A/N: I had been working on this long before the finale aired, it's no secret I've always loved the idea of Barney and Robin as parents and I just wanted to try a pregnancy fic. Then the finale happened and it was horrible and traumatic and sometimes I feel like it's better that it was so absolutely wrong because you know, my brain can't really fully accept it as canon, and it's easier to pretend it just didn't happen. Because it didn't - none of it happened either in my mind or in this fic, which yes could be AU but then again, maybe it isn't. That said, I have made some adjustments after the way they handled things in the finale, you know, little things that prove how absolutely insane and out of character everything was. I'm publishing this as a short multichapter even if it was originally intended as a moderately long oneshot, because its structure and its pace kind of didn't feel homogeneous enough to be read all at once. I hope you like it!
"You're pregnant."
Robin sits in the doctor's office, facing the woman who's giving her the news. This enormous, ridiculous piece of news which can't possibly be true.
"I'm sorry, what?" Her smile is tense as she nervously fidgets with her fingers. "I'm what?"
"You're pregnant, Mrs Stinson," the doctor repeats with a smile. "Congratulations."
"No, I'm not." She lets out a small chuckle, uneasy. "There must be a mistake."
Yes. A mistake. Of course there's a mistake. They must've switched her test results or something, because there is no way she is carrying a child. She barely registers the doctor explaining how birth control isn't always effective and she feels sixteen again, almost embarrassed as she refrains from answering that she and Barney haven't used birth control in years. "What's the point?" She had told him the night of their engagement, more out of lust than anything else, and Barney had thrown his unopened condom away with a grin.
But she can't have kids, she almost accuses the doctor, who retorts that well, apparently she can.
"We'll run more tests to check in on your condition and how the baby's doing, and we'll probably have more answers then. Is Thursday okay?"
She feels like a robot as she leaves the doctor's office and takes the elevator, the cold December air hitting her face as soon as she exits the building. She wraps her coat more tightly around her and hails a cab, promptly telling the driver to take her to MacLaren's.
The city streets are as busy as ever, the Christmas lights glistening everywhere around her. The cab gets stuck in traffic, and Robin looks out the window, glances at people walking down the sidewalk, senses their happiness as they carry their bags full of presents. A kid falls on the ground while toddling in the snow, his legs too short to walk properly. His father picks him up, brushes the snow off his hands and plants a kiss on the crying kid, who just snuggles against his father's neck. "There's a baby growing inside of me," it's all she can think of as she watches the pair walk away and turns back to face the car lights in front of her. It suddenly takes over all of her brain, there's a baby inside of her and she has absolutely no idea how to handle it.
"MacLaren's Pub," the driver announces, abruptly stopping in front of the familiar place.
The air is sticky and the smell of alcohol and food seems stronger than usual, but the place is not crowded and she even finds a spot at their usual booth. No one else is there, and she absent-mindedly orders a scotch. She spits the liquor out as soon as the first sip touches her tongue.
"Fuck," she whispers, angrily putting the useless drink back on the table. Her phone beeps with the sound of a new text message, Barney's home.
She leaves the money on the table and heads for their apartment.
It comes out as soon as she steps through the door, after Barney greets her with a soft "hey" and a kiss. His hair is damp from a recent shower and he smells of her favorite soap, it's coconut and ginger and it's so strong it bothers her a little, and the feeling is so new – so unexpected – she realizes that it's true, that it's really happening.
"I'm pregnant," she blurts out, her scared eyes wide open as she stares at him. They haven't talked about this in years – their family had always felt right just as it was – and she doesn't know what reaction to expect. She feels her heart pounding in her chest, anxiety starts building up in her head, and she watches as Barney's eyes grow wide and he staggers a little, his hands stopping on her arms.
"You're pregnant?" he almost hesitates to ask her, and there's something in his voice, it's awe and it's hope and she realizes she always knew – he wants this. And it's not like she wasn't enough – they always were, and she's got no doubts about that – but he wants this, with her, despite not needing it at all. She sees the biggest grin forming on his face as she starts nodding, and then his lips are on hers, so eager it almost sends her off balance.
She doesn't intend to, and maybe she's not even aware of it herself, but for the first time since that afternoon, she smiles against his lips.