Chapter Text
Barney:
Hey my wingman. I have to leave you hanging. I'm sorry about that. But at least you still have Ted. All my wingman warnings still stand. Don't get hung up on how a person on the outside. They may look geeky – but that in no way means that they won't be a good lay. Sometimes the more geeky a person is – is the better lover they all. Remember the geeks do read a lot.
I'm sorry Barney.
What more or else can I say but that I'm sorry.
Barney turned the paper around – then around – then around – then around. "This couldn't be all she has left to say too me. My God she didn't even sign her name." His eyes shone with unshed tears. The rest of the letter must be in someone else's envelope.
His mind whirled on which envelope it had to be in. He fully knew that both Ted and Marshall read their letters. If his letter was in their envelope they would have brought it over. So it had to be in Lily's. Now the question was now; has Lily read her letter yet?
His jaw clenched and knew full well that was not the case. Lily was still in a angry state. If she had read Robin's last words to her – than she would have broken down – and tried to move on. So the letter was still in Lily's sealed envelope.
Now the question at the moment is; should he demand Lily's envelope, explaining of course that the rest of his letter was inside. Oh can he live and wait until Lily is ready to read her letter.
"This is so not awesome." He sighed as he put the not even half of a freaking letter on the coffee table. "She'll be back." He said putting a chipper smile back on his lips. "I won't have to deal with the rest of the letter – because she'll be back."
He stood to his feet and walked away from his couch. He had to get ready. He had some ladies whom needed the Barney master to teach them the way of some hot sex. Yeah that's what he was going to do. Get back out there and get laid by as many women as he could.
After all he had the top two hundred list to work on. He was only seventy women down. The three women whom he had yesterday helped shorten the list. But not enough. He had much, much more work to be done.
MACLERNS'S
"Hello baby." Barney leaned into the slender hot little number whom caught his eye the moment he walked in. "How about you and I get out of here. Go someplace so I can so you a real fine time."
"Get away from my wife, buddy." A hand firmly wrapped around his left arm.
Turning his head and glaring into the angry eyes of a tall and buff blond man. Standing straight again he yanked his arm out. "Look no offense to you, man, but I need to borrow your wife for a few minutes. I have a personal quarto that I need to fill tonight."
The man shoved his chest. "Stay away from my wife."
"Hey, like I said I have a quarto to fill. I just need to pull your wife into a dark corner – it won't take more than ten minutes tops." Looking down at the sexy number, "Twenty if she plays her cards right." That was the last thing he knew.
Everything went black.
Slowly he twisted his head as he tried to remember how much he had to drink. He didn't remember taking the first drink of the day yet. But he must have. He had to try to stop the ringing and throbbing in his head to try to figure out how much he had to drink.
"Are you awake." A male voice asked with a sigh.
"Yeah." Barney moaned as he blinked his eyes open. "You aren't the voice I expected to hear. I thought I got laid by a woman." A grin spread across his lips, "But even with a male, I'm still awesome."
Ted just simply shook his head and stood to his feet. He had been sitting across from the cot in store room, waiting for Barney to waken from the whooping that he had received from the weight lefter. "Time to go. Carl and Wendy want to close. They can't with you still here."
Barney swung his legs around the end of the cot. His right hand raised to his forehead, "Shit-" He moaned as he felt the bump. Everything came back. Looking up to meet Ted's steady dark eyes. "So I didn't get drunk and passed out huh." His hand rubbed his hair as he went for his neck. "Well next time I see that hot number – and her husband; I'll apologize."
"They will not return." Ted said. "The husband has firmly stated that if you even think of going near his wife again; he'll have you arrested for attempted rape." His jaw clenched and hands shoved in his jeans. "He'll make them stick, Barn. I won't be able to fix it."
Barney stood to his feet, his fists balled at the sides. "I am not asking you to fix this, Ted, I don't need you to fix me." Fire shot out his eyes. "I'm just fine. I made a major mistake is all. I didn't take time to see if there was a ring on her finger is all." Shaking his head, "I don't nail married women. At least I don't nail them if I know they are married before hand."
"You need to slow down Barney." Ted quietly said. "How many women have you bedded since R -"
"Don't you dare say her name." Barney growled deep in his throat.
"How many women have you nailed in the past three weeks?" Ted said in stead.
Barney's mind went into a whirlwind. A slow pleased grin came. "I'm so awesome." He did a dance move with his fists out. "I'm a god. I'm so going to be next head of the playboy mansion. Hell I don't need the official mansion – I can start one myself." Snapping his fingers suddenly, "New York was just waiting for Barney Stinson to arrive so she can have her very own playboy mansion."
"You been protecting yourself and your conquests?" Ted wrapped his arms across his chest – a steady look on his lean frowning face. "I shouldn't call them conquests. I should call them what they are – women."
Barney blinked. "I haven't gotten any woman pregnant – nor do I plan too. I haven't passed along any STD's – and I haven't received any. " He was beginning to bringing brought back to earth.
"When was the last time you tested!" Ted didn't even question it. He pretty much all ready knew the answer.
"Two months ago." Barney said with a shrug.
"Before we go home, we'll go to the clinic." Ted said walking past his friend, and grabbing his arm. "You'll be tested for every thing." Walking into the empty bar, "I mean everything." He nodded to Carl and Wendy as they stood up from the table they had been sitting at.
Barney silently allowed his best friend to lead him from the bar. He wasn't going to fight Ted. Once Ted got into this mode – there was no stopping or even fighting him. Sides he knew that Ted was right – he should be tested. It's been quite a while and a lot of women since his last test.
TED'S APARTMENT
His eyes caught the folder that Marshall had brought over. Perhaps his suspicion was wrong. Perhaps the rest of the letter wasn't in another envelope. But perhaps still in the folder. Seeing how Ted was forcing him to stay in the spare bedroom for the rest of the night. He'll check out his hunch.
But he didn't want to be obvious about it. He didn't want Ted or anyone to suspect that he truly did care about what Robin had to say to him. "How about a beer before I turn in." His lip went up in a half smirk.
"If you want to check out the folder, do so." Ted said with a sigh. He hadn't missed Barney's eyes glued to the folder the moment they walked into his apartment. He fully knew what Barney was after. He had found the remaining of Barney's letter in the folder. He hadn't read it – as soon as he spotted Barney's name in the center – he knew it was the rest of Barney's letter.
He kept a firm eye on Barney's as the other man was working through his out playing emotions. He just waited patiently for Barney to finally allow his emotions to come out. But Barney managed to fight them back once more – he put on a flibbertigibbet air about himself once more.
"Want to see some magic." Barney grinned as he bounced on his feet.
"No." Ted sighed. "Look I am going to bed." Walking past the table where he had placed the folder earlier that day – in hopes that Barney would stop by. "I mean what I said, Barney, you are to remain here until you get at least eight hours of much needed sleep." Stopping and turning. "I haven't read the letter, I left it alone." With that he walked towards his bedroom.
Barney sighed and eyed the folder. He was weary over that one single thing that was keeping a world of hurt from him. Licking his lips and hands shaking he moved to the table. To the folder.
Opening it he looked inside and found the rest of his letter. He picked it up and moved around to the couch. His eyes not taking any words that were written in Robin's bold handwriting. Slowly the letter came into focus.
Barney:
I knew that you would come back for more. That was why I only left the beginning of what I truly wanted my last words to be so short. That's why I didn't sign my name or leave any clues on where to find the rest of the letter.
I knew that you would be running away yourself, Barn. From your emotions and your friends. I knew that I am disappointing you by my running away. I knew that you would be shoving your emotions deep withing yourself, and off to finish that two hundred list of yours in one last sweep.
How did it go? Have you reached your goal by the time you found this letter?
I wonder still here, where am I on that list? Did I even made the list at all? Did you count our one time as a mistake – or as a conquest. Truth to be told – I counted our night as a friend comforting another friend. I didn't even think of thinking of you as a conquest.
Go figure.
I always assumed that I would count you as my biggest conquest as yet. Being able to be banged by the awesome and amazing Barney Stinson – what a coup. I always knew you would be one amazing and invented lover. I could tell by all the bragging and moving around you have done.
But I knew that you would be a lover that would crater to my needs along with yours. So that's why I waited to bang you. I could have had you several times when Ted was trying to get me convinced to date him. I hadn't slept with Ted yet – so Ted would have just been hurt.
Ted being hurt. That's what truly stopped me. I was too damn invested in Ted by the time I worked up the courage to seek you out. I cared too much for Ted and his friendship with you – that I knew that I couldn't bang you yet. I had to make sure I didn't hurt your friendship with Ted.
Why did I end up at your apartment when I lost my job and my home. Because I needed a friend to comfort me – and to cheer me up. If I went to Ted he would just try to fix the situation. I didn't want the current situation fixed right than and then. I wanted a chance to wallow in my misery for a little while.
I had no intention of sleeping with you that night. Honest I didn't. I just needed your brand of humor to cheer me up. But than when the heat happened – I couldn't stop it. I didn't want to stop it. I needed you that night. Not the overconfident and over sexed Barney. I needed the real Barney. My Barney. I had him.
That's when I knew it was time to leave New York and you all for good. I knew that it became to real and too scary for me to survive any longer. So I turned and ran. That's what I do best, Barney. I run away from what scares the hell out of me.
Having true and ever lasting friends scare me. Having unconditional love scares me. Being dependent on another person scares the hell out of me.
I'm not strong – not like you Barn. You have managed to hide your feelings and emotions deep in your soul. You have managed to put up a face to meet the world in. You never slip. Expect for that one time with me. But you quickly managed to get yourself back under control.
I couldn't. I managed to hide it behind everything that I learned from an early age. Hide my feelings and emotions. But I became a dead weight. I knew you all knew it too. I lasted for a few months after our time together – than I knew it was time to move on.
Please Barney, don't follow my lead. Don't leave the group. Ever. Count on them to be your support system. All them to be your family. Allow them to be your unconditional love.
Be braver and stronger than I ever will be.
~ Robin
He looked up from reading the blurry letter. "She's not coming back. She's gone." He said as the truth hit him full in the soul.
END CHAPTER FOUR