Chapter 15 — Lucky Penny (Fate, Flights & Fool's Gold)
Ted Mosby believed in fate.
Barney Stinson believed in destiny — but only if it involved destiny's "assets."
And Ivar Scherbatsky? He believed fate was just an excuse people used when they didn't want to admit their choices mattered.
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The Missed Flight
It all began with a penny.
Ted bent down on the subway to pick it up, tripped a runner, set off a domino chain of chaos… which led to him and Robin sprinting through the airport, arriving just in time to watch their flight to Chicago take off without them.
Robin groaned. "That's it. We missed it."
Ted collapsed against a chair. "This is fate. The universe doesn't want us on that plane."
Robin raised an eyebrow. "Or maybe you're just clumsy."
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The Spiral
Back at MacLaren's, Ted told the gang the whole story.
"The penny. The runner. The cop. The ticket line. Every little thing led to this moment. It's destiny."
Marshall leaned forward. "So… like the butterfly effect?"
Barney grinned. "Or like the stripper effect. One wrong dance, your whole night's ruined."
Lily sighed. "Not the same thing."
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Ivar's Perspective
Ivar, silent until now, finally set down his glass.
"Correction. You didn't miss the flight because of a penny. You missed it because you chose to bend down in the first place. One decision cascades into a hundred. That's not fate. That's choice."
Ted frowned. "You're saying this was my fault?"
"Yes," Ivar said simply.
Megan smirked. "Harsh, but fair."
Yvonne added: "Correction: painfully fair."
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Robin Pushes Back
Robin rolled her eyes. "So you don't believe in fate at all?"
"No," Ivar said flatly. "People cling to fate so they don't have to admit they're responsible. But every path is just choices stacked on top of each other. Yours happened to stack badly today."
Robin leaned back. "Wow. You're fun at parties."
Megan chuckled. "He's not wrong though."
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Ted's Reflection
Later, Ted sat in his apartment, staring at the penny in his palm.
"Choices," he muttered. "Not fate."
Robin, beside him, smiled faintly. "At least you didn't lose a fortune over it. Just a plane ticket."
Ted sighed. "Yeah. Maybe I need to stop waiting for destiny and start… choosing better."
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Closing Beat
By the end of the night:
Ted's obsession with fate cracked a little.
Robin teased him but tucked the penny into a jar labeled "Ted's Bad Choices."
Marshall was fascinated by the butterfly effect.
Barney tried (and failed) to use it as a pickup line.
Megan and Yvonne roasted Ted into humility.
And Ivar? He finished his whiskey, calm as ever.
Because for him, there was no such thing as fate.
There were only the choices you made… and the price you paid for them.
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End of Chapter 15.
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👉 Next is Chapter 16 ("Stuff") — canon has Ted and Robin fighting about keeping gifts from exes. Do you want me to play it mostly canon with Robin's stuff vs Ted's pride, while Ivar, Megan, and Yvonne cut through the nonsense?