I don't own HIMYM and never will. No copyright infringement intended.
Ted and Robin tried their best – they really wanted this relationship to work – but failed. They two fought all the time (Lily warned them ahead of time this wouldn't work but no one believed her) and drove everyone around them up the wall, but they finally decided to throw in the towel about five months in. That was how long their patience lasted.
Robin threw up her hands and groaned. "I can't do this anymore, Ted! I'm done."
"What do you mean you're done?" Ted glared at her and tapped his foot.
"What do you think I mean, Ted? All we do is fight – that's not a good basis for a relationship. I wanted to believe we could make this work, but it's just not possible." She felt stupid and guilty for even trying, but at least now they knew. They should have known before, but Robin had been hopeful this time. Maybe because she felt lonely, even with several dogs at home.
"What about the French horn? You love the Smurf penis!" he tried.
She shot daggers at him. "Fuck the blue French horn! I never want to see it again in my life. Get it out of my sight as soon as you can." Robin wished to hold onto their friendship, but she wasn't sure if that was even possible at the moment.
"I love you, Robin. Please give me another chance." Ted hated how needy he sounded, but life had sucked since Tracy died. He wanted someone else – besides the kids – to share his life with.
She softened and smiled gingerly at him. "Ted, I did give you another chance and look at what happened. We're only supposed to be friends, and I'm not even sure if that's possible after what we've been through in the past five months." Robin shrugged and put her hands down. She had made the wrong choice when Ted showed up at her apartment a few months ago and now they were paying the price for it.
He tried to work himself up to pleading with her, but his shoulders slumped and he sighed. "You're right," Ted reluctantly admitted. He loved her, but the loneliness caused by Tracy's death had driven him to this stupid decision. He wished he had realized this earlier, before he and Robin had most likely ruined their friendship for good.
Robin grinned (or tried to anyway). "Thank you for admitting it. I still want to be friends with you, but it's probably going to take a while to get us back on track. But we'll get there slowly. You deserve to find someone who truly loves you like Tracy did, Ted – it's what she'd want for you." She liked Tracy and missed her. She loathed the cancer that ravaged her friend's body and took her away from her husband and kids.
"I am an idiot." Ted's knees gave out and he collapsed on the couch. He put his head in his hands and struggled to rein in the tears that formed when he thought of his wife. Tracy was the love of his life and it was so hard doing this – living – without her. Penny and Luke kept him going most days. Marshall and Lily were kept busy by their job and family and didn't have much time for him anymore, something else that dragged him down. But Ted knew he needed to pick himself back up since he had hit rock bottom.
Robin sat down next to him and rubbed his back to soothe him. "Yes, you are. But Ted, this isn't the end of the world. You've hit rock bottom, but that's okay. It's happened to all of us at some point. Hell, I fell apart after Barney and I divorced. Look what happened to him – he fell apart at the seams and tried to go back to his old life. And Ellie brought him back to normal and grounded him."
Ted's eyes widened. "You still love him."
Robin scoffed and laughed nervously. "What the hell are you talking about? No, I don't. And besides, I think we just proved how much of a bad decision it is to go back to your ex."
Ted felt like knocking his head against the wall. "Fuck, I went after my best friend's ex-wife! That has to be a violation of the Bro Code. Wouldn't blame him if he hates me after this."
"Ted, he doesn't hate you. Sure, he's probably furious – from what I heard from Lily, anyway – but he'll forgive you. Hell, I'm pretty sure he already forgave me for getting cold feet all those years ago and giving him an out." Robin was glad she and Ted could at least talk civilly – they hadn't completely ruined this.
Ted patted her shoulder. "Robin, I'm going to tell you something – go get Barney back. Your relationship with him was not like ours. You two always worked together in a weird way. Go get him back. It'll work out for you this time."
"How can you be so sure?" Robin had never stopped loving her ex-husband, but would he even want her back? And like with Ted, there was a tiny human to consider in all of this. She couldn't hurt Ellie too if this ended badly. It was bad enough she had done it to Penny and Luke.
"Because you're Barney and Robin. You fit together like a puzzle. As your friend, I am telling you to go to his place now and tell him everything."
She sniffled. "Thanks, Ted. And good luck to you, by the way." She half-hugged him and then got up from the couch.
Ted kissed her on the cheek and then headed back to his house, happier than he had been in a long time. He felt better somehow and he wasn't sure why. Ted and Robin did eventually repair their friendship (Lily, Marshall, and Barney stepped in to help) but never tried to be anything else. They were better off apart.
Barney and Robin did get back together and actually talked through their problems. They showed up together to Ted's wedding a year and a half later – he met someone at the post office just weeks after he and Robin broke up and fell in love pretty quickly. Kellie was a great fit for him and adored the kids. They liked her too.
Everything was exactly how it should be.