23(Author's Note: an unpopular opinion here, I think the finale made a lot of sense. The only thing wrong with it is how they sped the whole story in just two episodes, while the first 22 episodes of the ninth season were absolute drag. This is what happened during those two last episodes, according to Robin Scherbatsky. I love Robin Scherbatsky.)
(Disclaimer: not mine, obviously.)
Chapter 1. Goodbye
Manila, April 2016
Robin Scherbatsky walked briskly to the tall building of World Wide News newest quarter in South-East Asia. Her right hand held a plastic cup full of lukewarm coffee while her other hand was busy swiping the screen of her phone slash organizer. She had quite a jam-packed schedule today—interview with UN leader was one of them—but nothing she could handle, really. She was, after all, the face of one of the biggest news office in the world.
She pushed the glass door with her shoulder and was greeted by Larry the door keeper.
"Good morning, Miss Scherbatsky!"
"Please, Larry, you can call me Robin." She flashed a polite smile then continued into the elevator. Sipping her coffee, she waited.
Ding!
"Morning, Scherbatsky!"
"Nice shoes, Robin!"
"G'morning, Scherbs! Big day, eh?"
Robin replied each greeting with polite smile or acknowledging nod, though she actually hated that nickname. But, as far as she concerned, there was nothing unusual in this particular morning.
She was just putting her coffe on the table when a co-worker walked in her office.
"Hey, Scherbs, this came in the mail yesterday," said Holly, handing her a rather large brown envelope.
"Call me that again, Holly, and I'll steal your Harry Potter scarves," replied Robin, putting a dead-pan expression. Holly laughed and walked out.
Robin looked at the brown envelope in her hands, flipping it over to see the name of the sender. Her eyes widened as she read the name on the back.
'Barney Stinson, New York, USA.'
It was their divorce papers.
The bar was very busy that night. Young people mingled on the floor, dancing and flirting with each other. Robin watched them with little interest from the corner booth, nursing her third glass of scotch for the night.
She didn't know what she was doing in that place. All she knew was she didn't want to sit alone in the hotel room, not with her emotions going frenzy like this. So she went to the closest bar, although she ended up sitting alone anyway. At least she knew better to not cry at a public place like this.
Earlier this year, she and Barney had agreed to end their relationship. To this day, she still wasn't sure what brought them to this place. The first year of their marriage was amazing. She and Barney fitted like puzzles, everything was perfect in their little home. Then, she started getting assignments outside New York. She loved her job and had wanted to travel around the world. Her first mistake was believing that Barney loved it too. It turned out Barney wasn't much of a traveler. So, as she spent less and less time beside her husband, their hearts grew more and more apart.
The trip to Argentina was the last straw. They decided to split up. A week after that, she moved out of the apartment, taking a three-month job in Philipinnes. She hadn't heard from Barney until today, when he sent out their divorce papers.
She didn't know why she felt like crying when the papers arrived. It was a mutual decision from both of them from the start—signing the papers was just legalizing it. Still, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
She stroke her wedding ring absent-mindedly. Even after three months, she was still wearing it. Maybe a part of her didn't want to let go of him, maybe a part of her was still clinging to him. She had never felt more confused. A single drop of tear rolled down her cheek.
"Robin? Robin Scherbatsky?"
She looked up. Someone was standing in front of her. She quickly wiped her eyes.
"Patrice? What are you doing here?"
"I'm visiting a family here. What are you doing? Oh wait, sorry, you're the face of WWN now. You're everywhere!" Patrice laughed warmly.
And then, suddenly, the dam broke. Once Robin started to cry, it became uncontrollable. Maybe it was just her emotions, or maybe it was seeing someone from her past. She wasn't sure.
"Hey, hey, what happened?" Patrice quickly took a seat in front of her, taking Robin's hand. When Robin didn't answer, she pulled her into a hug. "There, there... It's okay. Just let it out, okay?"
Five minutes later, as the tears subsided, Robin pulled away and wiped her face, feeling embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, Patrice. It's been a long day."
Patrice smiled and offered her a handkerchief. "It's fine. You can talk to me if you want."
Robin just stared at Patrice. Sometimes she wondered how Patrice can be so nice to her, when all she does was screaming at her for no apparent reason.
"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Patrice.
Robin was never good with talking about emotions, but maybe this is the only way to let it out of her system, healthily. The other option was getting drunk like crazy—totally not a healthy one. Besides, she did consult with Patrice about her marriage once, that one time over the radio.
She nodded and took a deep breath. And she talked. Patrice listened patiently, not interrupting her until she finished.
"I don't know, Patrice. I did love him. I still do. But this isn't working anymore," finished Robin.
"Robin, when you were together, was he happy?" asked Patrice
Robin opened her mouth, then closed it again. She knew the answer—he already answered this question three months ago.
"No, he was not."
"What about you? Were you happy?" asked Patrice.
"If I'm being honest..." her voice trailed, she couldn't bring herself to admit it.
"When he married you, he promised to never lie to you, didn't he?" asked Patrice again. This time, Robin just nodded.
"Well, isn't it time that you start being honest to yourself, too?"
Robin was silent.
"I think you already know the answer, Robin," said Patrice, squeezing her hand lightly. And with that, she left.
Robin stared at her wedding ring once more. She remembered Barney's eyes everytime she told him she had to go abroad. She remembered seeing pain. She remembered feeling pain.
She loved him. She still does, but they couldn't live in a lie anymore. It's time to remove the ring. It's time to let go.
(Author's Note again: so this is my second attempt in multi-chaptered story. The first one totally blew. You can help me not blow this one too by cheering on me. Just review, okay? Haha)