"You know what's awesome?"

Robin Scherbatsky rolled her eyes as she considered the numerous answers to the question her friend had just proposed. Last week, he had told a self-professed story of his own awesomeness when he had picked up a redhead from Kansas by claiming to be a survivor in that emergency plane landing on the Hudson a few weeks back. A few days later, he had bragged about the number of hits on his blog after some teenager on Long Island hacked into his site and redirected the page to the Sesame Street homepage. She could still remember a couple months ago when he had told their close-knit group the infamous tale of the twin candy stripers he had picked up while "volunteering" as a reader for the children's hospital. Her favorite story in recent months centered upon his exploits at Ted's almost-wedding to Stella. The events of that night were enough to distance her from any residual feelings she'd had left over after their only night together.

After sighing deeply and taking a long drawl of her pale ale, Robin turned to Barney and managed an amused smile. "Let me guess," she retorted. "You managed to successfully get a bingo within the first week of February, and you didn't have to even rely on the free square. We all saw you scamming on that NYU student here last night. I still can't believe she bought you as a dean of students."

Barney grinned cockily before shaking his head. Even he had been impressed with his actions last night. He had been on his best game, and the petite brunette prelaw major from Hayden Hall had bought his story hook, line and sinker. He'd been more creative in his pursuits lately, finding himself bored as he hit on whatever random women happened to be at MacLaren's that particular night. It always felt like more of the same with the girls he hit on. They were vapid and shallow, pretty but uninteresting and often left him remembering very little about them after he had managed to escape their beds later that night. He knew what his problem was, but he still wasn't willing to admit it to himself.

The only people that knew his secret was Lily and maybe Ted, but neither of them had say a word to him about it since Ted and Robin stopped hooking up. Barney was still feeling the ramifications of their brief friends-with-benefits situation as he continued to pay off his massive credit card bill for all those televisions he had smashed. Robin had completely missed the situation, oblivious to the conversation he had tried to have with her before they'd gone out that fateful night for tacos. Since then, he would spend hours in that intimate booth with her and the others, waiting to find a girl until last call neared and he knew Robin would be heading back upstairs with his best friend.

"Not quite, but that is a very astute guess, Scherbatsky," he complimented her as he held up his hand. "Genius five!"

While Robin seriously doubted that her cynical guess about Barney's latest pursuit of legendary awesomeness, she entertained him for the time being and slapped her palm against his. She couldn't help but giggle at his self-satisfied smile as he considered his own wittiness. It was times like these that his overly confident visage was so thick that she couldn't see the sensitive and gentle man she knew was beneath. However, when those rare glimpses came shining through and she got to see that part of the real Barney, she knew that whatever she had to put up to have it was completely worth it.

"Well, then entertain me with your alleged awesomeness," she implored, feigning desperation. Barney grinned at her wryly as he bumped his shoulder to hers. The others still hadn't arrived to the bar, but they were still sitting on the same side of the booth. They had found themselves doing that a lot lately, content to be side by side until Ted or Lily or Marshall showed up. "C'mon, Barn, what is so awesome?"

His eyes sought out hers as he leaned back against the booth. "Robin Scherbatsky."

Of all the things she had expected to come out of his mouth, her name was probably one of the last. There were any number of things Barney found awesome on any particular night, but the only time he applied that adjective to her was when she showed up with a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue or the perfect cigar fresh off the boat from Havana.

"Me?"

"You," Barney repeated as he slung his arm across the back of the booth. He felt nervous, but it didn't show through his brazen veneer. Even if Robin made him feel like a thirteen-year-old boy waiting to ask his first girl to dance, he managed to pull it off like the experienced player his friends knew him to be. "I've thought so for awhile, but I thought maybe I should tell you. You know, with the holiday coming up and all."

Robin raised her eyebrow in surprise. The bright red hearts and vast display of sappy greeting cards had been reminding her for weeks that she was alone without a Valentine; however, she was shocked that the romantic date had registered on Barney's radar at all. It was enough to make her heart skip a beat, but she wouldn't let him see that. No, if she was going to see where this was going to go, she was going to have to play it cool. Anything else could spook him back into submission, and Robin's frazzled nerves couldn't handle going another night without getting some answers. "What does that mean exactly, Barney?"

"Well, I was thinking," he started, turning his body slightly to meet her lively blue eyes straight on. They were darker than his own but equally as amused about their conversation. "Maybe we could try hanging out that night. It's such an inconvenience to have to go out and find a date for Valentine's Day. The girls always expect too much, wanting unrealistic things like an actual relationship with me. Can you imagine?"

She could see through his ploy immediately. "Women are so ridiculous and clingy sometimes. Why would anyone think that a guy was interested in being with her after spending Valentine's with him?" she shook her head. "So, say we do this then. You get the pleasure of being in my company. What do I get out of it?"

"I was thinking that we could go very old New York – classic and timeless," he offered. He tried to act casual, but he had actually put quite a lot of thought into the Valentine's date he had planned for Robin. He'd even gone to Versace and ordered a new suit just for the occasion. Few women were worthy of a handmade one-of-a-kind Italian suit, but Robin Scherbatsky was one of those women. "Dinner at Tavern on the Green dancing at Swing 46 and drinks at 21."

Growing up in Canada, Robin's childhood had been far from the bright lights of New York. Even though she was an adult by the time she came to the city, she had been enamored with every new experience. The things that most New Yorkers deemed completely touristy were the same things she had wanted to do. The night that Barney had planned fit that exactly, and she knew that he had taken the time and consideration to come up with an evening that would really mean something to her. "Eh, I guess that'll do," she shrugged nonchalantly.

Barney would have been disappointed had he not seen the flicker of excitement flash in her eyes at his suggestion. "Well, I'm glad you approve," he chuckled. "Never knew you were such a tough sell, Scherbatsky."

"I have standards, Stinson," she shot back with a laugh. "So I guess I should suit up then…"

He cocked his head to the side before looking her up and down. Robin blushed uncharacteristically under his watchful, suggestive gaze. "No suit," he retorted. No matter how hot Robin looked in her power suit, it wasn't right for the occasion. "No, I think this particular night calls for that red dress of yours. You know the one; it's really low in the back."

Robin knew exactly what dress he was talking about and exactly how hot she looked in it. A woman has very few shopping epiphanies in her life, given the bad lighting and unflattering mirrors of most fitting rooms. However, once in a blue moon, the stars align and a woman finds a dress that hits her in all the right places, accentuating her curves and hiding all those flaws that only she notices in the first place. Robin had one of those epiphanies when she tried on that red dress at Stella McCartney.

"I can do that."

"And you have to wear those stilettos you wore last week to that party at Ted's office," he demanded as he stared at her with hooded eyes. Electricity sizzled between them as he moved just a little closer to her in the booth and allowed his hand to drop absently to her thigh. "Believe me, your legs will thank me."

"I can do that, too," she agreed. "You better have a car for me though. Those shoes do not do walking all over the city. Those shoes are all about the aesthetic and nothing about functionality."

He nodded obligingly, silently agreeing to her final demand. "So what are you getting me?"

She laughed as she shook her head. "You get me in the red dress and stilettos," she reminded him. "I know what I look like in the red dress and stilettos. That is your gift." She smiled proudly as she quirked her eyebrows at him suggestively. "Besides, I think that the real question here is what you are getting me."

"I'm giving you the keys to my city," he answered. "I'm giving you a piece of me."

New Yorkers took being from the city very seriously, and Barney was no exception. He saw the city in a certain way through the eyes of a Manhattan veteran with an allegiance to the Rangers and irrational love for the hot dog guy near the Pond at Central Park. He loved his city devoutly and unabashedly, much like he loved the people that mattered to him. He was loyal to those that he loved, and up until now, New York City had been the love of his life. Taking her to these places that mattered to him meant something. He needed her to know that, to know him.

"I can't think of anything I would like more."

For the first time all night, Barney allowed his surprise to show. He couldn't help it. His gentle blue eyes lit up automatically at her heartfelt declaration, touching the part of him he had buried for so long. Not since the death of romanticism when he lost Shannon had he allowed himself to feel even a glimmer of what he felt for Robin. However, he knew that his feelings for the brunette broadcaster went much deeper than they had for his college girlfriend. This was what he thought forever felt like.

The emotional sentimentality of the moment suddenly got too heavy for Barney, and he slipped back into his player façade easily. "Well, it's going to be legen – wait for it…" his voice trailed off as he looked distantly as though he was contemplating how amazing the night was going to be. "Dary." He laughed at himself, just as he often did when he used his favorite catchphrases. "True story."

Robin rolled her eyes at him for the second time that night. "Two catchphrases in one," she considered, tapping her chin in faux interest. "I'm impressed."

"You should be," he assured her. "You are sitting with the Dean of Student Affairs from the prestigious New York University."

Jabbing him sharply in the ribs, she wished not for the first time that he didn't rely on his inane clichés to talk to her. He didn't need them. "Seriously, Barn, I'm glad we're doing this."

All his insecurities faded away as he felt her warm hand seek his out beneath the table. Her fingers wrapped around his and squeezed tightly. "Me too," he retorted genuinely. "Really."

"Hey, Barney?"

"Hmmm?" he asked distractedly, too caught up in how she was biting her bottom lip to pay attention to very much else.

"Want to know what's awesome?"

A wide grin spread across his face as he turned away and laughed. "What's that?"

"You're going to be mine."

"I am?" he tittered nervously.

"Yup," she nodded. "You're going to be my valentine."

He knew that he could make some joke about it if he wanted to, but the way she looked at him made him want to take his chances with her very seriously. "Yes, I am," he agreed. "And you're going to be mine."

"Your valentine?"

Barney shook his head meaningfully as he licked his lips unconsciously. "Nope, just mine," he replied. "You are going to be mine."

All breath left Robin's body as she considered the weight of his words and their suddenly singular meaning. Had they been anywhere other than at their regular bar, Robin would have grabbed him by the lapels and crashed her mouth to his. However, they knew her here, and word would travel back to Lily, Marshall and Ted too quickly. She knew that they would have to find out eventually, but for now, she liked that this was just theirs. It was a secret that only they shared.

"I already am."

Fin.