Merry Christmas everyone!
I know this is a bit early but enjoy this one shot.
After the divorce Robin is trying to move on but with Christmas right around the corner she can't stop thinking about Barney and what had happened between them just a year ago. After Lily invites Robin to the gangs annual Christmas tradition will Robin decide to go home or will she stay away from her friends and her ex husband.
"You're really not coming home for Christmas?" It has been a year since Robin and Lily talked, with everything that has happened with her and Barney and her and the gang in the last year things are more complicated for Robin this Christmas. Alone away from her family in New York traveling for work became lonely, lonelier than she ever imagined being before. But, she can't face seeing her happy friends who have it all together and her losing the one thing that made her happy.
After the divorce took Robin stayed away from New York, away from Lily, away from her friends who have become family to her and away from Barney who she hasn't spoken to for six months. Stationed in Europe this time after a stay in Mexico brought some new adventures to her life but that didn't make her forget her friends back at home and her ex husband doing God knows what to probably anything in a skirt that winks his way. Damnit, she has to stop thinking about him.
"No, I'm sorry it's just with work being hectic right now I won't be able to come this year." Robin hates how her life is right now, she thought after marrying Barney she would find that settled place she thought she could have by having him back and being with him forever. But, now that all went away and with it came any logical choice she's made in the past two years.
The struggles that her job put on her marriage was something she couldn't control. It caused her and Barney to drift apart even when they were together in the same country. When they were in another place together Robin put her job before her marriage and Barney as much as it killed their relationship and killed his heart he had to let her go and she had to let him go because she saw how much he was hurting by constantly working and never having anytime for him.
"Robin..." Lily paused trying to not push too much cause she knows how hard it was for Robin to end her marriage but she has to ask. "I don't want to pry to much here but is work really the thing keeping you from coming next week? I know things are bust with your job but is there more to your reasons why you aren't coming to our annual Christmas get-together?" Robin sighed almost on the edge of bursting into tears that seemed to be the things keeping her from falling apart.
After the divorce, Robin moved out only a month later after she returned from Argentina it killed her to leave her home, the place she thought she'd live in forever because she believed her marriage would last forever but it didn't. She moved out then tried to find another place to go which was back to Canada because she couldn't be near Barney and the friends who are starting new lives together and having new adventures. So, she went back home as she dedicated her life to her work in order to forget everything that's happened to her in the past year. She is now in Europe, where she remains for another month working. But now all she can think about is how she messed up by letting Barney go again after everything they went through to be together.
"No, it isn't just that I have to work it's a lot more than work Lily. I let go of something that made me happy and I regret let it go because I'm so alone here." Robin tried to keep it together and not cry over the phone but Lily can hear it in her voice how unhappy and regretful Robin is letting Barney go.
"Then come on sweetie, we all miss you and Barney..." Lily's seen how unhappy Barney has been since the divorce, she's seen him literally breakdown in front of her which makes her more worried for her friends happiness than she should be. "Barney is miserable Robin, I've seen him just two days ago. We ran into each other at a coffee shop downtown. Before that we haven't seen each other in a while but as we talked he told me that he's lonely and he misses you. Come on Robin, work things out with him because I know my friends. You were so happy once, twice. You two belong together so come home and be with the man you love and stop putting your career before your love for the love of your life. When I left Marshall to follow my dream in the art world I regretted it the moment I left the apartment and I know you regret the divorce. You and Barney can't keep being miserable so do the right thing, come home, work it out with Barney and be together because I know you both love each other." Lily's right, she's always right and Robin knows she's right even though it always annoyed her. She loves Barney, she never should've asked for that divorce. She needs him more than she thought so she is going to go next week and surprise him.
"Okay, I will come home but Lily please don't tell Barney I want to surprise him and apologize for being so stupid and letting the only happiness I've known go again." Lily was practically shouting through the phone with a 'woooooooo" it took a few seconds for Robin to calm her down.
"I won't tell him or anyone but promise me you two will work things out." Lily knows her friends, they have always loved each other enough to know that the love they share never goes away.
"I will try." They hang up and Robin calls her boss to tell him she needs to go home telling him that she can't travel anymore because she wants to work things out with her husband. Ex husband but it feels to her that, that isn't true at least not in her heart and what she knows is her happiness.
Robin stands nervously at the door she once called her home for those three short years of marriage. She hopes that Barney is there so she can tell him everything she needs to say. Everything she didn't say before they went their separate ways in hopes that he will forgive her and take her back. She knocks once loudly enough for him to hear her, as she stands outside the door she sees Barney's shadow through the door frame. She's a nervous wreck but she tries to stay calm and collective to talk to him.
"Robin?" Barney asks as a question knowing that Robin wasn't coming back to New York for another month. He's glad to see her but is shocked that she actually came back to New York.
"Hi." This is a word she's said before it's the word that makes her feel at ease and relaxed although she was nervous as she said this. "Barney, I know this is a shock to see me but can we talk?" She asks hoping Barney will listen to her.
"Um, sure." He steps aside to let Robin inside the apartment she once shared with him. God, he's missed her, he didn't want to admit it until she was standing in front of him but now that she actually is he doesn't know what to say so he let her do most of the talking.
"I'm so sorry about everything that happened between us I haven't been happy being alone traveling. I've been lonely, sad and regretting the divorce. I still love you, so I'm here to ask you to forgive me for everything that happened between us and maybe we can work things out. I've missed you and I need you to understand that I really am sorry for hurting you the way I did." This past year has been the most painful year of his life, the fact that Robin is here telling him she still loves him and wants to work things out means the world to him but there's one thing he needs to ask.
"If we try to work things out what happens to your job?" Robin had taken a new position at WWN before jumping on a plane to come back to New York.
"I took a new job but still with World Wide News. I told them about us and that I want to try to work things out with you but I can't travel anymore. My boss was a bit iffy on this but came through for me. He asked me to co-produce the nightly news at World Wide News. He was okay with me stepping down from doing the correspondence job and I told him I just couldn't do it anymore. So, I came back here to ask you to take me back, I know I hurt you and I hurt myself by hurting you but I love you and want to try working on our relationship." Robin could see he's a bit unsure about this but she tries to tell him that working isn't more important anymore.
She places a hand on his leg as they sat on the very couch they have sat on for years and even had sex on it more times than they can count hoping he'll be okay with this.
"Please, say something." Barney's still unsure about this because he doesn't want to hold her back from achieving her dreams.
"I don't want to be that guy, the guy who holds a woman back from doing what they always wanted to do it's why I accepted albeit by taking sometime to really accept it. But, if we try again I don't want something like what happened to come between us. I just can't lose you again, I've tried to let things go, let you go many times but I never could completely wipe you off my mind and it took me a while to accept the divorce..." He pauses looking down at Robin's hand still resting on his knee.
"I've never accepted it Barney I tried but I just couldn't being without you doesn't make my life complete. I need you more than I ever thought I needed anyone before. So, that's why I came home I just can't live my life this way anymore." This made Barney smile for the first time in a year.
"Okay, we'll try to work on our relationship. I've missed you so much it's been hell seeing everyone happy and being alone sucks. It sucks not having you here, it sucked being the lonely guy who thought he was going to be happy for the rest of my life with the woman I've loved for more years than I thought possible. I can't live my life without having you near so I do want to work on us and be together again because I really am lost without you by my side." Robin pulled him in to kiss him after he said this and it lead to what they always did.
"Oh, my God you really are here." Lily screamed jumping up and down when she saw Robin at her door with Barney the next morning.
"I told you I would come." Robin said hugging her friend back.
"So, I'm guessing you two worked things out?" Lily saw her two best friends looking very happy so she has to ask.
"Yes, we are back together and are going to work on our relationship."
"That's great sweetie so glad you're back together."
"Now, let's start cooking I need your help in the kitchen Ted and Tracy will be here soon and Marshall's out with Marvin. I need help making the side dishes for dinner tomorrow."
In the next hours Ted and Tracy arrived, Marshall returned and then they all gathered for their annual Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. Marshall and Ted were shocked to see Robin again and thought she wouldn't come this year since she was not in New York. Barney and Robin were sitting in the corner of the couch for most of the time snuggled up together for part of the time and the other part making out even when they think they're alone and nobody's watching. After a year from hell for both Barney and Robin they are finally back together, happy and hopeful of what's to come for them next.
Robin had bought everyone Christmas gifts including for Marvin, Daisy and the Mosby baby to be. And, finally the gang is whole again for the first Christmas since Robin left the group.