AN: So, hello to you all! This is my first fanfiction and I really hope you'll read it and tell me what do you think about it. Every advice is appreciated. ;)

V.

Two years had passed since Robin Scherbatsky had stepped on the tarmac of New York for the last time. It was a May's sultry Friday and, after that Barney Stinson , his friend and her ex -boyfriend , was officially engaged to Quinn, she had taken a painful but necessary decision : she had to leave.

She had tried to act as if the thing wasn't causing her heavy pain , but she couldn't lie to herself. Not after she had heard the tears flowing on her face looking at the box full of memories of her relationship with Barney. Yeah, Barney. Who had once again managed to surprise her :

" 622 West, 14th street ," he said , giving her a key. A key that opened a store, where there was what he had jealously kept for years - photos, souvenirs , notes. Everything . And Robin could not stand that situation . She couldn't cry thinking about her ex that he was now in the arms of his new fiancé.

No.

So she took the chance , accepting a position as lead anchor in the biggest Canadian sports channel .

And after three months since her return to the motherland, she met Jake Koczynsky , one of the most famous Canadian journalists of all time. They clicked immediately and they started dating. In addition, it must be said , Jake was really handsome. His big blue eyes mesmerized Robin since their first meeting and the rest was no less : black and short hair ,and aw, his lips that makes you want to kiss them 24/7.

Two years had passed and now Robin was returning to New York. With Jake . And big news . Robin was excited by the idea of seeing her old friends - Ted , Marshall, Lily and why not .. Barney and Quinn. Robin had expressly asked Ted , Marshall and Lily not to give news about Barney and his marriage, at least until she would have been better about the whole situation. The three friends obeyed , despite some vacillation from Lily's part that for a period had done nothing but repeat her friend, "you need to know this thing about Barney and Quinn ". However, Robin didn't want to know , she just wanted to move on. And now, finally, she made it. She was ready to meet Barney and his wife with all the happiness possible.

Robin and Jake arrived at McLaren 's at 9pm.

" Oh, so here is where you lost the best years of your life ", Jake joked , entering in the pub after Robin .

" Ha-ha , really funny . You 're in New York from just few hours, but you're getting annoyingly acid already!", Jake smiled and stroked gently her hair .

The two arrived at the table where Robin used to meet the gang and in fact Lily , Marshall, Ted and Sarah (yes, Ted finally found his soul mate ) were sitting there, waiting for them . Marvin wasn't there, Lily's dad was taking care of him, like the greatest of nannies.

" Hey , finally! " , Lily exclaimed , noticing the arrival of the couple . She ran up to hug Robin. " I missed you so much! "

"Oh, I missed you too! And all of you! " , Robin said , visibly moved .

The following minutes were classics: hugs and kisses and a brief report of their past two years.

" Wow , if I knew that Canadians were so handsome , I would have made that trip to Vancouver that was proposed to me ! " , Sarah said . Ted looked at her menacingly. "Come on,i'm joking , sweetie ! You're better than any handsome hockey player in the world! " she added , smiling . Ted could not resist her smile and kissed her softly.

" Guys, I do not want to sound rude but you have not yet tasted the Gouda that I brought all the way here just for you! ", Marshall intervened a bit offended.

" I told you that it was a bad idea ", Lily replied, resigned .

" Well, actually I would like a piece of Gouda, it looks fabulous ", Jake said , grabbing a piece of cheese and eating it ." Wow , it's awesome! "

" What? The cheese or Marshall's paradise face he's doing right now ? ", Robin asked , jokingly . They all laughed .

" So, Robin , talking about serious things ... what are these great news that you wanted to talk about ? ", Ted asked .

" Oh yeah , then ... hold on tight because it's more than one. First of all , Jake and I decided to come back to live here ".

" WOOOOO! ", Lily exclaimed.

" Lily , indoor woooo! " Marshall intervened .

" Oh, sorry . Woooo ," she said, in a lower voice .

Robin smiled. It was nice to see that her friends had remained the same as they once were. " And the second big new is that ... um .." Robin grabbed Jake's hand. " We're engaged! "

The whole gang shouted for joy and congratulated the couple.

" You deserve it , Robin. I'm really happy for you!" , Ted said , in a sincere way.

" Thanks, Ted ",

" Come on, we want to see that great piece of jewelry that your boyfriend has put into your finger ! " , Sarah said excitedly.

" Um, actually I do not have the engagement ring now."

" Yeah, it was too tight . So, before coming here , we brought to enlarge it ", Jake intervened .

" Oh, well ... then I can't wait to see it! "

" You'll be the first , Sarah ," said Robin , smiling .

Ted 's phone rang.

" No, dude . For the umpteenth time , I'm not going to play strip - laser tag . Because I have a girlfriend who definitely doesn't like it, that's why. No. .. I don't think she wants to come .. unless there are handsome Canadian boys, perhaps " , Ted was still a bit offended by the comments on Jake by Sarah , who raised her arms puffing : " I was joking ! "

Ted hang up after saying goodbye to his interlocutor .

" Still with the strip- laser tag, huh?", Lily asked .

" Yeah . He is going out of control. I'm starting to worry about him ".

" Excuse me, but what is happening? Strip- laser tag ? What the hell? ", Robin intervened , not understanding what it was going on.

" Well, it's Barney ", Lily said .

Of course . It could be no one but him. Laser tag could be his second last name , how he loved it. And Robin liked it, too. That night when they went together to play it, to smoke cigars, having fun. Memories that seemed lost forever and now , slowly, were returning to the surface.

" Yeah, since he broke up with Quinn he's no longer the same. He says he is happy with his single life, but I don't think so", Ted said.

Robin jumped. She heard right ? Barney and Quinn broke up? She was convinced she would see them walking in McLaren 's holding hands by any minute but ... no. They were not together anymore.

" What .. whe .. when Barney and Quinn broke up? " , Robin asked, beginning to feel a strange nervousness walk through her body.

"Five months after their engagement ", Lily said. " That 's what I was trying to say during our conversations via Skype. But you didn't want to listen ".

Robin could hardly breath. And she couldn't understand why. Okay, Barney was single again . Quinn wasn't in the picture anymore. But why? What happened? They seemed so in love. Yeah, in love. Just like her and Jake. And now she was there, sitting next to the man she loved and the friends she loved.

But without an engagement ring. It was too tight for her.

In that pub, she suddenly felt just like that ring : too tight. To breath. To think.