This chapter is the beginning of project Ted, this goes more into detail about the plan that the gang is trying to set up here for Ted. This rating might change due to later chapters having bad language in them, until then I think I really like this set up for the plan and personally I loved writing this chapter because it's truly my favorite so far.
A few things you need to know about this chapter and future chapters: Barney and Robin, if you're a bit confused on the dates here are married, as I mentioned they have been married for 10 years, been back together for 12 years. I wanted to go more into detail about their personal life together, so this is the start of the more B/R parts of the story. Barney is kind of a single parent, Robin had been there for the first three years of Brailynn's childhood but in and out of her life for three years since starting this fake life with Ted.
I want to warn you, this will become much more sadder and more dramatic in the next couple of chapters due to the planned idea I have for the story. Ted, is completely gone, meaning he is not who he normally is. His mental capacity is of like a 3 year old that's how far gone he really is, he truly thinks he's married to Robin and his kids are from her, he has completely forgotten all about Tracy. To him, she never existed and that's the more sadder part of the story. Also, don't mind Barney's attitude here, it's all necessary for the story and B/R are completely happy together, there's nothing that can break them up. They are together forever in this story and have their lives figured out and they're settled, nothing that happens with Ted will change the status of B/R's relationship, they are married and happy that's all you really need to know about them. I will go more into their story in future chapters, because their story is the most important here. It's all about their happiness, their lives together.
Enjoy, sorry for the long A/N I just wanted to let you know more about the story. I will delve into more B/R after the next chapter so don't worry this is all planned out ahead of time.
"So, we have to go easy on Ted. He's really vulnerable right now, he's fragile so when we go inside the house we need to be discreet, we can't rush this, we can't push him too much, we can't make him frustrated and we need to try to not freak him out. So, please be calm and don't get too worked up over anything that might trigger some kind of out rage." Robin, wanted this to all be over but they couldn't get Ted too worked up over what they're about to tell him. This, needs to have an effect on him. He needs to realize that things have changed drastically over the last 10 years and he needs to know that they aren't living in 2005 anymore. They are in 2030, things are completely different now than they were back when Robin first met the gang.
Robin, Barney, Marshall and Lily are all standing outside the Mosby home. They agreed to meet here when they all met up in Maclaren's the day before. After, Marshall and Lily left Maclaren's Barney and Robin discussed this plan further, they had told Marshall and Lily the full details of this plan but not the place where they were all going to meet up. They didn't want to excite Ted too much so bringing him to any other place besides his home in White Plains was the only option they had. Barney and Robin texted Marshall and Lily the exact time and place to meet up the next day.
The place: Ted's house in White Plains 6pm
So, that brings the four friends here, in front of the Mosby home. Now, Robin has been staying in the home for six months helping Ted through this hard time he's going through. She had been pretending to be his wife, for her it's more of a live-in caretaker than wife since she's married to Barney, has a child with him and is not living in this home permanently. Ted's kids know about Robin's real life and what's going on with her and Barney for two years. Ted had been in this deep depression for four years now, he had become depressed one day and kind of slipped into this alternate universe of 2005. Ted, thinks he's living in this year so that's what the four friends are about to tell him.
The plan was to take things slowly, they don't want to freak a deeply depressed Ted with all the real information that the friends will tell him. It was important to start with the year that he believes to be remembering the most which is 2005 the year Robin joined their group, Eight years before he met Tracy, the year she and Barney got married which will be saved for later since the part that might trigger a reaction that Ted is just not ready for. So, they need to take this slow without getting Ted too overly worked up about the things that are the most important of information that will come out of this conversation and restore Ted back to 2030 where things are much more different than what Ted is imagining.
Robin, wanted this to go smoothly. The thing that might really effect Ted is the fact that Robin and Barney are married and have a five year old daughter. Their daughter was born on the one year anniversary of Tracy's death, this year was really tough on Ted and it was in this time when he truly slipped into this happy place he's living in: 2005! This little bit of information will likely cause a bad reaction from Ted so they need to keep that for later. Until, then the four friends will start telling random stories from Ted's younger days in New York. They planned it out in order starting with Robin and ending with Barney which will then hopefully by then Ted will have a better understanding of what's really happening in the current year of 2030 and not in 2005.
The order and information went like this…
Robin: Will sit Ted down in the living room, which is the main family room of the house. The room that she, Ted and the kids all go to for a little family time. She will start to talk randomly about things that have happened in the past. Since, Ted likes telling stories from the past and had sat his children down to talk to them about his past before he met Tracy. Robin, wanted to start this meeting off slowly, kind of like ripping off a band-aid which will allow for her to easily start talking to Ted about their past life together. She will start by telling the stories of them when they first met to the day they broke up, so the two years that were mostly about their relationship.
Marshall: He will talk to Ted about life both when they met in college, which Ted does remember most about and then he will talk about the day he decided to propose to Lily. That day changed his life forever, and it started a ripple effect all the way until Ted met Tracy.
Lily: She will talk mostly about her days before becoming a mom, she is now a mother of three but before she became a mother she was trying to become an artist and through her teaching rediscovered just how important it was to try something in the art world. She will also re-tell stories about holidays, both before they met Robin and after they met Robin.
Barney: He (without getting too frustrated and annoyed) will talk more about his single days. He is far from single these days, but Ted is still remembering his playboy days and some days after when he had divorced. So, Barney will re-tell stories that won't effect any negative response from Ted even if he's annoyed with the way Ted's been acting, he is worried about Ted but is really about done with the way Ted thinks he can somehow believe that Robin will ever want him or love him the way he thinks she does.
So, that was the easy part of this meeting the harder parts come afterward which will then hopefully get Ted to get out of this sad, depressed state of his. His mind is weak at the moment, so anything too heavy needs to be taken lightly so they all won't freak out a very vulnerable and weak minded Ted. It was important to take things slow and explain the more simpler things from the past before really diving into the more deeper, emotional parts of this meeting.
"And, Barney. Please, for the love of our daughter… Don't do anything that will get Ted too worked up and don't even mention our first wedding." Yes, Barney and Robin remarried but it was a small intimate wedding with only the two of them and a minister, nothing as big and crazy as their first wedding which Ted does remember but he doesn't remember every detail of that wedding, just the pieces that he almost ruined. Barney's still mad at Ted for back stabbing him to try to get Robin back and even though Robin told many times over the years that she was sorry about the things she said to Ted just moments before their ceremony. Barney is still angry with the way Ted acted that weekend.
Ted, only knows bits and parts of their first wedding and remembers the years before the wedding so that's what they were going to do right now. Tell, or re-tell the stories he mostly remembers in a very slow and sensitive manner. They can not trigger any big emotional reaction right now so things that happen after 2013 need to be put on the back burner and used for a way that hopefully changes Ted's mind to snap him out of this emotional funk he's in.
"I wasn't going to. I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier, I was just still angry with Ted and the way he acted at our wedding I didn't mean to get all worked up about it again." Barney and Robin, earlier this day had gotten into a huge fight, the first major fight since getting back together 12 years ago. Although, they did have little arguments through the years, mostly in the first two years of getting back together but nothing as big as the fight they had this morning over Ted's actions at their first wedding.
"I'm sorry too, I didn't realize just how much my actions hurt you. I'm really, truly sorry for the way I acted on that very long, exhausting weekend I didn't mean the things I said back then. I was just freaking out and wanted to blame someone for everything I started to freak out over. It was my actions that I regret, the things I said they aren't true. I was just really emotionally drained and the things that just happened with the whole locket thing and remembering the rehearsal dinner and our engagement. It was all just my nerves and concerns about our marriage that had me almost lose..." Her voice starts to break, tears slowly started to prick at her eyelids wanting to desperately fall from them. "My, actions almost made me make the worst mistake I ever made. Since, then even though we've had our problems don't ever think that what I did changes the fact that I love you. I loved you then and I love you now, so don't think I don't regret the things I did on our wedding day because I do regret the things I said. Running off, almost leaving you at the alter would have been the most cowardice, awful, bitchy thing I ever almost did." She tries wiping her eyes with her hand as Barney looks lovingly at her.
That's the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to him and it was truly the most honest thing Robin has said in all these years together. In this moment, he realizes all over again why he fell in love with this amazing, beautiful, awesome, woman in this world and never stopped. He tried, many times to move on from Robin but just couldn't and in this moment he understands why he never moved on from loving her or wanting to be with her. Tracy was right, Barney would always no matter how much he tries, will forever be in love with only one woman and that is Robin Scherbatsky (Stinson). No matter how much he tries he will love her to the day he dies and after.
The couple embrace in a hug that seemed to last quite a while which had Lily coughing, clearing her throat "okay, guys I know you had a moment and all but we really need to get back to why we're here." She says, even though this little moment was very touching and beautiful they really need to get this mission over with.
Robin breaks the hug and straightens up to take out her key to the house. Ted had given her that key when she kinda, sorta moved in with him and the kids. She had made him think that they are sorta married and that this is her family when this isn't her real family. For, a year she had made him think that they are together, by embracing this fake life with him she realized that she really missed her own family so for six months she's been running back and forth between the two families which is making her life more difficult and exhausting.
"Ted?" Robin, calls out as she enters the house with the three others behind her.
"Be right down." He yells back, running down the stairs embracing Robin in a hug and kiss.
While, that was happening Barney stood back watching his wife and friend share an intimate moment. He begins to let his mind wander a bit, noticing that Ted is really fragile. He's happy nonetheless, but really fragile. Barney isn't happy to watch his wife and friend in this intimate embrace but there isn't anything he can do about that right now. He's really not happy about this but he can't do anything about it so he watches, still angry as he jams his fingers in his leg through his pants.
Ted and Robin break their intimate embrace to have Ted realize that they aren't alone. The three friends, staring at the two embracing made him realize for the first time since running down stairs that his friends are here too.
"Oh, hi guys." Ted says, smiling at his friends.
The three friends plus Robin all gave him a half-hearted smile and a frown before Robin speaks up again.
"Um, Ted. We all need to talk." Robin says after a little while as Ted let what he was just told sink in realizing that Robin is looking quite sad, withdrawn and giving him this serious look.
They all gather in the living room, Robin sits Ted down to begin telling him part of the reason why she and their friends (husband) is here. The once happy, more like thrilled Ted they seen a bit ago is no longer there. Realizing, that whatever is happening right now is serious. Ted breaks the smile on his face to let Robin begin talking, easily and slowly to him about what they all came here to tell him.
The three others leaves the room after five minutes, letting Robin alone with Ted for her to talk to him without any distractions. Marshall, Lily and Barney all went into the kitchen getting snacks and drinks while Robin starts to talk to Ted. They are all quiet and a bit sad as they all just now realize just how fragile and in a bad place Ted really is in. He is just not there, he is completely gone and they all begin to wonder if this plan will work because from the look of it, Ted really does think that Robin is living with him and is his wife. The way he embraced her a little while ago and the smile he had says it all. The guy is not just sad and depressed he is GONE. He is no longer Ted. He is a guy who thinks he is living a life that he believes is his. He's living in happy-land, where he has this life with Robin and thinks his kids are her kids when they aren't.
"Wow, I thought this was going to be easy but from what I saw earlier, it really, really isn't." Barney says, he had been in this quiet trance since coming to the kitchen and was in this deep thought, trying to think of what he just saw earlier when they first arrived.
"I know, this is bad… Really, bad!" Lily says, she's now fully aware of this situation and it's more worse than she had originally thought.
"This is not good, I'm beginning to think that this was a bad idea. This plan is likely to not work." Barney says, he's now worried that Robin is going to have to stay in this house, living a life that isn't her life. She's going to need to stay pretending for the sake of Ted's mental status and will never get to truly be with him and their daughter.
Barney's been the one to take care of their daughter since Robin decided to take Ted up on his offer to come move in with him. He had been taking most of the duties as a single parent while she's off playing house with Mosby. He's beyond mad, that this situation seems to be more worse than he had thought and he's pissed. Robin, will never get to truly be the mother she wants to be to their daughter. Bri's first word was dada, Bri didn't start saying momma until she was three years old. That's how much time apart from Bri, Robin had since she was born.
"What are we going to do now?" Barney says out loud in a frustrated tone of annoyance and he is now truly worried about Robin and what she's going to do.