A/N

I was really unsure about publishing this, it's pretty OOC for Ted, but there's a reason. Hope you like it! :)

Never in Love

Just in love with the thought of me, not in love like you ought to be.

2034

Marshall was sat on the couch, reading through the documents Robin had gotten drawn up. He was stunned at what she was asking for. Nothing. Literally nothing. She didn't want money, the house or even any of her belongings. Although, this was Robin. She wouldn't want anything. She wouldn't want the others thinking she was incapable. Then again, he knew she asked for stuff when she and Barney got divorced. Why didn't she want anything from Ted? They shared a bank account, and the majority of the money in there was Robin's. He knew she made craptons of money. Barney had told him the exact amount once, when he was drunk, and it was almost double what Marshall had been making at Honeywell and Cootes.

As he started to reread the divorce papers, Lily entered the room. "Ted went to bed. He asked us to leave."

Marshall nodded and slipped the papers back into the envelope. "Okay."

"I think we should look for Robin. See if she's okay. Maybe we can find out more about what happened."

"Do you know where she could be?"

Lily thought for a second. She had a hunch, and was almost sure she was right. There was always one person who could comfort Robin, no matter how upset she was. The one person she trusted with everything. "I think so." She replied, lost in her thoughts.

…

That's how, forty minutes later, Marshall and Lily found themselves on Barney's apartment doormat. Marshall knocked, and they heard mumbling from inside. There was definitely a male and female voice, but it didn't sound like Ellie. It certainly sounded like Robin. The two picked up on little parts of their hurried conversation.

"Who could that be?" Barney asked.

"Ellie? Is she back already?"

"No, she's staying at Leila's overnight." He paused. "Who is it?" That last sentence was a yell, loud enough for them to hear.

Lily knocked again. "Open up. It's Marshall and Lily."

There was a slight hesitation, but finally the door opened to reveal Barney standing on the other side. Robin was sitting on the couch. Thankfully, both their clothes were still intact. "I assume Ted told you?" They both nodded. "Before you blame her, just realize, you don't know anything that went on between them, okay?" Barney whispered, as he stepped aside and let the two in.

"Sweetie, what happened?" Lily asked, hugging Robin as soon as she, Marshall and Barney joined her on the couch.

"Why divorce? It seemed so sudden. We didn't even realize you two were having problems." Marshall added.

"It wasn't at all sudden." Barney chimed in. Marshall and Lily looked confused. What did Barney know?

Robin sighed, trying to think of a way to explain this to them. "Guys, you've got to understand, Ted's sick. He's completely scarred and traumatised from Tracy, but refuses to see a therapist. He's not that same man we were friends with all those years ago. He doesn't care anymore. He didn't care about me at all. He didn't love me. He's afraid of letting me in, because of Tracy. It's easier for him to barricade himself. He doesn't even notice he was doing it, but he built a barrier around his heart, and it wasn't good for us. Neither of us were happy."

"What?" Lily asked.

Marshall looked just as confused. "What do you mean he didn't care about you? Of course he did! This is Ted Mosby!"

"That's what I'm trying to explain. He isn't Ted Mosby anymore. He's this distant, demanding man. He doesn't love me, and he doesn't care about me. I'm not saying it was his fault, all that crap with Tracy's health was horrible. But I can't continue a relationship like that. He wouldn't even consider seeing a therapist."

"But what makes you think he didn't care about you?" Marshall questioned, still unsure of what was going on.

Barney and Robin shared a look quickly. "I kind of knew for a while, but the capper was about four months ago."

January 2034

Barney burst through the doors, running up to reception and slamming his hands onto the desk. He attempted to steady his breathing, but couldn't get it back to normal. He was repetitively telling himself that she was fine, she was the one who called him, but couldn't stop worrying.

"Hey, I'm looking for Robin Sch-" He paused, unsure of what her last name was now. Had she changed it when she got married? "Robin Mosby."

"Sorry, we don't have anyone listed under that name." The nurse informed him.

"Robin Scherbatsky?" He questioned.

She skimmed the computer screen. "Nope."

"Stinson? Robin Stinson?"

"Room 304."

Barney smiled. "Thanks." It wasn't until he was running towards her room, that he noticed what he'd said. Her last name was still Stinson? Why hadn't she changed it back to Scherbatsky? Or to Mosby when she married Ted? He neared the door to room 304 and swung it open.

"Hey." Robin said. She was sitting on the edge of the bed. "Thanks for coming."

"What happened? Are you okay?" He asked, nearing the bed and hugging her.

She sighed. "I'm fine. They wouldn't let me go until someone signed the discharge papers. Can you please just sign them?" She started to stand up, but he pushed her back onto the bed.

"Nuh uh. We are not leaving until you answer my questions, and I talk to your doctor. Now, what happened? And where the hell is Ted?" Why wasn't her husband here? Barney got it, Ted had spent a lot of time in hospitals when Tracy was sick, but Robin needed him here.

Robin wasn't sure how to answer. Honestly, she didn't know herself. The priorities of the men in her life were so messed up. Her husband had gone home immediately after dropping her off at the hospital, because he was tired, but her ex-husband dropped everything and left his fourteen-year-old daughter home alone to come and see if she was okay, and take her home. "Ted said he'd come tomorrow morning. He's apparently busy with Penny and Luke right now."

"Penny and Luke are nineteen and seventeen! They don't need him. You need him. He needs to be here."

Robin shrugged. "Can we please just go?"

"First tell me what happened."

She sighed, knowing she wasn't going to get her way. "It was dumb. I just slipped in the kitchen yesterday morning and hit my head on the ground. There was water of the floor from the dishes. They just kept me here overnight for observation."

Barney was furious, but hid it well. Why the hell was Ted not here? He was about to keep pressing for answers, but looked at Robin yawning and gave in. She looked exhausted and probably just wanted to go home. He pulled her bag off the floor and nodded. "Come on, I'll drop you home."

On the drive back to the Mosby residence, Robin wondered what Barney would do if he realized Ted hadn't responded to her yelling out for him for five minutes. What he would do if he realized Ted had literally dropped her off at the front of the hospital like a dad dropping his teenage daughter off at the cinema. He just didn't care anymore. Plain and simple. Ted Mosby stopped caring.

Back to the present

Both Marshall and Lily stared at their friends, wide eyed and gaping as they finished the story. To say they were shocked was a huge understatement. Robin was right, Ted wasn't Ted anymore. The Ted they knew, was thoughtful and amazing. He wouldn't have slept all night, he would've stayed at the hospital, watching Robin sleep until she got pissed. He would've been drilling the doctors about what was wrong. He would've been overly annoying and clingy and irritated her.

They didn't even know who their best friend was anymore.

…

A/N

Wow, that was depressing. Hope you liked it anyways! Please leave a review!