Robin asks Ted who's covering his class that evening. Ted yells, "Crap!" and next thing we know, Maggie is there. It's clear she's as fond of Lily and Marshall as they are of her. She and Robin greet one another warmly and then Robin roams away to give the old friends their space. Ted tells Maggie he totally forgot he has to teach that night and asks her if she wants to come with "and check out a real, live architecture class." Maggie says, "Ooh... not even a little bit." [I get that Ted is a colossal bore, but still -- if she was even slightly interested in him, or as good a friend as she seems, wouldn't she be curious to watch him teach a class? ...No, I guess not. - Zach] She'll hang with Lily and Marshall until Ted gets back, so Ted pulls them aside and tells them if they still want him to find the perfect girl so they can all grow old together -- Maggie is that girl. They're not to let any man near her in his absence. No waiters. No busboys. "If she burst into flames, I want a fire woman putting her out." Marshall takes that too literally, and Ted calls him back to the plot. "Damn it, Marshall. Whatever you have to do, keep Maggie Wilkes single until I get back." He starts out of the bar, and then turns back and grabs hold of his friends. "I left my tab open. Don't abuse it." Once his back is again to them, Marshall and Lily high-five, and Marshall rushes to the booth as Lily heads to the bar. Commercial.

Marshall and Lily wait for Maggie outside MacLaren's ladies' room, as if they're (pre-Salahi) Secret Service and escort her back to the booth with fierce determination. Lily corners an innocent-if-interested man and growls at him to back off. When they're seated, the camera pans to the bar where we see Barney wearing the overalls... over his suit. Robin claims not to care about his challenge, but deems the suit cheating. Barney points out they're called over-alls. "They're not called 'over shirtless fat guys who used to come fix my mom's car and then hang out upstairs with her for a little while.'" NPH's voice breaks there and it's priceless. As he finishes his suit-defense, a sexy woman enters the bar. Barney eyes her appreciatively, giving her a nod and a, "Hey." Robin interrupts. "Oh, he's not saying hello. He's just telling you what he feeds his horsies." She laughs, and the babe wanders off for greener pastures. Not sorry. Once she's gone, Robin laughingly tells Barney she could sit there and make "you look like a farmer jokes all night." She then stops mid-chuckle and says (to herself, of course), "Challenge accepted!" Barney lets his head fall back as he looks heavenward for strength and we cut to...