AN: Hey guys! Thank you so much for your kind words. You made me feel much better. Here´s a new chapter! Hope, you´ll like it and please leave a review if you do (or even if you don´t; just tell me what you think). Xo

"Excuse me, dear. I have to get that." Robin is still in shock about her own thoughts, when she hears some very familiar voices.

"Hi, Loretta! Do you remember us? We´ve already met a few months ago at Barney´s apartment. We are Barney´s friends." Robin gulps as she listens to Lily´s voice. What´s she supposed to do now? Should she go out there and act as if her hanging around at Barney´s mother´s place is nothing special? Or should she just run out through the back door? As soon as she decides to bolt and turns around, she almost crashes into Barney.

"Are you seriously running away?"

Robin snaps, "What do you care?"

"Robin, please. We need a plan!"

"What plan? I´ll walk out of the back door and that´s the end of that."

"You really think, Lily, Ted and Marshall won´t know you were here?"

"Of course. How would they know?"

"First of all, I answered your phone, so Ted knows we´re probably at the same place. Plus, all your stuff is here!"

"We could´ve mixed up our phones. They know we have the same phones! And all my stuff is in your room. So I think we´re pretty safe as long as they´re not going into your room."

Barney is opening his mouth to respond, when they hear Loretta shouting, "Wuv-wuv, Robin, your friends are here!"

Robin closes her eyes in frustration and Barney´s face falls, "Well, I guess, we forgot the most important reason: My mother knows you´re here, so she´ll probably rat us out."

"I still think running away has its perks", Robin mutters but follows Barney to the front door to greet their friends anyway. When they enter the room, Lily immediately hugs Barney, only to push him away and slap him a second later.

"Ouch! What was that for?", Barney complains.

"For not telling us about your mom´s and James´ accident! She´s just told us that you have been here for the past couple of weeks! Why didn´t you tell us! We would´ve come sooner to help you out!"

Before Barney even has a chance to answer, Loretta chimes in, "Aw, that´s very sweet of you, but Barney and Robin got it covered pretty well. They´ve been amazing. I don´t know what I would have done without them. However, with me, James, Barney and Robin staying here, my little house is crowded already."

"So both of you have been staying here for the past couple of weeks?", Ted asks.

"Yes", Robin finally speaks. "Barney called me after the accident and asked for help." Although it´s not quite true, she figures it´s the best answer for now. At least for a few seconds until Ted asks Barney, "Why did you call Robin? Why not me or Lily or Marshall? Robin hasn´t even seen your family before."

Loretta joins the conversation again and says suggestively, "Oh, I would say it´s quite the opposite. I have seen much more of Robin than any of Barney´s other friends, believe me." Barney puts a hand in front of his face out of desperation and Robin is at a loss for words. Ted and Marshall look at each other a bit confusedly and Lily raises a brow. At this moment, James enters the room, "Oh, hi guys! Long time no see." Lily, Ted and Marshall greet him, however James senses the awkwardness in the room. He tries to defuse the situation and says, "I prepared some meat loaf. Do you guys want any? I have plenty."

Lily, Ted and Marshall accept much to Barney and Robin´s dismay. Although both of them are aware they have to talk to their friends and tell them the truth rather sooner than later, they would´ve preferred to do that in New York. Preferably after they talked to each other about what to say. Unfortunately, it seems like they are trapped with their friends, Loretta and James now and have to eat dinner together.