This is a one shot about what happened after Robin goes to the storage unit with the box of stuff from her relationship with Barney. Hope you like!
As she looks at the box of stuff from her relationship she couldn't help but remember the time. The time when the picture she's holding in front of her was one of her favorite moments when she was with Barney. She wasn't really with Barney but it was her favorite moment with him. She stares at that picture with tears in her eyes and it all comes back to her. That day, the day she and Barney took that picture.
2009;
It was a cold December evening when after being broken up for 2 months she was finally at peace. Her life was still not going the way she wanted it to but that wasn't really her fault. She was just too scared to try and make herself successful. Even though she did like working at Metro News 1 it wasn't what she hoped to be doing at this point in her life. Her recent breakup was still lingering on her mind. Yes, she doesn't want Barney back but she missed him. She missed being around him everyday, waking up beside him, going to sleep next to him at night but most of all she missed his friendship. She missed their friendship, she loved just hanging out with Barney all the time it took her mind off her troubles but ever since the breakup. She realized just how much she missed him. So, one afternoon she was a MacLaren's when Barney came in.
"Hey." Barney just walked into the bar hoping just for a quick drink before going home for the rest of the day. But, then he spotted Robin and went over to her to talk to her. They hadn't had a descent conversation in a while due to both being busy and never seeing each other as much as they did just two months prior.
"Hey, Barney." Robin replied looking up with a smile. It was the first smile she's had in quite sometime and it was nice to see Barney. It's always nice to see him.
"Are you okay?" Barney asked noticing her tone of voice and the way she looked when he first came into the bar.
"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine how are you?" She asks hoping he wouldn't notice her tone of voice or see through her lie.
"No, no you're not fine. What's up Robin?" Barney asked knowing Robin better than she liked to admit he saw right through her lie.
"Okay, fine I will tell you. I've just been lost, it's the holidays and I kind of miss being home. You know in Canada. I miss being around my family." She tells him part of why she was looking so down right now but now the whole reason. The other part was because of him. Missing him more and more everyday but of course she will never tell him that.
"Oh, I get that with nobody around and off doing their own things. You feel lonely. I have noticed you not being yourself lately and because of that I would like to do something for you. Something, to get you to get that smile I always loved on that beautiful face of yours." This made her blush a little but decided to not care about that and listen to what Barney was saying.
"So, what's the plan?" She asked curious to what Barney is planning for them.
"I have known how down and lonely you've been lately and I was going to wait until the weekend to spend time with you but mind as well do it now.
He gets up and goes over to Robin's side of the booth and extends a hand so she can take it.
"So, where are we going?" Robin asks smiling as she takes his hands and they head outside
It was a cold December evening and a bit too cold for early December but they didn't care. Since she's Canadian the cold doesn't bother her and he doesn't care since he's used to the New York cold.
He takes her to Central Park towards the horse carnage rides. He had already prepaid for the ride for the weekend but since he wanted to do this tonight the ride is already payed for and ready to go.
They stopped on the side of the horses and Robin gently petted one of the horses. She was confused on what Barney had planned but decided to go along with it, to let him doing whatever he wanted to cheer her up. Which is his main priority.
"Are we going to take a carriage ride?" Robin asked looking at him wondering what he had in mind with the horses.
"Yes, I have known that you have been a bit sad lately so I wanted to cheer you up." He has been worried about Robin lately, he knows that she's been missing home and has been lonely but he thinks it's more than that. But, he won't go there since it's an issue with him to and right now he doesn't want to bring that subject up.
"By, going on a horse carriage ride?" She thinks it's just the carriage ride that they're going to do but that wasn't all they would do on this night.
"Well, not really but this is just the beginning of a wonderful night you will be quite happy by the end of this evening I guarantee it." He smiles and takes her hand again leading her onto the carriage ride.
They sit down and Barney tells the driver to go around Central Park to the other side of it where the carousel is. The carousel is all lit up with lights and everything around it including the trees were all made up with Christmas lights but those were put up by Barney not by the city. There was a spot across from the carousel where Barney set up a picnic for just the two of them. He took her hand again and they walked over to the spot Barney already had made up for the two of them
"Oh my god, Barney you did all this just for me?" Robin asks almost getting teary eyed thinking how wonderful this all is but it's more about Barney being the man she always knew and loved. And, damn it missed.
"Yeah. I knew how lonely and depressed you have been so I wanted to cheer you up. I was going to do this over this weekend but since I saw you earlier at the bar I thought now was a good time to do this. So, I prepared everything before hand and asked the carriage ride owner to make this a special night for you." Robin couldn't believe it. Barney did all of this for her and noticed how depressed she's been and he didn't even need to ask or she didn't need to tell him. He just knew, he knows her so well that he doesn't need a sign or anyone telling him what's wrong with Robin. He knew she's been down lately so he wanted to cheer her up.
"I-Thank you Barney you don't know how much this means to me." She hugs him hoping it was just a quick hug but he then put his arms around her and hugged her bag petting her hair in the process.
"No need to thank me I just wanted to cheer you up and put a smile on your face." He says in her ear causing her to smile and then they broke the hug. She wipes her tears away from her face and then Barney takes her hand again.
"Well, you did just that." Robin said smiling as they sat down on the blanket spread out on the grass that was still visible even though they had some snow recently.
Later that night Barney and Robin took the carriage ride back to the other side of the park where the ride had begun earlier and all Robin could think about was how wonderful this night was and all of her feelings she tried to hold in since the breakup had flooded back. Now, she realized that she doesn't think she will ever get over Barney Stinson and that really isn't a good thing. Or, maybe it is?
After the carriage ride was over they stayed sitting in it for a few more minutes. The carriage operator took a few photos of them and that's when they took that picture she is holding so dearly at her heart right now.
She doesn't have the heart to put the picture back in the box so she takes the pictures then closes the box and tapes it up. She takes the picture home with her that night and ever since she did that she can't stop looking at it and every night finds herself taking that picture off her nightstand and looking at it with a smile on her face before putting it down and going to sleep.