MacLaren's Bar
Alyx had been drawing all night. When she finished, she showed it.
It was Barney in the center, with everyone around him. But it wasn't the usual Barney. It was a Barney with an expression he'd never worn before: the expression of someone who has found their place.
"Is that me?" asked Barney.
"Yes. It's the Barney we saw tonight. The one who went to get Lily. Who went to get me. Who saved two relationships without wanting anyone to know."
Barney looked at the drawing. "I look like a good clown."
"You are a good clown," said Alyx.
"Can I keep it?"
"It's yours."
Barney took the drawing carefully, as if it were the most valuable object in the world.
"I'm going to frame it," he said. "And put it in my apartment."
"That's very corny," said Ted.
"I know. That's why I'll never admit it after tonight."
Everyone laughed.
The Wedding Day
On the wedding day, Barney showed up with two suits: one for him and one for Ted. They were identical, because they were the co-best men.
"Why do we have to dress alike?" asked Ted.
"Because we're a team. And teams wear uniforms."
"That doesn't make sense."
"It makes perfect sense. Besides, I paid for yours, so shut up and put it on."
Ted put on the suit. Barney put on his. They looked at each other in the mirror.
"We look like twins," said Ted.
"Handsome twins," said Barney.
"Handsome twins who are going to give a speech."
"I've already prepared mine."
"And what are you going to say?"
Barney smiled. "You'll see."
At the wedding, when it was time for the speeches, Ted spoke first. About friendship, love, how Marshall and Lily met. Then about Alyx, how that relationship had blossomed, how they supported and complemented each other. It was a beautiful, emotional, perfect speech.
Then it was Barney's turn.
Barney stood up, adjusted his tie, and said:
"When Marshall asked me to be his co-best man, I thought he was joking. Because I'm not the kind of person who gives speeches at weddings. I'm the kind of person who ruins bachelor parties and turns on fog machines when he shouldn't."
Everyone laughed.
"But I'm also the kind of person who flew across the country to get Lily. Who drove to Vermont to get Alyx. Because that's what family does. And you are my family."
Lily was crying. Alyx too.
"So let's raise our glasses," said Barney. "To Marshall, the best friend I've ever had. To Lily, the only person who's ever beaten me in a drinking contest. And to Alyx, the artist who drew me with a good person's face. To the three of you. Because if I've learned anything, it's that love doesn't understand numbers. Love understands people. And the three of you are the most important people in my life."
"To Marshall, Lily, and Alyx," said Ted.
"To Marshall, Lily, and Alyx," everyone repeated, and they drank.
And then, for the first time in his life, Barney Stinson cried in public. Just one tear. But everyone saw it. And no one ever mentioned it to him. But everyone remembered.
Living Room, 2030
"And so, kids, Barney became Marshall's co-best man and gave the best speech anyone had ever heard. And though he never admitted it, that day he became the person he'd always wanted to be."
"And the drawing?" asks Ted's eldest daughter.
"Barney framed it. He put it in his apartment, next to his collection of suits. And every time he felt bad, he'd look at it. He'd remember that even though he was an idiot, he was a loved idiot."
"And Alyx?" asks Ted's son.
"Alyx kept drawing. And every year, on the wedding anniversary, she'd give Barney a new drawing. The most memorable one was Barney with his children and wife, reading them a story. And we all know Barney didn't have children at that time. But in the drawing, he did. Because Alyx always draws what she hopes will happen. And of course, later she made a new one with the recognizable faces of the family Barney now has."
Alyx's drawing is still in Barney's apartment. When he married Robin, he took it to their new house. And when he had children, Alyx made him another drawing: Barney with his two daughters, dressed in mini suits, playing laser tag. That drawing was also framed and put next to the first one. Because Barney Stinson, the man who said he didn't believe in love, was the one who showed it most. In his own way. Which wasn't the best way. But it was his.
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Barney gave the best speech of the wedding. And for the first time, he cried in public. Briefly.
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