Interesting Times, Chapter 20

By GirlX2

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Robin allowed Lily to lead her to a quiet alcove away from the main hustle and bustle of the hospital. Soon, she was plied with coffee, donuts, and something Lily assured her was both legal and alcoholic.

"This is cough syrup, isn't it?" She wrinkled her nose after taking a swig.

"Ancient Chinese secret. It might be a while before we hit MacLarens again." Lily shrugged. "I just wanted to cover all my bases."

"Thanks." Robin swigged a bit more of the mystery concoction.

They sat quietly for a few moments. Lily reached out and took a hold of Robin's hand, squeezing it gently.

"It was bad."

Lily said nothing. Robin, strong as she was, would tell it all without prompting, and only without prompting.

"I thought…I though Barney was dead." A choked, muffled noise escaped Robin's throat at the end of this.

Lily handed her a tissue.

"Thanks. Ted looked bad, but he was still moving, you know? I knew he was gonna be okay…it's Ted."

Lily nodded, not feeling at all the same. Robin was on the verge of something big here, beyond what she felt over the last few hours.

"He was in the clothes the paramedics cut off. I was…I thought he'd been cut up. They didn't know where he was, only Ted and I knew that. And Ted…that's all he cared about. As soon as he saw Barney was okay, he started to slip away."

Robin's hand trembled lightly.

"Barney…all he wanted to know about was Ted. There he was, scared, hurt, and covered in blood, and all he cared about was Ted." She shook her head. "It was surreal."

"You don't mean him just being tiny, do you."

Robin shook her head. "It's like…everything about him that's changed over the last four months suddenly hit me. He's still the same person, just…a bit less."

Lily didn't point out the obvious pun.

"You know he hasn't slept with anyone? I know he's had the opportunity. And he still talks about getting laid like normal. I don't get it."

"Are you in love with him?"

It bubbled up before Lily could stop herself. She clapped her free hand belatedly to her mouth.

Robin jerked in surprise. "What? No! No, of course not. It's Barney."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure." Robin's tone belied her words. "He's the same selfish, egotistical, insane, horney teenager in a man's body."

"You just said he wasn't."

Robin studied her best friend, anger flickering in her eyes. "Is that why you think I care? I must be in love with him? I care about Ted too and I don't love him."

Lily shrugged. "You spend the most time with him, aside from Ted and Marshall. And that's only because Marshall works with them. Plus, you haven't seen anyone for months now."

"That doesn't mean I'm in love!"

"No, but it's a hell of a lot of evidence." Lily looked troubled. "I've seen how he looks at you, Robin."

"What?"

"You don't see it—or won't, I'm not sure which." Lily let the words tumble out; she wouldn't be able to work up the nerve again to say them. "He might not be in love with you, I couldn't tell you for sure; but if he's not, it's the worst case of puppy love I've ever seen."

"What are you talking about?"

"He gazes at you."

"You mean he stares at my boobs."

"Well, sure, but not all the time. He watches your face; he laughs when you do, looks offended on your behalf; he's all but following you around like one of your dogs, and that's only due to the special limits."

"You've seen all this?"

"Yeah."

"And you never said anything."

'It's not my place. I wanted to talk to Barney about it, but…it's all so awkward. Even if he wasn't…you know."

Robin's throat clenched. 'No. I'm not…HE'S not…It's Barney! He doesn't fall in love.'

"And, after all, you've already slept together."

Robin sucked in a deep breath. Their single sexual encounter had almost caused Ted to permanently cast Barney out of his life, and ended up with Barney in the hospital. She wouldn't let anything like that ever happen again.

"Lily. Promise me you won't say anything about this, even to Marshall."

"I haven't yet." Lily evaded answering the question.

"Promise me. After last time…and with Ted in the hospital…I don't want to add anything else to his plate." Robin implored. "Please."

Lily frowned, but nodded.

"Thank you. We'd better go check on Ted…he might be awake by now." Robin stood and scurried from the alcove, her head spinning.

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To be continued…

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A/N The plot thickens! And, thanks to my BF for letting me swipe his laptop while I'm at rehearsal for my new show (I was drafted into a musical version of 'Blythe Spirit', called High Spirits). Mustn't waste a moment!