A/N: I've always wanted to "dabble" in a 'Barney and Robin' fanfic story. So… here you go… here's my "dabble". It's probably really lame, compared to the other fabulous stories I've read for this fandom… But nyeh. Whatevs. Hate it. Love it. Tell me why in a review.

Barney and Robin's "relationship" kind of reminds me of Sam and Freddie from iCarly (in a way).

Disclaimer: I don't own How I Met Your Mother or its characters. Kay? Kay.

Enjoy!

It's Not Fair

A maybe not so true story that will only ever exist in our imaginations... possibly...

"Ted wants to know if the groom is ready…"

I walked in the small room, only to find Barney glaring at two different looking ties. He seemed to be rather confused and befuddled just for a couple of stupid ties.

"Which one will look better?" He questions.

"I'd say the striped one… although the plain black has its merits too."

He sits down and sighs softly.

I've never seen him this sorry for himself before. It's almost as if he wants to give up on the wedding.

"The stripes are playful and stand out a lot… black is so… serious… but kind of sexy in a way that's hard to describe… gaaahhh! What am I going to do?"

"Easy there fashionista," I reply, chucking at my lame attempt at a joke. "It's just a tie. You can change it if you don't like it."

"You don't understand."

His hands are now covering his face and his elbows are resting on his knees. I'm standing by the bed, feeling a little helpless. Do I stay? Do I go?

In the end, I stayed.

"Try me," I say, sitting on the bed next to him.

"Robin," he says. "I can't go through with this. The wedding, I mean."

"Yes you can. You're Barney… you can do anything… you're awesome, re-remember?"

I stood up and made my way over to the door, where I had previously just walked in.

So I sounded like a little kid on his first day of school. But it was true, what I said to him. I wasn't one to lie, when the time called for the truth.

This was one of those times. He was about to say "I do" and do the only thing he never (in a million years) thought he would be doing.

You know, looking back to when I first saw Barney, standing with Ted, at the bar. I always thought he'd be the type of guy who'd be single forever. Never settled down, white picket fence… kids, a pretty woman for a wife… I guess he never imagined that either.

But then again, Nora, that woman, had changed him in ways he hadn't thought possible. I never thought I'd see him pull out a chair for a girl, or hold the door open for her… or even refuse to sleep let alone "flirt" with any other female species while on a date or even just a simple walk through the park, on a moonlit night… stars shining bright.

Look at me, blabbering on like some idiot. Thinking we'd get back together and how everything once was…

Yes.

Barney Stinson and I had dated.

And yes.

I still had feelings for him.

He never told me that he still liked me in the way I liked him… but his eyes told the whole story. The true story…

"I love you."

Those words, three little words, made me freeze before exiting the room.

My mind started spinning with unanswered questions and unquestioned answers. What did he mean by that? When was this even established? Did I love him back? Well, of course I did! But, I wasn't going to say anything. I wasn't going to bother him with something so trivial and insignificant. Why was he saying this right now, when he was about to get married to Nora, "the girl of his dreams"?

"Barney, please-"

He sighs, and I stop speaking and go to sit down next to him. It's not like I don't want him to get married today. Never think that I wanted to stop this Nora and Barney wedding. But, as I looked at the one man, who seemed to always be so strong minded, awesome (of course) and braver than anyone I'd ever met…

…I somehow knew that he and Nora, and getting together, forever…was just a disaster, waiting to happen.

No, I wasn't jealous. Oh, maybe a bit.

"I'm getting married today," he said, more to himself, than me.

"Yes. You are. Come on let me help you with that tie…"

I turn to face him, he turns to face me. With some air of concentration, I focus my eyes on what I'm doing, with his tie, but I can still feel his warm gaze watching my every move.

As my head bent down, a strand of my hair flipped into my face. I blew it away, and kept tying the troublesome tie. Some fingers brushed the strand away gently, tucking it back behind my ear. His lips, the ones I remember too well, pressed together to hide a forming smirk. Barney knew what would be coming next, had I not get go of his tie (still untied), stood up and backed away a little.

He stood up too, and looked at me. I stared at him, wondering what would have happened if I decided to just lean in and kiss him… just one last time… for old times' sake.

But, no, that wouldn't be right at all.

I walk out, without saying another word. It just wouldn't be right.

So, here I am, sitting down and anxiously waiting for the "Wedding March" to start playing.

Lilly and Marshall are already next to me, debating whether or not it'd be legal to steal the wedding cake if everyone was drunk and didn't care anyway. Yes, I know they're kind of strange, but they are my friends.

I spot Ted nearby, talking to some girl in a bright pink dress, presumably one of the bridesmaids for Nora.

As he caught me looking at him, he lifted a hand slowly and waved a little. I waved back, smiling. I was genuinely happy for the guy. Here we were at Barney's wedding, and he'd managed to score female companion already.

"Are you okay?" Lilly whispered. "You seem a little sad today."

"I'm fine, Lil," I reply.

I then watch her wince at the nickname. She didn't exactly 'care' for that nickname. In fact, I'd never called her that, ever. That must have been the sign that she'd been looking for.

"Something's wrong. Please tell me what it is."

"Lilly, really I'm-"

The music starts and I see Ted, some other guy, which may or may not be Nora's younger brother or cousin or something (it's not like I was paying attention when Nora had told us a million times about some long-lost distant relative coming to her wedding, or whatever) and Barney.

He's smiling and God, I love that smile way too much that it starts hurting me.

Then, everyone that was sitting down, rose slowly to their feet, and all turned to look at the bridesmaids and then the bride who was being escorted by her father. A felt a slight pinch on my arm and turned around, only to find Lilly, looking very concerned.

"I'm fine." I mouthed silently.

Her facial expression, showed otherwise, as mine probably did too. I shrugged and we all sat down once Nora, all dressed up in white lace and silk… pretty as per usual… got up to the front and greeted a happy looking Barney.

Yes, that was probably the happiest I had ever seen him, in a while, anyway.

I tried so hard to be happy for the guy. But my feelings for him took over me. Suddenly I knew that here was not the safest place for me to be at the moment. Without waiting for the minister to start talking, I stood up and walked… no. I ran from the wedding. I ran from Lilly and Marshall and Ted. And most of all, I ran from Barney.

Someday, I thought. Someday they'll understand. But today, is just not my day to be around them all.

I needed to be left alone.

After a while I stopped running and slowed to a walk. I realized one of my heels had broken, so I took off my shoes and sat down on a park bench. Not knowing any better, I cried. I cried so much and for probably a full hour, at least.

No one came. No one found me. I got what I wanted. Much needed 'alone time'.

When I could cry no more, I stood up from the bench, looked around and started heading back to the empty garden was. Packed up and left without me, great.

Slumping my shoulders and still holding onto my broken high heels, I felt a spot of rain. Yeah, that's right God.

"ADD ANOTHER THING TO MY DEPRESSION, WHY DON'T YOU?" I scream toward the sky.

I get no worded response. But it does start pouring down, soaking me from head to toe, and I took that as the heavens just laughing at me, and laughing at my pain and my heartbreak.

Then, as ironic as it sounds, I started to laugh.

I laughed at Nora and Barney. I laughed at me, being drenched in the rain. I laughed at Ted at that girl he was flirting with. I laughed for Lilly and Marshall.

Not really knowing or caring why I was all of a sudden so deliriously happy, I spun around, and my hair whipped into my face. A pair of strong arms caught me.

"B-Barney?"

"I couldn't do it," he confessed. "I couldn't bear the thought of leaving you."

"But you love Nora… you wanted to marry her… start a family… have-"

As always, the guy beat me to the punch line. His lips pressed firmly against mine, pulling me closer into him, my fingers, kind of cold and numb by now, gripping onto his jacket and kissing back, both of us soaking wet, and kissing each other, in the rain. Cliché, right?

I wish I could say we left the park that day, dated a while, eventually got married, had a kid or two and that ole' white picket fence surrounding that perfect house, we'd only seen in our imaginations… but that wouldn't be fair to skip the good parts before that fairytale ending…

…Would it?