Barney stood in front of the World Wide News building, carefully holding his infant daughter in his arms, supporting her head just like the nurses had shown him.
Ellie was mere two days old and had been released from the hospital an hour ago.
He was still a little shell-shocked, he was a dad now. A single dad nonetheless since number 31 had signed her paternal rights away right away and didn't even want to see or hold Ellie.
The gang was busy running around town to gather everything he needed for her first night at home, and they were supposed to meet up in the fortress.
But instead of going straight home, he'd come here.
He knew that Robin was currently in New York since she was covering the UN peace talks herself, so chances were pretty good that she was inside the building he was standing in front of.
The same building he had asked her to marry him all those years ago.
He felt Ellie shift in his arms and looked down, afraid she could have woken up. But she hadn't and instead was still napping contently.
Looking back up, he almost jumped back when he saw her.
Robin was just leaving the building, a younger man following suit.
Probably a cameraman, he thought.
He didn't have a plan, just the overwhelming urge to show Ellie to Robin.
How would she react? Should he just hand her Ellie without any words? Should he explain himself and why Ellie was in this world? Would Robin care how she came to be? Would she fall in love as much as he had when he first held her?
He took a step forward and halted when he saw how the guy leaned in, kissing Robin. What would have been a quick kiss was prolonged by his ex-wife wrapping her hands into the stranger's hair and pulling him closer, deepening the kiss.
"I need you." Barney thought, thought about saying to her. But he never did.
Instead Robin left with the stranger while he stood alone, with Ellie sleeping in his arms.