Note: This special takes place in December 2005, one year before the breakup. Here, Lily, Marshall, and Alyx are in a stable, happy polyamorous relationship. (It also helps to show a brief glimpse of their dynamic in the relationship.) Ted and Robin are not a couple. And Barney is, well, Barney.
Ted's Narration, 2030
"Kids, every story has its good and bad moments. They can serve to learn, grow, or find strength. But I want you to know what your aunts and uncle were like before—before Lily left and everything fell apart. Their unusual love triangle, though uncommon, was full of sincere and tender love.
Well, before all this, we spent Christmas together without knowing it was the calm before the storm. Surprisingly, those moments shine even brighter and happier because you don't yet know they will become fragile, precious memories you'll cling to in your worst moments.
The winter of 2005, one year before everything broke, was one of those moments. It was Christmas, and we all spent it together in New York in the apartment I shared with Lily, Marshall, and Alyx. It was also the first Christmas we shared after meeting Robin—a magical day because of how simple, complete, and filled with affection it was for everyone."
December 2005
The living room was transformed. Multicolored lights twinkled softly around the window frame, their reflections shimmering on the paper snowflakes Alyx had cut with meticulous precision and hung from the ceiling with transparent thread. In one corner stood the Christmas tree—a real fir that Marshall and Ted had carried up the stairs amid laughter and complaints—decorated with a chaotic and charming mix of vintage Eriksen family ornaments, Ted's own cherished childhood baubles, colorful glass balls bought from a dollar store, and some odd clay figurines Lily had made in a pottery class that resembled aliens more than reindeer.
The air smelled of cinnamon, pine, and the promise of the slowly cooking dinner: a glazed ham that was Lily's specialty, though Marshall and Alyx were officially in charge of "supervising" (i.e., taste-testing the glaze every five minutes). At times, you could still catch the faint scent of burnt gingerbread cookies—Ted's responsibility—and eggnog with an extra kick that made anyone cough, courtesy of Barney and his "secret touch."
Alyx was wearing an ugly yet charming Christmas sweater Lily had jokingly given her, not expecting her to actually wear it. She was looking at the chaotic Christmas tree, one hand resting on Lily's thigh as Lily sat beside her on the large sofa, her bare foot occasionally brushing against Marshall's leg as he sat in an armchair.
"Marshall, the angel is tilting again," Alyx commented, noticing one of the heavier ornaments leaning precariously on a branch.
"It's not tilting; it's just getting comfortable," Marshall protested lightly but still got up from his chair to adjust the ornament. Standing, you could see his own ugly matching Christmas sweater, which Lily had bought him after seeing how much Alyx liked hers.
"Comfortable? Sounds much better than 'about to crash onto the floor tiles'," Lily murmured with a smile, leaning her head against Alyx's shoulder. Alyx gently ran her free hand through Lily's hair in a tender gesture that made Lily close her eyes and smile with pure happiness.
Ted and Robin kept drifting in and out of the kitchen to check on Lily's specialty, though Ted was mostly just hanging around and trying to ask Robin out.
Robin, wearing a Santa hat, looked around the decorated apartment with fascination. "In Canada, we don't celebrate Christmas like this... It's quieter there."
"Quiet is boring!" shouted Barney from the dining table as he poured himself another glass of his spiked punch. "Christmas should be at Stinson-level intensity—full of excess, lights, and festive spirit! Like going to a club to find strippers and with them..." His gaze landed on Robin. "...their... hope. Yeah, hope."
"Shut up, Barney," Alyx and Robin said in unison. They exchanged glances and laughed.
It was a perfect night—the kind Marshall would remember in the future with a pang of pain so sharp it would take his breath away. But in that moment, there was only the warm, glowing bubble of the present.
Scene 1: The Kitchen – The Glaze Heist
Before Robin or Barney had arrived and while Ted was in his room calling his parents, Lily slipped into the kitchen, supposedly to check on the ham. A moment later, Alyx followed.
The heat was intense, and the air smelled of glaze and roasting meat. Lily had her finger dipped in the bowl of glaze, ready to be brushed onto the ham once it was done.
"Caught you," Alyx said, her voice low and playful.
Lily turned without a hint of shame, a mischievous glint in her green eyes. "Just... ensuring quality control."
"Of course," Alyx said, moving closer until Lily was trapped between her and the kitchen counter. Alyx was often more dominant in these situations with Lily—not aggressive, but with a serene strength and certainty that Lily happily surrendered to. Alyx gently took Lily's wrist, the one with the sticky glaze on her finger, and lifted it slowly.
"Quality is tested like this," she murmured, bringing Lily's finger to her own mouth, cleaning off the remaining glaze with deliberate slowness, never breaking eye contact with Lily's increasingly darkened gaze.
Lily let out a soft gasp. "Alyx..." she whispered.
Alyx released her wrist and instead placed both hands on Lily's hips, pressing her further against the counter, trapping her.
"Yes, sweetie?"
"Ted could come in, or the others... they could arrive... or come in."
"Doesn't matter. We can let them come in," Alyx said, a challenge in her voice, as she lowered her head and captured Lily's lips in a kiss that wasn't sweet but intense. A kiss that said mine, ours, all three of ours, but in this moment, mine. Lily responded immediately, tangling her fingers (one clean, the other slightly sticky) in Alyx's sweater, pulling her closer. The outside world, the friends yet to arrive, Christmas itself—all faded into a distant memory.
It was the sound of Marshall entering and speaking that made them pull apart.
"Hey! Is the ham done...?" Marshall stopped mid-step in the kitchen doorway, taking in the scene: Lily with shining lips and quickened breath, Alyx with a slow, satisfied smile on her lips. His expression shifted from surprise to a wide, warm grin.
"Ah, quality control is in progress. Carry on. I'll... make sure no one else comes in," he said with an exaggerated bow before stepping back and leaving the kitchen.
Alyx and Lily looked at each other, and a contained laugh bubbled up from both. "He's an idiot," Lily murmured, leaning in again.
"Yep, but he's our idiot," Alyx added, this time kissing her more softly.
Scene 2: The Secret Gift
Later, with everyone gathered around the tree, they exchanged gag gifts. Barney gave Ted a hard hat labeled "Captain Boring." Ted gave Barney a book titled Ethics for Dummies. Robin gave Lily a jar of maple syrup—"to sweeten your bad side."
"My turn!" announced Marshall, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "For my girl... and my other girl."
He handed Lily a small, flat package. Opening it, she found a blank leather-bound sketchbook with the initials "L.A." embossed in the corner. "For all the landscapes you want to draw," Marshall said.
Lily hugged him tightly, her eyes shining.
Then he handed Alyx a heavier package. Inside were various specialty coffee beans for her prized coffee maker—flavors like chocolate, hazelnut, rum, and almond, among others. Alyx didn't drink coffee often, but she enjoyed a cup on cold nights, preferring it low in caffeine to help her sleep.
"Thank you, love," she said softly to Marshall.
Alyx, in turn, gave Lily a set of professional-grade watercolors from a brand Lily had admired in a store window for months. "So you can paint your reality, not just draw it," Alyx said.
For Marshall, she had bought a rare, annotated edition of The Lord of the Rings, knowing his love for fantasy and adventure. "For you to read about great adventures while you venture into the world of lawyers," she said with a smile.
Lily gave them both a shared gift: reservations for a dinner on a floating restaurant on the Hudson for New Year's Eve. "So you can start the year looking at the stars... and without me, just for one night," she said with a suggestive wink, though her smile was tender.
Scene 3: The Rooftop
After midnight, when fatigue and spiked punch began to weigh everyone down, Alyx slipped out to the building's rooftop with a freshly brewed cup of hazelnut coffee. The night air was cold, biting through her ugly Christmas sweater.
It wasn't even a minute before the door opened again. Lily appeared, carrying two more cups of the same coffee Alyx had prepared and left on the dining table, followed closely by Marshall, who brought a thick blanket.
"Silly, you're going to freeze," Alyx said, but made room for them to join her.
"You're the silly one coming out without a coat," Lily retorted, immediately snuggling against Alyx's side, seeking her warmth. Marshall wrapped the blanket around both of them, forming a tight, shivering trio huddled under the thin wool.
From there, they could see the distant, twinkling lights of the city—peaceful to watch.
"Do you think it'll always be like this?" Lily asked softly, her breath forming little clouds in the air.
Marshall held her tighter. "Like what? With Ted burning cookies and Barney poisoning the punch?" He paused briefly before adding, "I hope not, for our health's sake."
"No, dummy," Lily said, giving him a gentle nudge. "Like this... us, you know, together and happy."
Alyx took a long sip of her coffee before setting the cup on the ledge. Then she turned gently within the group hug until she could look at both their faces, faintly illuminated by moonlight and city lights.
"Nothing lasts forever, Lily," Alyx said with her characteristic realism, always seeing the angles, even in happiness. "Things change, people grow. And sometimes... well, they drift apart." Marshall made a sound of protest, but she continued. "But what we have is like a knot," she began with an analogy that came to her, "it doesn't come undone because of distance; it just gets rearranged."
She lowered her head and placed a firm, possessive kiss on Lily's lips as a promise. Then she turned and kissed Marshall with the same intensity but in a different way—a little deeper, to give him reassurance.
When she pulled back, all three were breathing a little faster, their breaths mingling in the cold air.
"No matter what happens," Alyx whispered, her forehead still resting against Marshall's, her hand stroking the nape of Lily's neck with her fingers. "Tonight, we will always be this knot. And this is so real that no one can take it from us."
They stayed there, silently entwined under the hidden stars and falling snow, sipping coffee to stay warm under the blanket—an invincible unit, or so they believed.
Back in the apartment
as Ted was turning off the lights, he asked Robin, who was staying on the sofa that night, "Where are they?"
Robin, from the sofa, glanced toward the window leading to the rooftop. She smiled a little sadly, somewhat envious of the certainty they seemed to have about their relationship and their future.
"On the rooftop," she said softly. "Just hanging out."
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