Hi guys! Chapter three is finished, I'm planning to post a new chapter every Monday. I hope everyone enjoys this and keeps reading. Also, THANKS for reviewing!

Robin ran up the three flights to Ted and Barney's dorm and knocked. Lily was at her Thursday art seminar and that meant she wouldn't be able to give Robin the third degree on where things were going with Ted. It hadn't even been two weeks! But Lily was determined and when Lily wanted something she was absolutely committed to seeing it through.

"Robin, hey" Barney…a shirtless Barney answered. A moment earlier, he'd been exhausted after his life guarding shift, but now he felt on top of the world. Robin just had that effect on him.

"Hi, Barney!" she spoke his name little too emphatically experiencing a head rush. "I- um- is Ted around?" It was impossible for her not to stare at his gorgeous chest.

"No just me. Sorry to disappoint."

"That's okay. I'm just bringing his jacket back.".

"I'm sure there's no rush." Barney said.

"Well I have lots and besides I hardly need it. I'm used to Canadian cold."

"Right," he nodded, "I'll just take that straight jacket right off your hands then," he reached for it.

"Barney if you're insinuating that this is some kind of reflection of my feelings for Ted, then you're some kind of creep!" She ripped the jacket from his grasp. As hard as Lily was playing aggressive offense to make her and Ted an item, Barney seemed intent on engaging her in a passive aggressive defense trying to screw everything up.

"Robin all I'm saying is it takes one to know one. Take a look around. Do you see any of Lily's stuff here?"

Robin scanned the room, then crossed her arms "what's your point?"

"Nothing except we both hate commitment, probably as much as Lily and Ted crave it. There's no reason to be in denial."

"Save it for your blog Barney, this little bit of yours is getting old."

"Maybe it's a Canadian thing, maybe happily-ever-after is for Americans," he continued, undeterred by her remark.

"I thought you said you are only a quarter Canadian."

"Clearly, I don't have to be pure breed like you to have the tendencies of the Canadian gene pool."

"For your information, Ted and I are having the best time." At that moment, she caught a glimpse of a framed picture of the two of them at last weekend's football game huddled under an umbrella in the drizzling rain. The frame was heart-shaped. She briefly felt her nerves flare, then shook it off. "Just because he likes to show how much he cares doesn't mean anything! Maybe you could learn something from Ted."

Barney laughed impetuously and cocked his head, considering. "You think I should be more like Ted? Why didn't I think of that!" his voice laden with sarcasm. Robin flinched because actually hearing him say it, made her realize nothing could be farther from the truth.

"Well I wouldn't lose any sleep over it," she said.

"Don't worry because only Ted would be losing sleep over the fact that we've been brought together three times under extraordinary circumstances. But I mean that's Ted's department and I'm not."

"I think that's just a coincidence! I'm sure other people have had the same - wait - three? There was the hospital and now. What am I missing?"

"Oh right, well…" he trailed off.

"Barney?"

He studied her, trying to decide her reaction in advance and finally realized there would be no better or worse opportunity, but hiding or simply omitting his knowledge of her past was pathetic.

"Come here" he gestured for her to have a seat on the futon but she perched on his desktop instead. He had to laugh at that. Next time he was doing homework he would undoubtedly be thinking about her ass. Like his grades weren't slipping enough, but whatever. He pulled on a shirt, then proceeded to paw through the items wedged at the back of his closet.

"This better be good Barney."

He held up his finger slid out a box of ties. In the box was another box he pulled it out and removed the magazine.

"Now Robin, before you freak out because I know your true identity just know that I consider this information highly classified and -"

"Oh my god Barney!" Robin leapt off the desk and stared at the picture of herself at fourteen. At her alter ego. Then she stared at Barney gasping for each breath. "I can't believe -" It didn't take much to bring her back to those days. Lucking out getting on the show in the first place and acquiring celebrity status, close friendships, and her first boyfriend all on teen idol. But there were also darker moments behind the scenes that followed, that she swore she was leaving in the past.

"And Robin I think your much cooler in person" he said, breaking into her thoughts. She looked at him skeptically.

"Not that I don't have the highest regard for the creative genius that is Robin Sparkles," he added.

"That's real cute Barney…very diplomatic."

"Soo since this is now all out in the open how bout a little rendition of sandcastles in the sand," he asked, trying to ease any tension that he sensed may be lurking in her head.

As if on cue, a solo tear crept down her cheek.

"Sorry I'm sure Ted would lecture me on being out of line right about now."

"No it's not you" she laughed "anyway who hasn't been an insensitive jerk from time to time."

"So, what's the deal. I personally think you were robbed in the finals." He wiped the tear away. "Tears don't dry on their own trust me."

"That was a long time ago but it still seems complicated. It's just as well I didn't win anyway my heart just wasn't in it anymore."

"Why not?"

"Simon"

"The guy who won teen idol," Barney cut in.

"He was my first boyfriend… as you probably know," she smirked at him.

And he nodded.

"He convinced me he'd never even glance at another girl let alone cheat so of course he was secretly dating the other girl in the finals."

"Violet Star" Barney recalled.

"You were a little obsessed huh" she observed. Finding his knowledge endearing in a way she didn't expect. "We had the whole finals duet choreographed and rehearsed it was going to be well -"

"Legendary" he offered

"Yeah, well, if he hadn't told me he was changing partners at the last second and decided to perform our song with her."

"Violet Star and you were best friends."

"Were being the operative word."

"So you really were robbed," he mused, putting together the missing pieces. "I knew that final performance wasn't on par for Robin Sparkles." She nodded silently, remembering that's exactly how she'd felt during the duet with Jessica Glitter.

"If it's any consolation," he continued, "that summer completely sucked for me but I got through it, because of you…er her Robin Sparkles I mean."

"Really?" She didn't remember the last time a guy had said something that sweet and really meant it.

"Yeah, I thought I wanted to be like my dad my whole life and then I realized all he wanted to be was my sperm donor and fed me every lie in the book before ditching me in Canada for the summer."

"Sorry."

Barney shrugged indifferently because after all these years he wasn't responsible for holding his father's baggage or being hurt by it.

"Sometimes I wish my dad had run off on me. It would have been a nice change of pace from his daily criticism, empty glares, and binge drinking."

Barney reflected silently. She was nothing like the typical girls with daddy issues he gravitated towards. Therefore, none of his consolatory/seductive one-liners seemed right.

"Hey what's this?" she reached for the other book inside the box in a lame attempt to lighten the mood, "The play book" she read off the cover.

"Uh that's nothing!" Barney grabbed it and the magazine and shoved them both in the box and proceeded to seal the package back up.

"What's the playbook?"

"It doesn't matter. Are you hungry? Let's eat."

Robin stared at him debating, "As much as my journalism instincts want me to figure out what that book is, I guess I can't turn down a free lunch."

"I never said -"

"Spare me," she fluffed her mahogany hair, in his desk mirror before flouncing out the door.

They were sitting together twenty minutes later in the student union. The hub of campus was crowded as usual during Saturday brunch and they finally located an empty table. It was probably designed for one so Robin combined her strawberry French toast with Barney's burger and fries while he balanced the trays between them.

"To us," Barney tapped the side of his pepsi bottle against her bottle of orange juice before twisting off the cap.

She opted to believe he meant 'us' as in both individually stated in the plural, rather them the 'us' that would imply they were a couple. Regardless, there was no reason they couldn't be civil towards each other and Robin smiled in return.

"So how did you and Ted meet anyway?" Robin asked, tearing open a container of syrup.

"Well for starters he was married to this psycho Karen back then."

"Yeah right."

"No you're actually wifey number four," he insisted and proceeded to tick them off in chronological order.

"There was Karen all of junior high and ninth grade, Zoey briefly in 10th until she moved, and Ted was Mrs. Victoria Meyer the rest of high school…totally monopolized his life."

"So what were you like his marriage counselor?"

"No, I met him at Denny's. I did a cameo there as a dish slave and he went there all the time with Karen and her friends. I went to catholic schools and spent the previous summer in Canada being obsessed with teen idol…as you know…so I knew no one."

"And Ted?"

"Ted was this guy surrounded by a pack of girls. I was impressed. I didn't realize his pathetic reason for being the only bro."

"Wow so he hung out with all girls in junior high. That kind of explains his sensitive - uh oh"

"What?"

"Speaking of Ted's girlfriends. Brittany's here from the party," Robin pointed a fork.

"Let's hide!"

"Too late," Robin said, watching Brittany dragging over the guy she was with. They careened to a stop at their table. While Brittany could only be described as fun-sized by Barney's standard, the guy she was with had to be over 6 feet and towered over her by nearly a foot. Brittany wore a pink headband and camisole under a pink crop top long sleeved sweater. Clearly the girl worshipped pink.

"Hey you two! This is my boyfriend Ross."

Robin and Barney exchanged a look.

"This is the couple I was telling you about" Brittany beamed. Then turning to Robin and Barney she explained, "When I saw how perfect you were together at the party, I just remembered how much I loved Ross and had to get back together with him. I hope there's no hard feelings with your brother Ted." her fixed smile, faltered only slightly at that last part.

"What?" Robin asked.

"It's just you two made me realize that I had to work things out with Ross. We've been together three years."

"Brittany, Barney and I are not -" Robin was going to say together because she had no idea why Brittany would have that impression or think Ted was her brother. Was she really that drunk, that she had some skewed amnesia.

"the only ones in love!" Barney interrupted her. "Congratulations guys!"

"Aww that's so adorable! They finish each other's sentences too." Brittany clasped a hand over her heart, leaning into Ross affectionately.

Barney winked at Robin. She responded by kicking him under the table, but smiled brightly at Brittany and Ross.

"Like one mind" Barney agreed.

"Y'all are real lucky to have found each other," Ross smiled broadly.

"I'm the lucky one," Barney said.

"I know what you mean," Ross said, reaching for Brittany's hand. "We'll see y'all around."

Robin watched them go feeling totally blindsided. It wasn't so much Brittany's messed up interpretation of her and Barney together, but that she actually didn't hate the thought of it. Maybe even that she almost wished it was like that. But there was no way she was giving Barney a pass. "Do I even want an explanation?" she demanded, reaching over and slugging him in the arm.

"Oww Scherbatsky!" he winced, "What was that for?"

"You know damn well we are not a couple."

"So what? You think they'd be happy to learn they rebuilt their relationship on a lie?"

Robin considered his rationale. "I guess not," she conceded.

"Exactly," he said, wolfing down his burger contentedly.

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