So, yeah. Chapter 3. The final chapter. El ultimo capitulo. In the words of Zac Efron as Troy Bolton in the 2009 SNL skit, "I was as shocked as you are." (If you haven't seen it, you need to for the full effect. Preferably as soon as possible.)

Um, this was supposed to be a one-shot. And then Barney yelled at me and made me hit him with a semi-truck. So it became a two-shot.

This chapter is based on a single line that I really wanted to use in chapter two, but couldn't fit in. (It's the first line, if you were wondering.) It IS the last chapter. For good. (I think.)

The ratings on TLLF have been completely astounding, and I want to again thank you for the reviews, the favorites, the follows, the PMs, the conversations, the reads, and the support. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I wish I could buy you all a round at MacLaren's.

And now, the end.

6 months later

November 2030

"Can a divorce be annulled?"

Marshall was confused. "What?"

"Can a person get a divorce annulled. Like, have it proclaimed invalid. That it never happened."

Marshall took the phone away from his ear, making it automatically switch to speakerphone. "Robin, what are you talking about? Is this for a news story? Because if it is—"

"No, it's not for a story, it's for personal use. Don't tell Lily. You cannot, under any circumstances, tell Lily. I will tell Lily."

"You're getting back together with Barney?" Lily screeched.

Marshall could almost hear Robin cringe on the other side of the line. "Marshall," she asked while gritting her teeth, "why am I on speakerphone, and why is Lily at your work?"

Lily snorted. "Honey, you interrupted something that should never be interrupted. You're lucky I even let him answer the phone."

"You're on my speed dial, and that means you bypass the 'do not disturb' settings," Marshall explained sheepishly.

Robin heard a zipper being pulled up. "Oh my God, I'll call back when you're done—"

"The moment's over now, just continue telling us how YOU AND BARNEY ARE GETTING UNDIVORCED!" Lily said excitedly, pulling her maroon sweater over her head and sitting on the couch in Marshall's office. "I'll take that money whenever you have it, dear," she told her husband, who sighed and took out his wallet.

"We haven't officially decided anything yet, but we're thinking about—you bet that we were going to get back together? It's been fourteen years, Lily."

Lily shrugged and took the fifty-dollar bill from Marshall. "Money's money, Robin. I can't help it if I'm good at predicting stuff. Thanks, Marshmallow," Lily smiled, kissing her husband.

Robin cleared her throat. "So, yeah. Me and Barney." She took a deep breath. "We're going to try and make it work this time. But we wanted to know if we could just void the divorce or if we would have to go through the marriage thing again. We want to keep it as hassle-free as possible for Ellie."

"Of course. We will do whatever you need us to," Lily promised.

"And I'll recheck the laws and precedents regarding divorce," Marshall assured her. "I can give you an answer at dinner tomorrow."

Robin nodded. "Thanks, guys. See you at Ted's."

Lily and Marshall called, "See ya!" in unison before the line was disconnected.

Marshall looked at his spry, ginger wife. "Did you mean it when you said 'the moment was over,' Lilypad?"

Lily smirked at him and raised her eyebrows. "Of course not, Mr. Supreme Fudge."

Barney watched his daughter as she told Penny and Daisy about how she got her cast off.

"..So then the doctor told me it would feel funny, and it did. But the cast got off and the scary saw thing didn't hurt me. And then he asked if I wanted to keep the cast, and I said yes, and now I have everyone's names on it, and Daddy said that I can put it on a stand and stand it on my bureau!"

The teenagers exchanged a look, smiling, as they listened to their younger cousin. "That was so brave, Ellie!" Daisy gushed.

Penny asked, "Weren't you scared?"

Ellie shook her head. "Uh-uh. 'Cause Daddy was there with me, and he promised it would be okay. Daddy's the smartest man in the whole world, and he always tells the truth. And then we got ice cream!"

Barney smiled softly. He remembered a time when he was much less than his daughter believed of him. A time when he lied, and took whatever he wanted, and used people, and broke them for his own gain.

But that wasn't Barney anymore. That hadn't been him for a long, long time. And, he hoped silently, that wasn't Robin anymore. Because if Robin showed even a hint of the cold, professional person she had been fourteen years ago, he would have to stop seeing her. She wasn't the most important girl in his life anymore, and she could never be. He had a daughter now.

Barney had grown up. Had Robin?

Tracy stepped into the living room. "Barney? Dinner's ready, we're just setting it out now. Want me to wheel you in?"

He nodded. "Thank you, Tracy."

She smiled back at him. "It's the least I can do. Just a little while before you'll be back on your feet again! Ellie, Daisy, Penny? Dinnertime. And Aunt Robin called to say she's leaving work early, so she should be here any minute. Who wants to go greet her?" Tracy grinned at her nieces and daughter. "And she may or may not have mentioned a special surprise she'll need help with," Mrs. Mosby winked.

"Pie!" the girls squealed, racing to the front door.

Tracy caught the brief expression of Barney's face. "What's up, Grumpypants?"

Barney furrowed his brow. "Ellie already had ice cream today. I don't want her to have too much sugar—"

Tracy made a noise of disapproval. "She's a ten year old girl, Barney. She can handle it. It is a big day, after all."

Barney sighed. "I guess you're right. Wheel me in, Scotty," he joked.

"So, how's the physical therapy going, Barney?" Ted asked through a mouthful of turkey.

"It's going well. At least, I think so. The doctor says that I need to keep exercising my legs even though I still can't walk, so I just kind of stay there while the specialists move them. It's better than regaining feeling but not being able to walk." Barney moved his fork to his mouth slowly. He hadn't regained all the muscle memory he needed to complete basic movements yet, but luckily the damage was reparable.

Robin spoke up. "He has an appointment with the surgeon tomorrow to discuss the final axon fusions. Hopefully, the surgery can be scheduled for the next few weeks, and Barney will be able to walk with crutches by Christmastime."

"What time is the appointment, Robin?" Lily inquired in an innocent voice.

Robin winced. "Three thirty, and I know I'm supposed to be shopping with you all day, Lils, but that was the only time the clinic could fit us in. Besides, I'll be there to hit all the sales with you and the girls from 5 till 3."

Ellie beamed, showing off her missing front tooth. "I get to go Black Friday shopping this year, right, Daddy?"

Barney turned his tired eyes to her. "Of course, Princess. And you get to stay out and have more fun with your cousins and aunts while Aunt Robin takes me to the clinic."

"And boys, we get to watch football and play on the virtual field for playoffs at four," Ted reminded his son and nephews.

"Go Vikings!" Marshall exclaimed.

Liam rolled his eyes. "Dad, you know it's just a virtual league, right? The pro teams aren't actually going to be there."

Marshall gently admonished him, "You don't know that, Son. If you're lucky, you might meet the virtual avatars of some great football players."

"Not with a name like SasquatchLives1978, Dad," Marvin said.

"Yeah, you should really change that if you want to be drafted before six, Uncle Marshall," Luke added.

Lily rubbed her husband's hand as he grumbled about how disrespectful the youth of 2030 were. "They're right, honey," she told him soothingly.

"Well, we're all going to have tons of fun tomorrow, that's for sure," Tracy said with a smile.

"Who wants pie?" Robin asked. All the kids but Penny ran to the kitchen.

She walked over to Barney. "Want some pie?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "Not today, Penny. But thank you for asking."

"No problem, Uncle Barney. I can't wait till you can walk again."

Barney's eyes crinkled. "Me neither. Go have your Thanksgiving pie, Penny-girl."

She left the six adults in the dining room. "So, anyone want to explain what's going on between those two at the end?" Tracy asked, gesturing to Barney and Robin.

Robin and Barney traded a glance. "We're discussing resuming our relationship," Robin explained carefully.

Marshall remembered the conversation that had happened the day before. "Robin, I checked into the possibility we discussed yesterday. It's more of a religious thing, and I don't think it's going to be applicable in this situation. You're going to have to go through the whole process again."

Ted was confused. "What process?"

"Robin and I are thinking about resuming our marriage. We wanted to know if we could get the divorce annulled." Barney's heart sank when he thought of what another marriage would mean.

All six kids walked back into the room at once, carrying plates of pie with mounds of whipped cream on top.

"What the—"

"You guys are getting back together?" Daisy cried.

"It's November. My month, guys, so pay up," Luke said. His cousins and sister grumbled.

Robin looked like someone had just told her they loved her at the end of their first date. "You took bets on when we would get back together?" she asked.

"You couldn't have waited three more days until it was December? I wanted to get you all good Christmas presents, and now Luke's taking all I've got!" Ellie answered her dumbfounded gaze.

"No gambling for the under-12 crowd," Tracy announced. Luke sighed, handing Ellie's twenty-eight dollars back. The little blonde girl grinned.

"Well, we know none of these kids got switched at the hospital," Ted grinned.

January 2031

"It's been a month since the surgery, Barney. How do those legs feel?"

Barney leaned his crutches on the wall and hobbled over to the state-of-the-art, pressure-gauging chair he always sat in at appointments. "They feel all right. It's weird, walking again," he replied at the machine locked around his legs and started checking his progress automatically. "My left leg is healing slower than my right. I still can't move my knee."

Warning bells went off in the surgeon's head. Both legs should be almost fully healed by now, he thought. "Let's check that out." He pressed a few buttons and entered in commands, and the machine started analyzing the axons, remaining bon fragments, scar tissue, and other parts that might hinder Barney's recovery. "No trouble with the right leg, then?"

"None at all," Barney answered. He adjusted his suit coat nervously.

The screen beeped and the surgeon read Barney's prognosis carefully. "Mr. Stinson, your right leg is on track to be fully healed by the end of the month. But your left leg...I can see a bit of scar tissue build-up, nothing to be worried about, but it looks like two of the axons aren't responding to the stem cells from your bone marrow. It's incredibly difficult to harvest those, though, and if they didn't take the first time, there's only a nine percent chance of them working after more surgery. It will be four months to prep you and extract the cells, and another two months until the surgery. Or, you can decide to leave your left leg as it is. It was nearly crushed in the accident, which is probably why it's not healing properly. What will it be?"

Barney froze. Would Robin still want to marry him if he could only hobble from place to place? Would he be able to care for Ellie? What would it mean for him and his future?

After a lengthy internal debate, he made his decision. "Okay, Doc," he sighed.

"You've reached Judge Eriksen's voicemail. Leave a message and he will listen to it and respond in a timely manner. Thank you for calling the New York Supreme Court Judicial Office." A beep sounded.

"Hey, Marshall, it's Robin. Barney and I have decided to get married next week Friday. I know it's a little spur-of-the-moment, but we wanted to keep it small. Just you guys and the kids. We were wondering, could we use your office for the actual ceremony? Barney has a 'minister guy'. Yeah, I don't want to know what that means either. But he promised that there will be no bear this time, so that's a plus. It's gonna be low-key. Call me with your answer. Thanks."

This time, they walked into the building hand in hand.

Well, hand in Ellie's hand.

Barney hobbled up the steps as best he could, stopping to lift his left leg up on each individual step.

"Do you need help, Daddy?" Ellie asked.

Barney smiled. "I've got it, honey. You walk ahead with your mom."

Robin took Ellie inside, where she knew the rest of the gang would be waiting.

Instead of the traditional clothing like the first time, Robin wore a simple pink sundress. It was remarkably warm for Valentine's Day, but Barney still wore his suit. Ellie had picked out a long baby blue gown while shopping with her aunts, and she even had a tiara to complete the princess look.

Barney waited in the vestibule of the building for his minister guy to show up. An older, Italian-looking man finally walked through the door. "Hey, Barney! How you doin'?"

Barney nodded and grinned. "Today is going to be legendary. It's been a while, Joey. How's the Hollywood life treating you?"

Joey shrugged. "Not too many big roles for the over-sixty crowd anymore since Clooney's dominating the seventy-plus market."

"Tough break, man. But I'm so glad you were in town. It wouldn't be a wedding without Joey Tribbiani officiating."

"I know, right?" he asked, acting as if it were a dumb question. "Now, let's get this baby started."

"Robin, I promise to love you until the day I die. I promise to hold you and keep you and protect you. I promise to provide for you, appreciate you, and put 'we' before 'me'."

"Barney, I promise to never let you go. I promise to be a good wife and a good mother, and to always stand by you. And I promise to love you both unconditionally."

"You may now kiss the bride."

"Don't you just love weddings?" Penny asked, a dreamy look in her eye.

Ted blinked at her. "Yes. When people are adults. And they're not sixteen. And they're over forty. And they're not sixteen."

Penny rolled her eyes. "I heard you the first time, Dad. Sheesh. It's not like I'd want to get married soon, anyway. I just think weddings are nice, that's all."

Ellie twirled around the room, her skirt gently ballooning out underneath her. "Momma, Daddy, look!"

Barney and Robin turned to watch her pirouette toward them, adding in pliés and arabesques as she danced.

"I should probably sign her up for more dance lessons," remarked Barney.

Robin smiled at her stepdaughter. "She's got talent."

Joey clapped his hands. "Hey everyone, these guys," he said, pointing to the newly-remarried Stinsons, "are gonna dance together."

Robin led Barney to the dance floor, which was really just the middle of the conference room they were using as the reception hall.

Barney put his hands on her waist. "Can you tell me what song it is now?"

Robin wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled into her husband's chest. "It's pretty old. But it's right. Listen to the words."

Tracy cleared her throat and turned on the microphone. Ted shot her a thumbs-up as Daisy sat down at the piano and put her years of lessons to good use.

"I've taken all this time, standing in the snow, and I'm so afraid of what could fall from my lips; afraid of what I know. But still I carry on, following my heart. Things could let me down, and I could be betrayed, but love never lies. So, let me be your rose In December. And I'll be standing here, until spring comes and the snow melts away. Let me be your Rose In December. I'll stand here forever, loving you, as a rose in December…"

As Tracy began the second verse, Robin and Barney swayed to the beautiful melody, content and ready to continue their lives. Together.

how i met your mother

What else can I say?

Thank you so much for reading. Let me know what you thought: was it good? Horrid? Boring? Annoying? Fabulous? All feedback is greatly appreciated :D

I hope this helps you recover from the finale and sates your thirst for more HIMYM.

But now, the gang needs to live their lives without us watching them. And that's okay.

Because in the end, we'll always know their stories in our hearts, even if we're not tuning in for a weekly update.

If you decide to take any of my events as canon, thank you for giving me the highest honor a writer can have. If you enjoyed the read, thank you for choosing my silly little fic. If you want to know what happens after this, it's your turn to tell me. (This has happened before; if you want to continue this fic, please contact me.)

You are all so legendary. And in a very real sense.

~IceCreamGurl6455

PS: Any references you catch can be identified in a review and redeemed for bragging rights.

PPS: Robin and Barney's wedding song was "Rose in December" by Lzzy Hale of Halestorm. To my knowledge, Cristin Milioti has not covered this song. If someone wants to petition/ask her too, I will support the heck out of that request.