4 days prior (Saturday)

The whole gang, including their kids, were gathered together in Ted's house in Westchester that afternoon. It was Ellie's tenth birthday and they celebrated the day with a barbeque. Robin was the last one to arrive, coming straight from work.

Since Ted and Tracy's wedding in 2020, she stayed in contact with her friend, rented a small apartment in the city and accepted less assignments, that she would need to travel for. She had a good relation to all the kids of her friends. Especially to Ellie, with her being the youngest and knowing her almost from birth on.

When Tracy died in 2024, she was there for Ted, just like the others and finally asked to be based in New York constantly.
By now, she was the vice president of the WWN station in New York and would be promoted to president, as soon as Sandy Rivers retired in a few years.

Barney was currently standing on the grill and watched his daughter unwrap the present, Robin gave her.
It was a thousand-piece puzzle, showing the most famous sights of the world, most of which Robin had already been to.
Among others it showed the Taj Mahal in India, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the 'Great Sphinx of Gizeh'.

Doing puzzles was one of Ellie's favorite hobbies, these days, and she sceamed from joy and stood to give her favorite aunt a tight hug.
She just couldn't wait to come home, ripped the box open and started to do the puzzle on Ted's couch table.
A few pieces fell to the floor an Robin bent down to pick them up.

Barney gulped, as he watched her.
Robin was almost fifty years old, but in his opinion, she just got more beautiful with time.
In his eyes, she was the most beautiful woman on this planet and still as hot as the first time, he saw her.
He couldn't help, but stare at his ex-wife's butt, as she picked up the puzzle pieces.

Suddenly, there was a searing pain in his left hand, and as he looked down, he realized he'd laid his hand on the grill.
"Aaaaaaaaah!", he screamed and pulled his hand up in the air.
Everybody's attention was promptly turned on him. He clutched his left wrist with his right hand and bit his teeth tightly together to not scream again, as tears gathered in his eyes.

"Barney!"
"Oh my god!"
"What happened?", everybody was talking and shouting at once, while running to him.

Robin reached him first, grabbed his wrist and examinated his hand. Blisters were already starting to form.
"Ted, do you have burn ointment?", she asked in a slightly panicked voice.
"Bathroom, the first aid kit under the sink", Ted responded.
"I've got this", Robin said and dragged Barney behind her up the stairs into the master bathroom.

"What's happening with Daddy now? Is he okay?", Ellie asked.
"He burned his hand, Sweetie", Lily explained to her. "But don't worry. Aunt Robin's gonna fix this."

Everybody was shocked and excited about what happend, so the adults tried to calm them down.
Afterwards Ted took Penny aside and gave her a tube of ointment.

"Can you bring this up to Aunt Robin? The one in the bathroom is almost used up."
"Sure", Penny said, happy to help, took the tube and climbed up the stairs.

In the meantime, Robin had held Barney's hand under tepid water, dabbed with a fluffy towel at it and spread it with the rest of the ointment. It was tight, but enough. She wrapped it up with a bandage and was now washing the ointment off her hands, while Barney was sitting on the edge of the bathtub.

"Better?", she asked him.
"Much. Thank you", Barney answered and smiled gratefully at her.
Robin returnd his smile, turned off the faucet and grabbed a nearby guest towel.
"How did this even happen?", she asked, while drying her hands on it.

Barney looked away and answered mumbling: "I... got distracted." Robin laughed.
"If you're like this at home, I hope Ellie is cooking."
"Actually", Barney said. "Ellie never comes near the stove. When she was younger, I told her, it was haunted and she still believes it."
"I can't believe this, Barney. You've been lying to your daughter for years?", Robin asked.
"Only to protect her!", Barney defended his actions. Robin shook her head, but couldn't help the smile on her lips.

"You know, someday, she'll have to learn how to cook", Robin said.
"And when the time comes, I will teach her", he answered.
"You will teach her? You can barely cook yourself", Robin laughed.
"Said the woman, who can't even make scambled eggs", Barney retorted.

"Okay, you've got me", Robin surrendered. "I can't cook, either. That's never bothered you before."
"Cause everybody has their flaws", Barney said. "So cooking is not your strong suit, who cares? You have other qualities."
"Like what?", Robin asked and grinned expectantly.

"Eeehm", Barney pondered for a few seconds. "Like, you know, I always loved your independence."
"Oh, yes", said Robin. "I remember that night you woke me up, because you heard something and wanted me to check the front door."
They laughed.

"And do you remember the time, I had the flu?", Barney asked, while Standing up from the bathtub.
"Don't remind me. You were so whiny and just annoying", Robin said.
"You took care of me, though."
"Well, I couldn't let you die", Robin laughed.
"I always loved, how you took care of me", Barney said and Robin smiled touched.

In that moment, Penny arrived at the bathroom door and opened her mouth to speak up.
But the words got stuck in her throat, when Barney stepped forward, pulled Robin to him and kissed her.

She didn't react at first, was frozen in shock. But after a few seconds, she laid her arms around Barneys neck and responded to the kiss passionately. Barney snuck one arm around her waist and pressed her with his body against the wall. Penny stared speechless, as they kissed each other as if their lives depended on it, until suddenly, after a few moments, Robin pushed Barney away and stepped aside.

Penny rushed behind the bathroom door, to not be seen by the former couple.

Robin clapped a hand over her mouth and began to frantically shake her head, shocked about what just happened, while Barney swiped a hand over his face.
"No", Robin murmured. "No, no, no." As if the word could undo the last five minutes.
"Robin", Barney said and took a step closer to her.

"Don't touch me", Robin said and backed away from him, fearing she might lose control if he came closer.
"Calm down, please. Let's talk about this", he proposed.
"There's nothing to talk about, Barney! It was nothing. Just an old reflex", she dismissed the situation quickly.
"It's more than that and you know it", Barney retorted.

"I don't know anything, so stop saying something like that."
"Robin, I... I still love you", Barney said.

Penny's mouth fell open.

"No!", Robin shouted angrily, while her eyes filled with tears. "Leave me alone", she hissed at him and stormed out of the door.
Penny looked after her, heard Barney groan and couldn't quite understand, what she had just witnessed.
She slowly eased her way out from behind the door and down the stairs.

She didn't have to worry about Barney seeing her. He had sunk down on the egde of the bathtub, laid his head into his hands and tried his hardest to hold in the tears, that were threatening to burst out.

When he came back down a few minutes later, Robin was already gone, having made the excuse of a work emergency.
Nobody had heard from her since then.

Ted was speechless and couldn't believe, that he had missed all of this.
Had Robin been upset, when she left? Did Barney seem sad, when he came back from the bathroom?
He couldn't remember.

Luke and Penny looked at their father and thought, he now understood, why he couldn't just ask Robin out.
They were wrong.

"Well, that's bad for Barney. But just because, she rejected him, doesn't mean, I can't ask her on a date", he said.
"Dad!", Penny said. "You can't do that."
"She's his ex-wife and he still loves her", Luke supported his sister.

"She was my ex first, and I let him marry her", Ted argued.
"How can you... be so heartless?", Penny asked.
Ted exploded and leaped out of his chair.

"Don't you talk to me like that, young lady. I'm your father!", he screamed.

For a few seconds, only the ticking of the clock on the wall could be heard. Then Luke spoke up and stunned his father into silence.
"Mom would have understood."

Ted didn't expect something like this. Especially not from Luke, who had been so young, when Tracy passed away.
Penny and Luke stood from the couch and quietly went upstairs into their rooms.