So this took a while. Sorry for the delay: work, life, started taking a night class... Life gets busy! But I finally completed this chapter this morning and couldn't wait to post it! One more chapter to this story is left. Stay tuned, and thanks so much for reading! Feedback is always appreciated.

Disclaimer: this story's mine, but I did incorporate dialogue originally featured in "Platonish" and "Last Forever". Those words belong to Carter Bays and Craig Thomas.


It was a Monday evening in early May, and Ted and Tracy were sitting in the booth at MacLaren's, each focused on the work in front of them. Ted had some exams to grade and Tracy was glued to her laptop, putting the finishing touches on her final paper. The semester was coming to a close, and the both of them were pretty swamped, but they made sure to make time for one another. After all, regular sex brought quite the relief amidst the end-of-semester stress.

They decided to grab a bite and a beer while they focused on their respective work, agreeing that once Ted graded half of his 40 test papers and Tracy completed her bibliography, they'd retreat to his apartment.

For now, Tracy was a bit frantic as she went through all her citations, but Ted's foot that was softly and playfully caressing her calf underneath the table was a comforting touch, more soothing than it was distracting. She smiled to herself and took a sip of her beer.

"Done!" Ted said proudly, stacking up his papers and slipping them into his shoulder bag. "And I've been given renewed hope that, so far, half my students have a firm grasp on neo-classical architecture." He reached over for his half-eaten burger and took a bite, sighing happily as he chewed.

"Well, you've earned your reward," she told him jokingly. "I'm almost done here; we'll get going soon."

"Take your time. This is nice, too," he said, giving her a soft smile.

She smiled back at him shyly, and then looked back at her laptop. Ted had been talking a lot like this lately, saying sweet words about how he enjoyed her company, how hanging out with her is always fun... Of course, she had to agree: she and Ted always had a great time together, even when their meet-ups didn't involve sex. But something had changed in Ted in recent weeks. She thought it had maybe something to do with the way he kissed her one day outside the bedroom a few weeks back, breaking one of the cardinal rules of their arrangement.

It had freaked the both of them out; she knew Ted felt horrible over it, judging by his apologetic texts after she had run off. As for Tracy, she needed some time to process what had happened. It felt different than their usual embraces, which were always eager and urgent. This one was leisurely, warm, and comforting. And it scared her, given that she was so certain she could separate sex from emotions. Yet there was Ted, accidentally kissing her as if she were his girlfriend, and she couldn't help herself: she enjoyed the kiss. A lot.

She took a couple of days to process what had happened. Was it an accident? Intentional? Did Tracy lead him on, making him think that she wanted something more than what they had? Did she inwardly want something more? She tried to convince herself that she didn't, reminding herself that it was Max whom she loved and missed. But, she had to admit: two days without Ted pretty much sucked.

So Tracy put these thoughts to the back of her mind and texted Ted, apologizing for running off and asking if they were still good. She was relieved when he wrote back, but flinched a bit when Ted admitted that he shouldn't have kissed her the way he did. Of course he shouldn't have! Tracy told herself. It was a mistake! A mistake...

And things had quickly gone back to normal, Ted being good on his promise to not kiss her like that again. The sex was still great, and their time spent together was still blissful and fun. But she was wondering what was going on in Ted's head, if he was still secretly thinking of that kiss as much as she was, wondering if it meant anything more than they were both making it out to be.

But Tracy shook those dangerous thoughts from her mind. Ted was leaving for Chicago in three weeks, she told herself, which would put the whole thing to rest. It was nostalgia for a relationship-gone-by that had Tracy thinking what Ted might be like as a boyfriend, if making love to him would feel any different from the crazy sex they were having. Yes, she missed being in a relationship; or maybe it was just Max she was missing, and she was trying to fill that void with Ted. It was confusing for Tracy, which is why she just did her damnedest to not think about it.

Now at MacLaren's, Tracy continued to work for another 20 minutes before she was satisfied with her bibliography. "Done!" she breathed out happily, shutting down her laptop, sliding it into its sleeve, and then gently placed it into her tote bag. She leaned back against her set with a happy sigh, reaching for her beer.

Ted did the same with his, clinking his glass with hers. "To productivity!" he said happily.

"And to a well-earned break," she said, giving him a flirty grin. "Want to get out of here?"

Ted's smile widened, but before he could say anything, his eyes went to the bar entrance, where two women came in and were walking towards them. "My friends are here," he told her nervously. "I apologize in advance for anything they may say. They're real curious about you."

"It's ok," she assured him, secretly excited to meet his friends. As much as she and Ted avoided talking about their private lives, Ted was an animated storyteller, and spoke occasionally about his friends.

The two women made it to their booth, and they both shot Ted amused looks, and then gave Tracy wide, friendly grins.

"Hi!" said one of the two women, a tall brunette, as she sat next to Ted. "You must be Tracy. I'm Robin; It's so nice to meet you!"

"I'm Lily," said the short redhead. She peered down at Tracy's feet as she slid into the booth next to her. "I love your boots! Where'd you get them?"

"Louboutin sample sale a few years back," Tracy told her, admitting to her shoe obsession. "90% off. It's the only way I could afford them."

"Well, they're gorgeous," said Lily, flashing her a kind smile. "So, what are you two up to?"

"We were just about to head out," Ted said, Tracy noting the cautious tone in his voice. "What are you guys doing here? I thought you all were busy tonight."

"Mickey offered to watch Marvin for the evening, so Marshall and I decided to take a break," said Lily.

"Yeah, and Barney and I were tired of going through the seating chart for the wedding," Robin explained. "So we needed a beer break before we tackled it again.

"So, where are the guys?" Ted asked, peering towards the door.

"Some guy drove up in a fancy red sports car, and they're both out there drooling over it," Lily said with a shrug of her shoulders. "They'll be in in a bit."

"So, Robin: a wedding chart!" Tracy began, making conversations with Ted's friends. "Ted told me you were getting married. Congratulations!"

Robin beamed. "Thank you! I'm normally not a wedding person, but I'm really excited, despite the details and logistics."

Tracy nodded sympathetically. "A piece of advice: be very careful in regards to who sits next to whom. Believe me, from my experience, your big day won't keep people from getting into catfights. I've been to weddings where cops and ambulances were called in."

Robin cringed."Knowing my family, that could be a possibility," she said. "What makes you a wedding expert? Are you a wedding planner?"

Tracy laughed. "No, no: I'm in a band," she explained.

"You're in a band?" Ted asked softly.

Tracy smiled at him. She was amazed that she and Ted still had so much that they didn't know about each other. It was intentional of course, for obvious reasons, but they had gotten so close the past five weeks, that the fact that they were still technically strangers to one another surprised her at times.

"Yup," she told him. "I play bass and sing back-up vocals." Thanks to Darren, Tracy thought angrily to herself. Jerk.

Ted's eyes shot up. "Did you say the bass?"

Robin and Lily then started laughing. "Uh-oh!" said Lily. "Ted has always said that his perfect woman plays bass."

Tracy looked over at Ted, who seemed to be shooting an embarrassed glare in Lily's direction. "I never said that," Ted said hurriedly, his cheeks red. "But that's pretty cool."

Tracy blushed, too. "Thanks," she said. "Um, anyway we play a lot of weddings, so I'm privy to things I don't want to be. Such as sobfests in the bathroom, a bridesmaid making out with the groom, an unhappy mother-in-law trying to sabotage the wedding... It can get crazy!"

Lily nodded. "You should've seen my wedding: my high school boyfriend showed up to put a stop to it! Luckily, he was kept away," she said happily. "It's a shame you weren't around when we were looking for a band for Robin and Barney's wedding; we had so much trouble trying to find one! Luckily, a great one panned out."

"It can be hard," Tracy admitted. "Bands book up fast; mine is booked for practically every weekend this summer. Our first gig is in three weeks in Farhampton."

Tracy saw Robin's jaw drop. "I'm getting married in Farhampton in three weeks!" she cried, amazed. "Wait, how'd you get this gig?"

She couldn't believe it; talk about a coincidence! "My ex-roommate. She bumped into an ex, who's the best man, and he said that their band had bailed. And she recommended us," Tracy explained. "So, wait: who's your best man?"

Robin giggled, shaking her head incredulously, and looked over at Ted. "Oh, best man..."

Tracy looked at Ted, who was now gazing at her in a way Tracy could describe as awe and disbelief. "You're Cindy's ex-roommate..." he murmured, a tone of wonder in his voice.

"Omigod," Tracy whispered.

It all started coming back to her. Cindy's ex, the architect professor. The one who accidentally taught ECON 305. The man who had admittedly caught Tracy's eye; the first to ever do so since Max's passing. The one she had claimed as hers for a few months, even though she knew she'd never see him again. That when Cindy admitted she was dating him, Tracy had felt a little stab in her heart, screaming He's mine! in her head. The man who Cindy said was totally in love with Tracy, which left her feeling flustered, despite the fact that he'd never even met her.

Ted was that man.

She looked at him closer than she ever did, now remembering the soft eyes, the messy hair, and the dorky demeanor that had first attracted her to him. How, after a few months, he disappeared from her thoughts, not coming to her mind again until just now. And she felt as if she was falling all over again.

"You're the architect professor who accidentally taught Econ," she whispered softly, mentally kicking herself for not making the connection sooner. "You made that cheesy shellfish joke."

Ted let out an embarrassed laughed, his head in his hands. "Oh God, you were in that class? I'm gonna go outside and jump in front of a moving car now..."

Tracy laughed. "No, no, no, no, don't!" she said encouragingly, reaching her hand out for his and giving it a squeeze. "You were great. You were great."

He gazed at her some more, and Tracy couldn't help but stare back, feeling as if there was no one else in the room but them, his hand still in hers. It was quite the coincidence that Tracy was playing at his friends' wedding of all things; she would maybe attribute it as a sign. A sign of what, she wasn't sure. But her rational side reminded her that, although Manhattan is a huge island, everyone is connected somehow. So she took is as a happy coincidence and nothing more.

They both quickly realized that Robin and Lily were staring at them with delighted looks on their faces. Tracy cleared her throat, embarrassed, and let go of Ted's hand, safely putting her hands on her lap. Touching Ted right now seemed very dangerous.

Before Tracy could speak, perhaps make a quick joke about what had just transpired to cover up her and Ted's discomfort, they were interrupted.

"Oh my God!" said a male voice.

They all looked up, and two men were now standing by the booth. One was tall and had his hand on Lily's shoulder... and the other was the guy who had tried to hit on Tracy in a drugstore back in the fall, to whom Tracy gave some relationship advice on a bus bench.

"Oh my God!" Tracy echoed at the sight of him. "It's you!"

She stood up happily, walking around the booth and giving him a warm hug. He squeezed her middle tightly, and Tracy gave him a squeeze as well, happy to see his familiar face. She felt (or at least, she hoped) that she had helped him with his dilemma back in October and, that night, he had asked her if she saw a future with Lewis, prompting her for the first time to admit out loud: she really wasn't sure. She herself had to thank him for being the catalyst that made her look at her then-boyfriend in an different light, eventually breaking up with him. She had to thank him for helping her take that next step.

And he was Ted's friend, to boot?

They pulled apart and Tracy looked back at the rest of the group, who were now all staring at them perplexed and with their mouths agape.

"Um, you two know each other?" Lily asked, amused.

"If you've slept with her Barney, I swear to God..." Ted began.

Tracy and Barney both laughed. "No, no," she assured him, sitting back down. "Not that this one didn't try, though."

Robin then spoke up. "Um, babe: what's the story here?"

Barney chuckled and walked over to Robin, putting a tender hand on her shoulder. Tracy's heart warmed. "Is this her?" she asked him softly.

Barney smiled shyly, and looked down at Robin lovingly. "Yep," he said proudly. "I told you I'd win."

Tracy couldn't help but smile at the sight of them together. He got the girl, Tracy thought happily. And they're getting married!

"Ok, the rest of us are way out of the loop here!" Lily cried out, sounding exasperated. "How on earth do you two know each other?"

So Barney began, telling everyone the story of how Lily and Robin had challenged him one night last October to a series of pick-up challenges. Pick up a girl without using the letter 'e', pick up a girl while wearing a garbage bag, pick up a girl while talking like a dolphin...

"Oh, Barney," Tracy said disapprovingly, shaking her head.

He laughed sheepishly, and continued. He told them all about how he tried picking Tracy up at the drugstore, and how she rebuffed him and had called him on the fact that he was hooking up with random women to mask the fact that he had messed-up with Robin and missed her.

Tracy snuck a glance at Robin, who seemed to be hearing this story for the first time. She was looking up at Barney, seemingly not believing the words that were coming out of his mouth—the many coincidences of the evening were pretty hard to believe—but she seemed visibly touched as he spoke.

Tracy then cast her eyes at Ted, who seemed to be listening raptly to Barney's tale, but his eyes were focused on Tracy.

Barney finished his story about how she had encouraged him to go and get the girl, to muster up all his energy and resources to make things right with her. "Tracy here, she set me straight," he said, a grateful tone in his voice as he looked over at her. "After that, I had one challenge and one challenge only: get Robin Scherbatsky to fall in love with me."

Robin stood up slowly and reached a hand for her fiancé's cheek, her eyes glistening as she looked into his. "Challenge completed," she whispered, pressing her body close to his and kissing him tenderly.

"Awwww!" Lily and Marshall cried in unison, had their hands to their hearts, tears in their eyes.

Even Ted seemed misty-eyed as he gazed at his two friends, a soft smile playing on his lips. "You did good, buddy," he told Barney as he pulled away from his fiancée.

Barney and Marshall pulled up a couple of chairs, and as Robin sat back down, she looked over at Tracy, a look of appreciation in her eyes. "Thank you," she said softly. "I really don't know what else to say. You made this happen."

Tracy looked down and gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "I just nudged him in the right direction," she said bashfully. "I don't deserve any credit here; Barney did all the work."

"No," Barney said seriously. "I am stupid and stubborn and could've easily let Robin slip away from my fingers. You gave me the kick in the ass I needed. If I had never met you, I can honestly say that I would not be as happy as I am right now. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart."

Tracy was humbled. "You're welcome," she said sincerely.

"Babe," Robin said, taking Barney's hand and lacing her fingers with his. "Another cool coincidence: Tracy's band is the one playing our wedding."

Barney beamed. "Seriously? Well, I think this calls for a round of scotch!" he cried happily, flagging down Carl.

So they sat there for the next couple of hours, Tracy having a truly great time with Ted's friends. They were funny and warm, and she got to hear a few embarrassing stories about Ted, much to his mortification. He was a good sport about it, though, shrugging his shoulders and making a few self-effacing quips. As time went on, Tracy and Ted completely forgot about their rendez-vous back at his place. But, as Ted would say, Tracy had to admit: this was nice, too. Really nice.

"Tracy, why don't you make an honest man out of my buddy Ted here and take him out on a real date?" Barney was now saying with a friendly laugh. "Too much sex is bad for him. A guy likes to be wined and dined on occasion."

Tracy looked down at her glass with a sad smile, casting a glance at Ted across from her; he also seemed pretty embarassed at his friend's comments.

"Oh, you know," he said, answering for her. "We're just friends. Right?" He gazed at her intently.

Tracy gulped. "Right," she agreed.

"I'm just saying," Barney continued. "I think all this is a sign that you two were meant to meet." His eyes then widened in realization. "Bro: I am your serendipitous wingman! Through the laws of universe, I still helped you meet a girl! How cool is that?"

Ted blushed and looked over at Tracy. The look he gave her pretty much said, Are you ok? It was funny how she could read his facial expressions.

Tracy gave him a reassuring nod. But she was admittedly slightly overwhelmed, and a bit tired. She just wanted some alone time with Ted now.

She looked at her wrist—which didn't have a watch wrapped around it—and spoke up: "Oh, look at the time! Ted and I should get going."

The rest of the gang booed them good-naturedly as they stood up to leave. They said their goodbyes, Ted's friends looking forward to seeing her at the wedding in a few weeks, and exited the bar.

They made it up to the sidewalk, the cool night air a nice respite from the musty pub, smiling at each other as they began walking up the street at a slow pace, as if they had all the time in the world, while others just sprinted past them. They didn't speak, enjoying the quiet, one another's presence being more than enough. They had many blocks to go before arriving at Ted's apartment.

"Your friends are real nice," she eventually told him.

He chuckled. "They can when they want to be," he teased. "But they really like you. And I'm sorry if they were too pushy."

She offered him a smile. "It's ok. And I liked them, too," she admitted. "Seeing Barney again was a nice surprise."

"Today was full of surprises," he added, laughing. "Do you think there's anything else?"

At that moment, a clap of thunder startled them, and rain started pouring down hard.

"Shit!" said Ted, taking his bag and holding it protectively over Tracy's head. "Neither of us thought to bring an umbrella, huh?"

Tracy laughed and quickly dug into her large tote, pulling out her yellow umbrella. She popped it open and grabbed Ted's elbow, pulling him close to her, sheltering him from the storm.

They began walking, Ted looking around strangely at their yellow shelter, and spoke up: "Wait a second: this is my umbrella. I left this umbrella at Cindy's. You totally stole my umbrella!" His tone was accusatory, but playful.

Tracy looked at him as if he was crazy. "What? No, I didn't! This is my umbrella; I bought this."

Ted shook his head and chuckled. "Excuse me, it even has my initials on it, right here," he said, pointing to the handle. "T.M. Ted Mosby."

Ted Mosby, Tracy thought with a smile. "Yeah, look again, Ted Mosby. Those are my initials. T.M. Tracy McConnell."

Ted was clearly enjoying himself based on the wide grin he was sporting. "Um, no Tracy McConnell. It's T.M. Totally My umbrella.

"Uh, you're T.M. Terribly Mistaken!" she said, Ted laughing gleefully at that. "Because this umbrella has always belonged T.M. To Me." She paused and they both giggled softly before Tracy continued. "Although, I did lose it for a few years there. So I went to this dance club—"

"On St. Patrick's Day," Ted interrupted her, a sober, mesmerized look on his face.

Tracy scoffed in disbelief, stopping in her tracks. How did he know? "On St. Patrick's Day..." she confirmed softy.

Ted gulped. "And you left it there," he said, with certainty in his voice.

"And I left it there," Tracy repeated, as if in a trance, looking up into his eyes in amazement.

"And you never thought you'd see it again."

"And I never thought I'd see it again," she parroted, not quite believing that her lost umbrella was found by him years ago—that they were at a club together on the same night!—only for it to make its way back to her. She was already dumbfounded that the likes of Mitch, Cindy, and then Barney were links they had in common, plus the fact that she was playing her friends' wedding. But her umbrella, too? It was quite simply amazing that they were somehow bound together all these years, and they had only now found one another.

She gave him a smile. "Funny how sometimes you just... find things."

Ted just stared at her, as if looking at her for the first time. There was a long pause until he let out a laugh, and simply said, "Hi."

Tracy laughed back. "Hi," she said.

She continued to gaze at him, she too looking at him in a new light. He was no longer some guy who picked her up at a bar a month earlier. He was something more now, someone it seems she was destined to meet. It was a comforting notion.

This prompted Tracy to speak up: "How about you come over to my apartment?" Tracy suggested before she could stop herself.

She knew she was breaking the rules, bringing him into her private world, but she oddly didn't care. She saw a whole new side of Ted today, which has now changed the dynamic of their relationship. Tracy knew it; and she was sure Ted knew it, too.

Ted smiled. "I'd love to," he said, reaching for her hand.

Tracy gladly took his, and they continued to walk in the direction of her apartment, not bothering to flag for a cab. They wanted this extra time, as they shared more information about one another, happily revealing more about themselves little by little. She felt she didn't need to be so guarded anymore. She still kept Max as her little secret, however; it was too raw a topic for her to bring up.

They eventually made it back to her place, only slightly soaked. Ted looked around her apartment, admitting that he remembered everything about her. Her toy bus, the fact that she drew paintings of robots playing sports, that she liked to make her breakfast sing... He then mentioned something about her ankles.

"You really remembered all that?" she asked him softly, taking his bag from his shoulder and dropping it to the floor. She let her fingers unzip his jacket and pushed it off his shoulders.

"Yeah," he admitted, now unbuttoning her trench and helping her remove it, tossing it onto the sofa. "I wanted desperately to meet you, ask Cindy more about you... You sounded pretty incredible."

Tracy smiled shyly. It had been awhile since someone spoke about her that way. "I wanted to meet you, too," she revealed. "You admittedly caught my eye back then."

"I knew the shellfish joke was a winner," he said. Ted was making a joke, but the tone in his voice was soft and serious.

"Well, it was 70% funny," Tracy offered, smiling up at him. "The other 30%, kinda cheesy."

Ted shrugged his shoulders and took her hand as she led him towards the bedroom. "Still. 70% is pretty good," he said.

They disrobed one another slowly and crawled into bed, Ted commenting on her soft sheets as he pulled her close to him. Hands and lips were everywhere, and they took more time than they normally did before he slipped inside her. There was no urgency, and they had nowhere else to be.

Something felt different about the way they were moving together, as they gazed into each other's eyes and didn't look away. It felt dangerously close to making love. Tracy knew she had to stop this, but for the first time, she let herself fall, letting thoughts of Max disappear from her mind as it was now Ted who was consuming her. It was too confusing to think of Max right now, anyway.

It was a dangerous road she was on; Ted was leaving in three weeks, and she knew she shouldn't be enjoying this as much as she was. But she missed this feeling; sex hadn't felt like this—slow, sensual, and safe—in a long time. So Tracy shut her eyes and moaned in pleasure, letting herself indulge in the moment, even though she knew she'd be in for a rude awakening the next morning.

She'd just worry about that tomorrow.

To be continued...