Title: Of Splitsville and daddy issues
Author: lara_anne92
Rating: Nothing really
Charcters/pairings: Barney/Robin
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Summary: Robin dumps Nick and receives a surprising visit.
Author's Notes: My first attempt at fanfic
Of Spiltsville and daddy issues
It had been a week since Robin had dumped Nick. A week since she had taken him Splitsville to let him down and then watched as he proceeded to saunter off with two new girls as though she never even mattered in the first place. Not that Robin cared. No, Nick was entitled to do whatever he wanted- after all, it was Robin who had done the dumping. Although she had to admit that his pick-up lines were rather cheesy. In fact she would say that they were kinda awful. He really was some kind of awful version of Barney she realised. His attempt at charm; the casual arrogance. Even his obsession with hot women. And that in itself was the problem. As much as she tried to deny it, everything seemed to lead back to Barney. Thinking about him, watching him, laughing at his inappropriate jokes. Yes, Robin Scherbatsky was an acutely keen observer of Barney Stinson and she hadn't even realised it. Not until she broke up with Nick. Not until he forced her to really look at herself did she realise that maybe… just maybe, she might still have feelings for Barney.
In fact, Robin's introspection had shocked her a little. She had truly believed that she was over Barney. She even cited Nick's emotional neediness as the reason for their break up. Nick, however, was far more insightful than she would have ever given him credit for and his last words to her were continuously floating through her mind. He had accepted the break up graciously enough, and Robin was grateful but before she could turn to leave, he had stopped her. "Robin. Look, I know we would have never worked out but you're a great girl and I think you should know this. You're trying so hard to be happy that you don't realise that happiness is right in front of you. You just need to step back to see it." And that had been that. She had turned around and walked away from Nick and his accusing words. She had tried so hard to forget them. She didn't want to face the fact that he might be right but for some reason, the words had stuck.
And now, one week later, sitting alone in her apartment, she had come to the conclusion that the answer was Barney Stinson. One week. It had taken one week of lasertag, scotch and cigar bars. One week of Barney trying to cheer her up in his own Barney way. Robin felt a rush of affection as she remembered how hard he had been trying over the past week and how sincere his attempts to make her happy. With a sudden urge to see him, she headed for the door but was stopped short by a knock. Standing on the other side was the last person she wanted to see.
"Dad?" "RJ", boomed her father, striding into the room. "So this is your apartment. I thought you would have had better accommodation by now"
"Dad, what are you doing here", asked Robin, feeling bewildered and a little frustrated. Her father was always barging into her life at the most inopportune moments.
"Oh, I'm in New York for business and I thought I'd stop by", her father replied nonchalantly, as though visits to his daughter happened on a regular basis. Robin sighed. It was going to be a long day.
Later that evening, the gang was out to dinner with Robin Senior, listening to his tales of hunting and his laments over having no son. Bored, Barney fiddled with his napkin and soon found himself watching Robin. His eyes always seemed to stray to Robin these days. She was uncomfortable, he noticed, fidgeting under her father's words. She was so cute when… no. Shaking those thoughts from his head, Barney sat up straighter and tried to pay attention to what was being said. Robin's father was still droning on about some hunting trip. Next to him, Lily mimed falling asleep while Ted mouthed 'douche' across the table. Robin Senior didn't notice.
Ten agonising minutes later, Robin's father suddenly turned to her. "So RJ, how's the reporting", he questioned. "Found success yet?" Immediately, everyone launched into stories of Robin's position on WWN and the fame she had since attained. Her father however remained unimpressed and snorted something about 'not real journalism'. Mortified, Robin turned red but when her father loudly announced that he once again wished he had a son she couldn't take it anymore. How dare he simply waltz back into her life and ruin everything. How dare he scorn her job and belittle her achievements. Eyes brimming with unshed tears, she opened her mouth to tell her father exactly what she thought. Or maybe she would push back her chair and run away. Yeah, that seemed like a good idea. Before she could do either, the sudden scraping of a chair froze her in place. She looked up to see that Barney Stinson was towering over her father and…was he growling?
Barney had never felt like this before. He had watched as Robin grew more and more upset until finally, he burst. Standing over Robin's dad, he finally released all the emotions he'd been trying to hide for almost four years if he was honest. And when he was done, it felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Ted watched in amazement as his friend yelled at Robin Senior. They had all disliked Robin's dad for years but Ted had never realised just how much Barney cared about Robin.
"She's the greatest women on the planet and you don't even appreciate her", Barney cried. "She's smart, independent, beautiful, funny. All she wants is for you to be proud of her but you know what, you don't deserve her". With that, Barney turned and stormed out of the restaurant, leaving his friends gaping and Robin Senior looking rather pale.
Robin was speechless. Did Barney really care about her that much. He had just called her the greatest women on the planet. Her heart swelled with love and suddenly her father's opinion didn't really matter. Her friends, and most importantly, Barney were proud of her. That's what really matters, she realised.
Barney was leaning against the wall outside when she found him. He looked up guiltily when he heard her approach. "I'm sorry about that", he mumbled. "I shouldn't have shouted". Robin shrugs. "I was going to do so myself anyway"
"Really?", he asks relieved and she nods.
"Thanks for defending me in there" she adds and he responds with a slight tip of his head. There's silence. Then- "Did you mean it?", she asks suddenly. "What you said in there?" He looks at her curiously. "Robin, I meant every single word. Look, I know you don't feel the same way but I love you and couldn't just let your father humiliate you like that. I…" Robin presses her lips to his before he can finish. The kiss is burning and passionate and when they finally pull away, they're both gasping. "Barney, I love you", Robin cries. "I'm so sorry about everything. It's just- I've only just figured it out now. You know how much I hate dealing with feelings" Barney grins ruefully down at her. "That makes two of us, Scherbatsky." He pauses. "So, are we really doing this?"
Robin nods. "Yeah. We may be messed up but I think this time we really will be the most awesomest couple ever. Just in our own way."
Barney's face lights up and he bounces up and down in delight. "Awesome five, Scherbatsky!", he cries excitedly. "We are gonna be legen- wait for it…