FIC: One thing differently (1/?) HIMYM AU
One thing differently
Ted looked up as his wife entered the bar, flashed her a grin and then returned to his notes.
"Hey honey," Lily said, giving him a brief peck on the cheek before pulling out her phone.
"How did it go at the gallery?" Ted asked her, his arm automatically encircling her shoulders.
"Fine, fine," she smirked. "I sold two of those landscapes to a couple from Queens." She sighed. "So, anyway, I'm guessing he's late? Missed his plane? Or what's happened this time?"
Ted laughed. "You know Barney. I've never known someone so chaotic! He drives me crazy sometimes…"
Lily grinned. The argument was old and worn, like the college sweater Ted bought her during their first week at Wesleyan. "He's been my best friend for so many years. I'm just used to it."
Ted rolls his eyes, his voice taking on a mocking tone. "Just think. If you hadn't met me that first day in Hewitt, you might have married him!"
Lily laughed good-naturedly. "Barney? God no! We're too alike. We'd have both been in debt up to our eyeballs and living in some condemned building somewhere in the village! The bohemian lifestyle? You can keep it, honey!" She smoothed down her designer dress and winked at him. "Besides, if he's late, it'll give the others time to get here." Lily gave her husband a pointed look but Ted had already gone back to his notebook.
"What'ya doing? Course notes or…?" She tried to peer over his shoulder but he shut the book with a sigh. Not that she could ever read his crabbed handwriting, or even understand half of what it said. Ted held a chair at NYU and taught philosophy but lately his life had been overtaken when he'd had a book published which had been an overnight success. Now he was being hounded to write another and Lily was worried about him. He seemed to be working himself into an early grave.
"I think Barney's flying back out on Sunday anyway," Ted said, changing the subject. Lily bristled. Ted always seemed to find ways to encourage her friend to jet off here and there. If she didn't know better, she'd think that he was jealous… But surely not…? She couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of guilt though, both for her husband and her best friend.
A man crashed on to the seat opposite them, interrupting her chain of thought. "Hey Marshall!" Ted piped up, brightening considerably now that his friend had arrived. He held his hand out for their traditional fist bump.
"Ted… oh Teddy boy!" Marshall said, handing them both a beer despite the fact that they were clearly drinking red wine. "I've just reviewed your sales figures! They're through the roof, brah!"
Ted smiled indulgently. "Marshall, I didn't ask you to look at my sales figures! Why are you looking at my sales figures?"
Marshall waggled his eyebrows and brushed at the lapels of his suit. "Oh man, it's exciting! You're freakin' famous now, I think. You're more famous than Lily!"
Ted shook his head. "Famous with all the wrong people, perhaps." But Lily could tell that he was secretly pleased with the attention. It must have been hard for him - all those years, hanging on her arm in art galleries, being introduced as her boyfriend (and, latterly, husband) to the fawning art critics and wealthy buyers. She'd never felt exactly famous, but she was certainly feted. And that got them invited to a hell of a lot of fun parties!
"Where's Robin?" Lily muttered, checking her phone for the umpteenth time.
"You think she'll turn up?" Marshall asked, his eyes twinkling. Marshall had a thing for Robin a few years ago and Lily suspected they'd slept together. But it was just something you didn't mention.
Trouble was, they never knew what was going on in Robin's head. Lily was probably Robin's best friend in the whole world and even she didn't get her. Robin was a successful music executive - she represented a few singers and bands that were household names and lived the kind of rock-and-roll lifestyle that would have made Lily sick with envy a few years before. But now she was content with her life as a young-ish going on old-ish married woman. She just wished that she knew what was going on between Robin and-
"Barney!" Marshall exclaimed, standing and giving Barney a huge, almost suffocating bear-hug. Lily stood up to join him, prying the big man away from her friend and giving him a peck on the cheek. Barney was smiling, but Lily could see that he hated all this attention. Although what he thought he'd get after being away for three weeks, she really didn't know.
"How was California, honey?" She asked him. Barney looked quickly around the bar and then sat down with them. Lily forced herself not to grimace. There was no point in asking him who he was looking out for.
"It was great!" He said cheerily. "Three exhibitions and a couple of interviews. Oh and the sunshine!"
Lily squeezed his arm. "Certainly beats rainy New York!" She said. "I bet you didn't miss us at all!" Before she could curse herself for her tactlessness, Lily caught the look of pain in her friend's eyes. He covered it well though.
"Hey, Ted, I saw your book for sale everywhere!" Barney told Ted. "It really brings it home when you see it piled up in shop windows like that."
"I know!" Marshall said. "You tell him, Barn. It's freakin' awesome! But Ted's too cool to worry about things like that!"
Ted grinned boyishly and Lily squeezed his hand. She loved seeing him like this - relaxing with his friends - rather than playing the uptight academic that he did far too often. "Are you kidding?" Her husband explained. "It's fantastic! I love it… It's just…"
Barney smiled and tilted his head. "Now you've got a little success, you're under a lot more pressure to continue it - even do better?"
Ted sighed and Lily flashed a grin at Barney. How was it that her friend was always so perceptive?
"Exactly!" Ted said. "And they want me to sign a three book deal now…"
Marshall waved his hand over the table. "I told you, Ted - let me take a look at that contract first!"
Ted nodded. "Thanks, dude. I do appreciate it."
Barney smirked. "Contracts… lawyers… whatever happened to art for art's sake?" He fished around in his bag for a large, long lens-ed camera.
"Without those things, you wouldn't be able to afford that new toy!" Marshall laughed. "Totally lawyered!"
Lily laughed. "It doesn't look like a toy to me." She glanced at Ted, who she knew had a particular aversion to being caught on camera.
Barney caught the look and grinned. "Don't worry, I've got enough pictures of you losers. No, I'm going to take a few street shots when it stops raining. I had an idea for composition when I got out of the cab just now…"
Lily quizzed him on it, marvelling, how she always did, that Barney's ideas sparked some of her own. They'd always been like that - inspiring each other creatively, sometimes arguing hugely about their respective points of view. Barney was one of the most talented artists she'd ever known. It was fortunate that his medium was photography. If he'd been a painter, she was sure she would have given it up years ago.
Later, as they approached last call, Lily felt a pang of unhappiness that Robin hadn't shown. She'd known that Robin and Barney had argued before he'd left, but Lily had genuinely thought it was one of their normal spats. They'd had a kind-of on-again off-again relationship for the past year (admittedly a lot more off-again than on-again) and always seemed to get passed their worries.
It was a shame though. Lily could see Robin's difficulty. Barney wasn't exactly a great catch - with two ex-wives, not to mention his son, Jack, from his first wife Shannon, no money to speak of and the kind of unpredictable lifestyle which meant that they seemed to rarely be in the same city at the same time.
But it didn't matter. Lily couldn't stand by and let her friends hurt each other. She just wanted them to be happy! She needed to have a serious talk with Robin. As Ted, Marshall and Barney began to enthusiastically debate some silly science fiction film, she began to formulate a plan.
*--*--*
Part Two
.
Ted looked up as his wife entered the bar, flashed her a grin and then returned to his notes.
"Hey honey," Lily said, giving him a brief peck on the cheek before pulling out her phone.
"How did it go at the gallery?" Ted asked her, his arm automatically encircling her shoulders.
"Fine, fine," she smirked. "I sold two of those landscapes to a couple from Queens." She sighed. "So, anyway, I'm guessing he's late? Missed his plane? Or what's happened this time?"
Ted laughed. "You know Barney. I've never known someone so chaotic! He drives me crazy sometimes…"
Lily grinned. The argument was old and worn, like the college sweater Ted bought her during their first week at Wesleyan. "He's been my best friend for so many years. I'm just used to it."
Ted rolls his eyes, his voice taking on a mocking tone. "Just think. If you hadn't met me that first day in Hewitt, you might have married him!"
Lily laughed good-naturedly. "Barney? God no! We're too alike. We'd have both been in debt up to our eyeballs and living in some condemned building somewhere in the village! The bohemian lifestyle? You can keep it, honey!" She smoothed down her designer dress and winked at him. "Besides, if he's late, it'll give the others time to get here." Lily gave her husband a pointed look but Ted had already gone back to his notebook.
"What'ya doing? Course notes or…?" She tried to peer over his shoulder but he shut the book with a sigh. Not that she could ever read his crabbed handwriting, or even understand half of what it said. Ted held a chair at NYU and taught philosophy but lately his life had been overtaken when he'd had a book published which had been an overnight success. Now he was being hounded to write another and Lily was worried about him. He seemed to be working himself into an early grave.
"I think Barney's flying back out on Sunday anyway," Ted said, changing the subject. Lily bristled. Ted always seemed to find ways to encourage her friend to jet off here and there. If she didn't know better, she'd think that he was jealous… But surely not…? She couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of guilt though, both for her husband and her best friend.
A man crashed on to the seat opposite them, interrupting her chain of thought. "Hey Marshall!" Ted piped up, brightening considerably now that his friend had arrived. He held his hand out for their traditional fist bump.
"Ted… oh Teddy boy!" Marshall said, handing them both a beer despite the fact that they were clearly drinking red wine. "I've just reviewed your sales figures! They're through the roof, brah!"
Ted smiled indulgently. "Marshall, I didn't ask you to look at my sales figures! Why are you looking at my sales figures?"
Marshall waggled his eyebrows and brushed at the lapels of his suit. "Oh man, it's exciting! You're freakin' famous now, I think. You're more famous than Lily!"
Ted shook his head. "Famous with all the wrong people, perhaps." But Lily could tell that he was secretly pleased with the attention. It must have been hard for him - all those years, hanging on her arm in art galleries, being introduced as her boyfriend (and, latterly, husband) to the fawning art critics and wealthy buyers. She'd never felt exactly famous, but she was certainly feted. And that got them invited to a hell of a lot of fun parties!
"Where's Robin?" Lily muttered, checking her phone for the umpteenth time.
"You think she'll turn up?" Marshall asked, his eyes twinkling. Marshall had a thing for Robin a few years ago and Lily suspected they'd slept together. But it was just something you didn't mention.
Trouble was, they never knew what was going on in Robin's head. Lily was probably Robin's best friend in the whole world and even she didn't get her. Robin was a successful music executive - she represented a few singers and bands that were household names and lived the kind of rock-and-roll lifestyle that would have made Lily sick with envy a few years before. But now she was content with her life as a young-ish going on old-ish married woman. She just wished that she knew what was going on between Robin and-
"Barney!" Marshall exclaimed, standing and giving Barney a huge, almost suffocating bear-hug. Lily stood up to join him, prying the big man away from her friend and giving him a peck on the cheek. Barney was smiling, but Lily could see that he hated all this attention. Although what he thought he'd get after being away for three weeks, she really didn't know.
"How was California, honey?" She asked him. Barney looked quickly around the bar and then sat down with them. Lily forced herself not to grimace. There was no point in asking him who he was looking out for.
"It was great!" He said cheerily. "Three exhibitions and a couple of interviews. Oh and the sunshine!"
Lily squeezed his arm. "Certainly beats rainy New York!" She said. "I bet you didn't miss us at all!" Before she could curse herself for her tactlessness, Lily caught the look of pain in her friend's eyes. He covered it well though.
"Hey, Ted, I saw your book for sale everywhere!" Barney told Ted. "It really brings it home when you see it piled up in shop windows like that."
"I know!" Marshall said. "You tell him, Barn. It's freakin' awesome! But Ted's too cool to worry about things like that!"
Ted grinned boyishly and Lily squeezed his hand. She loved seeing him like this - relaxing with his friends - rather than playing the uptight academic that he did far too often. "Are you kidding?" Her husband explained. "It's fantastic! I love it… It's just…"
Barney smiled and tilted his head. "Now you've got a little success, you're under a lot more pressure to continue it - even do better?"
Ted sighed and Lily flashed a grin at Barney. How was it that her friend was always so perceptive?
"Exactly!" Ted said. "And they want me to sign a three book deal now…"
Marshall waved his hand over the table. "I told you, Ted - let me take a look at that contract first!"
Ted nodded. "Thanks, dude. I do appreciate it."
Barney smirked. "Contracts… lawyers… whatever happened to art for art's sake?" He fished around in his bag for a large, long lens-ed camera.
"Without those things, you wouldn't be able to afford that new toy!" Marshall laughed. "Totally lawyered!"
Lily laughed. "It doesn't look like a toy to me." She glanced at Ted, who she knew had a particular aversion to being caught on camera.
Barney caught the look and grinned. "Don't worry, I've got enough pictures of you losers. No, I'm going to take a few street shots when it stops raining. I had an idea for composition when I got out of the cab just now…"
Lily quizzed him on it, marvelling, how she always did, that Barney's ideas sparked some of her own. They'd always been like that - inspiring each other creatively, sometimes arguing hugely about their respective points of view. Barney was one of the most talented artists she'd ever known. It was fortunate that his medium was photography. If he'd been a painter, she was sure she would have given it up years ago.
Later, as they approached last call, Lily felt a pang of unhappiness that Robin hadn't shown. She'd known that Robin and Barney had argued before he'd left, but Lily had genuinely thought it was one of their normal spats. They'd had a kind-of on-again off-again relationship for the past year (admittedly a lot more off-again than on-again) and always seemed to get passed their worries.
It was a shame though. Lily could see Robin's difficulty. Barney wasn't exactly a great catch - with two ex-wives, not to mention his son, Jack, from his first wife Shannon, no money to speak of and the kind of unpredictable lifestyle which meant that they seemed to rarely be in the same city at the same time.
But it didn't matter. Lily couldn't stand by and let her friends hurt each other. She just wanted them to be happy! She needed to have a serious talk with Robin. As Ted, Marshall and Barney began to enthusiastically debate some silly science fiction film, she began to formulate a plan.
*--*--*
Part Two
.