A/N: Sorry this took so long. We are actually now nearing the end. I have the final three chapters laid out, and will be posting them by the end of the week.

Chapter 9 - What now?

June 2030

Robin looked down at Ted, tears running down her cheeks, smiling. Finally. She closed her window, ran out of her apartment and down the stairs, and flung herself into Ted's arms. She laughed through her tears as she kissed this man that she had loved for so long, both as a friend and as a lover, and a thrill ran through her at the thought of what the future held. "Come upstairs. I know you can't stay, but we need to talk."

Ted followed her up the stairs and into her apartment. He then followed her lead and sat on the couch. "Before we talk, I have something for you." he reached into his jacket, and pulled out a white envelope. With a crooked smile, he handed it to her.

"Is this from -" Robin's voice caught in her throat.

"Yeah."

With trembling hands, Robin opened Tracy's letter…

Robin,

Hi. Bet you weren't expecting this. The first thing I want to tell you, before I get into the meat of this letter, is this. Thank you so much for being my friend. No, more than that, thank you for being like a sister to me. I have loved getting to know you and spending time with you. You have made me laugh almost as much as Ted has these last four years. I have been so thankful to have you in our lives.

Now that I have the mushy stuff out of the way, let's get right to it. My pooh bear is ready to love again. I cannot tell you how happy that makes me. And the fact that he has chosen you is just the icing on the cake. I know the two of you have probably been feeling this way for some time, but you would never have acted on it, and have been waiting patiently for Ted to act. Well, he has acted. If he has acted foolishly, please let him down gently. If he is right on the money, I here and now give you my full blessing to pursue happiness with him. Both of you deserve it.

Robin, I do not want you to feel guilty, I had two chances at happiness, and now Ted does too. I love you both. Take care of him, and see you on the other side.

Love,

Tracy

Robin wiped the tears from her eyes, and looked up at Ted, who looked at her with expectation. "Ted, you married a good woman."

"I did. You ok?"

"Yeah. That was honestly my biggest worry. What would she think? And now that I know how she feels, I'm ready for this. I'm ready for you." And she kissed him again.

December 2030

Robin glanced at her phone to check the time. She had gotten to the restaurant early, and was anxiously awaiting Ted's arrival. She had big news to share, and was nervously tapping her heel, waiting.

Ted walked in and looked at Robin, smiling. He came up behind her and kissed her gently on top of the head. "Hey, beautiful."

Robin looked around and smiled, then stood up and kissed him properly. "Hey yourself. Let's eat, I'm starving." They both ordered and as they were sipping their wine, Robin cleared her throat. "I have some big news, Ted."

"Please tell me you aren't going on assignment again. I was worried sick last time."

She smiled, "No, nothing like that. Actually, I walked in and handed them my resignation today."

The look of pure shock that shone on Ted's face was something that Robin would cherish for many years. "You did what?"

"I resigned."

"Not that I don't support whatever decisions you make about your career, but why?", Ted asked.

"Well, I'm 50 years old, Ted. I've been a journalist for 28 years. I've traveled the world many times over. Now, I want to explore something new. And to that end, I have a second announcement." Ted motioned for her to continue, clearly at a loss for words. "I've been recruited to be Vice President of Marketing for American Airlines. Based here at the JFK hub. And, I've accepted."

Ted's smile could have lit a thousand miles of runway. "Oh, Robin. That's so awesome. That means…"

"It means I'll be here full time. Even more than when I moved to the anchor desk. And if I do have to travel, it won't be to a war zone or anything like that." Her smile matched his own. Their food was delivered, and both ate in peace, happy with the news Robin had shared.

Christmas 2030

It had been two weeks since their dinner, and now it was a bright, snowy Christmas morning. Penny and Luke had already torn through all their gifts, and were now in their bedrooms, putting them away. Ted sipped at his coffee and looked out the front window at the snow covered lawn, smiling as he saw the cab pull up to the curb. He put down the coffee cup, and went to the front door, opening it before Robin could. "Good morning," he greeted with a kiss. "Looks like you have your hands full there."

"I may, or may not, have gone a bit overboard this year. I'm excited to see everyone in one place. It's been awhile since the whole gang has been together."

"Well, you aren't alone." Ted helped her in and motioned to the Christmas tree in the corner, which despite his children's presents already having been opened, was burgeoning with gifts.

Robin laughed and hugged him. "Two peas in a pod, Mosby. Further proof that we belong together," she kissed him again. As she was about to pull away, she felt Ted hold on to her hand.

Ted smiled as she looked at him curiously. "Speaking of that, how about a little more proof?" Robin gasped as Ted got down to one knee. He held out a small box, which contained a ring with three stones in it, one diamond surrounded by two blue sapphires. "Robin Scherbatsky, I can't wait for this any longer. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Tears filled Robin's eyes as she uttered the word that would change both of their lives forever. "Yes."

HIMYM

They immediately told Penny and Luke, who were beyond thrilled at the prospect of having Aunt Robin as their step-mother. They then agreed to wait until everyone was there to do the big reveal all at once. Ted continued working on the lunch he was making for everyone, while Robin tidied the living room to prepare for the guests. She had put her new ring in her pocket, but reached in every few seconds to make sure it was real, that she really was marrying Ted Mosby. She smiled as she touched it again. She was startled out of her reverie by a knock at the door. "I'll get it!" She opened the door to find Barney, Quinn, Ellie and Ben. "Hey, guys, come on in. The tree is in the living room, Penny and Luke are upstairs, and Ted is in the kitchen." She ushered them into the living room as Ellie and Ben took off in search of their cousins.

Ted came into the room and hugged Barney and Quinn. "Hey guys. Have a seat. We're having ham. It'll be ready in about twenty minutes." He looked over at his fiancee, and smiled. "How are you guys?"

Barney looked at his wife of two years and smiled. "It's been awesome, to tell you the truth. We just fit, you know? And it gets better every day." He gave Quinn a quick kiss, and finished with "plus, the sex is awesome!"

Quinn gave him a quick jab in the shoulder, but smiled all the same."True, but you don't have to broadcast it."

"Believe me, that was tame compared to old Barney," Ted laughed. Another knock interrupted their conversation. Ted crossed over to the door, and guided the Eriksen clan into the living room.

"Marvin, honey, why don't you go and get your cousins and bring them down for lunch. It smells like its almost ready." Lily then looked to her two younger children. "And you two, go wash up." Daisy and Little Ted grumbled as they made it over to the washroom.

Ted turned to the thundering hoard coming down the stairs and told them to all wash up as well. "And as soon as you're done, head into the dining room!"

HIMYM

After the large lunch feast, and all the gifts had been given, the three couples and Marvin retired to Ted's study; Luke, Little Ted, and Ben had gone to Luke's room to play video games, and Penny, Daisy, and Ellie were in her room, discussing boys and the latest in fashion.

Ted took a pull of the cold beer in his hand, and looked at all his friends gathered, and smiled. He looked down to Robin and winked at her, cueing her to put her ring back on. They were ready. "Guys, we have an announcement." All eyes looked to Ted in anticipation. "We're engaged." The room erupted in noise as everyone rushed to congratulate the newly engaged couple.

Marshall looked at Ted over the crying mass of women, and smiled. "Congrats buddy."

Ted smiled back at him, pulled Robin tightly to him, and said, "Thanks for pushing me."