Was following her dreams really a lost cause? Coming home from a long, discouraging day, Jessica was finally starting to think so. All she'd wanted for years was to either make a living off her robot paintings, or for the band to make it big. Seeing as though the only people who had ever thought her paintings weren't odd were Ted and his friends, the first option was out, so she'd hoped that, somehow, things with the band would work out.

Needless to say, things with the band were not working out. They hadn't landed a gig since the Stinson wedding months ago, and the guitarist was talking about just calling it quits and disbanding. Jessica, who was only making a living at the moment by teaching music classes at the civic center, was mortified by the idea. But who was going to listen to the bassist preach about her hopes and aspirations for them all? It was no secret that they all found her antics a bit irritating.

To make matters worse, she was spending the night alone. Ted was up in Chicago for the week working on nabbing a job teaching an architecture course at UIC. The only person she wanted to see now was more than eleven hours out of her reach. Frowning weakly, she sat the bass guitar-case down at her feet, pulling out her key to unlock the door.

As soon as she opened the door, she knew something odd was going on. For one thing, "Waiting for a Girl like You" by Foreigner was playing on the stereo, and she knew she hadn't left it on; she also knew for a fact she didn't own any Foreigner CDs. Smiling a bit, not daring to hope, she sat her keys down on the coffee table, putting her case on the floor, and walked toward the kitchen. As soon as she was within the proper range, she was hit with the delicious aroma of cupcakes and all but ran into the room.

"You're here!" she cried, all but leaping into the arms of the man standing at the oven, and he stumbled back a few steps, ending up against the counter with his arms around her, laughing as she covered his face in kisses.

"Hey!" he cried with just as much happiness, and she beamed up at him.

"What are you doing here? I thought you weren't taking the train in until Saturday."

Grinning, he nodded toward the table in the middle of the apartment which was visible through the kitchen entryway. "I borrowed your umbrella last weekend, remember? Needless to say, I checked the forecast yesterday, and it was calling for rain in New York, so…" Grinning, he poked her nose. "I didn't want anything to rain on my girlfriend's parade."

"You rode on a noisy train for eleven hours just to give me my umbrella?" she asked him skeptically, and he held up a finger.

"Ah, ah, ah; I also made cupcakes."

Laughing, she nodded, inhaling deeply. "I can smell that… The question is: why?"

"What, am I not allowed to spoil you?" he asked, rubbing her back, and she gave him her signature look.

"Come on…"

Sighing, he reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear with a small smile. "Alright, alright; Cindy called me while I was on the train. The band broke up?"

Damn it, Jessica thought to herself, cursing Cindy, I knew I shouldn't have called her.

"We might be…" she said quietly, and her excited smile slipped at the mention of it. "They haven't decided yet."

"Don't you get any say in it?" he asked with a small frown, gently running his hands along her sides, and she sighed.

"They don't listen to me. I'm just the peppy bassist who's only in the band because I can carry a tune. They don't care that the band is all I have…"

"You have me," Ted reminded her, and she gave him a faint smile, nodding.

"I know I do, and I'm lucky, but you're away so much, and the band makes me happy… We haven't had a gig since Barney and Robin's wedding, so I can see why they're losing faith, but… Oh, I don't know…"

Frowning weakly, Jessica pulled out of his arms, walking out of the kitchen to sit at the table, fiddling with the umbrella laying there. Following her, Ted sighed, placing his hands on her shoulders and kissing her hair.

"Chicago is only a temporary thing, until I can-"

"Until you can get everything in the house finished; I know, Ted, I know. But I still miss you." Looking up at him, her eyes were sad and the loneliness in them ate him alive. Taking her hand, he pulled her to her feet and into his arms, holding her tightly as the music played softly in the background.

"Do you know how to waltz?" he asked her suddenly, hating seeing her upset, hoping his idea would cheer her up.

"A little…" she said with a bit of uncertainty, looking up at him, "Why?"

Grinning, Ted pulled her down the hall and into the living room, grabbing the stereo remote from the coffee table and turning the song up. She furrowed her brow, gasping when he spun her under his arm and pulled her close, leading her in a soft, swaying dance that made her heart flutter.

"You're so…"

"Spontaneous? Talented? A perfect boyfriend?"

"I was going to say crazy, but those work, too," she stated, quirking a small smile and releasing a quiet laugh. Grinning, he twirled her again before pulling her close, laying his cheek atop her head.

"You like my crazy…"

"I do… very much…" she agreed, pressing her cheek to his chest as they swayed to the music.

"And I think your crazy is incredibly cool…" he stated, grinning softly, and she smiled as she peeked up at him.

"You don't mind that I make breakfast food sing show tunes?"

"Are you kidding?" he questioned, dipping her so she was clutching his arms, gazing up into his eyes. "Memories as sang by an English muffin is the most hauntingly beautiful thing I have ever heard."

Pulling her back up, Ted gazed fondly down at her, and she smiled as she held onto his arms. In that moment, everything in her life felt right, despite the fact that her career was a mess and she was absolutely terrified about the future. Somehow, Ted Mosby always had a way of making her smile through the fear.

"Ted?"

"Mmm?" he questioned as he gazed down at her, and her next words made his heartbeat falter and then pick up in his chest.

"I love you."

Suddenly, he found himself flashing back to that first date with Robin. The grand gestures, the smurf penis, the olives, the dancing, the awkward accidental "I love you". The situation almost paralleled this one perfectly.

Except they couldn't be more different. When he had told Robin he loved her, it had been a fluke. He'd been caught up in the moment, possibly a bit drunk, and desperate for love. But here, with Jessica in his arms, the scent of cupcakes in the air and their umbrella on the table, everything felt… perfect. Like it was always meant to be this way; them together, like this. Her saying she loved him wasn't a fluke; she really meant it. Instead of scaring him, it made Ted feel like he was flying a mile high and might never come down.

His gaze turning to one filled and shining with love, he gave her hand a squeeze, their dance forgotten. "I love you, too." This time, Ted Mosby was sure. This time he meant it. He loved this girl, and he wasn't letting her get away. Not this time. "I love you, so much…"

The moment was perfect. It was subtle, yet grand enough that he'd never forget it. Holding her closer, they swayed blissfully to the Foreigner song which would, from that point on, be known as "their song", and, as they danced, Ted kissed her. He kissed her, and all of their problems melted away, replaced with that bliss they only felt with each other, even if it was just for a little while.

Sure, the cupcakes were a little burned, but kids? Your mother and I ate all of them. Then we fell asleep on her couch, just talking and smiling and loving each other… and it was perfect.