older Greeks who spoke in their (in my opinion) hilarious fashion, my parents included. It is written out of love, and not ignorance.)
Enjoy!
"Do you think we have enough ice?" asked Tracy was she watched Ted fill up two buckets with water from the hose.
"Of course," he assured her. "With enough left over to keep our beer cool." He then offered her a playful grin.
Tracy had recently been challenged by her friend Kelly to take part in the ALS ice bucket challenge and, not one to say "no", she quickly accepted. Plus, given that Tracy's mother's sister suffered from the disease, passing away when Tracy was just 12, is was a cause that was particularly close to her heart.
So she happily made a donation to the ALS Association in honor of her late Aunt Linda, and agreed to have a bucket of ice water dumped on her head.
Of course, she convinced Ted to join in, as well.
"Will you take part in the challenge if I nominate you, pooh bear?" she had asked him sweetly the moment she saw Kelly's Facebook post in which she was tagged.
He didn't even hesitate: "Absolutely."
So there they were, on a gorgeous late-August Saturday afternoon, in the backyard of Ted's house in Westchester. They had struggled on where to complete the challenge. Their tiny bathroom wouldn't do; and the apartment building didn't have a backyard. Ted had suggested just biting the bullet and heading out to Central Park, but Tracy was too shy to do it out in public.
So Ted had the bright idea of making the drive up to Westchester and making use of the large backyard that was just sitting there. And then Tracy had the even brighter idea of making a romantic getaway out of the occasion. So they packed up their overnight bags, a cooler filled with ice (as well as a few beers and bottle of red), and an inflatable mattress to spend the night on.
It was a quick drive upstate, the both of them happy to get away from the city for the evening. They had already taken a couple of short trips that summer, a weekend at Farhampton with the gang and another in Connecticut during a Superfreakanomics wedding gig, so they revelled in any opportunity to hop in the car and spend some alone time together.
And while Westchester wasn't the most romantic of destinations, Tracy loved the house, as Ted hoped she would. A week after their anniversary weekend at the inn, after he had told her about the house, he had taken her up to see it. Her opinion mattered to him; if she said she didn't like it, he would put the house back onto the market, no questions asked. After all, she had to love the place she'd be calling home for the rest of her days.
But as she slowly walked from room to room, Ted following behind her, he knew right away: she loved it. She marvelled at the giant entryway; ran her hands on the countertops of the cozy kitchen; let out a breath as she spotted the large window in the master bedroom that opened up to a private balcony; and leaned back against the railing of the backyard deck, telling him with her eyes and her smile all he needed to know: this was home.
And now here they were, in the backyard in their swimsuits, Ted filling the buckets up with water, while Tracy scooped in the ice. It was a grand space, and Ted could picture a future that included summer barbecues and kids' birthday parties. But for now, Ted was happy to have it as his own private hideaway for him and Tracy.
"Theodoros!" called a voice from the other side of the fence. "You come to visit?"
Well, almost private.
"Hi, Mr. Stamatakos," Ted said, turning off the hose and walking closer to the fence to say hi to the old man. "Yeah, Tracy and I just came by to use the backyard for the afternoon."
His neighbor shook his head. "No use backyard for games," he said in his broken English. "When you get marry and have babies? House is empty for four years!"
Ted blushed, and looked over at Tracy, who gave him an amused grin. "It'll happen, Mr. Stamatakos," he assured the older gentleman. "And when it does, you'll be this first to know, I swear."
"No take too long," he warned with a wag of his finger. "Tracy is beautiful and sweet girl. Marry her soon!"
Ted smiled to himself. Little did the man know that, in exactly four weeks, he was going to be standing atop a lighthouse in Long Island, asking the love of his life to be his wife.
"Will do," he said softly.
"Ok," he said, pleased. "And when you finish your game, come here. Sofia make some food for you."
"Oh, that's so nice of you, Mr. Stamatakos," Tracy told him, walking over to stand next to Ted. "But we were just going to order a pizza for dinner."
"No pizza! You waste money!" he said sternly. "She make spanakopita, some moussaka, and Greek salad: healthy food. You come pick up later." And with that, he disappeared back into his house before they could protest.
Ted and Tracy locked eyes and burst out laughing. The Greek couple next door were quite eccentric, but they were sweet and concerned (and sometimes too curious) about the state of Ted's love life. When he had first bought the house and began spending more time there as he worked on it, the older man next door just couldn't quite understand why on earth he had bought a house when he didn't have a wife and children to fill it with.
"You crazy boy!" he had told him at the time, waving his hands animatedly in the air. "Go find wife first; then you buy house!"
And he was probably right: it was a crazy and impulsive decision. But when he first saw the house, he had the same feeling he eventually had when he first met Tracy (minus the sexual attraction, of course): it was "the one".
"I'll find her," he had assured him then. "You'll see."
And here she was now, breaking the gap between them and wrapping her arms around him. He hugged her back, pressing his chest to hers.
"I'm sorry about him," he whispered in her hair. "And I hope you don't think I'm dragging you along or anything. I mean, you know I love you, and that I see a future for us, right?"
Tracy laughed. "Sweetie, look at where we're standing," she told him. "The house in the suburbs is probably the clearest sign of where your head is at."
He blushed; she liked to gently tease him about his premature purchase. "I know. But when he says things like that..."
"Don't take his words to heart: he's just old-fashioned and wants you to make an honest woman out of me," she said playfully, making air quotes with her fingers at the last part.
"All in good time, I promise," he told her, wishing that September would just come already so that he could get his plan into action. He toyed with the string of her bikini top that was dangling behind her back. "Anyway, living in sin with you for now is kind of hot."
Tracy smiled. "I'm sure they're in there saying a few Hail Marys for us," she joked. "Ok, so are we ready to do this?"
Ted nodded his head, and walked over to where his smartphone was leaning against the deck. He made sure Tracy was in full view of the camera and, once satisfied that the device wasn't going to tip over, he pressed play and ran to Tracy's side.
"Hi!" she began. "I'd like to thank my friend Kelly for nominating me for the ALS ice bucket challenge. I gladly accept, as well as made a donation in the memory of my Aunt Linda. So, before I do this, I'd like to nominate the following three people: my friend Cindy, my friend Barney—I know you can't say no to a challenge, Stinson!—and my boyfriend Ted here. You guys have 24 hours."
Tracy looked over at Ted, giving him the go-ahead. He picked up the bucket, and hesitated slightly before dumping its contents over Tracy's head. The cold water gushed down her entire body, and Tracy squealed at the cold, dancing in place to try and warm herself up. "Holy shit, that's freezing!" she cried as Ted laughed beside her.
He ran over to the phone and stopped the video recording, then jogged back towards her. He grabbed one of the two nearby towels they had brought along, wrapping it around Tracy's shivering body. "That was awesome," he told her, giving her a kiss.
"You-you're n-next," she told him, her teeth chattering.
After her body warmed up a bit, it was Ted's turn. He took a couple of deep breaths and then nodded at Tracy. She hit play, and was quickly by his side as he began speaking.
"Hi, I'm Ted Mosby. I was just nominated by my lovely girlfriend Tracy to take part in the ALS ice bucket challenge. I gladly accept the challenge, and would love to nominate the following three folks: my best friend Marshall, my buddy Punchy, and my former boss, Mark. You guys have 24 hours, and everyone, please be sure to donate to this important cause." He looked over at Tracy. "Ok, babe, let's do this."
Tracy had a more-than-pleased look on her face as she lifted the bucket off the ground, got on the tips of her toes, and dumped the ice water over his head. He screamed as she laughed gleefully, Ted releasing a few expletives as the ice numbed his body. He stood still as he let the cold wash over him, willing his body to warm up. Tracy walked over to the phone and stopped the video, walking back to Ted as he grabbed a towel and began patting himself dry.
"Thank you for doing this with me, Mosby," she told him, leaning forward to give him a kiss.
He kissed her back, unwrapping his towel and then folding it around the both of them. She shivered as his cold skin touched hers. "Anytime, McConnell. Especially if it involves you getting wet in a bikini."
She poked his belly underneath the towel playfully and then proceeded to kiss him some more. Their embrace started to deepen, with their hands roaming across damp skin, conveniently hidden thanks to their fluffy white towel. But Ted called time on their kiss, given the fact that a certain nosy neighbor could pop his head over the fence at any moment.
So they cleaned up the backyard, putting away the hose and buckets back in the garage, and enjoyed their beers while sitting out on the deck, uploading their videos to Facebook. ("So, Barney's up for it," said Tracy, spotting a notification from Barney quickly after her post. "He says, 'Challenge ice-ccepted!'.") They chatted, debating whether a pool or a jacuzzi would be the better investment for the backyard, Ted always happy with any conversation that included their future together. Overall, it had been a lovely afternoon, and they were both pretty sad for the day to come to a close.
After a warm shower and a change of clothes, they inflated their mattress and prepared the bed for later, Ted joking that the minimalist look worked for their master bedroom. "I mean, really, all we need in here is something to sleep and have sex on, and that's pretty much it," he teased as he stretched the fitted sheet over one corner.
"While I agree with you there," Tracy replied, stretching a sheet over another corner, "I think the room may need a little bit more than that."
"Fine," he conceded, a playful grin on his lips. "A bedside lamp and a sex swing in the corner, but that is it. You're so materialistic!"
Once done, Ted hung their wet towels and swimsuits out to dry while Tracy ran over next door to pick up their dinner from Mr. and Mrs. Stamatakos. She was gone for a good 20 minutes, Ted sitting on the deck waiting for her, shutting his eyes, and enjoying the sun as the evening began to settle in.
"Where were you?" he asked when he finally saw her walking back towards him, carrying two bags of food. He got up and helped her, and they made their way inside.
"Sorry," she said as they deposited the bags on the kitchen counter. "They hijacked me and just asked me a whole bunch of questions."
"Man, we really need to set some boundaries," Ted muttered.
She put a hand on his shoulder. "Aw, it's ok. They're real nice. And they actually had a housewarming gift for us!"
Tracy reached into her pocket and pulled something out. It was a gorgeous blue glass eye, and from it hung three small silver charms: a coin, an olive branch, and a...
"Is that garlic?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.
"It's a pomegranate," she corrected him.
"Ah, ok. So what does it do?" he asked, curious.
"They said it's a good luck charm called a gouria," she began. "The eye wards off evil. The coin represents wealth. The olive branch represents peace and tranquility. And the pomegranate represents fertility. They said we need to hang it by the front door, and our home will be blessed with these."
Not one to tempt fate, Ted smiled. "Well, let's get on that, then." He quickly went and retrieved his toolbox from the garage, and he and Tracy went to the entryway to hang the trinket.
"Maybe on the door frame right above?" Tracy suggested, and Ted did as told, hammering a nail into the wall. He gently hung the charm from the nail, and he and Tracy both stepped back to look at it.
"It's pretty," Ted said, draping his arm around Tracy's shoulders.
"It is," she said. "And the neighbors were really adamant about that pomegranate charm."
Ted shook his head, laughing. "I'm not surprised," he said. "We may have to endure a few more years of their nagging until we're ready to have a kid." Although Ted wouldn't admit it to Tracy, he was ready to be a dad right that second. He, frankly, couldn't wait to start a family with her.
Tracy wrapped her arms around Ted's waist and looked up at him lovingly. "No nagging needed," she assured him. "I mean, once we decide to have a kid, I'm sure there's nothing that could stop us."
"Mmm, you make a point," he said, leaning down to give her a kiss. "In fact, why don't we head upstairs and practice our baby-making skills right now? Minus the actual baby-making, of course."
"Well, I say we don't necessarily need the practice," she purred. "But then again, as adults, we always need to strive to improve in all aspects of our lives."
"I wholeheartedly agree," Ted said hungrily. "So... can we get to improving right now?"
"Dinner first?" she suggested.
"Sex first, food later," he told her. "We'll work up an appetite."
"God, what is with us today?" she asked him. "I feel like we can't keep our hands off each other. It's as if I've never wanted you more than I do right this instant."
"Don't question it," he whispered teasingly, his lips inches from hers. "Just do what feels natural."
Ted felt Tracy's fingers on his shirt, grabbing at the soft cotton forcefully. Ted licked his lips in anticipation... until she gave his chest a firm but gentle shove.
"Last one up goes down on the other first!" she called, making a beeline for the staircase.
Ted ran after her, pulled her arm, and pushed past her up the stairs. Tracy squealed and ran up behind him, jumping on his back and wrapping her arms and legs around him. Ted laughed, grabbing onto the handrails for support, as he carried her upstairs, disappearing into the master bedroom.
Afterwards, they reluctantly got dressed and headed back downstairs, Tracy noting that the bedroom required something else: curtains. "We probably just gave our neighbours quite a show," she told him with a smirk.
"Let's not get curtains," he suggested with a grin, his hands at her waist. "We can show them how us young'uns get it done."
She blushed. "Oh, pooh bear: no one should ever have to see what we just did up there."
They settled into the empty living room, enjoying their dinner and wine, picnic-style on the floor. They popped a DVD into Tracy's laptop, and projected the movie onto a bare wall, letting it play as background noise while they ate.
"I can't believe you've been paying heat and electric on this place this whole time," Tracy was saying as she took a last bite of moussaka.
Ted shrugged his shoulders. "It's not that expensive, given I'm hardly ever here," he said, taking a sip of wine. "Besides, I need the water and electric for when I come to water and mow the lawn during the summer. Plus, power came in handy for when I was fixing this place up."
"I can picture it," Tracy said, putting her empty plate down. "Flannel, tool belt, a bit of scruff... You must've been a regular Bob Vila."
"Um, try shirtless," he clarified, lifting his t-shirt sleeve and showcasing his bicep. "I had to impress all the housewives on the block somehow."
She gave him a loving grin. "I don't think anyone is going to love your string bean arms and farmer's tan as much as I do, babe."
Ted frowned. "C'mon, Trace," he said, feigning hurt. "You know how hard I've been working to bulk up!"
Tracy nodded her head and scooted over to Ted's side. "I'm sorry, you're right," she placated him, planting a kiss on his mouth. "You're totally ripped. Those visits to the gym are paying off."
"You bet they are!" he said. "Besides, I need to buff up to keep you happy." He was, of course, teasing. He knew how much Tracy loved him as he was, that six-packs and bulging biceps were meaningless to her. The way she always looked at him, love and lust in her eyes, Ted may as well have been Ryan Reynolds or Matt Damon.
"Anyway, shirtless or not, you did such a beautiful job on this place, Ted," she said, curling up against him and looking around. "I'm so proud of you."
His heart warmed, feeling such a sense of calm, safety and comfort he had never experienced before in a relationship. "Thank you, babe," he murmured, leaning over to kiss her forehead.
For so long, he had wanted to turn the house into a home. The time and energy he spent renovating the place was with the ultimate goal in-mind: a happily-ever-after. The heartbreak he felt when he decided to move to Chicago and put the house up for sale was indescribable; he felt like a failure, he felt hopeless. How could he have everything planned out so perfectly in his head, only for it to all go so wrong?
But all Ted had to do was be patient. For despite his despondence, Tracy entered his life not long after, and his dream life then quickly begun falling into place. He went from the lowest low to the highest high, and now life was perfect, with so much to look forward to.
They sat there in comfortable silence, taking in their surroundings, and enjoying the quiet evening. Outside the bay window, the blue, pink, orange and red streaks in the sky cast a lovely glow in the living room.
"We should come here more often," Tracy said finally.
Ted looked at her. "You saying you want to move in sooner?" he asked.
Tracy groaned, and Ted laughed, knowing where this was going. "Ugh. Not quite yet... We just moved you into my apartment, and if I see another cardboard box or live for weeks in a state of disarray, it'll be too soon."
Ted had to agree. Moving was exhausting; they may have gotten snippy at each other during the first few days of trying to incorporate his stuff into her space, or while looking for something that had gotten misplaced during the move. It was a fun time, sure, but also pretty frustrating.
In any case, Ted loved her apartment for the time being; it was the perfect place for two. It was cozy and intimate. The house was too big for the both of them for the time being. It'll have to wait until kids entered the picture.
"So what were you thinking?" he asked, giving her waist a tender squeeze. "More afternoons like this, just you, me and the bare walls? Because that's something I can get behind..."
"Mmm, exactly," Tracy admitted, her eyes closed. "I can see us getting comfortable like this by the fire during winter."
"Done," Ted said, drawing a check mark into the air with his finger. "We'll have a winter camp-out here in December." Our first holiday as an engaged couple, Ted thought happily to himself.
"We should have something here sooner, though," Tracy continued. "We can maybe host a barbecue in the coming weeks, invite the gang over. It'd be nice to take advantage of the backyard, and enjoy the final few weeks of gorgeous summer weather."
Ted smiled. "You know, this means we have to go out and buy a barbecue. It'll be our first big purchase together for the house. Think we're ready for that?"
"While I think a toaster or something is the more safe starter appliance," she joked. "I think we can handle co-owning a barbecue grill."
And that was it. Even though the house was completely empty, Tracy's sheer presence alone had already turned it into a home. And with the promise of filling the house up—with appliances, children, and a lifetime of memories—their future was starting to come together.
And it was looking pretty damn amazing.