Introduction

Just a little background on what this story will be so everyone knows what they're getting going in: This is a takeoff on the themes of fate and destiny that are so wrapped up in the concept of HIMYM (and just to state this upfront, as is the case with all my HIMYM writing I do not recognize that AU finale episode and only accept the show from 1.01–9.22). In particular it espouses to the butterfly effect represented best in the Season 4 episode "Right Place Right Time" and the idea that a small change at a specific point in time can result in a rippling effect that alters the course of things down the line. For example, in "Right Place Right Time" Future Ted talks about how if Robin hadn't gotten food poisoning and if he hadn't stopped to look at the magazine of Barney's 200th and so forth then he wouldn't have ended up on that particular corner at just the right time to be stopped by the light and run into Stella, thus getting him the position at Columbia. But my fic also adheres to the idea that certain things have a higher fate too, meaning in this example that if Ted is absolutely meant to be a professor at Columbia then it will happen someway, somehow, even if he hadn't met Stella at that corner. Even if it happens in a completely different way, if something is absolutely meant to be then it will eventually come to be no matter what course you take to get there.

What all of that philosophical groundwork means for this particular story is that it's an alternate universe to what you see in HIMYM, starting out on an alternate path right at the "Pilot" because of one small difference that changes everything. We'll see it spiral from there and see other small changes occur too that start their own rippling effects, and in the process examine what things will turn out differently and what will ultimately still happen. That means this alternate universe will loosely follow several of the same events of the original series (the parts that are absolutely fated to be) BUT because they've all taken off on this alternate path those various events will happen in different, out-of-order, and sometimes twisted ways – some of them sooner, some of them later, some of them not at all, but all of it altered and changed and new things added in by the butterfly effect. Meaning the things that show up in my story from the show are the things I believe were unconditionally predestined to happen to the characters no matter what alternate path and changes occurred.

Also so there's no confusion, nearly everything you know about the background of the main characters remains largely the same except for the following two differences: (1) Barney's job, although there is certainly a connection to the reveal in 9.15; and (2) James is not Barney's biological brother but instead his partner at work. I made this change because I wanted Barney to have a friend and sounding board who isn't a part of the main gang and who can therefore give him unbiased and impartial advice solely looking out for Barney's best interest. That's something that was incredibly lacking in HIMYM and I think would have been extremely helpful to Barney's development. Yes, in canon James sort of filled that purpose at times but I wanted him to be there with Barney on a regular basis in a way that never really happened when they were biological brothers but will happen when they are partners assigned together every day (and, yes, Robin will have someone similar too).

One final thing so there's no disappointment; this is a long-play story so you will not see Barney and Robin get together right away. It's all heading there and it's certainly a Barney/Robin love story fic, but you won't see them dating in chapter two or anything like that. You're going to need to be patient and let it build just like it did on the show.