A/N- Hey guys! This is the first HIMYM story I have written. I just started watching the show, and am addicted! I have to say that while I love Ted and Robin, in my heart I believe that Barney and Robin will end up together. That is why this story is ultimatly Barney and Robin based. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story!

Disclaimer- Me no own.

Marshall had a theory.

Involving Ted.

And Robin.

That Lily did not agree with.

In his mind it was always Ted and Robin, and all the people that came between them were just bumps in a very long road that would eventually end in them together. That is why he had made the bet with Lily. Because he knew it would end up being Ted and Robin.

And he was always right.

He is standing at the bar waiting for their drinks when his wife bounces over to him. A gleeful smile on her face. Her eyes gleam and she seems almost smug.

"Whats up babe?"

She can barely hold back her glee as she exclaims to him. "Ted and Stella got engaged!" Holding out her hand to him she says, "Pay up."

He looks at her for a second, knowing she thinks she has won. But she hasn't.

"Not yet." He utters before grabbing their drinks and walking back to their booth to congratulate the happy ( for now) couple.

Marshall is still not convinced as he, Lily, and Barney make the drive to Stella and Ted's impromptu wedding. He is trying to watch the road but is distracted by Barney's rather unrestrained dance moves from the back seat. Watching Barney, he adds to his mental check list to make sure and dance with Barney at the wedding reception ( if there is one).

"We are driving to the wedding!" Exclaims Lily, sure she has won. I smile smugly forward.

"Not yet."

For the first time since they made the bet he is getting nervous. Everything seems to be in place. Ted has handled Stella's meltdown and Robin has kept out of the way. It was not supposed to go down like this! But he hasn't lost hope. And that is why when Lily once more tells him to pay up, he says, "Not yet." Because he knows deep down that this is not going to work out. So there is no way he is backing down.

And as they drive back to New York, Barney once again dancing like a maniac, he can't help but be happy. Because he was right.

It seems like it will finally happen for them. Ted has finally seen that he is in love with Robin. But of course it can't be that easy. When Ted calls him to the bar the second time, he knew it didn't happen. They sit across from each other, and he watches Ted as he slowly sips at his beer, his eyes unfocused. Ted finally tells him what happened. When he says he is finally happy, Marshall can see right through his lie. Ted is not happy, and he wont be until he finds her.

Maybe she is Robin, but maybe not.

But Marshall still believes in them, which is why when Lily asks him for the second to last time to pay up. He shakes his head.

"Not yet."

A little ways down the road...

Some where along the long road that had brought him to this unforeseen event. His mind changed. Ted and Robin were never going to work out because there was someone else for Robin. Someone Marshall had lacked seeing her settling down with. He had always thought Ted and Robin fit together perfectly, which had blinded him from seeing the way she looked at him. No not at Marshall, at him. The guy that she would spend the rest of her life with.

It was only as they spoke their vows that Marshall admitted defeat. And without saying a word passed a 20 dollar bill to his crying wife. However, he wasn't really admitting defeat, because now he knew that Ted and Robin were not meant for each other.

And just like his wife, tears escaped Marshall's eyes as he watched Barney lift Robin's veil and kiss her so lovingly. He forgot about Robin and Ted, because they had never stood a chance against the newly wed couple kissing before him.

A/N- I hope you all enjoyed the story. Please review and let me know ehat you think. If you didn't like it, feel free to tell me, just please be kind about it. Thanks for reading!

~Cayology