Disclaimer: I don't own How I Met Your Mother.
Ted had decided that his relationship with Stella was over despite his tests saying he was okay.
When Marshall and Lily began listing the things Barney loved, Ted noticed that Barney wasn't paying attention. In fact, he saw Barney looking at Robin.
It was a look Ted recognized-A look of love. It clicked all of a sudden in Ted's mind. Barney was in love with Robin.
He could sympathize. He had been in love with Robin for two years. Briefly, Ted wondered if Barney was going to tell Robin he loved her.
He pushed that thought away as Robin began telling a funny story to Barney. They could deal with Barney loving Robin when said girl wasn't in the room.
"When are you going to get discharged?" Lily asked Barney when Robin finished telling the story.
"They told me I can leave in a few days," he explained.
"You can stay with me," Robin said. That was the moment Ted realized Robin was also in love with Barney.
"I'll hire a nurse," Barney protested, but Ted could see the fear in his bro's eyes.
"Barney, it's okay," Robin assured him.
"Fine," Barney sighed. Ted saw that he looked both scared and happy.
Robin left to go home around 5:30. Ted, Lily, and Marshall stuck around.
"So when are you going to tell Robin you love her?" Ted casually asked.
Barney choked, while Lily and Marshall stared at Ted.
"What are you talking about?" Marshall asked.
"While you were talking about all the things Barney loved, he was looking at Robin," Ted explained.
Lily gasped. "You so love her," she cried.
"I didn't mean to," Barney said.
"It's okay," assured Ted.
"It's not okay," Barney protested.
"Robin and I are over. You love Robin, Barney. It changes things in a good way. You didn't just hurt her or anything like that," Ted said.
"Tell her how you feel," Lily encouraged.
"It's going to hurt because she doesn't feel the same way," Barney said.
"You don't know until you tell her. You might get hurt. It's a risk, but love is about risks," Marshall told him.
"I can't believe you love her," Lily squealed. Marshall shot his wife a look, but she didn't pay attention.
"Barney, go for it. Besides, she invited you to her apartment to take care of you. I'm pretty sure she loves you too," Ted told him.
"But I'm not good at this love thing," Barney whined.
"You were in love with Shannon," pointed out Marshall.
"And I got hurt," Barney reminded the three.
"If she doesn't feel the same way, you can start to move on," Lily told him.
"Then our friendship will be ruined."
"You can wait until you discharged and ruining your friendship is a risk," Ted told him.
Barney sighed. "Fine. I'll tell her. But if she doesn't feel the same way, I'll hurt you," he threatened.
"We'll deal with it," Ted promised, laughing. He knew that Robin might freak at first, but she and Barney would do well together.
"I think they're soul mates," Lily confessed on the way home in the cab.
"Who?" a curious Ranjit asked as Ted silently freaked about a car hitting the cab.
"Barney and Robin," Marshall explained.
"They love each other," Lily cried happily.
Barney was discharged from the hospital three days later. He went home with Robin.
Lily, Marshall, and Ted followed them back to Robin's apartment.
Robin got Barney a drink about half an hour later.
"Tell her now," Ted whispered.
"We'll be in the kitchen," whispered Lily.
"Good luck," Marshall told him.
When Robin came back out, the three went into her kitchen. They began to eavesdrop.
"We need to talk," Barney nervously told Robin.
"Are you pregnant?" she joked.
"What?" asked the confused Barney.
"Never mind," Robin replied.
Barney took a breath. In the kitchen, Lily struggled not to say anything.
"I'm in love with you," Barney confessed.
"You're what?" asked a surprised and now jittery Robin.
"I'm in love with you. I think I fell in love with the first time we ever played laser tag. I was in love with you when we slept together. I just didn't realize it until after the bus hit me. You were the only person I saw."
"I can't believe this," Robin gasped.
"What do you think?" Barney asked her.
"I don't know. Let me think about this for a minute."
"Don't think about it," Lily whined from the kitchen.
"Go for it and tell him how you feel," Ted called.
"I understand if you don't love me," Barney sadly told Barney. He shot a glare towards the three occupants of the kitchen.
"Bedroom," cried Robin. She grabbed Lily and bolted to her bedroom.
"She just needs to gather herself," Ted assured Barney.
"She'll come back and confess her feelings," Marshall confidently told him.
"I'm in love with him too, but I'm scared," Robin confessed to Lily.
"Love is about risk," Lily told her, echoing Marshall's comments to Barney a few days earlier.
"She doesn't love me," Barney sadly told his best bros.
"I can't believe he loves me," Robin breathlessly told Lily.
"He does," Lily said, smiling.
"I love him too," Robin said. She and Lily squealed and hugged each other.
Robin and Lily came out of the bedroom. Lily went back into the kitchen with Ted and Marshall.
Robin kissed Barney. "I love you too," she tearfully told him.
"I love you so much," Barney whispered.
Lily squealed again, while Ted and Barney high-fived.
Something bad had happened to Barney, but he had survived. Something had good had come out of it too-He realized he was in love with Robin, and she loved him too.
Two years later, at their wedding, best man Ted told everyone about how the two realized they were in love.
The Stinson kids-Rhiannon, Rowan, and Rebecca, grew up hearing the story about their parents realized they were in love.
I love that Barney loves Robin. I wasn't originally going to have the Stinsons kids have "R" names. I wanted them to have five kids. It got shortened to three. It was a complete accident that Rhiannon, Rowan, and Rebecca all have "R" names. I tried to go against it, but my muse wouldn't listen. I cut out more Stinson siblings-Renee, Rachel, Ryan, Riley, Remy, Rose, Roxanne, Robert, Rain, Raina, and River. There was originally going to be four girls and one boy, but I cut out two siblings(Ryan and Roxanne). Renee, Rachel, Ryan, Riley, Remy, Rose, Regina, and Roxanne were going to be a part of the Stinsons, but I also cut them out. It'd be funny to see how former womanzier Barney would react with having three daughters. I may do a sequel. Look out for Rhiannon, Rowan, and Rebecca Stinson dating. Or Barney and Robin raising their three daughters. Wow, three seems to be the number of kids I have for Barney and Robin. In my last story, they had Annabelle, Aidan, and Emily. Sorry for rambling.
Please review. I want to know what you think.