Chapter 1 — Where Were We? (Departures, Damage & Dead Weight)
Ted Mosby believed heartbreak was proof of true love.
Barney Stinson believed heartbreak was proof you hadn't suited up properly.
And Ivar Scherbatsky? He believed heartbreak was proof you'd ignored the warning signs — and ignored him when he told you the truth.
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Marshall in Shambles
The booth at MacLaren's felt heavier than usual.
Marshall slumped, tie crooked, nursing his third beer.
"She's gone," he muttered. "San Francisco. Art fellowship. She's… gone."
Lily's absence hovered like smoke.
Ted patted his shoulder awkwardly. "It's just… a pause, buddy. She'll come back."
Robin nodded, offering a cautious smile. "Yeah, you two are endgame."
Barney leaned back, smirking. "Or — and hear me out — you could move on. Vegas trip, wingman style. Lily who?"
Marshall groaned louder.
Ivar set down his glass with a sharp click. "He doesn't need Vegas. He needs time. And he needs people to stop pretending time isn't the only cure."
Megan, sliding into the booth beside Ivar, added softly: "He also needs friends who don't pressure him into strip clubs."
Barney glared. "Why are you here again?"
Megan smirked. "Because I like him," she said, kissing Ivar's cheek, "and because you can't handle competition."
Barney groaned.
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Ted & Robin
Ted, trying to lighten the mood, blurted: "Well, at least Robin and I are… great!"
Robin's eyes widened. "Ted—"
Ivar cut him off with a low chuckle. "Timing, Ted. Maybe don't celebrate your new relationship while Marshall's still bleeding out."
Robin shot her brother a look but didn't argue.
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Ivar's Quiet Intervention
Later that night, while Marshall stumbled home, Ivar lingered behind. He dialed a number — a Northern Star contact.
"Find Lily Aldrin's credit history," he said quietly. "Wipe half the debt. Anonymous."
Megan overheard, raising a brow. "You're just going to… fix her money problems?"
"Marshall's already drowning. He doesn't need her debt chained to him too," Ivar replied.
"That's… actually really sweet," she admitted.
"Don't tell him," Ivar said, green eyes steady. "He needs to think he's surviving this himself."
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Closing Beat
At the end of the night:
Marshall cried himself to sleep clutching Lily's sweatshirt.
Ted and Robin stumbled awkwardly through their first days as a couple.
Barney plotted Vegas rebounds.
Megan proved she could hold her own in the group's chaos.
And Ivar? He sat quietly in his penthouse, whiskey in hand, already pulling strings no one else would ever know about.
Because Ivar Scherbatsky didn't patch wounds with words.
He patched them with action.
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End of Season 2, Chapter 1.