Well, we've made it to the final chapter! Came about sooner than I thought it would, but I'm happy with the result. (Plus, it means I can now focus on my holiday fic, which should hopefully be up before Christmas!) Thanks to everyone who followed along, for your feedback and support. I'm definitely touched; this fic idea came about unexpectedly, but turned out to be one of my favourites. Hope you all enjoy this one; it hopefully caps off this series on a fitting note. Thanks for reading!


2005


"Guys, isn't she amazing?" Ted said with a sigh, as he watched Robin walk away towards the restroom.

Lily rolled her eyes as he ogled her departing figure, she and Marshall exchanging amused but worrying looks.

"Bro, she friend-zoned you," Barney reminded him, taking a sip of his scotch. "Forget about her. Focus your attention on the sea of other women in this city; in this bar, even. I mean, check out those double-Ds in the corner booth. Dibs and dibs, by the way!"

"I'm telling you," Ted insisted with a shake of his head. "I'll continue laying on the charm until I turn that 'no' into a 'yes'!"

"Ted, you need to face facts," Marshall told him. "Robin isn't "the one" however much you think she is. Just let her be part of our gang without any pressure, and look elsewhere for your happily-ever-after. I promise you, she's out there."

The five of them had officially been hanging out together at the bar, Robin slowly integrating herself into their group, for the past week. And for that entire week, Ted couldn't keep quiet about how amazing and awesome and beautiful Robin was, even though the two of them had agreed to be "just friends".

Ted was entering dangerous territory, Lily thought. He truly went overboard by telling her he loved her on their first date. And then there were the three straight days of parties, interrupting Marshall's studying, simply to get a chance to talk to her. His new obsession about getting married and having kids had found a target in the first pretty woman he happened to lay his eyes on. And it was bound to blow up in his face.

Not that she wasn't grateful that Ted had met Robin and brought her into their lives. Lily was ecstatic to have a fellow female enter their testosterone-laden group. Finally, a girlfriend to confide in, go out for drinks with! Aside from some fellow teachers, and the female halves of a few couples they knew, Lily didn't have any friends she could see herself having some one-on-one time with. And she knew, with Robin being new to the city, that she could use a good friend, too.

She and Robin had definitely gotten close in the short time they'd known one another. So she couldn't have Ted's feelings for her ruin what could possibly be a wonderful friendship. And if ever they dated and broke up, it would certainly ruin the group dynamic. She couldn't let that happen.

"Lily!" Robin said excitedly as she returned back to the booth, sitting down next to Ted. "I bumped into this girl in the bathroom who mentioned something about an Agent Provocateur sample sale going down tomorrow. Didn't you say you wanted to look for some wedding night lingerie?"

This is why she needed a girlfriend, and why Robin was succeeding in that role already.

"Uh, yeah!" she said, practically squealing. "Marshmallow, you ok to spend time with the guys tomorrow?"

"If it means checking off another thing off our wedding check-list and you wearing something for my eyes only, I think I'll survive," he assured her, giving her a kiss.

"Thanks, baby," she cooed, then looked back at Robin. "You, me, coffees and a few hours in line. You in?"

"Not a fan of long lines," Robin admitted. "But throw in a box of donuts, and I'm in, girlfriend!"

Yeah, I can't led Ted ruin this, Lily thought, determined.

And she knew Ted would get his heart broken. Badly. He was now looking at Robin with eager, puppy-dog eyes, laughing exaggeratedly at one of her jokes.

Lily hated to admit it, but Robin seemed a bit too good for him. Or, at least, incompatible. Ted was a dreamer, a romantic. Robin seemed more sly and no-nonsense, her attitude and sense of humor more biting than his. Of course, she still had a simplicity and niceness about her—she was Canadian, after all—but she had a bit more of an edge.

In fact, as Barney made a snide jab about Canada, and Robin retorted with her own biting remark, Lily had to admit that Barney seemed like a more suitable match for her. Lily then shook her head and laughed inwardly; Barney Stinson committing to just one woman would never happen.

Although, despite their incompatibility, Robin seemed to like Ted as much as he liked her.

"I really like Ted," Robin had admitted to her right after they met. "He's a great guy: smart, successful, nice... But we want different things; he seems to want to go on a path that's in the opposite direction from mine. It just wouldn't work between us."

Lily could hear the regret and wistfulness in her voice. But she was certainly better at hiding her emotions than he was. She seemed more practical, and was suppressing her feelings in order to do what was best for Ted's lovestruck heart. And to perhaps protect her own in the process, too.

She watched them now, Robin giving Ted a warm smile, and he flashing her a wide grin, practically beaming at the attention she was giving him. Lily knew, however, that pushing one's emotions and desires deep down wasn't healthy. Robin would probably give in to her feelings, breaking down that wall she'd built, eventually succumbing to one of Ted's grand gestures.

Much like Ted, she was bound to get her heart broken.

But maybe they both needed to get their hearts broken a little bit. Maybe they were somehow meant to meet and make a mess of things, and learn something from the experience. Maybe Robin could learn a thing or two from Ted about opening her mind to love and romance and, hell, maybe even marriage someday.

And Ted certainly had to go through a few ups and downs before settling down. He wasn't going to meet "the one" simply by deeming himself ready to be a husband and a father. He was nowhere near prepared for all that, Lily knew.

He had a long road ahead. And that journey, likely filled with many bumps and hurdles, joy and tears, hardships and lessons, are what were going to make Ted Mosby a stronger, smarter man. A man who would finally be ready and able to give out all his love, time and focus to one woman for the rest of his life.

And Lily knew that whoever this girl was, she was going to be one lucky lady. Because Ted was good and honest and the best friend she and Marshall had ever known. And he deserved only the best, too.


2014


"It's so good to be back!" Lily sighed happily as she slid into their booth at MacLaren's, laying her head down on the table and spreading her arms out on its surface. "I've missed you so much!"

Marshall chuckled as he sat next to her, and Ted shook his own head—although Lily spotted his wide smile, ecstatic about their return Stateside—as he took the seat across from them.

"Well, the booth has missed you, too," Ted said as Lily adjusted herself into a proper seating position.

She smiled, then gazed over at Marshall adoringly. It really was wonderful being back home. Italy was amazing, the experience of a lifetime, but Lily had missed the familiarity of Manhattan: their friends, the apartment, the sounds and smells of the city and, yes, their booth, which held so many memories and good times.

It was their first visit to the bar since returning home. Right after their arrival, they had immediately run off to Farhampton for the weekend for a group getaway, and now—after settling back into their apartment and calling up friends and loved ones to tell them they've made it home—they were able to hand off the kids to Mickey and enjoy a Friday night at MacLaren's like they used to.

Well, not quite like they used to. Because their gang now had a sixth member. And not a fleeting member like many of Ted's ex-girlfriends; this one was permanent, officially initiated into their little group and everything.

Lily loved Tracy, accepting her into the gang eagerly, much like she had with Robin nine years earlier. It was pretty easy: after befriending her over the wedding weekend, Lily knew this girl was something special. And when Ted ditched Chicago for her, she knew that Tracy was different than all the other women who came before her.

And she was excited to get to know her more fully now that they were in the same city. It's one thing to occasionally chat with someone on the phone over the span of a year or hang out with them in a vacation setting over the weekend; it was another seeing them daily, enjoying a cocktail together, going shopping, sharing secrets, or simply hanging out at the apartment with a boardgame or over some wine and cheese.

(Of course, Lily and Marshall were very happy that Ted had found his soulmate. It meant they could finally have double dates together and do other couple-y things, since Barney and Robin had been not-so-discreetly ignoring their invitations. The Eriksens weren't stupid and they had gotten the hint. Eventually.)

Speaking of Tracy, she had now walked into MacLaren's, her eyes immediately gravitating towards Ted, smiling wide, before looking over at Carl and giving him a friendly wave. The normally crabby bartender gave her a grin, and the two of them started to have what seemed to be a very friendly conversation.

"Should I be offended that Carl wasn't that warm to me when we walked into the bar, even though I haven't been in here in over a year?" Lily asked, looking over at Ted. "All I got was a head-nod of acknowledgment."

Ted laughed, and looked over at Tracy. "She has a tendency to make friends wherever she goes," he explained proudly. "It leads to the occasional free drink, too, by the way."

"Sorcery!" Marshall cried, unconvinced. "No one ever gets a free drink at MacLaren's! No one!"

"Tracy does," Ted told them matter-of-factly.

"Something's afoot," Marshall muttered, shaking his head. "Witchcraft clearly must be involved. Ted, has your girlfriend ever spent some time in Salem, by any chance?"

Ted looked at his best friend strangely. "Um, she has a couple of cousins who live down there, I think..."

Marshall looked over at Lily with wide eyes. "Baby!" he whispered to her. "Accidentally spill some water on her later and see what happens!"

Lily placatingly patted her husband on her shoulder, her stare focused on Ted.

Ted was gazing at Tracy, a smile playing on his lips. He definitely looked and acted different than he did a year prior; he was sitting with his back straight, his arm casually hanging on the back edge of the booth, an air of calmness and confidence to him.

It was that same self-assured attitude that she saw when he dismissively waved off Marshall's words of caution about waiting three days to call a girl, nervously asking her out over the phone a mere 24 hours after meeting her, but leaving to chat with her, all smiles and composure and optimism.

And it was the same confidence she saw in Farhampton, when he and Tracy announced that they'd decided to move in together, not a shred of doubt in his body language and his tone, evidently ready to take that next step in their relationship.

That confident attitude, one that Lily hadn't seen in the longest time, suited him quite nicely, she decided.

"Hey, guys!" Tracy said cheerily to her and Marshall, and slid into the booth next to Ted. "Are Barney and Robin on their way? Six beers are coming up, on the house."

Marshall looked over at his wife. Witch, he mouthed.

Lily smirked. "She definitely has someone under her spell, that's for sure," she whispered, nodding her head in the direction of the couple across from them.

"Hey, you," Tracy was saying softly, gazing at Ted lovingly, and leaned in to give him a few pecks on the lips.

"Hey," he murmured, reciprocating her kiss, a hand in her hair. He pulled away reluctantly when Carl showed up with a tray of six beers.

"Here you go," he said happily, placing the frosty mugs on the table. "Tracy said you guys were back from Italy, so the beers are on me. Welcome back!" He flashed Lily and Marshall a smile—a first in, well, ever—then winked at Tracy before heading back behind the bar.

And at that moment, Robin and Barney walked up towards the booth, hand-in-hand. "Free beers, again?" Robin said teasingly, sliding into the seat next to Lily. "Thanks, Tracy!"

Tracy shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly as Barney sat down next to her. "I do what I can," she said, smiling shyly.

Lily happily looked around the table, glad that things weren't awkward between Ted, Robin and Barney, as it had been prior to the wedding. And she was happy that Tracy and Robin had built a rapport, a close friendship that Lily had witnessed in Farhampton the previous weekend, filled with friendly glances, gentle ribbing and inside jokes.

She had admittedly been jealous at first of the friendship she saw between the two. It was a whole year where Robin had a new girlfriend to confide in, where she could've easily forgotten all about her. It was an irrational fear, of course, as Robin and Lily had easily fallen back into their friendship without missing a step. And adding Tracy into the mix was an easy transition, too; they made a pretty damn good trio.

"Hey, Lily," Tracy said, taking a sip of her beer. "I was actually wondering: do you want to come by my place tomorrow night? I'm starting to clear out my closet before this one moves in next month, and I have to cut down on my shoe collection. You can have dibs on a few pairs before I donate the rest to a woman's shelter. I was thinking you and Robin can both come by, we can blast some music, blend a few margaritas... Make a night out of it!"

Lily beamed. This was another reason to love having Tracy in her life: they had the same shoe size, as she had always hoped!

"I'm in!" said Lily excitedly. "And, ohhh, we can go dancing later! My dad's open to watching Marvin and Daisy tomorrow night, too, and I sure could use some more nights out." Lily had to admit, being a parent to two kids was exhausting. She was definitely grateful for her father's help, and she had decided to not feel too much guilt about needing some more time to herself, or alone with Marshall, or with her friends.

"Cool!" Tracy said. "Any dance club in mind?"

Lily looked over at Robin and grinned. "Joe Blows!" they said in unison.

Tracy laughed. "The gay club? Yes!" she said happily. "I love it there! Just dancing, no handsy guys."

"Exactly," Robin agreed. "And our men love it there, too."

"Their egos get stroked," Lily explained to Tracy.

"And those aren't the only things that the guys there attempt to stroke," Robin added teasingly.

Barney adjusted his tie and Ted smugly fixed his shirt collar. "What can we say?" Ted sniffed cockily. "Gay guys love us."

"And I get to enjoy fruity cocktails without being judged!" Marshall exclaimed happily.

"Be sure to ask the bartender to mix you up some Robin Scherbatskys, then," Tracy said, giving him a wicked grin.

Marshall gave her a cold stare. "Tracy, now that I'm back in town, I'd appreciate if you'd refer to it by its proper name, the Minnesota Tidal Wave, from here on in," he said coolly, then shot a glare in Robin's direction.

Ignoring Marshall's comment, Robin simply shifted in her seat. "Hey, um, Marshall, did you happen to gain some weight? Because this booth is feeling a little bit tight."

"Yeah, my ass is half falling out of my seat," said Barney, and then looked at Tracy. "McConnell, sit on Teddy's lap. I need some more room, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind, judging by the stiffy he's sporting. And bro, c'mon, this is a classy place."

"Dude!" Ted sputtered, blushing as Tracy scooted closer to him. "There isn't any more room. Just pull up a chair!"

"There aren't any more chairs, Ted!" he said, gesturing around the bar. "The place is full!"

"Robin, how could you say such a thing?" Marshall was now crying in a high-pitched voice. "I ate a lot of pasta, so I'm a bit sensitive about my weight. You try living in Italy for a year without gaining 15 pounds!"

"Dude, I'm just saying: you alone are hogging about half this banquette," she told him.

"Quit it with your fancy-schmancy French, Robin!" Marshall said. "It's called a bench!"

Lily smiled, reaching for her beer, letting everyone's bickering wash over her. She really missed this. And as the fighting turned to laughter, and everyone clanged their mugs, she observed her little family, smooshed together but clearly happy. Robin had reached her arms across the table to grasp Barney's hands, leaning her body forward to murmur something salacious his way. Tracy was whispering something in Ted's ear, which he was listening to with rapt attention, seemingly amused by her private words. And Marshall was sitting next to Lily, holding her hand and giving her a look that pretty much said, "It's good to be home."

Home, of course, had many meanings to them: New York, their apartment, each other and the kids, their present company, and even their little red booth at MacLaren's. And sure, with an extra person, evenings spent in said booth were likely to continue being this cramped. But it was a problem Lily was happy to have.

"Well, guys," she announced, giving Marshall's fingers a tender squeeze. "It's official: we're going to need a bigger booth."

END