Dislclaimer: "In a world where HIMYM is owned by Craig Thomas, Carter Bays, and CBS, one fanfic writer will dare to..." *rewind noise* "Oops, sorry, wrong story. This fanfic writer acknowledges that the characters/situations/settings of HIMYM belong to the aforementioned people/associations."

A/N: Tick Tick Tick just crushed my little shipper heart. If any of you out there are also fans of Bones, you'll know what I mean when I say that this episode's conclusion reminded me a bit of 05x16: The Parts in the Sum of the Whole. I can see how Kevin's words would be seductive to Robin; he promises that if she stays with him long enough, she'll learn to see herself the way he sees her: as someone intelligent, incredible, and worthy of love. That doesn't mean that I like her decision, though. I don't actually see Robin as being quite as self-reflective as I've written her in this ficlet, but on a subconscious level, perhaps this is part of her reasoning.

Really, on the surface of things, Kevin's declaration should be scarier to a self-described commitmentaphobe. He says that he loves her, refers to a shared future. That's some pretty scary stuff right there.

Barney, in contrast, says that she's almost as messed-up as he is. Which really shouldn't be scary at all. No expectations, right?

Only here's the thing: she likes Kevin. Hell, she likes him a lot. He's sweet and funny and smart and good-looking. (He's safe.) But she doesn't love him the way she loves Barney. If her feelings for Kevin are a candle, then her feelings for Barney are a forest fire. She can't contain them, can't control them. If Kevin does something stupid, it will hurt her, sure, but it won't destroy her. If she and Barney didn't work out again, she'd be more than just a wreck… she'd be done. (If she and Barney did work out, she'd be done too. (Just in a different way.))

When she's with Kevin, she knows where she stands. When she's with Barney, the ground beneath her feet turns to shifting quicksand.

Kevin implies that she can be a better person, while Barney implies that he likes her just as she is. (It's like that stupid girly movie that Lily made her watch. (Only in the movie, the guy who said that he liked the girl 'just the way she was' got fucked instead of fucked over.)) Kevin makes her feel like she can be a better person. When she's with Barney, she forgets that she should be one.

And that's the problem: she's screwed-up. Really, really screwed-up. She doesn't need a mental health expert to tell her that (although it doesn't hurt that her personal mental health expert – Kevin – doesn't). Daddy issues aside, she's a big freakin' mess. Why in God's name would anyone want to be with her?

She's a horrible girlfriend; she always screws up her relationships. It's probably better that Barney find someone who's less screwed-up than her, someone who won't hurt him again and again. Two wrongs don't make a right and two screwed-up people don't make for a healthy relationship. (Didn't their last go at a relationship prove that?)

So she stays with Kevin. Really, it's the best thing for everyone.

(Maybe if she repeats that enough times, her traitorous heart will finally agree with her.)