AN: Hey guys! A little Christmas Update for you! I´m sorry that I only update irregularly, but I´ve started a new job and so I´m quite busy.

Merry Christmas to you and your friends and families! I hope you´ll enjoy this chapter. Reviews are always very appreciated :-)

Marshall, Lily and Ted paused their eating when they heard the shocking revelation. Could it really mean what they think it means? "Their what?", Ted asks with a full mouth. Both Barney and Robin are too shocked to say anything when Loretta wants to go into detail, so James comes to their rescue, "Mum, could you join me in the kitchen for a second? My headache is killing me. You need to show me which pills are the right ones." Loretta knows exactly that her son is making up a story to lead her away from the group and to stop her from talking about Barney and Robin. She really wants to spill the beans on their relationship to their friends, because they are obviously not able to do so. However, when she sees the desperation in her son´s face and Robin´s white face, she chooses to follow James into the kitchen without another word.

As soon as the five friends are alone, a weird silence spreads. Nobody dares to say a word. Barney´s brain is wildly searching for a lie while Robin sneaks a glance at him. It´s Marshall who finally breaks the silence. "Did James cook that meatloaf himself?" All eyes are on Marshall until Barney gives an answer, "Yeah, he is great at cooking actually." "It´s great." "Thanks, I will tell him." Another silence starts to spread when Ted suddenly decides to speak, "So we are not addressing the elephant in the room, I guess?"

Ted seems to be in a quite unusual calm state although he´s just learned that the woman he fell in love with is obviously banging one of his best friends. Barney can´t say whether it´s Ted´s calmness or his lack of ideas, but he decides not to tell anymore lies. He finally answers, "Okay, yes. Robin and I are sleeping together." Nobody seems surprised about the confession. It´s Lily who asks the next question in a squeaky voice, "So does that mean that you two are a couple? That´s so awesome! Marshall and I have been looking for another couple for such a long time…" "We are not a couple", Barney clarifies to stop Lily from talking. Lily´s face falls, but she doesn´t give up so easily. "What are you exactly, then? Robin is here with you at your mom´s place where she´s obviously been before, she spends your birthday with you, you sleep together and you seem to get along really well. That sounds like a relationship to me."

Robin´s heart races. She has no idea what to do. Her heart jumped when Barney finally told them about their relationship, but it sank the next moment when he told them they are not a couple. She feels sad and also a little bit mad, although she knows that´s not fair. Barney and her never defined their relationship and both of them always deny to themselves that they are a couple. So why is it bugging her now that he is saying they are just sleeping together? Of course he couldn´t let Lily, Ted and Marshall believe that they are a couple, when they are officially just friends with benefits and nothing more. That´s why she decides to help Barney out and answers Lily´s question for him, "We are friends with benefits."

"Best friends with benefits", Barney adds quickly.

"Bullshit", Lily states.

"Excuse me?", both Barney and Robin stare at her in shock.

Lily continues, "You can´t be friends with benefits…"

"BEST friends with benefits", Barney interrupts.

"Fine", Lily tries again, "You can´t be best friends with benefits. That´s not good. You will get hurt! Both of you! You can´t bang each other and hang out while sleeping with other people too! That´s insane! It will hurt your friendship and it will also hurt your friendship with us! Don´t pretend you guys are not jealous if the other person goes out with somebody. You might think both of you are not boyfriend and girlfriend material, but the truth is you guys are not friends with benefits-material either. Barney, you are even jealous when Ted says Marshall is his best bro! You are definitely not made for being romantically involved with somebody who is dating other people. When Robin and Ted went out you threw yourself at the next bimbo you could find and brought up some lame excuse to go to Ted´s appartement the next morning. And Robin, I don´t even know where to start. We may have not known each other for a long time, but don´t tell me you would do all the things you do for Barney for any other guy. The two of you are already in this relationship far deeper than you´ve realized. You should totally have the talk and get it over with! Let me tell you, it´s not working any other way!"

The guys are staring at their shoes and listen quietly to Lily´s speech. As soon as Lily has finished it, Robin retorts, "I don´t know Lily. It´s already worked for months now! Even before I met you guys, Barney and I were the epitome of a friendship with benefits and it worked just fine."

That confession shuts Lily up immediately.