A/N: So... this is my first HIMYM fan-fic. I'm a little late jumping on board with the fandom, but I've fallen in love with many of the Barney/Robin stories that I've read on here thus far. Surprisingly, however, I've found a startling lack of 'Barney has kids from a previous relationship' type stories, and even fewer where Robin actually meets the child. That's how this plot-bunny formed. I actually have a multi-chapter story in mind involving the daughter... but I'll see how this goes over first.
Disclaimer: I own nothing involving HIMYM, including: characters, mentioned plotlines from specific episodes, settings, etc. I do, however, own Aurora Stinson.
Italicized lettering denotes Robin's narration.
Barney never intended for me to meet his daughter. At least, not in the way that I did. In fact, I hadn't even known about her existence until that day. That day, which started out like any other... and ended in a parent's worst nightmare...
"Daddy," Aurora shuffled over to Barney, still dressed in her Doctor Who themed footie-pajamas, black and white spotted teddy-bear tucked under her left arm, "l don't feel too good." As if to emphasize her point, she sniffled and wiped at her nose miserably.
"You don't, huh?" Barney squatted down, watching as she slowly made her way over to him. "What doesn't feel good, babe?"
Once she reached him, she promptly fell into his arms and buried her face into his suit, sniffling again. "My nose is all stuffed-up, and my head hurts. I wanna stay home with Daddy." When she sniffled again, Barney handed her a tissue. She took it into her tiny hands and, setting her bear down, blew her nose.
Barney ruffled her dark blonde curls comfortingly. "I wish that you could stay home with me, babe. You just can't afford to miss any more school."
"I can't go to work with Daddy?" She asked pitifully, collecting her bear and clutching it close to her chest.
"Oh, no-no. Daddy's work is no place for little girls." But then, "You know what would be awesome?" Big, bright hazel eyes settled on his face. "If you go back and get dressed to go to school, and at least try to make it the whole day... wait for it... I'll take you to Kiddie Fun Land on Saturday. It'll be legendary!"
"Really?" Her excitement mounted, but was promptly stifled by a long train of sneezes. Barney handed her another tissue. "Did Daddy make me PB&J for lunch?"
"That's my girl." And then, checking the clock, "Now, hurry up! I can't have you missing the bus!"
It was a day like any other. Barney saw his daughter off to school, and then proceeded to continue to act out the façade of a heartless playboy. Our relationship was barely six-months-old at that point, and about to face it's greatest obstacle yet. Who would have thought that it would come in the form of a five-year-old girl?
Barney had made them reservations at the Blue Hill restaurant in Greenwich Village, New York City. Their lunch breaks conveniently coincided (Robin, even after all this time, hadn't the slightest as to what Barney's occupation actually was, or if he even had one at all - but given that his lunch break was at ten in the morning, she figured that he was in a position to schedule himself as he pleased) and since she was leaving that night to follow a lead in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, it seemed like the perfect time for an impromptu date. The waiter, an awkwardly silent man, stood-by and waited for them to place their orders.
"For starters, I'll have the day boat sea scallops." Robin ordered, examining the farm-based menu carefully. The food was decidedly out of her comfort zone - she favored the greasy meals at McLaren's or the light snacks of the coffee shop. "And... the grass-fed lamb. Yeah, that sounds good."
Barney offered her a quick smile, before placing his order as well. "I'll have the Jerusalem artichokes, and an order of the grilled white-striped bass." Once the waiter finished writing their orders down, he collected the menus and was on his way.
Robin eyed him uncertainly. "So, what is all this about?"
"What do you mean?" The blond asked, tilting his head to the side. "Am I not allowed to take my girlfriend out to lunch?"
Robin paused. It was still shocking to hear him say that word - it came so easily now (albeit rarely), that it was hard to believe that he had once been so hesitant to vocalize it. "No, that's not it. Just... why here?" She didn't want to admit that the incredibly high prices made her a tad uncomfortable.
He dove right in, completely unaware of her discomfort. "Oh, that's because I heard it was amazingly healthy... and Aurora has me on a real diet kick, y'know -,"
Robin certainly leapt on that. "Who is Aurora?" Her tone was a tad indignant, and rightfully jealous.
"Hmm?" And then, realizing what he had just said, he shook his head and cleared his throat awkwardly. "Oh... she's... nobody. Nobody at all." He said quickly.
"She doesn't sound like nobody." And just like that, the peaceful, romantic air of the lunch (or, really, brunch) dissipated. Robin could clearly see the way that Barney was tensing and fidgeting like a school-boy that had been caught looking down the hot teacher's shirt. "Actually, she sounds rather important."
"Can we please just not talk about this, Scherbatsky?" Later on, he would totally deny the almost desperate note in his voice.
"Fine." She snapped. By the fiery glimmer in her eyes and her equally stiff posture, it was clear that everything was not alright and that this conversation was far from over.
An uncomfortable silence fell over the pair. Barney turned his attention to the freshly-fallen snow, and resolved to take Aurora ice-skating in Central Park when she was feeling a little bit better. It was something that he had always enjoyed with - he cut that train of thought immediately, realizing where it was headed and not willing to go down that road when he was supposed to be enjoying his date with Robin. Though he was fairly certain by the agitated way that she was tapping her foot and attempting to focus her attention anywhere but at him, any chances of enjoying this date (and possible sex later) had totally gone out the window.
It wasn't that he didn't want to tell her, really. He knew that the moment of truth would have to come sooner or later (preferably sooner, as he hoped that that would lessen the chances of her totally being pissed off at him keeping this secret for the majority of their friendship), but he just wasn't... ready. He knew how Robin felt about having children of her own, and he didn't want Aurora to be thrown in the middle of an awkward and ugly situation which she knew nothing about. It wouldn't be fair to any of the parties involved. And Barney didn't want anyone to be hurt in this ordeal.
Noticing that Barney seemed to be spacing out again, and realizing that this might be her only chance to find out more about this 'Aurora' character, Robin shrugged and offered a disinterested, "Is she pretty?"
"Beautiful." Barney responded immediately, thinking of the little girl's loose dirty-blonde curls and bright hazel eyes.
"Mhmm, that's what I thought." Robin strummed her fingers on the table, frustrated. "And how long have you been with her."
"The five most awesome years of my life." The danger of the questions still wasn't seeping into Barney's distracted brain.
Robin's eyes widened a bit. She tried not to be terribly insulted, but realized that that was a lot easier said than done. She'd known that Barney had done some pretty despicable, womanizing things in his time, but this had to qualify as a new low. "You've been cheating on me." Not even a question, just a painful statement.
That seemed to be enough to snap Barney out of his reverie. "What?"
"You know what? I think that this date is over." Robin said stiffly.
Barney ran a hand over his face, realizing that this conversation was quickly spiraling out of control - soon enough, there would be no other solution but to come right out and say it. "I'm not cheating on you." Robin's eerie-calmness was slightly unnerving to him, making it increasingly difficult for him to keep his cool.
"Really?" Robin crossed her arms over her chest, clearly steeling for a fight. "Then tell me who this beautiful girl is, whose made the last five years of your life so damn awesome." Frustration mounting, that calmness was soon gone.
As if to make everything ten times worse, his phone started to ring. Worried that it could possibly be the school nurse calling to tell him that he had to come down and pick-up Aurora, he politely excused himself before answering. But as soon as the woman on the other end of the line began to speak, Barney felt his heart freeze in his chest. Frantically, he began to reach for his wallet. Pulling out a few bills, he haphazardly tossed them onto the table and began to stuff himself into his coat. Robin watched, worried and a tad insulted, as he hurried to take his leave.
Ending the call, he offered her a quick, apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, I have to go."
"Wait, why -," but before she could even finish, he was out the door.
It was mortifying, being abandoned in a restaurant that you could never dream of being able to afford on your own. Still troubled by the idea of him possibly cheating on me, I didn't bother to go after him. Instead, I turned to Marshall and Lily, hoping that they'd understand. Boy, was I in for a surprise...
Robin stood in the doorway, awkwardly watching as Lily sobbed into Marshall's shirt. "Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude..."
Marshall shifted so that she could see over Lily's head, stroking her back comfortingly. "No, no... you're not intruding. It's just... there was an accident..."
"Oh my God, what happened? Is everyone alright?" He shook his head. "Then why are you all here, and not at the hospital?"
Lily pulled away momentarily, rubbing her eyes raw. "One of the buses hit a patch of ice on its way to the elementary school, swerved off-road, and hit a tree. Most of the students weren't harmed, but..." she started to break down again, and Marshall pulled her into his chest.
"Barney's daughter was on the bus, and she got banged up pretty bad. The window next to her head shattered and one of the shards impaled her in the stomach. She was rushed into emergency surgery... last we know is that it was touch-and-go... she'd lost a lot of blood." Marshall said.
"Wait... Barney has a daughter?" Robin asked, suddenly confused. Barney had never mentioned a child to her. The other couple nodded. "Is her name... Aurora?"
"Yes." Lily choked out. "Aurora is in my kindergarten class." And then, softer, "She's been very sick recently. She had pneumonia several weeks back, but it's cleared up into a really nasty cold. Barney was trying to slowly usher her back to school... today was the first day he didn't cave-in and let her stay home."
Suddenly, it all made sense. Barney's recent, unexplained slew of absences from their get-togethers at McLaren's. His constant need to have his phone nearby, and to check it every thirty seconds. His shock when she had accused him of cheating on her. How he had run off from their date so quickly. He had a daughter, and she had been in what sounded like a horrific accident. It was any parent's worst nightmare... especially if this was the first time he'd taken off the training wheels and let her on her own since she'd been sick. Barney must've been absolutely beside himself... which led one to wonder, what were Marshall and Lily still doing here?
"Why are you guys still sitting here, then? We should all be down at the hospital, offering him moral support." Robin said.
But Lily shook her head. Finally regaining control of her emotions, she answered, "Barney asked us to stay behind. He wanted us to get Aurora's room ready for her..." Lily trailed off. "He's a mess. Ted's down with him now, trying to keep him calm until the operation is finished."
"I need to be down there. I need to be with him." Robin frantically gathered her coat and belongings, heading back toward the door.
It was Marshall that stopped her. "Robin... there was a reason that Barney never told you about Aurora... that so few people know about her in general." A pause, "Barney was engaged for three years, to Aurora's mother. Her name was Scarlett. She developed breast cancer two years after giving birth to Aurora -,"
"Marshall!" Lily cut him off, knowing how protective Barney was of that information.
"She needs to know." Marshall replied simply. "By the time she was diagnosed, she was in Stage Four. She was given less than six months to live. She lasted two weeks." Marshall stared down at the floor. "Barney really struggled with being a single father. But he also never exploited it."
Lily, realizing that there was no going back now, pitched in with, "The very idea of using his daughter to pick-up sympathetic women made him sick. When he would come home, his womanizing ways would be behind him... whenever he's with her, she's all that he cares about. To see them together... it's truly beautiful."
That was all well and good, but... "Why wouldn't he tell me about her? He should know by now that I wouldn't think like that."
The two shared a look, before Lily sighed, "He knows how you feel about having kids. You were getting serious, and..." anxiously, she rubbed at her eyes, "The real reason he and Quinn called it off was because of her incompatibility with Aurora. She needs a mother, and -,"
This time, it was Robin who cut Lily off. "And he's not sure that I'm ready to be one."
There was no answer, but it was clear that what Robin had said was one-hundred percent true. Robin shifted awkwardly, not sure what to make of this. She'd gone from being pissed-off at Barney, to wanting to comfort him, to suddenly questioning the entire foundation of their relationship. This changed everything. She wasn't put-off by the idea that Barney had a daughter (actually, the thought of it was rather endearing), but rather by the fact that he didn't trust her with that information. If he didn't trust her with this, what else was he keeping from her?
"I need to go talk to him. Thank you... for telling me everything. It means a lot." Gathering her coat and putting it back on, she started her trek to the hospital.
I went there with every intention of comforting Barney, but also telling him that hiding this information from me wasn't okay. When I got there, however, all thoughts of anger flew from my mind. When I saw that little girl, I fell in love. She was so precious, so pure... and when her eyes fell on me, I just knew.
She had chosen me.
Robin walked into the tiny hospital room in the children's ward - Barney sat next to the hospital bed, holding one of the girl's tiny hands. She had a black and white teddy bear tucked under her arm, and various tubes and wires were attached to her little body. A blood transfusion bag was attached to the IV pole beside her bed. The wound must have been serious, then. Barney kept silent vigil by her side, eyes red-rimmed and swollen. He looked like a completely different man then the one who had taken her out to lunch only a few hours earlier.
The door shut heavily behind her. The sound awakened the little girl, Aurora, and her bright hazel eyes opened and lazily fluttered around the room. Dark blonde curls slowly fanned out over the pillow as she cocked her head, eyes locking with Robin's. Those eyes, so filled with pain and sadness, stole Robin's breath away. She was like a tiny version of Barney, the epitome of style and grace. Her little dress, which had a small smear of blood on the abdomen, had an undeniably stylish and feminine flair to it. Barney obviously spared no expense when it came to his little girl.
Barney followed her line of sight, eyes finally falling upon Robin. He managed to look both sheepish and shocked at the same time, undeniably uncomfortable with the sudden change in events. Robin slowly made her way over to him, pausing at the foot of the bed. Aurora, confused as to why there was an unfamiliar woman in her room, clutched her teddy bear closer. Barney clutched her hand comfortingly. They simply stared at each other for several moments, before Robin cleared her throat. They had a lot to talk about... but it all didn't have to happen right there, right then.
Barney opened his mouth, forcing out, "I can explain."
"I'm sure that you can." Robin said. "And maybe someday... I hope that you will." She looked at the little girl, offering her a small smile. "Just because I can't... I can't have children..." she lowered her eyes - this was clearly difficult for her. "We can still be a family, Barney. I'm at least willing to try."
Barney's look of shock melted into a warm smile, "I'd like that." And with that said, Robin pulled up a chair beside Barney - and Barney began to introduce her to his daughter.
A/N: Again, this is my first HIMYM fanfic. I'm hoping that nobody was too OOC. Anyhow, please leave a review letting me know what you think - and if you'd be interested in a full multi-chaptered story about the little family!
Oh, and the cover photo is a picture of Aurora Stinson.