Archive of Our Own

Kathy Lasso is everything Rebecca expected from a midwestern middle aged woman. It’s in the way she talks, in her blind optimism, in the nice way she treats everyone she meets, the way she bakes homemade cakes and pies for the whole team and delivers it as if it’s an ordinary day at his son’s school fair. It’s so different from her own ways, or her mother’s, for that matter. Rebecca wasn’t an unpleasant woman, but she could never be that openly nice and entertaining to everyone the second they met.

But then again, she’s not surprised by any of this. Kathy was Ted Lassos’s mother, after all. 

Even though their ways were similar, Rebecca couldn’t help but notice Ted and Kathy were, somehow, very different. Rebecca knew better than to read Ted for his facade - he was a silly man the way he made sure to let it be known, yes, but he also was a complicated man with complicated emotions. Which isn’t to say Kathy wasn’t also, but there was something else inside her… While Ted masquerades his sadness, anger and grief, Kathy, even while delivering delicious cakes and corny jokes, seems to carry something else. If Rebecca could bet, she would say it was regret. 

“Sorry for bothering you, dear, I just wanted to give you this”, Kathy says, approaching her desk with a plastic plate in her hand and a sweet smile. 

“Oh, Kathy, I’ll miss you terribly when you’re gone”, Rebecca replies, taking a look at all the delicious food in front of her. She couldn't be there for Kathy's last locker room party with the team, a stupid meeting got in the way, but she had a feeling her presence was missed. It was a new feeling. 

“Don’t be silly, my boy will still be ‘round to provide you with great baking.” 

Rebecca looks up at the older woman in front of her. 

“That he will. You raised him well, Kathy, he’s a good man, that one. Brings me biscuits everyday - biscuits that he bakes himself. Did he tell you that?”

Kathy stares at Rebecca with a knowingly look, but takes more than a few seconds to reply to her. Rebecca feels shy for some reason, as if she was a child and Kathy was a professor that knew she cheated the test the day before. She tries to brush it off by distracting herself with some cake inside her mouth. 

“He didn’t. But I could tell. Could recognize these… biscuits… of yours anywhere. That’s my recipe”, Kathy eyes the pink box resting against Rebecca’s desk, arching her brows. 

“Oh. Well, they’re delicious.”

Kathy nods, and something in her stare is so familiar to when Ted asked Rebecca if she had some type of comfort food that brings her home. As if he already knew, but wanted to hear her say it either way. 

“Rebecca, do you mind me saying something? Before I go?” Kathy doesn’t wait for an answer, already taking a seat in front of her. 

“‘Corse, Kathy. Is this about me sending the car to take you to the airport? Because I insist it’s no trouble-”

“No, dear, this ain’t it. It’s ‘bout something else. Well, no need to dance ‘round it, isn’t it? It’s about Teddy.”

Rebecca’s upper lip arch in a tiny smile. The way his mother still calls him Teddy doesn’t go unnoticed. Her mind always wanders about, imagining a tiny blonde Ted running around the house, hiding under his Grandma's table, making a mess out of everything. It makes her heart melt, imagining this silly man as the little boy he once was - and still is, in his heart. 

“What about him?”

“I’m sure he’d kill me if he knew I’m here with ya asking this kind of stuff… But I’m his mother and I worry, despite what he thinks.” Rebecca can hear the sadness hidden in her light tone. She noticed Ted and his mother didn’t vibe in confort the same way he did with Beard, or Henry, or anyone he knew from home. It wasn’t similar to the way he acted when Michelle was in town, either, so she couldn’t put a finger into why that happened, but she knew some things were unfinished between mother and son. “Is there a permanent home for my son here, in Richmond?” 

Rebecca rests her back against her chair. 

“What do you mean?”

“What I mean is… He’s thinking ‘bout the next steps. Ya’know, for his life. And I don’t know what part of that beautiful heart of his he’ll be following. But that’s not my business to tell, it’s probably for the best he's the one to talk to you ‘bout that”, Rebecca gulps, but doesn’t dare to ask more. “But if this… job… you gave him is anything more than temporary, if it’s somewhere he can finally rest and be happy… Would you be so kind as to tell him directly? That he has a home here, with you? Ted is not the best one to understand subtext.” 

Kathy's eyes shine in anticipation, lovely big brown eyes, just like her boy’s. 

“Of course. Kathy, what Ted decides to do from now on it’s up to him, I’m afraid. But he’s more than welcome to stay with us as long as he’d like. I’m not letting go of him, I trust my team, I trust my Coach, winning or not winning. He knows that.”

“But isn’t just ‘bout the job and the coaching, is it, dear?”

Kathy shoots that look at her again - the one where she’s trying to say something and Rebecca can’t quite follow. 

“I’m not sure I understand-”

“You want Ted here. With you. Yes or no?” Kathy interrupts her. 

“Yes, but-”

“And is he more to you than just your employee?” 

“Sure he is-”

“And you’d miss him if he was gone. Not only for losing him as a professional, but as someone for yourself. Isn’t that right?”

Rebecca stops for a second, interrupting their non-stopping dynamic. 

“Terribly. But I can’t-”

“Then I think you do understand what I’m sayin’, Rebecca.” Her name on Kathy’s mouth sounds so much like the way Ted usually calls her, her stomach drops. There’s so much care, a different type of affection that she’s used to by now, has been for the past three years. 

“Ted’s thinking about going back home, isn’t he?”  

She tries to ignore the way her whole body trembles with that thought, the way the delicious cake is now just a mass floating around her upset stomach. She can feel the tears trying to reach her eyes, her throat closing. 

Not this. Not right now. She always thought she’d have more time - infinite time. That was the problem with human beings, always so self absorbed, trying to push away the thought that all things, moments, opportunities were so delicately finite. She was used to that sensation - but she never imagined Ted being another one she was supposed to lose. 

“I’m not the one that can tell you that for sure”, Kathy replies, as she pushes her body closer to the desk between them. Her warm hands are offered for Rebecca to hold, and so she does. “But you listen to me, dear. I’ve had my share of mistakes with my son. And, trust me, we both suffered a hell lot for it. So trust me when I say that Theodore is an honorable, brilliant man, one that I miss every single day of my life, one that I wish I had done differently, just for the sake of keeping him close to me. I watched my son leaving more times than I can count. And he was always so, so lost. Eager to discover the world, to make the world a better place, because that’s the type of person he is. But always with a broken piece of soul that he carries ‘round ever since… Ever since his father died. Then Michelle came ‘round, and that helped. Sweet Henry was the best part, and that boy makes him so happy ever since he was just a tiny bump inside his mother’s belly. But I know my son. He hides the lack of spark inside his eyes with stupid jokes and with care for others - but all he needs is someone to care for him right back. Because he’s the one who does everything for those he loves. Everything, day or night. Even if it’s as complicated as baking these every day for the past three years”, Kathy says that while eyeing the pink biscuit box. 

“My son deserves to be happy, Rebecca. For once. I came all the way from Kansas to make sure he was doing alright. To my surprise, he was. Haven’t seen his eyes shining so bright while talkin’ about someone ever since he introduced Michelle to me when they were still in love, twenty years old and naive. Do you know what I said to her back then? I said ‘my boy is gonna make sure you’ll never feel alone and unloved ever again in your life, so make sure to not take that for granted’”. 

Kathy’s hands hold Rebecca’s tightly, and she’s almost sure she hasn’t blinked once ever since the older woman started talking. 

“So I think what I’m trying to say is: life is short, dear. If there’s something inside your heart that beats faster when I tell you all this, don’t let that feeling go as if it’s nothing… We've already lost many things we could’ve avoided losing if only we were brave enough to fight for them. Don’t you think?”

Rebecca nods, her green eyes big as they could be. There are no words she could articulate right now. 

“‘Kay, I should go, I won’t trouble you no more”, Kathy gets up, pats her long skirt against her sides and walks towards the door as if nothing happened, as if the last minutes were nothing but a daydream. 

It’s only when she reaches for the door knob that she turns to Rebecca again, a knowingly smile on her lips: “If you let him, Ted is gonna make sure you’ll never feel alone and unloved ever again in your life. So make sure to not take that for granted.” 

The door closes, and Rebecca lets out a sharp breath she didn’t even know she was holding. 

Kathy leaves the morning after, in Rebecca’s car after all, one she picks up at Nelson Road, just because she wanted to stop by and say goodbye to everyone. The whole team hugs her as if she’s some type of spiritual leader that has to go now that her mission is complete, and it shouldn’t be that funny watching 11 grown men get emotional by Ted's mother, but it is. Higgins is there, helping the boys put her bags inside the car, and he assures the older woman that yes, absolutely, he’ll let Julie know they’re now invited to Thanksgiving at her house in Kansas. 

Kathy says goodbye to Rebecca inside a tight hug. She doesn’t mention their talk from the day before, but the insinuating stare was there when they parted. 

She hugs Beard as if he’s one of Ted’s friends after a sleep over at her house, murmuring a “behave, young man, or I’ll call your mother to have a little chat”, to which Beard looks mortified by the mere thought.

And then Kathy hugs Ted, while everyone is kind enough to look away for a second, giving them privacy. It takes them minutes to let go of each other, and Rebecca thinks she could see tearful eyes on both their faces, but she’s not sure. His mother whispers something in his ear, holds his head with both hands, places a loud kiss on his cheek and lets go. 

“Alright, go or you’ll miss your flight. Tell the folks back home I miss ‘em.” Ted says, urging his mother to enter the car. 

He kisses her forehead and then she’s gone, with all of them waving goodbye.   

It wasn’t until later that Ted and Rebecca met again walking down the hallway in opposite directions. He stops her with a silent signal to question something, turning around to face her face with curious eyes. 

“Hey, Boss, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but.. did Ma talk to you? ‘Bout… anything?” 

Rebecca hopes her wild eyes don’t give her away. 

“We talked, but nothing in particular, just… Girl talk.” What? 

“Oh, ‘course. Girl talk.” He says, slowly, something in the way his tongue rolls inside his mouth making it sound as a failed attempt to reproduce a British accent.  

“Why do you ask?”

“Nothing really, just felt like I had to apologize. Ya know. If she had said somethin’ cuckoo. Mothers. You know what they're like. They can get nuts as bugs.” His eyes move as a cartoon character, a reaction she now learned to read as a mask he puts on when he’s nervous. 

“Don't you worry about that, Kathy is a delightful woman”, she says, and he nods, not sounding too sure. 

When he turns to part ways, Rebecca gets a sudden rush of adrenaline and stops him, hand on his shoulder, closing her fingers against his puffer coat. 

“Ted. Now that you mentioned it - do you have something to tell me?” She asks, even though she doesn’t even know what she’s asking, or implying. But she has to. She has to offer him the opportunity to be clear about whatever feelings he's having.

He seems lost for a moment, not sure what he’s supposed to say.

“Don’t think so, ma’am. Do I? Have something to tell you? ‘Cause if I do you could always tell me first so I can tell you second, how ‘bout that?” He tries going in for a joke, and Rebecca notices she’s still touching him, her nails scratching his shoulder. Her hands drop to her sides. 

“No, I’m just– I wanted to make sure that if you ever feel the need to tell me anything, my door is always open.”

“Heard it loud and clear, Boss. Now don’t go getting all frustrated at me when I arrive tomorrow morning telling you all ‘bout tonight’s episode of The Bachelor.” 

Rebecca clicks her tongue and rolls her eyes, turning to walk towards her office. “Goodbye, Ted.”

Rebecca Welton is many things. She is fierce and upfront when she has to be. She is strong and resilient, managing to break down and put herself back together so many times. But sometimes, just sometimes, all that contrasts with the fact she is also a coward. 

So that is why she avoids thinking about Kathy Lasso’s words after she’s gone. 

She tries to read the whole situation as if it’s not a big deal, it’s not that deep, it’s just a mother being slightly inconvenient as mothers usually do, but meaning well, wanting his son to be happy and not alone across the ocean. She tells herself it’s for the best, not giving all that too much thought, because that’s what she’d tell Ted to do if Deborah barged in one day inside his office to suggest some hidden feelings of hers that aren't real. It's not real, right?  

That’s what she would do. Right? 

Nope. Not thinking about it. 

She deals better when she plays delusion, anyway. It takes a lot of effort to face things for what they are these days. And she’s not ready to go that path, not yet. 

Rebecca fills her mind with other things, distractions that work just for that, and that she does well. Dealing with whatever feelings Kathy’s words brought to life? God, no. Avoiding it all boiling inside of her until its inevitable explosion? Yes, please. 

So that is why it’s a surprise, really, when Trent Crimm enters her office one day with a pile of paper in one hand and his glasses on the other, a cautious gaze framing his face. 

“Trent, what can I help you with?” She asks, boss Rebecca in action.  

Trent places the pile of paper in front of her. On the cover, it reads “THE LASSO WAY, by Trent Crimm”. 

“Oh, God. Is it done?” Rebecca asks, not daring to move the first page. 

“This is the first draft. But yes, I guess you could say that.”

Trent sits at the other side of her desk slowly, as if he’s still in the process of choosing well the words he’s about to say. The journalist in him making an appearance, yes, but she could sense it was something else. It was also the sudden insecurity of crossing a line with the owner of the club - a feeling she got quite good at reading, since it was common ground for everyone that entered this very same room, except maybe for… well. Maybe for Ted, really. 

Ted was never afraid of crossing a line with her. Never one to shy away from jumping over the bridge that divided them and meeting her on the other side. The side of her that made everyone else nervous and intimidated, only made him curious and intrigued. 

Rebecca tells herself the reason she’s thinking about Ted is because his own surname is written all in caps in front of her. She has a vague memory of saying those exact same words the first time they found themselves in a room full of journalists, including the one seated in front of her right now. 

She looks at Trent and raises an eyebrow in question, a silent “well?”, already pulling her defenses up. She was intimidating for a reason, after all. 

“I probably should’ve handed this to Ted first, since it’s… well, it’s about him, really. And the way everyone around here has changed for the better ever since he arrived.” His head moves to the side as if daring her to say he’s wrong. She wouldn’t. “But I wanted you to have it first.”

“Why? It doesn’t read The Welton Way in here, does it?” She smiles all teeth, an attempt to make a joke, but Trent is a hard shell to crack. 

It takes Trent a minute, full on 60 seconds, to reply. She’s almost on the verge of snapping at him, urging him to go to the point, when his words cut the space between them like a sharp knife, one that goes straight to the delicate wall of protection she put over her heart and mind ever since Kathy left. 

“I thought this would be a piece about football, but I thought wrong.” Trent studies her face for a moment, searching for an understanding that doesn’t come. So, he continues: “This is a love story.”

Rebecca breaks eye contact and looks at the draft in front of her again, not quite computing the word “Lasso” in it and the suggestion of a love story. 

“Now, this isn’t the whole book. I will email it to you, of course, but I took the liberty to print this chapter so I could give it to you by hand. Chapter eight.” 

“Okay… Why this chapter in particular?”

Trent offers her that Cheshire cat smile of his. 

“You’ll have to read it to find out.” Rebecca nods, wanting this conversation to be over. She was never good with riddles and mysteries. It was annoying not knowing things clearly. “Make sure to let me know what you think. I'm not sure this chapter is making the cut, anyway. It feels too… personal.” He eyes the glass widow as he speaks, the light sound of the training happening at the pitch filling the room as a background noise. 

“Thank you for offering it to me first, then. I’ll read it tonight.”

Trent nods as he gets up, saying nothing else. 

“This is a love story”. What the fuck does that mean?

When she gets his email an hour later, she opens the file just to find out that the summary jumps from 7 to 9, chapter 8 nowhere to be found but over her own office desk.  

It’s an ordinary Tuesday early night and Nelson Road is already quiet when her phone lights up and buzzes with a new text message. 

“Boss, you around? Can you meet me downstairs?” 

His text said that and nothing else. Rebecca’s heart beats loudly against her ribcage and she’s not sure why. Usually he’d meet her halfway, upstairs, inside her own office. She tries not to think about what’s different this time, why the effort to reach her through text to ask for something. 

She goes anyway, pulling her pencil skirt down and hitting her high heels against the hard floor, the noise competing with the noise she’s sure is coming from her own heartbeat. 

As she enters the locker room, she can feel her skin burn and her cheeks automatically turn pink. The players are not around anymore, the only light coming from Ted’s office, the door slightly closed, but not completely. 

“Ted?” She calls, her hands carefully opening the door to meet him. 

He’s not seated at his table, as he normally is: on the contrary, he’s standing against the glass door to Roy’s office, hands inside his pocket, a frown eating his face up as he stares blankly at the wall opposite to him. It isn't an image she's used to when it comes to him, but she knows the moment she looks at him: he's nervous. 

“Hey, Rebecca”, he says, taken aback for a moment, so lost in his own thoughts that somehow appeared to have forgotten about calling her down there. 

“Everything okay?” She enters the room and closes the door behind them, her  apprehensive shaky voice giving her away. Rebecca tries to look at his hands, trying to see if they’re shaking or not, a habit she keeps ever since watching him break down outside that damn karaoke in Liverpool. She doesn’t know why she’s that protective over this man, but she is. 

“Oh yeah yeah, don’t worry ‘bout that. It’s just that, well- Remember that time of year? When we meet at this exact same spot and tell each other what’s on our minds like we’re Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga writing Shallow with all that 'tell me something boy, tell me something girl' thing going on-"

“Yes, Ted, I know. It's already that time of year?” She interrupts him, a frown at the edge of her lips in worry.  

"Oh, it's not a fixed date. It happens whenever - like rain in London or Roy showing an emotion other than rage."

They're facing each other the same way they've been doing for the past couple of times. Standing, full body pointed to the other, Rebecca's back to the door, Ted's back to his own desk. There's space between them, one she doesn't dare to close, or else she's afraid he'll see her break. Whatever this was, it sure as hell didn't sound as good news for her. 

"I don't have anything to be revealed right now, I'm afraid."

"That's okay. It was only fair that I did it once, right? You were the one to drop it the last two times - so I'm behind this race we have goin' on."

"Okay. What do you have for me this year, Ted?"

He breathes in and takes his hand out of his pockets, slowly. When she can finally see his fingers, he's holding a folded piece of thin paper. She drops her eyes to stare at it, not daring to look at him anymore, even though she can feel his eyes on her, waiting for her reaction. 

Ted extends his left arm between them and offers her the folded white sheet. 

She unceremoniously snatches the paper from his hands, her patience long gone, already knowing what it was. She has no interest in extending her suffering. As usual, she's mixing her true feelings with acid, because it was easier that way, because it was for the best that she reacted a little sharper than usual, rather than just cried in front of him the second their fingers touched and she grabbed at what he was offering her. 

She keeps the paper inside her grip, but doesn't dare to open and read it. When she takes the courage to look at him again, his big brown eyes are apologetic, cautious and a little bit sad. 

"You're leaving." She says at last, plain and simple, because she knows he is. 

It's only a second and probably wouldn't be noticeable for anyone else, but he looks surprised for a moment, as if not expecting she'd know what was happening straight away. But then his tensed arms relax and he looks like a defeated man, one that was holding on into nothing, but still trying to stand tall. 

"It's my resignation letter", he points at the sheet of paper suffering to survive her tight, sweaty grip. "I did it properly this time, not on a take out menu. It's signed and everything. As an employee, I had to give it to my boss. Now that that's out of the way, I'd like to talk to Rebecca as Ted…"

"You're leaving", she repeats, because it's the only thing she can think of, the only two words she can force to come out of her mouth. It's not a question, but it's not a statement, either. It's just words. She's not sure she's computing this right, not sure she already understands what it means. 

"I'm leaving", he replies softly, softer than she had ever heard him. It's almost as if he's saying sorry. 

Rebecca gulps loudly, her throat closing, trying to hold back the tears. "May I ask why? As your… friend. Not your boss. As Rebecca." 

He takes a step closer towards her, feeling the urge to comfort her broken gaze, but not daring to. If they touch, Rebecca fears she won't be able to let go. And she has to let him go. The way he's at peace with his decision, the way he's taking it seriously this time, the already signed resignation letter in her hands, the choice of words and lack of hopes. She knows he means it this time. 

"Y'know, I took this job with one goal in mind, which was: you're gonna build something that's greater than even this sport, you're gonna help these people be the better version of themselves. And if I'm being honest, Rebecca, I did it for myself, too. I was running away. From my own… pain. That worked for awhile, but in the end I think this place helped me even more than I helped them. Last week the folks were down here having fun and hugging it out, even though we had lost that night, and I looked around and saw it clearly: it's done. Mission accomplished and all that. Now the team needs space to grow - which both you and I know it's only happening if I step away." 

"And what about what you need?" She asks him with trembling words, not wanting to drop the "what about me?", because it isn't about her or how she feels. 

"I played my part for these boys for the past three years, Rebecca. Wasn't always a bed of roses, but I think we did just fine, in the end, and I'm proud of 'em. Now I gotta get the job done for my own little boy. D'ya understand that?" 

Just then she allows a single stupid tear to fall, because she's that stupid, and it takes Ted only a second to go towards her completely and pull her into his own embrace. "Hey, c'mere", he murmurs under his breath.

They've hugged a thousand times before, but this one feels different. It's bittersweet, really, to hold him knowing she won't be able to do it anymore at some point, soon enough. She holds him closer than ever before, trying to express her true feelings into that gesture. He smells like mint and rain, whatever that means. His arms are strong and steady around her waist, and it takes everything in her not to just fall right there and trust him to hold her forever.

"I'm sorry if I failed ya, Rebecca", he says softly, and she has to snort at that. 

"Fail me? Ted Lasso, are you out of your fucking mind? I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for you. None of us. That's the reason for the stupid tears." 

"It ain't stupid."

They're still holding each other, no reason to speak louder than a whisper, her head against his shoulder and neck. She tosses herself a little to ease the weight against her heels and somehow that brings her to brush her lips lightly against his exposed skin, without meaning to. His body shivers against her.

Rebecca can feel his heart beating against her own, and if this has to end, she wants it to end like that: the feeling that she was safe while in someone else's arms, someone she got to know and trust and love, and that now she had to let go off, for the sake of what he wanted to do with his life, what he needed to do. She wasn't kidding when she told Kathy Ted Lasso was a good man. He is. One of the best. 

"But none of that now, I ain't leaving tomorrow", he continues, squeezing her just a little. "I just thought you should know before I popped the news to everyone else." 

"Thank you for telling me. You're right, it's only fair the last bomb comes from you", she chuckles, a wet sound filling the air between them, as she moves her hands towards her face to dry the few tears that fell.  

They part slowly, trying not to allow it to be awkward. 

"Hey, sorry if I-"

Rebecca puts a hand in front of his mouth, urging him to stop. 

"I'm gonna need you to stop apologizing now", she complains. "Of course I understand, Ted. Of course. Family first." His eyes shine at even such a small indirect mention of his son, and she understands why he's at peace with his choice. She doesn't think this is easy for him - she saw him giving his whole body and soul to these people, this club. So it's not easy for anyone, especially for him. She knows how much he feels. But it's the right thing. She doesn't have a family, not one by blood the way he has it, not one small person wandering around the world that she has to feed and educate. He does. She has no say in this. "You made me a better person. You made us all better. And we got to be happy in the end. So I'm gonna need you to be happy in the end, too, whatever shape, form or country that happiness comes from."

They're apart but they're not far from each other by any means. Rebecca takes that as an opportunity that possibly isn't coming again anytime soon and reaches for his soft cheeks, just like she did in Liverpool - but more intimate this time. Her hand cups his face and he leans in into her touch just a little, allowing himself to close his eyes in caress.

"You deserve to be so bloody happy, Ted Lasso. And I wouldn't forgive myself if I standed in your way. Course I support you in this", she tells him at last, because that's what he needs to hear. 

Ted blinks at her with heavy eyes, and she has to look away one last time. She couldn't take it - bring on pain and suffering over her anytime, she can take it like a pro. But Rebecca Welton doesn't bear to watch pain and suffer in the eyes of the people she loves. Ted senses she's at her limit with this conversation and thanks her for understanding and supporting his choices, going in for a hug again, kissing her left cheek this time, and if he notices the way she trembles when his lips touch her hot skin, he doesn't say. 

When Ted collects his stuff to leave with her and call it a night, something in the way he moves reminds her of Kathy. His mother's words hit her like a cannonball for an instant, those very same words she has been trying to forget for months. 

She turns to him again in the middle of the hallway, before they reach the exit door. "That's all you have to say to me, Ted?"

He turns to her with his "huh?" questioning eyes, so she continues. "Your truth bomb, your confession. That's all? Given the circumstances… Well, you're leaving. So I thought I should ask. To be sure there's nothing left unspoken between us."

Ted breaks eye contact and looks around, the empty, dark Nelson Road covering them. He thinks for a minute, bringing his fingers to his mustache as he does when he's unsure what to say. 

"It's the second time you ask me if what I said is all I had to say", Ted arches his brows at that, suggesting she's starting a pattern again. "I think that covers it for now", it's what he gives her before they leave. 

On the back of the car that drives her home, Rebecca touches the resignation letter again, still unopened. The streets look stupidly empty, and Richmond appears to be in a sad shade of grey. 

"It's what he needs to hear. It's the truth. It's what he needs to hear", she repeats to herself. For the sake of his happiness and state of mind, she chooses not to address how lost and broken losing him makes her feel. She can't even admit to herself just yet, let alone to him. 

Because it's the right thing to do, she's letting him go. 

When Ted said he was leaving, she really should've checked the damn resignation letter first. 

Two weeks went by in a blink of an eye. 

Rebecca and Beard were the first people to know - and then Ted broke the news in a particular special way to all the rest differently. He tells Roy at the Kebab shop they once met before Roy accepted the opportunity to be a coach for AFC Richmond. Roy just nodded and kept on going as if nothing had happened, as if Ted just told him the sky is blue, until they got up to leave and he was the one to lock Ted inside a hug, saying nothing else. Ted made sure to invite Keeley to the zoo on the same day, hours later, so both Roy and Keeley could talk it over as a couple when they got home at night. That leads to Keeley bursting into tears in front of an actual lion that Ted insists reminds him of her. He invites Higgins for tea time the day after, well, tea for Higgins, coffee for him, sniffles for both of them.

The team gets their own moment, as a group rather than individually, since Ted "couldn't do that eleven more times'. But each one of them got a different gift. Not all of them were as peculiar as Sam's actual alive golden fish, but he tried his best. 

Trent offers him the easiest goodbye - a shake of hands, a quick hug, a "good luck" and that's it. It isn't until the next day that Ted notices a gift bag over his desk, a colorful Snoopy mug inside, with a note that said "if you ever fancy tea time down there in the States, I hope you go for this mug". There's also a thick stack of paper that wasn't there the night before, and as he picks it up, he gets to read "THE LASSO WAY" on the first page. Ted puts it back under the gift bag. This is a reading for another time. On the plane, maybe. 

He takes Beard to dinner at Crown & Anchor as they normally do, none of them acknowledging the elephant in the room: Beard gave no indication he was also coming back home. Which made sense, of course, he wouldn't expect his friend to quit a job just because he did. But something inside Ted always thought he'd arrive and leave this country with his closest friend by his side. Home wasn't going to be the same after calling this place home for the past three years, he knew that much. Ted thought, well, hoped, having Beard around could help - but he wasn't about to ask for that. 

They dine and talk and drink beer and walk home as if it's just another day, but as they approach Ted's flat, Beard stops suddenly, distant eyes staring at nothing in particular. 

"You sure you're following what your heart truly wants, Coach? Not your reason, your heart." Beards looks at him finally, his cap covering his eyes a little.

"You're reading those romance novels again for book club?" Ted asks, a chuckle lost between them that Beard doesn't reciprocate. "It's time, Coach. You'll be alright without me 'round here?" Ted continues, fighting the urge to feel emotional in front of his friend. 

Beard shrugs. "I'm gonna miss having you around, Ted."

"Don't worry, Coach, even Han Solo and Luke Skywalker reunited after their longest goodbye." 

"Didn't Han Solo die at said reunion?" 

Ted brows arch in amusement. "Gosh, I hope that's you, then."

Beard quicks him lightly. 

After they exchange an awkward hug - since his friend is not one great at vulnerability -, Beard lets him unlock his door to get in. 

"Don't go thinking I didn't notice you didn't answer my question, Coach. Reason and heart. There's still time." Beard's apathetic face suggests Ted knows what he's talking about. 

"G'night, Coach."

Beard nods at him one last time before moving his legs to reach his own flat. 

Ted had one last special moment with everyone, of course he did, so Rebecca thought maybe he was saving her for last. Stupid her. 

Ted's last moment with Rebecca never came. 

He was leaving the next day, it was Friday night, she was drinking alone inside her house, and her moment didn't come. 

She tries to reassure herself that maybe their moment was the day he told her, the day she cried in his arms and he dried her tears. But that wasn't the last moment, that was… the beginning of the end. That was what usually comes before the last moment. 

Rebecca tries not to feel bitter about that. She couldn't. This isn't about her. She's sure Ted has so much in his head, so much on his plate… But then again, why everyone else and not her? Even her receptionist had a moment with him, for God's sake. 

Was she really that unimportant to everyone? She always thought that, but not with Ted, never with Ted. Maybe she was wrong - maybe he was just playing nice all this time, maybe she was, in fact, the less important person in this whole wild world. 

She tosses her heels in the middle of the living room, pacing the house impatiently waiting for the alcohol to kick in. In a few hours, Ted Lasso will be gone for good. Just like that. Like nothing happened the last three years, as if he never left Kansas in the first place. Just like Dorothy, he's about to wear those stupid ruby slippers and return home. God, she cannot believe she's allowing herself to go for Wizard of Oz references. Fucking Ted. Fucking Ted and his sweet smile and his stupid jokes and his warm embrace and–

Her doorbell rings once and she jumps a little. 

Maybe the alcohol kicked in, after all. 

When it rings again, she doesn't think much about it, too lost inside her own mind to confabulate about who it is. She goes to answer the door barefoot, glass of wine in hand. She opens it and the freezing air hits her face with a blow.

"I lied to you, Rebecca." It's Ted. Ted. Still in his stupid Richmond shirt, khakis and all. He doesn't wait for her to say anything, barely even waits for her to open the door completely. He's in distress, his usually-put-together hair now all over the place, no amount of hair gel preventing it from going a little crazy. She suspects he has runned his hands against it many times. He looks flustered, his cheeks a shade of pink that she only gets to see in him after he's run a few laps around the pitch during training. He keeps going without breathing. "You asked if I had something else to tell you, the day I told you I was leaving. Heck, you implying you knew I had something else to say makes me believe you already know, but it's not fair of me to expect you to realize everything on your own - which is not to say you couldn't, because you're a really bright woman, but then again I should be the one to tell you this. 'Cause it's my feelings, and I owe you the truth. You gave me your truth many times, and I appreciate your courage in doing so, so I'm gonna do the same."

Rebecca breathes in. She pulls him inside by his arm, not saying anything. He's cold, and she thinks this is a conversation to be had at least in doors. The sudden thought that Ted has never been inside her house with just herself in it makes her bewildered for a minute. 

Rebecca puts her hands together in front of him, urging him to calm down. 

"Easy, Ted. Breathe", she inhales with him, because she needs it, too. "Look, I understand you're possibly freaking out right now, and I appreciate you coming to me, but-"

"I love you."

The world stops for a second - hell, for more than a second. Rebecca can feel everything freeze around her, and it's just them, their heavy breathing and the forgotten glass of wine resting over her desk. She is not breathing, that much she knows, and she's not sure just how long she's going to manage not moving. She's afraid if she does, she's going to find out this isn't real. 

And just like that, standing inside her house properly for the first time, three years later, with a plane ticket on his name, closer to the door than to her bedroom, Ted tells Rebecca he loves her. 

"I'm in love with you, Rebecca. I thought you should know. Before I go. Shit, everyone knows already", he curses, and that shakes her up a little bit. This isn't put together Ted. This is desperate Ted. "And I know it's terrible timing, I know that - trust me, I spent the last few months trying to hide it the best I could. I had a plan of telling you all that in Amsterdam, you know? Had it all planned in my head. But you were gone and I– got scared. Again. And, at the same time, didn't want to scare you away from me. I couldn't risk losing our last moments together over an infatuation. But that's not what this is, is it?" He says, and she doesn't reply, because she can tell he's not asking her. He's asking himself. 

Ted continues:

"It's like your life and my life took a ride into Space Mountain and we got off it with shaking hands and vomit on your pants but managed to take a seat at the same bench and help each other out. I never had that - I've had love, yes, in many forms - but not like this. Not in a 'meant to be' way, in a way that makes you believe in faith, in God. As if every step I took to this day was meant to be towards you. And you're not gonna believe in me but I'm usually not this hopeless romantic, not when it comes to myself, but you – Goddamnit, Rebecca, every morning for the past three eyes I bring you those biscuits just so I can see a smile on your face. Because since the start of this whole journey, since the very first second, I thought you were the only mystery worth solving, the most interesting code to crack. When you allowed me in, when you trusted me in your life as someone real, not just as Coach Lasso… it was the best part of living through all this. Made it all worth it. Rebecca, you are the most remarkable, challenging, brilliant person I've ever met. And I love you. I'm not one to give these words to anyone. I care freely, but I keep my heart safe. It was safe, until you held me that one night in Liverpool and took care of me as if I could break any minute. Because I could. I was so close to breaking. And you saw me. My heart was yours from the minute you saw me."

Ted's words pass through Rebecca's mind like arrows she couldn't help but miss. She hears them, of course she does, but all she can think about is "he's leaving". This night may be perfect and all she ever wanted, but in the daylight he will be gone, just like the other people she allowed herself to love like this. 

"I ain't asking you to love me back, or… I ain't asking for anything here. Sorry if this speech made you feel as if you owe me somethin'. You don't. I'm giving you my affection for free. I love you for free, Rebecca. And I understand I'm a coward for not saying it any sooner. I wish things were different, I really do. But I couldn't go without telling you the truth."

Rebecca only notices she's crying when a teardrop slides against her neck. She hates it. She hates that she's crying, hates that she's that vulnerable, hates herself, God, even hates him, a little. She doesn't know what's worse: never knowing or knowing it now, when there was nothing else she could do about it. It's a missed opportunity. It's the loss of something she never even got to have in the first place. And, my God, did she want that. She did. His midnights, his giant family, his homemade meals, his jokes, his pillow talks, his kisses, his care. She always wanted all of that but never allowed herself to crave for it. Because it wasn't for her. It was for uncomplicated people with hearts and minds not as broken as hers. 

"I know it's a lot to drop on you like this unannounced and out of the blue, but please, say something", he begs, and it's only then that she gets the nerve to breathe properly. Like she's been watching it all unfold like a viewer outside her own body and now she was back, because she was the one that had to deal with the afterglow, all the time. By herself. 

Ted loved her. Ted was leaving her, after confessing his love for her. Just like everyone else. She couldn't say it back. She couldn't ask him to stay. She couldn't. 

Rebecca looks into his eyes and they're finally an open book. The brown in his eyes is darker, and she can see it all: the pain, the guilty, the remorse. The longing for a father and the responsibility of being one. The unspoken words to a mother, the asking for too much from an ex wife. The present wish he was someone else entirely, the urge to place his own life in someone else's hand, because he couldn't do it by himself anymore. And the desperation in knowing all that and showing himself to her as he was, blurting out his true feelings, vulnerable as ever, but leaving the morning after. 

Rebecca Welton was, indeed, a lot of things. And she has done a lot of things in her lifetime, good and bad. The bad ones result in the kind of regret that eats her alive. She breathes into those feelings - the bad ones -, to prove herself she deserves nothing. To justify why she's not happy entirely, why she's by herself and alone in the end. There's a lot she's done that she regrets. This night, however, is a new type of regret, one she knows, from the moment that the words slip out of her mouth, that she'll have to deal with for the rest of her pathetic life. An 'almost' that was no one's fault but hers. What she chooses to say next is her biggest regret ever - not because of the words, not because of what she's losing and letting go of, not for herself. But for the way his shoulders drop and his eyes turn away, ashamed and broken. She hates herself even before she gets the chance to say:

"I think you should leave, Ted."

The man in front of her is a defeated one. 

Ted presses his lips together and nods quietly, not saying anything else. He scrunches his nose in an uncomfortable way and she can tell he's trying not to cry. 

"'Kay." He says quietly, not daring looking at her anymore. He opens the door himself. Rebecca's whole body screams at her to do something, to stop him, to allow herself to have this, at least this night. Don't let him leave without knowing he's loved right back. Don't let him leave. 

He's almost out of her house when he turns around one last time. Just one last look. 

"I'm gonna miss ya a hell lot, Boss. Thank you for changing my life."

And with that he's gone. 

She wasn't able to tell him anything. To hold him, to scream at him, to cry with him. Nothing. Stupid, stupid, stupid. This was worse than anything before. This was getting those wildest dreams of her just for a second and waking up the next minute to realize it's not real. 

It's not real. This isn't his life. He's going back to his life - without never knowing just how much he changed hers just right back. 

A sob cuts her open when she finds herself alone again, and she loses all the power she was concentrating inside herself, her legs falling and dropping her whole body to the floor. She's unaware just how long she's there on the other side of the door, crying her heart out, grieving for something that wasn't even hers properly, not knowing what to do with all this love that he gave her for free. She didn't know what to do with it. Never knew. 

She cries and cries and cries for everything - losing him, hurting him; for not being brave enough, for not realizing it sooner. For being the one that people always leave, for never being good enough alone, for the time they could've had, for the what-ifs and distant dreams that are now just that. 

She allows herself to lose it for the night. Just for tonight. 

Then tomorrow will come and she'll get up and do it all over again, because that's life. She's done it before, she'll do it again. 

By herself. 

She can't sleep that night. She manages to get up eventually, has some water, drowns a couple of pills just for the sake of it, trying to turn her mind off. It doesn't work. It doesn't even make her sleepy, so at some point of the night she just gives up and takes the numbness as a win. 

It's almost 3 am when she sees it next to her purse, long forgotten. Things changed so quickly after she got those pages that she didn't find the time or headspace to give it a chance. Trent's chunk of words lay there, almost mocking her, daring her to do this right now. 

Fuck it. It doesn't get any worse than that. 

She brings the draft to bed with her, turning everything off except for the yellow lamp beside her bed. 

And then she finally reads it. The Lasso Way, chapter 8. Trent's censored chapter. 

Ted's flight takes off at 8:40am in Heathrow, that much she knows. She was the one responsible for arranging the moving of his things, the heavy part, the stuff that wasn't his small bag and beloved green backpack. She also knew he'd probably be there way sooner, by himself - a request he was the one responsible for. Said he didn't want to remember everyone crying for him, that he'd much rather have that last memory being hugs and booze inside the locker room, as it was supposed to be. Not even Beard was allowed to come, even though he insisted on joining Ted to the Heathrow's terminal drop-off, just because. He wasn't coming in, but he'd be there outside. For support. 

So it's not a surprise, really, when Rebecca rushes out of the cab - the first one she managed to find on her street in such an early hour - and stumbles on Beard, wearing his usual cap and a worn out jacket. 

Rebecca's coat floats around her, and she has no idea what she's wearing underneath. The last few hours were just a blur. She looks at Beard for a second, not even saying hello with words, as they both know why she's there. 

Beard isn't taken aback by her presence there. If anything, he even smirks a little as he touches her back softly.

"Down the hallway, the entrance on the left. Gate 34. Flight OKL659. Good luck", it's all Beard says before she's running for her life. 

At first, Ted thinks it's in his head. 

He's waiting to be called, of course - he wasn't one of those weird people that waited standing in a line. Just sit down, Joe, it's not going to make you border any sooner. 

So he thinks it's an illusion when he hears his name in the distance. First, because they're not boarding yet. Second, because, well - he hadn't slept at all, and maybe he was still a little drunk.

But the voice is insistent, so he takes his eyes off from his phone screen, turning around. He does that because he almost lost a flight once due to not realizing the gates had changed, so maybe it was that time in Portugal all over again. Maybe he was at the wrong place. 

What he sees is something else entirely. 

He sees Rebecca running in heels, her hair down against her shoulders. Maybe he is drunk. Even if that was Rebecca, running towards him, how's she inside? Those things that happened in the movies annoyed him just a little - there's all kinds of security and feds inside airports. You can't just barge in. 

But that was, indeed, Rebecca. He could see that now. 

He gets up in a hurry, leaving his stuff behind, and goes to meet her in the middle of the long hallway that contains so many gates, so many people about to fly away.  

"R'becca", he says fast, in a way that makes his accent thicker as he drops some syllables from her name. "Whatcha doin' here?!"

She asks for a moment with her index finger, trying to breathe. 

"Fucking stupid bloody long hallways", she manages to say. Ted's eyes light up a little.

"How did ya get in?", he asks, because he can't help himself.

"Fucking hell, Ted, I know you have this long time curiosity in knowing how those romcom scenes are credible, but not right now, I'm trying to tell you something", Rebecca urges him and goes for his hand. "I'm not here to ask you to stay. Alright? I'm not. Because I wouldn't do that, I wouldn't put the burden of this choice over your shoulders."

He looks into her green eyes and they're not scared like they were last night. There's sadness in them, yes, but it's another kind. Not one in despair, but… acceptance. There was some type of beauty in the way she was visibly suffering, but she was also free from whatever it was that was holding her back. 

"But I owe it to you - hell, to myself, even -, to not let you go without knowing you are loved. By everyone you managed to change around here, but by no one more than me. I couldn't let myself suggest it before, because I was scared too, okay? I'm scared and fucked in the head and it wasn't for the lack of feeling or it wasn't because of you. I just couldn't open that door. And now I did. You said you loved me for free - well, Ted Lasso, I love you on purpose. You're right, I'm not a religious person myself, but one bite into those stupid biscuits of yours and I was a believer. You made me see things and feel things I didn't think it was possible for me to see and feel, not in this lifetime, and that's the strongest religious experience I've ever felt."

"Rebecca, I-" He tries, but she interrupts him.

"No, let me finish. Because you sure said a lot last night and I couldn't say it back and I'm sorry - God, you don't even know how sorry I am, for pushing you away. But you have to understand, Ted, that if I allowed myself, us, to have a night, just one night, I wouldn't survive the pain of seeing you leaving the morning after. I'd kiss you once and I'd never recover. So I let you go. Because, like I said, I'm not asking you to stay. Not for me." He seems like he wants to protest, but she presses a hand against his chest instead. "But — if you ever change your mind, or if you ever want to try to find out all the possibilities in this 'almost' we have going on, just… I'll be here."

"Oklahoma?"

For that, she smiles, at last.

"I'll be here. Oklahoma or wherever."

People are probably staring, since they're a stupid cliche right now. They don't care one bit. All they care about is this tiny spark of hope urging them to realize that this doesn't break their invisible string at all. On the contrary: it gives just another tight lasso around them.

"I wanna kiss you right now, if that's okay", Ted confesses to her, as a question, as a silent prayer. 

Rebecca knew she wasn't ready to have it and lose it last night. They both knew that. But this was different. This wasn't a goodbye, this was a promise. The beginning of a second chance, when they're ready. 

"Then kiss me, Coach Lasso. It's about damn time."

And so he does. 

Kissing Ted Lasso isn't what she thought it would be. The facial hair isn't even a thought inside her mind right now, if she's honest - in fact, it feels nice to have it against her own soft skin. Really nice. What she was thinking about, however, was how delicate he was at first, how his lips moved against her in a slow pace, trying to find out the way she tasted first. But then moisten lips turn into a deep kiss, as she can feel one of his hands holding the back of her head, the other pressing against her waist. He breathes a little against her face, pulling away for a second, only to lick her upper lip just a little. She pulls in by his neck and she has to remind herself that this is a public place. Rebecca doesn't know what she was expecting, but certainly isn't the inner monologue that was going on inside her about how long they have and where's the nearest bathroom that they can stumble on together. 

She parts their lips, but keeps her forehead against his. His eyes are still closed. Rebecca touches his face with the tip of her fingers, ever so tender. 

They hear his name being called on gate 34, a few steps away. Ted turns around to check.  

"Go", Rebecca urges him, because she's afraid he's not going to go by himself, not if she doesn't push him to do it. "Go be the father you never got to have. Henry's a lucky boy. And so are you, for having the chance to do this right." Ted's eyes break a little at that, and she goes in for a quick kiss before he gets the chance to break down. "Do what you have to do now, and don't worry about me. About us. We'll be fine."

Ted doesn't have a good history in trusting people. Believing in them? Absolutely. Trusting them with his feelings? After so much loss and heartbreak? Not so much. But he looks at Rebecca, the woman he's been madly in love with ever since she stepped in like a guardian angel in his life, and he doesn't know why he's so sure, but he truly believes in her. In them. 

"This isn't the end for us," he says, bringing her in for a hug. 

They kiss again, because now they can, even if for a limited time. Rebecca already misses it. 

When he gets to leave, at the last minute possible, she's there to wave him goodbye, just like she was there to say hello when he arrived at her office all those years ago. Rebecca blows him a kiss and he catches it with his hand, holding it inside his grip and bringing his closed fist against his chest. 

He's already inside the hallway that leads to the airplane when she shouts: "Ted! Make sure to read Trent's book!"

He turns around to face her one last time, a questioning frown on his face, but he nods anyway. 

And just like that he's gone. Out of London, but not out of her life. 

When she gets out of Heathrow, Beard is still there - of course he is. He doesn't mention or ask anything, just pulls her into a hug and offers his arm for her to hold onto. 

"C'mon, I'mma get you home safe."

THE LASSO WAY

by Trent Crimm

Chapter 8 

(...)

As an observer, there are many things you notice before other people ever could. It's safe to say I wasn't expecting to be the one to find out that the gaffer and his employer were madly in love before they could even realize it themselves. 

Putting it this way, it almost makes it sound like a bad thing. Rebecca Welton owns the club and Ted Lasso's contract, for that matter. But there's nothing about power between them. While always respectful with their workplace and jobs to fulfill, Ted and Rebecca managed to bond over more than just this team. For the past couple of months I witnessed Ted Lasso deliver homemade biscuits to Rebecca every day, ones he baked every single night, because he knew she liked them fresh and new. Rebecca was quite protective over those biscuits, not allowing anyone to taste them other than herself. 

It was in the way Ted looked at her when he thought no one could see - forgetting my job there was to try and see everything. Ted looks at Rebecca as if she's the most extraordinary thing his eyes have ever seen. When she's not around, he mentions her all the time. When she's around, he gets extra silly, all in good effort to make her laugh - or at least roll her eyes at him, as she normally does. 

I don't think Ted Lasso knew he'd find someone to love when he accepted this job. I don't think Rebecca Welton knew she'd hire someone that was destined to love her the way she deserves. It's almost out of a fairytale, how their souls manage to find each other against all odds. It's even more special that they almost have no clue that this is happening in front of our own eyes. 

It's this magic that makes Ted Lasso the greatest choice Richmond has ever had - and we have to thank Rebecca for that. Because even though she wasn't true to herself, to Ted, to the press or the Richmond fans about her real intentions regarding his hiring, she still managed to make a choice her heart wasn't ready to understand yet. 

By doing so, she gifted us all with this strange man from Kansas, annoying quirks that captivated us all, including herself. 

The beauty of this sport is in the details, in the execution, and Ted and Rebecca's details scream to be untangled, praying for the final moments when they're faced with a ball and a goal. Richmond found itself in this position many times this season, and by the end, Rebecca, the owner, didn't really care if they won or lost. All she cared about was if Ted was going to be there the next day with her sweet biscuits and his silly joke of the day to make her smile.

Something in the way she lights up whenever Ted walks in the room tells me she doesn't regret hiring this man that didn't have a clue how football worked. If I may say so myself, she's quite proud of it. 

Ted Lasso is, and always will be, Rebecca's best choice. 

Ted Lasso loves Kansas. He does. It's part of who he is, an identity he formed out of familiarity, freckles from the sun and the feeling of coming home to where you know best, the place where you grow up, that tiny spot in this whole world that you have the most amazing stories to tell. 

Ted also loves London. That's home, too. A different home, an extension of his identity. It's cold air and that nerve wrecking feeling that is starting something new, but also the excitement in discovering new things, new people, new places. 

That is why, of course, he comes and goes all the time. 

There's a wedding ring on his finger, and he never thought he'd have to get used to wearing it again. It was weird when he had to get used to not wearing it. Now the gold band was back, and that's something that would scare him before, but not anymore. 

Because right now everything is where it's supposed to be. 

Henry is playing football in the backyard, all dirty and sweaty. He probably should get that boy to take a shower, but he allows his son to have his fun a little longer. His mother is somewhere inside tossing the stuff in his kitchen around, because she promised all of them dinner. Something smells good in there, and he hopes it's barbecue this time. 

Ted looks at his living room in Kansas, which is way different than his living room in London, but lovable just the same. And there she was. In all her glory. Her natural hair down behind her ears, a yellow long dress with stripes against her burnt shoulders fitting her as his own personal summer dream. Her green eyes are relaxed and she's enjoying the free minutes she has away from them to read a book. 

There's a toddler resting against her legs on the sofa, her own blonde hair braided under her sleepy face. Their tiny creature passed out after lunch, because that's what too much fun time at the pool does to one. 

Ted goes to them, his favorite girls, and kneels down to plant his daughter's head a soft kiss. He takes the girl within his arms with ease, intending to take her to bed so she can rest in peace. 

His wife watches him in silence. She always enjoyed moments like this - when she got to witness all her wildest dreams come true in front of her. 

He then turns to the little one's mother, and she's smiling. 

"So much for 'she can't sleep right now or else she won't get any sleep at night', huh?" She suggests, raising an eyebrow to Ted holding their daughter.

"C'mon now, look at this sweet face. Can't help it but to give her exactly what she wants, when she wants it", he whispers. "Takes that after her mother."

Rebecca looks at him with sparkling eyes. She was always her happiest whenever she was in Kansas with them. All of them. Her family. 

"Go, but then bring your butt back here so I can rest against your body before Kathy recruits me to make dinner with her and I have to pretend I know how to chop onions", she tells him with a disgustingly big smile on her face. 

Ted snorts. 

He puts a hand over his daughter's sleepy head and leans in to kiss his wife on the lips. 

When they part, Rebecca takes the opportunity to place a small kiss against the girl's hair, just because she could, just because she was in love with this new reality. 

"I'll be right back", he says, walking towards the stairs ever so carefully. 

"I know you will", she replies. "You always come back to me."