A cross over between How I Met Your Mother and Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, so I bet you could guess who it's gonna be about (I also posted this in the HIMYM category under a different title, I couldn't decide which one I liked better and the site won't let you upload two stories with the same title anyway) . Anyhow meant to take place sometime in season one after Marshall starts working for Barney's company, and yeah it's alternate universe enough to completely exclude any of Barney's acquired back story at that point (episode: Gamenight...though it was part of the inspiration for this. Just sync up the `Horrible Credits` to Hippie Barney's transformation into Womanizer Barney and laugh) and to, of course, include a sing along blog...

I hope somebody out there enjoys this. Reviews and feedback of any sort always a appreciated. And a warning this may be slow to update as I'm working on an Evil Dead/ Supernatural fic and oh yeah, college. Hoping to keep this as short as possible as well. But yeah, enjoy!

Prologue:

"So, Barney, what brings ya to the city`?" the cigarette-reeking- nosy- New York-driver asked the blond kid in the back of his cab.

"It's Billy," he muttered through clenched teeth, lowering his chin deeper into his hoodie. He focused his blue gaze at the massive gray abysmal buildings passing them by, in no mood for idle chatter.

"Sight seein' I bet," the cabbie laughed gruffly, lighting a cigarette with his free hand. Billy choked loudly from the backseat, hoping his potent chauffeur would get the hint, "Or visitin' family," the cabbie said with that white stick stuck between his lips. Billy made no attempt to answer the annoying man. Instead he glared at his cabbie's reflection in the continuously unchecked review mirror, mentally strangling the life out of the pudgy man with his eyes.

"Yeah," he chuckled, pretending to understand the tension spawning from their silence, "it's family right? S'it the in-laws, Barney?"

Billy inhaled sharply, his glare narrowing, "it's Billy," he hissed, then dug his teeth deep into his bottom lip to keep from hissing anymore.

Either the cabbie was intentionally not listening or playing dumb, "well?" he prodded the frustrated man behind him.

Billy sighed in defeat, pushing his eyes shut in order to keep the painful `what-if` images from taking over his sight, "I don't have any family…" he answered softly.

"Ah, that's too bad, Barney," the cabbie replied unsympathetically.

"Billy!" the blond released an exasperated breath. Billy was beginning to sense this chat was more for his driver's entertainment than anything else.

"So why ya here?" the mostly one sided conversation went on without a hitch.

Billy snickered, a smirk curling on his lips, "work," he answered darkly, suddenly realizing how much he was beginning to loath his job, "I got promoted…" his gaze and mind drifted from the cab for several seconds, thinking back on the heinous criteria that earned him this `promotion`.

"You won't last long," the cabbie coughed.

"What?!" Billy snapped, tightening his shoulders.

"Dressed like that," the smoker made a nod in his mirror at Billy's ratty sweatshirt, faded Tee, and torn jeans, "you won't make it very far in this town."

Billy pouted and refused to say another word at his busy-body driver.

"Well here ya are," the cabbie announced to a sulking Billy as the yellow vehicle pulled in front of a looming tower of glass windows. He read the address aloud. This was the place alright, the place Billy's new `boss` had sent him for some unknown purpose. Not, of course, before giving the young man a thoroughbred lecture on how his attitude held `room for improvement`. Oh, and that if his attitude didn't `improve`, say good bye to all those `good health benefits`.

The young man growled at himself in hate, stuffing a wad of cash into the cabbie's sweaty, filthy palm. "Hey no need to get grumpy!" the driver huffed, had he been saying something just now? "Nobody wants to hear it, but if you ever want to succeed in this town you're gonna hafta make some serious changes, kid."

Billy did his best to ignore the cab driver's words as he hauled his duffle bag from the backseat and stepped out into this cowardly new world of corporate greed and hiding behind briefcases. Just as he had his feet planted firmly on the sidewalk the wind picked up, hurling a neon orange flyer into Billy's face. He could hear the cabbie chuckle at his expense.

The young man removed the flyer, nearly crumpling it in his fist, "Heh heh heh," his former cabbie laughed, shifting his taxi out of park; "starting with those clothes I guess. See ya later, Barney," the driver paused for a moment, "it was Barney, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Billy answered, not truly hearing the cabbie's words. His attention was drawn to the bold black letters sprawled across the orange advertisement in his hand: SUIT UP! "Barney…"

"Well good luck to ya!" and with that the cab was gone in a puff exhaust fumes.

The blond man groaned inwardly. The cabbie was right. He'd have to change. He couldn't stay `Billy Buddy` anymore. That person was dead in every sense. This was a chance for a new life, a new `career` -- your dream `career`, a little voice reminded him—in a new city, in a brave new world to conquer, (Though technically it was still all the same world, just a different place in it). This was it, this is what you've always wanted so just go ahead and take it! This, Doctor, is what you were always meant to do. He sighed, knowing he'd have to keep reminding himself of that.

"First things first," the `new` man smirked to himself, crunching the flyer into a ball, "Barney's going to need a new suit."

Hope somebody liked it. Reviews, feedback, & ideas are, once again appreciated.

Thanks!