A/N: This is really just a short little pointless chapter. I'm not sure how much I like my Marshall, but let me know what you think!
Maybe Lilypad was right.
He really hadn't given it much thought before. Ted was his best friend after all, and sure, Barney was his friend too, but if he had to choose... well, there wouldn't be much choice at all. And besides, it was BARNEY. So when Lily came home, in fall of 2008, and blurted out to him that Barney was in love with Robin, he had laughed, because the whole idea was just ridiculous, wasn't it? Eventually he came around to the idea- Lily could be very persuasive (a combination of bribes and threats)- and so he was able to reassure Barney when that whole thing with the assistant happened. Poor guy.
But he'd always assumed deep down that it was just a phase. After all, it was Barney, and Robin was Robin and Ted was clearly hung up on Robin and Ted was Ted and that's about as far as it went. He didn't really analyze it. After Punchy's wedding, Lily came home and they had been falling asleep after some truly wonderful "we're going to have a baby and I'm so freaking happy" sex (number fifty-seven on Lily's list of reasons). As they were curled up together, Lily murmured in his ear. "Robin's in love with Barney, baby. Did you know that?" That woke him up. Sort of. They had discussed it for a little while longer, and Marshall's initial shock faded to a feeling that Lilypad was overreacting. Because Robin had never come out and said it, had she?
And yes, he was still betting on Ted and Robin. Because how could Robin not want Ted, who was so in love with her and such a great guy? Ted was his best friend, and if there was one thing they shared, it was their belief in fate. Maybe it took different tracks sometimes; Ted's "One" was the primary focus, whereas Marshall tended towards the monsters of the Great Unknown; but fundamentally it was the same. And that meant that deep down they both believed that Robin and Ted were meant to be. Lily disagreed, and it was one of the things that they debated over the most (okay, maybe not the MOST- there was the existence of aliens. And the merits of Gouda. And whose turn it was to get up in the middle of the night (that was a new one.) And...) Well. Anyway. There was no reason to think any other way. Barney was happy with Quinn, and they were perfect for each other. (He thought for a minute how quickly he'd gone from hate to love for Quarney, as he'd taken to calling them in his head.)
But Lily insisted everything was wrong. Barney wasn't in love with Quinn, she said, and Robin wasn't happy, and everything was just- not right. Lilypad was usually right, but she couldn't be right about this- could she?
He was starting to think she could.
He wasn't sure when he came around to her theory. Maybe it was the conversation Lily overheard while listening to Barney and Robin's conversation after Quinn and Barney got engaged. (He had been too engrossed in diaper and diamond rings to be paying attention.) Maybe it was when he caught Barney with one of Robin's earrings in his wallet. Maybe it was when Robin moved in with Tom because Barney sent out wedding invitations. (It was pretty obvious, looking back on it- Lily had to explain the significance to him, but he wasn't sure how he missed it. Robin had been over, visiting Marvin, and Robin was telling Lily how Tom had been talking about getting serious, and how she wasn't sure. Lily 'happened' to mention that Barney had set a date. Robin let out a squeak, and said "I'm gonna ask Tom to move in with me.") Maybe it was hearing Barney mutter to himself, "I'm in love with you, Robin."
Okay, so maybe it was obvious. Lilypad was clearly right. Ah well, those kids could work it out themselves. Marshall was a daddy now, and had bigger and better things to attend to. Sweeping declaration- never debating Barney and Robin with Lily again.
It was all they talked about that night.