AN: This chapter was inspired by groundcontroltomajortom's story "Westchester", which you should all check out because it's lovely. As always, thank you for the reviews (even though I don't usually respond, they really do mean a lot).
"So I wait for you like a lonely house
till you will see me again and live in me.
Till then my windows ache."
-Pablo Neruda, 100 Love Sonnets
The house had come together nicely- more than nicely, actually, Ted thought as he stepped through the threshold.
He'd convinced Lily to take a break from giving Marshall the cold-shoulder and allow him to come see the finished product up in Westchester. Him and Ted had driven up on Friday evening, just short of two weeks after Barney and Robin's wedding. Between Ted's date nights and Lily being pissed at Marshall, the two hadn't gotten to see much of each other. "Wow." Marshall said from behind his friend, closing the front door. He glanced around, amazed that it was the same house that had been all rubble and termites just a few years ago. "You really fixed it up," he continued, looking about in awe. Ted was enjoying the reaction as he strolled into the living room with a superior grin. "I told you I would."
Marshall nodded, an approving look on his face. "So when does the missus move in?" he joked, leaning against the wall. Ted chuckled, turning to the cooler they'd lugged in with a sigh. "At the rate it's going? Could be any day now." He popped open two beers, passing one to Marshall.
"Oh, Ted. Already?" he asked, accepting the drink. He took a swig. "It's been just shy of two weeks, and you're mentally picking out bedroom sets."
"Hey." Ted protested, laughing despite himself. "I'm serious, man. This girl is..." he trailed off, lost in thoughts of her smile. Marshall grinned. "I'm happy for you." he said, on a more serious note. His tone was somewhat wistful, which wasn't lost on Ted. "How are things with Lily?" he questioned, but only because it was his job as the best friend. He knew exactly how things were- "Tense." Marshall replied, deflating a little. He led the way out to the back deck, sitting down on the steps. His fingers wrapped more tightly around his bottle.
Ted followed, clapping Marshall's shoulder as he sat beside him. "It'll blow over."
This was true, and they both knew it. That fact, however, didn't change the way Lily made a point of avoiding eye contact and insisted on performing Marvin's lullaby on her own.
"No, I know." Marshall agreed, staring into the trees of the backyard. "I can't blame her, at any rate...But that doesn't mean I have to like the way things are." And things were this way on his own accord; the strain at home was nothing compared to the guilt he felt for being so selfish. "I crushed Lily's dream, and for what? So I could live mine?" Marshall rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Hey-" Ted interjected, trying to catch his eye. "You made a decision, and maybe it was the more..." he searched for a word to use, "self-serving one, but that doesn't mean it was wrong, either." Ted shifted to face Marshall. "Think of it this way- by accepting the judgeship, you get to stay in New York with all your friends...it saves you from having to learn a new language- and, come on, how cool does Judge Eriksen sound?"
"I mean yeah, Judge Eriksen is a sweet title, but that's not the point, Ted." Marshall stared down at his beer. "For the rest of my days, I have to look at my wife and know that I stood in the way of her happiness." He closed his eyes, tensing, and Ted felt a pang of sympathy. "Dude, listen- Lily will be plenty happy without going to Rome." He was desperate to cheer up his friend. "She still has you, and Marvin, and the rest of us. This fight won't last forever."
"Let's not talk about it." Marshall said abruptly, and to both of the men's horror, his voice cracked.
Ted patted his shoulder once more. "Tell me about the new girl. You've gone on, what, four dates?" Marshall wondered, to Ted's delight. His face lit up. "She's perfect- almost too good to be true."
"How so?"
Ted hesitated, feeling the urge to bare his soul. "It's ju- have you ever met someone really unprecedented? And there's something about being with them that's so different from the others?"
Marshall glanced over, bemused. "Ted, I've been with the same woman since I was eighteen."
"Right." Ted grasped for words to explain. "Okay. You know how you met Lily and new almost immediately that she was the one?" Marshall nodded, giving a wary look to Ted. They'd been down this road many times before. "I know that face- but it's not what you're thinking. This girl, she's something else. She loves the same literature as me, and doesn't yawn when I talk about neoclassicism. I mean, Christ, for our second date we went to a museum." Ted broke off, feeling awestruck at the mere thought of her. Marshall laughed, completely pleased. "She sure sounds different- good different." he added, watching Ted.
"Wonderful different. Did I mention she wears driving gloves?"
"Oh, bro." Marshall replied, chuckling, "You've most definitely found Mrs. Mosby."
"That's the thing- I really think I have." Ted was peeling away his beer label. What came next took a strange amount of courage to say. "When I put this place up for sale, I was at a really low point." Marshall nodded, somber. "I know, buddy."
"Really. With all that had been going on at that time- Robin, the wedding, everything...I felt so defeated- and that's coming from the Washington Generals of love." Ted laughed without much humor. "But this time, it was almost unbearable. Not like I had to start over, but like I was finished for good." He recalled the dull throb in his chest as he'd read Barney's engagement text. "And now, with her, it's like I'm at the finish line, but I've won the race."
Marshall watched Ted with a small grin. "Well, I'm happy for you, man. I'm glad at least one of us will be getting some action."
Ted laughed, pulled out of his reverie. "How Barney of you."
"Someone's gotta pick up the slack while he's on the honeymoon."
The two chuckled again, letting the seriousness of the evening subside. Ted was glad to have his friend with him, and even more so when he remembered his date tomorrow. Like this house, he'd only been waiting for the right one to come patch him up.
AN: Oh, god, please excuse the cheesy, cheesy ending.
Anyway, I think I like this chapter. Marshall and Ted have such a great friendship, and I absolutely love the ending scene in "Home Wreckers" where they're on the deck talking, so this is kind of my own little recreation of that. I hope you enjoyed!
