AN: This chapter was revised on 2/28/2017

Disclaimer: I do not own How I met Your Mother or any charectors/themes you may recognize

"Kids, in the summer of 09 you cousin Carrie came to get an internship here in Manhattan..."

(Carrie's POV)

The cab ride felt never ending. Not only was there a constant fear of a madman with a gun slamming his fist through the windshield, I had a major headache. One of two caused from the scary stories my friends back in California drilled into my head before my departure on the plane.

The cab finally stopped in front of my cousin's house and I sighed, a long overdue sigh of complete relief. I quickly pulled my bags from the ajar door of the car and payed the driver what I owed him. As he drove away, I finally got a good look at where my cousin lives. It's a nice apartment building, above a bar. Stairs wind up to the front door.

I bite the side of my lip before dragging my luggage up the steps and into the apartment. I rap my knuckles on the inside apartment door and hope to God that Ted is actually home. Contrary to my bad luck, he opens the door almost immediately after I knock. "Wow." I say as my mouth falls open just a tiny bit. "You look much better than you did in College." Back in College, if I remember correctly Ted had an afro? I'm not completely sure. I wasn't exactly

"Ha. Ha." he quips sarcastically, "I looked amazing in College, by the way."

"Sure you did." I halfheartedly mutter looking past Ted and into his apartment. "Nice place. You sharing with anybody? I mean I'm not suggesting that you totally let me stay with you...except that I kind of am." My chest clenches in anticipation, I haven't told him yet but the friend I made plans to stay with in Manhattan just bailed on me so it might be good if he has an extra room.

"Actually yea..." he trailed off. "You haven't met her yet but you to are similar...in so many ways."

"Then we must both be utterly gorgeous." I smile evilly.

"Or you're both utterly persistent." he jokes and I cross my arms and flop onto the coach.

Ted pauses, "But you're staying with your friend Bailey aren't you?"

"Oh yea, of course." I lie. "Aye, aye, Captain." I fake salute.

There's an slightly akward silence before I continue. "Well, when can I meet your friends?" I ask looking up at him with pleading eyes. I already met Marshall and Lilly a couple years ago, but seriously, if Ted hasn't made new friends then the wall of China must have collapsed. Actually, if he hasn't made any new friends I'll take a sledgehammer to the damned thing. He has one of those faces.

"I don't know, your pretty akward. You even tried to take off Marshall's head with your cellphone when you two first met." Ted smirks at the memory. Truthfully, I forgot about that…

College:

"Ted?" I ask opening the door a tad. "Ted? Is this the right room?" My breath is caught in my throat. "I swear if this is not your room I'll cut your he-"

"Hi I'm Marshall." a face is suddenly in the door and I stumble back before whipping my phone at the unfamiliar person. The door swings open completely to reveal a girl who I'd assume is his girlfriend laughing at the now squealing Marshall.

Present Day:

"I'm sure he forgets about that now." I say half laughing.

Believe me, he didn't forget.

"Please can I meet your friends. I promise not to be all shy and awkward around them. I'll act just like I do around you!"

"Translation: A five year old in a twenty years old body."

"Hey, you love me." I quip.

"Fine."

(Ted's POV)

Robin, Barney, Marshall, and Lily were already sitting at their usual booths at the bar, talking about the recent conquests of the great Barney Stinson, when I walked in and sat at the end chair. I ordered a beer and began talking with them.

"My cousin's visiting. So try not to scare her away. She gets pretty freaked out sometimes. I think she has a severe case of paranoia." Everybody looks at him for a silent moment before responding.

"You're not talking about Crazy Carrie are you?" Marshall sighs worry in his eyes, almost as if he is about to run away.

"Who's crazy Carrie?" Robin asks.

Let me explain. Ever since the phone meltdown Marshall and Carrie had been meeting in the worst possible ways. The next thanksgiving, Carrie almost set the house on fire when Marshall startled her asking if she had any salt while she was cooking. At a diner downtown, Carrie tripped on her sun dress, and her body knocked Marshall straight into a waiter carrying hot coffee. Yup, they definitely had a history.

Everybody at the table starts cracking up laughing as I finish recounting the many encounters Marshall had with Carrie. Especially Barney, he almost falls out of his chair. "She knocked you into-the coffee-the waiter-you were beat up by a girl-" he choked out between gasps of laughter. "That's too good."

"Ha. Ha. Barney. I don't think I need to remind you of the...wedding cake..." The whole table goes silent.

"You wouldn't dare." Barney glares him down.

"Oh. I think I would." Marshall shoots back.

"Sweetie, calm down. We don't want to scare away Crazy Carrie." At Lily's words the table burst into laughter again, and once again, it is mostly Barney.

"The coffee-and the cellphone-and the-and the-fire at thanksgiving-" he then falls out of his chair.

"And please don't call her crazy Carrie in front of her."

Carrie enters the bar.

(Carrie's POV)

I am about to leave and get changed into something that I could borrow from Ted's roommate, hoping she won't notice, because my clothing seems like I've slutted up. The guy sitting next to me on that plane looked like he was in a sauna. But then I realize that Ted is staring at me and I make my way over to the table.

"Marshall." I say narrowing my eyes. Then I see Lilly. "I missed you SO much!" I declare a bit over excited. "The last time I saw you, you had dark black hair, Ted had an afro, and Marshall was covered in coffee!"

"I glance over at the other girl at the table. "Hi, I'm Rob-" she starts but is interrupted by a blonde who pops up from underneath the booth.

"Barney. Stinson." he puts out his hand for me to shake. "You might recognize me. I saved a horde of babies from a petting zoo. There is a statue of me in Indiana." I pull up a chair next to Ted.

"A horde?" I ask.

"Oh come on Barney." Robin starts. "She's too smart for you." I glance at Robin momentarily. It was pretty easy to fill in the rest of her name after she got interrupted, I mean, I briefly watched her on the news yesterday morning. It was a red eye flight to Manhattan after all.

"I glance at Barney, and then at Robin, and then at Lily and Ted. I skip over Marshall of course. "Ted can we talk in private?"

"You can say it in front of us, Carrie. This is a no judgement zone." Lilly smiles and my eyebrows knit together.

"Are you quoting a children's book?" I ask suddenly and Ted looks at her and chuckles.

"No, they're just words of wisdom."

"Sure they are sweetie." Marshall fills in, pulling her gently into his side. "Sure they are."

"K fine. Idon'thaveaplacetostay." I mumble as quickly as possible staring at the untouched and unopened bottle of beer in front of me.

"Hugh?"

"I don't have a place to stay." I say slower, expecting the roof to cave in and kill me. If I can't stay with Ted, I'm on the flight of shame back to California. Screw the internship and screw the dream city.

"You can stay with us!" Lilly suddenly blurts out and Marshall's expression drops.

"No way." he begins to panic. "No way is Crazy Carrie staying in our house. Not today, not in a month, not in a year." My expression drops. Well then.

"Fine, I'll stay at a hotel." I quip crossing my arms. "Or with some random guy I meet at this bar."

"Me!" Barney says almost on instinct.

"Um..." I begin, and I'm sure that I'll likely say, 'sounds good' but before I can finish Ted speaks instead.

"No way in hell." he looks at Barney warily. "This is why I don't let you meet my family."

"No, it's because you got daddy issues." Barney proclaims and then high fives Marshal.

"Grandpa issues!" Lilly adds. "He definitely had grandpa issues."

"Hey!" Ted says, my eyes drift to the time and I realize that I have to go to bed in the next ten minutes or I'll be up for the rest of the year.

"I gotta head out but I'll make sure to grab my stuff from your place and then find a hotel or something. I bet I can scratch up enough money for the night until a find a permanent place to stay." I pause. "Bye!" I wave and then head out.

(Ted's POV)

When Carrie left I could tell everybody let out a huge sigh of relief. Especially Marshal, who for once nothing happened to. "Aw, she was sweet." Robin sighs out.

"Sweet? Sweet? You could see it in her eyes that she wanted to kill me." He shudders.

"Challenge Accepted!" All heads turn to Barney and all eyebrows furrow. Challenge? What the hell is he talking about?

It's not too difficult to deduct why Carrie left the bar so soon. I frown at my beer.

"...and then it's on!" Is the only thing that I hear once being snapped back into reality.

"What?"

"Oh Ted..." Lilly trails off with uncertainty. "I suppose you should go make sure Crazy Carrie is ok."

"Yea. That's probably the best idea.

AN: This is just an idea that came to me. Though it was the hardest fanfic I've ever wrote because I could not think of lines to keep each character from straying into OOC waters. I did my best though, so thanks for reading. The next chapter will be out soon. ~SoleFaith