a/n: Okay, a couple of notes: there are some spoilers in here, but I forget the episode names-nothing major though. And Heather is Ted's actuall sister in the show.

Mirror Image

Zach Mosby took a deep breath before his knuckles rapped against the warn wood of the door. He was sure this was where Ted still lived; his older, twin brother by 14-minutes-and-9-seconds. They hadn't seen each other in years, but have spoken on the phone as much as siblings did. This was the last address he had for Ted and he had lost his brother's number when his phone fried so he couldn't call.

He was in New York, so he thought he would pay a visit. Okay, so that wasn't the truth; his wife left him. Before he could get even more depressed, the door in front of him opened.

"Ted?" Marshall said. "Did you lose your key?"

Before Zach could get a word out, Marshall was already sitting back on the couch.

"Uh," Zach stuttered. "...Marshall..?" he tried out hesitantly. Ted had sent him a group picture year back, and he was sure this was Marshall.

"Yes, Ted?" Marshall said patiently as he flicked through the channels on the TV.

"I'm, uh, not Ted." Zach said uncertainly.

Marshall turned and looked at him from top to bottom to top again. "Of course you are,"

"No, I'm not." Zach said truthfully; willing Marshall to understand.

"I am looking right at you, Ted, you can't deny this." Marshall stood from his spot and took a step towards Zach, still in the open door way.

"I'm not denying this, Marshall. But I am not Ted." Zach gave him a very serious look.

"Right," Marshall crossed his arms over his chest. "Who put you up to this, hmm? Was it Barney?"

"No one put me up to this," Zach sighed; who knew it was this difficult to visit ones brother?

"Prove it then," Marshall challenged.

"Fine," Zach excepted, trying to think of something that would prove that he wasn't Ted. "Oh!" he gasped in triumph as he patted his person; trying to find his wallet, that would prove it for sure.

Pulling out his wallet, Zach whipped out his ID and held it out to Marshall.

Marshall took the ID and looked at it thru roughly, he 'hmmed and hawed', he even developed a contemplation pose.

Finally, he gave his verdict: "Denied,"

"What?" Zach exclaimed, grabbing back his ID. "How? This clearly says that I am not Ted Mosby."

"True," Marshall allowed. "But, having the same picture, last name and date? Come on, Ted. Amateur?"

Zach's hands went to his hips in his frustration; he had no idea how else to prove it. "Fine, what other proof do you have that I'm Ted?"

"What other proof do you have that you're not Ted?" Marshall returned.

"Touché,"

Zach took a step further into the apartment and he and Marshall started to circle each other slowly.

"Okay, I don't have Ted's butterfly tramp stamp," Zach told Marshall; last time he and Ted had talked, Ted had the tattoo.

"Of course you don't have it," Marshall said. "You got it removed."

Zach cursed; he didn't know that Ted had gotten it removed. Zach held up a finger as a light bulb went off. "Does Ted have this?" he asked as he took off his jacket and threw it on the back off the couch, before he lifted the shirt he was wearing to reveal his chest.

Marshall peered closely at each of Zach's nipple piercing's; it wasn't the traditional ring, but a bar through the nipple instead. To Marshall they looked real enough; he even pocked and pulled at them.

Marshall stood back up, "You are really committed to this, aren't you Ted?"

Zach scowled. "I swear to God that I am not Ted Mosby."

"Fine," Marshall said. "If you are keen on not being Ted, Ted, then we'll see what Lily, Robin and Barney think."

"Fine!" Zach yelled before he could stop himself.

Of course they were going to think he was Ted; Zach was his mirror image after all.

Zach stay close behind Marshall, whose taller frame hide him from view of anyone directly in front. He knew that Ted hadn't told his friends that he was a twin; Zach wasn't in the least bit sad or disappointed. When people find out that you're a twin; they usually compare both together and not really in the good way.

Marshall stopped short, just inside the bars door; this caused Zach to crash into him.

Once Marshall had opened the door, he had looked to their usual booth there he saw: Lily, Robin, Barney . . . and Ted. Yes, he had suspected that maybe this really wasn't Ted, and this proved that fact. Ted had been down here this whole time, while he argued with a stranger whether or not he was Ted or not. Marshall couldn't help the blushed that bloomed across his face as he glanced back at Zach.

"So, it would seem that you're not Ted all." Marshall said, still not moving from his spot.

"You don't have to be embarrassed, Marshall." Zach tried to reassure the taller man. "I mean, if I were in your situation I would do exactly what you did."

"Exactly?" Marshall asked.

"Well, not to the point of ripping my nipple piercings out. But just below that degree." Zach admitted.

Marshall turned to him, utterly embarrassed. "I feel so embarrassed right now." he admitted before holding out his hand to Zach. "I'm Marshall Erikson and you must be Zach, Ted's brother?"

Zach took Marshall's hand; playing along. "And you would be right."

"Zach?"

Both Zach and Marshall looked to see a surprised Ted shoot out of the booth and run towards them. Marshall took a step back just as Ted threw his arms around Zach, who would have fell with the force if it weren't for the brick wall behind him. As Zach caught his breath and wrapped his own arms around Ted, Marshall slid in beside Lily.

"Who's that?" Robin asked, looking at Ted's back, who ever he was hugging obscured by his body.

"Ted's brother," Marshall said.

"Ted has a brother?" Barney asked curious.

"Yup," Marshall nodded.

"How come he never told us?" Lily asked, hurt.

"Maybe it was the same reason that Ted never let Barney meet his sister." Robin said.

The other couldn't help laugh at Barney's expense.

"That's not fair," Barney said, indignant. "I never touched his sister."

"Yeah," Lily agreed, sarcastically. "Just like you never kissed his mom?" Barney's silence was all the answer they needed.

Ted buried his face in Zach's neck, soaking his brother's presence up. He hadn't seen Zach in a year and a half; lots of thing could have happened in that time. He was always closer to Zach than he was to Heather; whether it was because they were twins or that they were brothers, Ted didn't know - it was always just that way. And for a reason he really didn't understand, he never told his friends about Zach, not even Marshall - his best friend since freshmen year. Maybe it was to preserve him, make him Ted's little secret.

Finally, Ted release Zach from his bear hug but still kept in contact. And he just stared. After a minute or so, Ted grabbed his hand and started to pull him toward the booth where the others sat. He pulled two chairs from the next table to the booth so that he and Zach could sit.

Silence met their ears as Lily, Marshall, Robin and Barney looked between the two rapidly.

"Guys," Ted finally said. "This is my brother Zach. And Zach, this is Robin, Barney, Lily and you've met Marshall."

"How come you never told us you had a twin brother, Ted?" Lily asked.

Before Ted could think of an answer, he noticed something off about Zach. Ted grabbed Zach left hand and jerked it up, staring at the naked ring finger. "Zach? Where's your ring?"

Zach just shrugged his shoulder, nonchalant. "Carry left me," he said simply, taking his hand back.

"What?" Ted demanded. "Why?"

Zach sighed and looked at the others in the booth; these were Ted's friends so he thought it would be fine. He was already friends with Marshall after all. "I caught her in bed," he paused, slightly embarrassed by this next part. "With another woman. . ."

Barney opened him mouth, his hand raising in the, but a glare of shut-up-Barney from the group made him snap it shut, very much disappointed—how was this not something to high-five about?

Ted put an arm around Zach's shoulders and pulled him close, a comforting gesture. "Forget about her," Ted told Zach confidently. "She didn't deserve you for 4 years."

"I guess your right," Zach smiled as he sat up and grabbed Ted glass full of beer. He finished the glass in five seconds flat.

Marshall whistled. "Wow, you could totally win a contest with that speed."

"Yeah, I'm too old for that stuff." Zach sighed sadly.

"Can't argue there," Marshall agreed; a depressed state about him too.

Note: Okay, so I've been getting some Story Alerts for this, a decided to satisfy. I recently added another chapter for your reading view.

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