DISCLAIMER: Unfortunately, I do not own these beautiful people, I just mould them to my needs.
It's power that kept him there all those times before, working for a soulless company that would happily fire a low-level employee for making a small mistake, rather than actually try mould them into someone who could actually be a worthwile asset to them.
Barney Stinson had fired many of those low-level employees in his time at GNB, most of the time without even batting an eyelid. Yet he'd always told himself that no matter what it came down to, he'd never be able to fire Marshall because Marshall was his bro and plus, Lily would probably kill him. He knew he probably should've taken his job a little more seriously than that, considering Marshall wasn't the one who wrote his paycheck, but he needed his friends because without them he was nothing.
Without them he was just another soulless GNB employee, spending his evenings alone with Scotch and loose women. And although there was nothing wrong with that, he liked who he had become. He liked that he had people he could turn to if he ever needed them; not that he would, he was too awesome for that.
So as soon as Arthur had spoken the words 'Stinson, Erikson needs to go', Barney knew he was in trouble.
If it were anyone else who demanded that of him, he would've contested it immediately. He would've said: "Hey! Marshall Erikson is one of the best damn lawyers in that legal department, and you'd be sorry to let him go!" But this was 'Artillery Arthur' and nobody stood up to 'Artillery Arthur' in that way without suffering consequences.
The consequences for a low-level employee like Marshall would've been getting fired. The same stood for Barney, but with a few added extras.
Given the sheer amount of information GNB had trusted him with - including, but not limited to liaisons with North Korea and other such things - he knew for a fact that he wouldn't just be allowed to walk out of there with a pink slip. He'd even once joked that he'd 'one day wash up on shore with no teeth or fingerprints'. His friends had laughed it off and he'd laughed with them, but under the surface he knew there was more than an inch of truth to it.
The really horrible part, was that he knew that if he didn't fire Marshall, there was no way he'd be getting out of his situation alive.
It may have sounded over-dramatic but GNB really were an evil corporation. Yes, Ted joked about it a hell of a lot and Barney was quick to tell him otherwise because whilst it usually wouldn't have bothered him personally, he didn't want his best friend to know that his life was potentially in danger.
The door to his office had been locked for most of the day, with the blinds drawn so that no-one could look in on him. He'd been pacing mostly, tapping one finger against his lips silently as he thought things over.
He had a plan, of course he did. He'd come up with a get-out clause just in case this sort of situation happened, plus deep down he'd always known that he wasn't going to be at GNB forever. Whilst it was a high-paying job and the perks were amazing, he wasn't a bad guy...Not really. Sure, he liked to play up to it at times, coming up with ingenious schemes to fool women into sleeping with him, but that wasn't who he really was under the surface. The only time he'd really touched on that other side of him was when he was with Robin.
Robin...
Would she miss him? Damn, he hoped so...With every fibre of his being. If he was honest with himself, he'd never really stopped loving her. Not even though he'd gotten fat and she'd lost all sense of personal hygeine, because there was no denying that they had been good together at first. And the sex? The sex was sheer amazing.
He moved over to his desk, pulling open the top drawer in a determined manner. He was glad it was only the lower-level employees that were submitted to random office checks because if they had found the gun sitting in the drawer, there would definitely be some very serious questions asked.
He took out the firearm, weighing it in his hands for a moment, before setting it down on the desk. It was imposing. It looked out of place among all the papers and files littered everywhere. Normally he kept a neat desk but he'd had too much on his mind to even bother to try and make some order out of the chaos.
It was the coward's way out, but he didn't care. It seemed a much better alternative than washing up on a desert island somewhere with no clue who or where he was.
He wouldn't tell his friends or his family what he was going to do. He'd leave them no note explaining what he'd done. As far as they would be concerned, Barney Stinson had disappeared, with only GNB knowing his true fate.
He glanced over to the door. Was it still locked? Had he even remembered to do so in the first place? Of course he had. He was just being paranoid.
He picked up the gun for a second time, experimentally cocking back the hammer. One bullet in the chamber. There could be no messing it up. Quick and easy was what he wanted.
He raised the gun, placing the barrel against his temple.
Moment of truth.
He swallowed heavily, pulse quickening, palms beginning to sweat. He had to do this, he needed to do this...Oh God, he coul-
He caught himself off-guard by pulling the trigger mid-thought.
His body crumpled, the gun dropping from his hand and hitting the floor at the same time he did. He thought death would've been instant but there were a few seconds where he was laying on the rough carpet, pain rocketing through his skull, blaring at him like a million angry sirens, his blood pooling underneath his face and causing the vision in one of his eyes to turn red, where his thoughts were the only thing he could concentrate on.
She was the last thing to flash into his mind. Her soft, brown hair, the way her lips curled around a cigar in an almost suggestive manner, her amazing ability to pick out a class Scotch for him.
And as Barney Stinson died, he smiled.
He smiled because she was the best last thought he could ever have hoped for.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I don't even know where any of this came from, but I now know it's probably impossible for me to be happy writing fluff!fics.