So, I was working on another one-shot in between chapters of my series, and then the news of LeBron James' decision to come back to Cleveland came up this morning. And with Twitter exploding, especially with HIMYM fans reacting and wondering what Ted was thinking and feeling, I was inspired and put the other fic on hold for just a bit. As Barney says, "Challenge accepted!" Of course, it's got some major Ted/Tracy fluff, too. Happy reading!

July 11, 2014

Tracy was at the apartment, packing up her and Ted's bags for their weekend away. She and the band had a wedding gig in Connecticut the following night, and Ted decided to tag along. They were leaving that afternoon and making a romantic weekend out of it.

They had a busy couple of months, with Ted moving into her apartment after they had gotten back from their anniversary weekend in Farhampton. It was a busy and exhausting move, and they both admittedly needed a break. And given that the wedding was taking place lakeside, they booked a nearby cottage, so the time spent among nature away from the city was going to be a nice respite.

So she was getting their stuff ready while Ted was teaching his Friday morning summer class. He was likely on his way home at that very minute, and once he got home, they'd hit the road.

At that moment, Tracy's smartphone dinged. Turn on ESPN!! I'll be there in two minutes! Ted's text message said.

Ok... she typed, wondering what had gotten into Ted that he had to use that many exclamation points.

Tracy wandered into the living room, and turned on the TV as instructed. She plopped down on the couch and switched to ESPN. "Whoa..." she breathed out as she read the news on the screen:

Breaking News: LeBron James Returning to Cleveland

Now she knew why Ted was so excited. Tracy wasn't much of a basketball fan, but she remembers hearing about LeBron leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers a few years back from her brothers. And in the 14 months she'd been with Ted, she knew how serious he took his basketball—she was a witness to his March Madness obsession a few months earlier—and especially about his feelings towards LeBron's Cleveland departure.

He'd often react sadly when the subject would come up (and even when it didn't), once even sobbing softly while drunk, much to Tracy's surprise and amusement. She liked to tease him about it, but given the sore topic, she usually kept it to a minimum.

Tracy was pulled away from her thoughts when the door burst open and Ted rushed in. "He's coming hoooome!" he was shouting, arms in the air.

An ecstatic grin on his face, he walked over and pulled her up off the couch, spinning her in his arms before kissing her passionately.

"This is the greatest day ever!" he exclaimed, pulling back, hands on her shoulders as he looked her in the eyes.

"The greatest?" she asked him, slightly stunned and out of breath from his embrace.

"Well, not as great as the day I met you," he admitted. (Nice save, Mosby, Tracy thought, amused.) He dropped his shoulder bag on the couch, and began peeling off his shirt. "But it's a close second!" He then left and disappeared into the bedroom.

A couple of minutes later, Ted was back in the living room, wearing his number 23 Cavaliers jersey. "Everyone burned their jerseys, but not me!" he said proudly as he sat down on the couch, pulling her down next to him. "I have been saying for years he'd be back. Years! Everyone made fun of ol' Teddy Boy here, but today, I'm the one who's laughing!"

"Bring the crazy down a notch, baby," Tracy told him with a smile.

He smiled back and they watched the commentary for a few minutes.

"So should we get going?" she finally asked.

"In a few minutes," he assured her, eyes still glued to the TV, while he pulled his phone from his back pocket. "I have a few phone calls to make."

He punched in the first number, waiting as it rang. "Hey, Marshall! It's Ted! You owe me, man. Four years ago, you said LeBron was never coming back! Once Tracy and I get back from Connecticut, you are honouring that bet. And tell Barney the same goes for him, too!"

Ted hung up and looked at Tracy. "Voicemail," he told her.

"Ok, now can we go?" she asked him, stroking his arm. "I kind of want to get you into that cottage as soon as possible." The secluded space, the still lake, the starry night sky that awaited them... Ted was a few hours away from finding out just how much nature turned her on.

"Yeah, honey," he said absentmindedly, dialing another number. "I need to call Punchy."

Tracy sighed, crossing her arms and leaning back down on the couch.

"Punchy!" Ted shrieked happily. "Greatest news ever, right?! How's the reaction in the 'hood?" He listened for a few moments, and then turned to Tracy. "He says people on the streets are going crazy! Music and dancing, strangers high-fiving one another, cars honking..."

He turned back to his phone. "Buddy, you have to buy Cavs tickets for me, you, Tracy and Kelly for when the new season starts up... You already snatched some up? Sweet!" He looked over at Tracy. "Babe, how does Cleveland in October sound?"

Tracy smiled, and nodded her head. It was hard to stay upset with Ted when he got this excited. Admittedly, he rarely got this distracted, as he was normally a rather attentive boyfriend, so she decided to let him have this. Besides, it was sweet that he was including her in his obsession.

He eventually hung up with Punchy, and looked over at Tracy with a smile. "So..." she began tentatively. "Now can we hit the road?"

"Just one more thing, I promise."

Tracy began to groan, ready to remind him of the snail's pace in which he tended to drive, that they were going to end up at the cottage later than anticipated. But Ted just scooted closer to her and leaned his body over hers, kissing her with the same urgency he did earlier. He pulled back a bit, and gazed down at her lovingly. "I kinda want to celebrate this moment with you," he said softly. "There isn't anyone in this world I want to commemorate the return of The King with more than you."

Her eyes softened. Yup, really hard to stay upset with him; even when his mind seemed to be elsewhere, she was still always in his thoughts. "Ok, pooh bear," she told him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "10 minutes of celebratory sex, and then we head to Connecticut."

"Deal," he whispered, reaching a hand out to tuck a few strands of hair behind her ear. "And I swear, this weekend will be LeBron-free. It will be all about you and me. And, of course, the future Mr. and. Mrs. Papadopoulos."

She laughed and pressed her lips against his, enjoying the feel of his body pressed against hers. So they'd be a little bit late getting to Connecticut; she figured this was worth it. Ted's fingers lingered underneath her shirt, and Tracy grasped at the material of his jersey tightly.

He started to pull off his shirt, but she insisted he keep it on. He grinned and proceeded to kiss her again, his body reacting rather quickly, Tracy feeling his arousal against her thigh.

"Baby," she moaned as he nibbled at her neck. "Does your present level of, um, excitement have to do with me or with LeBron's homecoming?"

He laughed against her skin. "I gotta be honest, Trace. A little bit of both."