Ted was a hopeless romantic, as many of those closest to him can attest to. And he loved the various firsts that came along in a new relationship.
And with Tracy, in the nearly four months they've been seeing each other—a beautiful summer that had gone by so fast and yet also seemed to stop time—he got to experience a myriad of firsts.
First meeting, first date, first kiss, first time. The first time they bared their souls to each other, their first disagreement, and the first make-up sex that followed... The glorious first time they said "I love you" to one another. First naughty text messages sent, first time they watched Woodworthy Manor together, first road trip together (en route to their first Renaissance Faire together). The first time he shared his favourite music with her, swapping album suggestions and essential iTunes downloads into the wee hours of the morning...
But there was one first that was coming around the corner soon that Ted always loved: a first birthday together. Tracy was turning 29 years old, and Ted was the type of guy who normally got super excited when it came to girlfriends' birthdays. Oodles of gifts, showering them with love and attention, a romantic dinner date, perhaps a party... And now he wanted to shower Tracy with all this love and extravagance, too, even more so than he did with any other girlfriend that came before her.
However, the issue Ted was faced with was that Tracy's birthday coincided with a dark time from her past: Max's death.
He wasn't sure how to proceed with such an unusual situation. That moment eight years earlier had a lasting effect on her, as any death tends to have. But the fact that it occurred on the night of her 21st birthday—a milestone for any young person, when you're finally an adult, and your whole life ahead is full of hope and promise—meant that, from that point on, there was a dark cloud looming over the 19th of September every year.
But Ted wanted to lift that cloud. He loved this woman, and she deserved to be able to enjoy her birthday again. She seemed the type who enjoyed celebrations: she loved giving him little gifts for no reason whatsoever; she enjoyed calling up friends and loved ones on their birthdays and singing "Happy Birthday" accompanied by her ukulele; she told him that she got real into holidays like Halloween and Christmas. So there was no reason, he thought, for her to not love her birthday.
He had inquired about it briefly over Labor Day, while they were soaking in their hotel room tub after a full day at the Renaissance Faire.
"So," Ted began, as she settled in the warm, soapy water and leaned back into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her. "Your birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks."
"It is," she agreed, seemingly in a dream state, eyes closed.
"Your 29th," he noted.
She opened one eye and turned back to look at him. "Right again," she said. "What are you getting at, Mosby?
"So... is there anything in particular that you want to do?" he asked.
Tracy sighed, and she moved her fingers across the bubbles that surrounded them. "I don't really do much on my birthday. Maybe dinner at my parents', a movie with a friend, or I would usually visit Max's grave... Nothing terribly exciting."
"Well," Ted said, squeezing her middle. "You're dating me now. And birthdays tend to be a pretty big deal with me."
She chuckled. "It's ok, babe," she assured him. "Don't go to any trouble; it's just my birthday. Just another date on the calendar."
"I don't see it like that," he said softly, kissing her ear.
She smiled. "Ok," she said, giving in a little. "Just don't go out of your way. A quiet evening with you is all I need. I mean it."
He nodded his head and, deeming the conversation over, Ted proceeded to kiss down her neck.
Unfortunately for Tracy, Ted wasn't going to comply with her request.
The morning of her birthday, Ted crept out of bed at 6am to start setting up. He set up the decorations in the living room, went next door to Mrs. O'Donovan's apartment to pick up all the gifts he had been hiding there—"Such a sweet girl who's been through so much," she told Ted sadly. "She's lucky to have a fine young man like you in her life."—and whipped up a full breakfast of waffles, eggs, and bacon (lots of bacon). He even made sure to have an English muffin ready for his rendition of "Happy Birthday".
Ted placed a bouquet of roses on the coffee table, pulling one out from the lot, and went into the bedroom.
It was 7:25am, and Tracy was dead to the world. Comforter kicked to the foot of the bed, one sock having gone missing, her face pressed into the pillow... Normally, her alarm would ring out in exactly five minutes so that she can start her day, but little did she know that Ted had turned it off. She wouldn't be going into work this Thursday morning.
After her internship at the UN, Tracy immediately landed a job at the Robin Hood Foundation, and had been working there for only a few weeks. Luckily for Ted, one of her direct superiors was her favourite professors at Columbia, and someone she considered a good friend, so he called in a favour and asked if he could kidnap Tracy for the day. Her boss was more than happy to comply. Even Ted called in "sick" for his lecture that afternoon; he had one of his teaching assistant subbing for him.
Now, Ted sat on the edge of the bed, and gently leaned over Tracy's sleeping body. "Happy birthday," he whispered in her ear. He saw her smile in her sleep, which relieved Ted. He knew, deep down, she liked birthdays. He just had to convince her on the outside.
He kissed her cheek and urged her to get up.
She groaned. "Isn't it customary for the birthday girl to sleep in on her big day? Or, in my case, let me hit snooze at least once after the alarm goes off?" She peered over at the clock. "7:28? Oh, this better be good, Mosby." She pretended to be irate, but he could hear the playful tone in her voice.
She turned around to face him, and he held up the single rose. "For you," he said simply.
Her eyes softened. "Thank you, babe," she said sincerely, taking the flower from his hand. "You didn't have to do this."
Ted laughed. "You think one rose is all you're getting?" he said. "Come on, get out of bed. We've got a full day ahead of us."
Tracy sat up in bed. "Honey, I love that you're doing this, but I do need to start getting ready for work."
"No, you don't," he told her, scooting closer. "I called Marika, and she said to simply enjoy your day."
"I thought we agreed that you weren't going to do anything too extravagant," she said, suspicious. "What do you have up your sleeve?"
Ted smiled mischievously. "Get dressed and meet me in the living room," was all he said. He gave her another kiss, and excitedly ran out of the bedroom.
15 minutes later, Ted was sitting on the couch with the bouquet of roses in his lap when Tracy came out of her bedroom, fully-dressed. She looked around the apartment, noticing the streamers dangling from the ceiling and draped around every doorframe, and the balloons strewn about everywhere.
Tracy laughed, but seemed moved. "Ted, what on earth did you do?"
"Oh, this?" he asked nonchalantly, standing up. "Just thought I'd get the apartment looking a little festive."
"A "little" festive? It looks like Party City threw up in here!" she said. "Ted, what compelled you to do all this?"
Ted walked over to her and handed her the bouquet of flowers. "It's your birthday," he said simply, shrugging his shoulders. "There's no bigger reason than that. Come on, let's sit down."
She followed him to the couch, where he sat her in front of the large pile of gifts, some bigger than others. He took the small one off the top and handed it to her.
"You know, one gift would've sufficed," she told him. "Not..." Tracy looked at the pile and proceeded to count.
"10," Ted said before she could finish.
"10?" she asked, incredulous.
"10," he confirmed.
Tracy shook her head, smiling despite herself, as she began opening up the first gift. She removed the bow, undid the ribbon, and gently tore open the paper. She looked at the cassette case labeled 'Tracy's Birthday Mix'. She opened it up, and inside was a faux casette tape with a USB memory stick within. She looked at the playlist that Ted had scrawled in his neat penmanship, and proceeded to read out loud:
"1984: "Missing You" by John Waits. 1985: "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straights. 1986: "Stuck with You" by Huey Lewis and the News. 1987: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" by Michael Jackson..."
"They're the #1 songs on September 19 for every year since you were born," he explained softly.
Ted was unsure what Tracy was feeling or thinking right then. She was just staring down at the gift, seemingly processing the weight of it. She covered her eyes with her hand for a few seconds, then sighed, running her hand through her hair. "This is really sweet, Ted," she admitted. Ted noticed the tears pooling in her eyes.
They sat there is silence for awhile, Tracy looking around the room, taking it all in again. Her eyes then settled on Ted sitting next to her. She reached over and placed her hand on his.
"You know," Tracy said finally. "I used to really love my birthday."
Ted smiled sadly, covering his other hand over hers. "I had an inkling."
"That did all change the moment Max died," she admitted. "He was a lot like you, you know: he loved birthdays, loved to lavish me with gifts and surprises... His absence was particularly glaring on my birthday each year. I guess it was easier to just withdraw and not make a big deal out of it anymore, out of respect for him."
Ted sighed. His hunch was right, and it broke his heart. Here was this shining, beautiful woman who kept herself from enjoying her birthday, simply out of fear that doing so would be a slight against Max and his memory. He wanted to let her know that it was okay to enjoy herself, to immerse herself in this day, and not feel any guilt about it. If there was only one gift he could attempt to give her that day, it would be to lift that burden from her shoulders.
"Listen, Trace," Ted said tenderly, pulling her closer to him. "I'm content to do whatever you want today. You want to have a quiet dinner at home, we'll do that. You want to go visit Max's grave, I'll take you there. We can just sit here and talk—or not talk—just say the word. Hell, I'll even throw you a rager if that's what you want. I just want to make sure that, whatever you choose to do, it's something that makes you happy. You shouldn't settle for anything less, because... you're amazing, Tracy McConnell, and you deserve to not let this day be a day of mourning. I think Max would've wanted that for you."
He paused. "And I want that for you," he added. "I want you to let good things happen to you."
"I let you happen to me," she pointed out, wiping at her eyes.
Ted smiled. "Thank you for thinking of me as a good thing. But I want more for you too, you know?"
"I know," she agreed, giving him a brave smile. "I think I'm getting there, though. You make it pretty easy; it's hard not to get excited when I see all this time and effort you put in. So thank you."
He smiled shyly. "I'd do anything to ensure you keep on smiling the way you are right now," he told her sincerely. "Seriously: any time you're feeling down, I'll carry that weight for you."
Her smile widened at his words. "You know, you gave me another gift today," she told him, intertwining her fingers with his.
"What's that?" he asked, curious.
She took the bow from the gift and gently placed it on Ted's head.
"You," she said simply. "Thank you for being so wonderful and supportive and patient. You've truly given me a reason to enjoy my birthday again."
"I love you so much," he said.
"I love you," she said. She reached up for Ted's head, holding the bow down as she leaned in to give him a kiss.
Ted could sense the gratefulness and the love in her kiss, letting her heart and soul pour out. He knew it wasn't going to be easy, that subsequent September 19ths would surely have their ups and downs, but he knew today was a turning point for Tracy, that she was ready to let life and happiness in.
"So..." she said, clearing her throat as she pulled away. "Knowing your penchant for surprises, what's on the agenda for the day?"
Ted beamed. "I'm glad you asked," he said, happy that she was on board. "First, you're going to finish opening your gifts. Then, we need to have breakfast before it gets cold. We'll then follow that up with you thanking me properly for the gifts in the bedroom."
Tracy rolled her eyes playfully at that. "Go on," she said.
"Then, we're going to play tourists in our own city," he continued. "A romantic stroll through Central Park, running through the aisles of FAO Schwartz, a visit to the Empire State Building... And then, we're going to the most chichi French restaurant in the city, where we'll eat the most amazing and expensive food, all the while mocking the snootiness of the staff..."
"Ah, oui," Tracy said with a smile.
"Oui," he agreed. "And then we'll go and have dessert and coffee at a, shall we say, humble place that's more up our alley."
"And then?" she pressed, eager to know more of what Ted had in store.
"Well, then we'll come back here. By that point, we'll have a few hours to kill before the main event, so I'm sure we can think of something to do: have sex, take a nap, watch a movie, have sex..."
"I see we have options," she joked. "So, what's the main event?"
"We're having a private party at MacLaren's tonight!" Ted said excitedly. "Barney and Robin will be there, your bandmates, Cindy and Casey, Kelly... I even got Carl to close up the bar for the night."
"Carl's closing down the bar?" she asked, impressed. "That doesn't sound like him."
"I know," Ted agreed. "But I told him it was for you, and he was totally on board. I think he likes you."
It was Tracy's very sociable and friendly personality that left people smitten with her; it definitely got her free drinks at the bar on a few occasions. And not in a way that should make Ted jealous. A female waitress even gave Tracy a free slice of pie once while they were having lunch together; all Tracy did was genuinely say that she liked her shoes, and they proceeded to talk fashion for about five minutes. So it seemed as if Carl was also drawn to her personable nature.
"I've been hanging out there for 13 years, and not once has he ever offered me a free drink," Ted told her.
"Well, you don't look as cute in an dress as I do," she told him matter-of-factly. "Besides, he's fun to talk to. I ask how his wife and kids are doing."
"He's married?!" Ted asked, shocked. That was news to him.
Tracy laughed. "Oh, honey... You'll be paying for drinks for the rest of your life."
"Eh," he said. "I'll just ride on your coattails, and hope he extends a free beer to me on occasion."
"You hold on to that dream, babe," she said. "So, can we get this day started?" The excited tone in her voice couldn't be denied.
"Of course!" Ted said. "But, you know, I have another ribbon strategically wrapped around a certain body part. Want to head to the bedroom and unwrap this gift?" he asked with a gleam in his eye.
"I thought I had to finish with these ones first," she said flirtatiously, pointing to the pile on the table. "And breakfast's going to get cold."
"That was the plan," Ted acknowledged. "But I managed to tie the ribbon a bit too tight and, ahhhh, I now feel as if the blood has stopped flowing..." He grimaced and tugged at his groin.
She shook her head, laughing. "God, you're such a doofus," she told him lovingly. She grabbed him from his belt loops, leaned backwards, and pulled him on top of her.