A/N

So glad people are enjoying this, as it's a really fun and light story to write. This is a long chapter, because only the gender on it's own was too short, and I didn't really feel the need to separate these. Please R/R :)

...

Both Barney and Robin took the day off work to go to Robin's sixteen-week checkup only three weeks later. Luckily, everything was fine. The doctor also gave them an envelope with the gender of the baby in it. A few hours later the whole gang met up at Robin and Barney's house so they could all find out the gender together. Barney had been bouncy all afternoon, wanting so badly to open the envelope, but Robin made him wait. Finally, they all arrived, bearing pizza and settled down on the couches.

"So, what are you guys hoping for?" Tracy asked as everyone was eating.

"I think I want a girl. So that I can treat her like my father never treated me. Show him how you're supposed to treat you children. But I would honestly be happy with either." Robin said.

Barney smiled. "Aw man you mean we can't name our daughter Barney Junior? That was at the top of my list!" Barney teased. She grinned and punched him in the shoulder. "I don't really mind either way." He added.

"Yeah well I think it's a boy." Ted said putting his arm around Tracy.

"Nah, it's totally a girl." Marshall said.

"Slap bet?" Ted asked.

"Hell yeah!" Marshall replied.

"Alright ready?" Robin asked.

She stood up and took the envelope from Barney's hand. She opened it and stared, gaping at the small piece of cardboard. Robin visually paled. Barney stood up, anxiously watching her. He peered over her shoulder at the card and put his hand over his mouth. He recovered quickly and put his hands on her shoulders, guiding her back down to sit the couch. Barney grabbed her bottle of water from the coffee table, unscrewed it and handed it to his wife. She took it from him gratefully and lifted it to her lips. Barney began rubbing Robin's back. The gang were watching them curiously but nobody said anything.

"Holy crap." Barney said breaking the silence.

"Yeah." Robin's voice was barely a whisper.

"I'm excited." Barney decided. Robin nodded.

"Yeah, but I'm shocked and scared as well." She said

"What is it?" Lily asked. Robin nodded at Barney, silently telling him to tell them.

"Twin girls!" He announced.

"TWINS! OH MY GOD!" Lily screamed jumping up and down in excitement.

"GUYS! CONGRATULATIONS!" Tracy squealed in excitement. She was sitting on Robin's other side so she pulled her in to hug her.

"Two girls? I'm so excited for you!" Marshall said.

"Congrats!" Ted said. The slap bet was momentarily forgotten as everyone exchanged hugs. They sat back on the couch and looked over at Barney and Robin. She hadn't moved since Barney had pushed her onto the couch and her eyes were fixated on the wall. Barney was watching her with concern.

"Robin, you okay?" Marshall asked.

"What? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just kinda realizing that for the next five months, two lives depend on solely me to keep them alive." Robin replied.

"We're here for you, Robin. For during this pregnancy and we'll still be here to help you guys after the babies are born." Ted said.

"Yeah and for the record, I truly believe you'll both be amazing parents. You're great with Marvin, Daisy, Penny, Florence and Luke." Tracy said.

"Yeah." Marshall agreed.

"I'm in this with you, baby. Not just for the next five months but for the next eighteen years and beyond that." Barney told her. Finally, some of the anxiety started to melt away and the excitement set in. Robin grinned and thanked the others. Marshall cleared his throat and everyone turned to him.

"It has come to my attention that this is not one girl, but two. So, all in favour of me slapping Ted twice raise your hand." Everyone except Ted raised their hands.

"Tracy!" Ted exclaimed.

"Sorry." She giggled.

"Ok do it." He stood up and closed his eyes. Marshall stood up and rubbed his hands and then slapped Ted. The noise echoed the room as the gang laughed. As he stood up he braced for the second slap and Marshall delivered it.

"I'm so glad that's not me anymore." Barney whispered to Robin.

"Barney I feel terrible for laughing at you all those times Marshall slapped you." Ted said standing up after the second slap.

"Ok now can we get another pizza?" Robin asked. Everyone looked at her. "Stop judging me! I'm eating for three!" Everyone laughed and Barney ordered her another pizza.

The next day was a Saturday. Barney rolled over and looked at his sleeping wife lying beside him. She was laying on her stomach with her hand placed on his bare chest. He wondered if it was safe for her to still lay face down with the baby. He resolved to google it later. The early rays of sunshine were bursting through the gaps of the curtains and shining on them. Robin always looked so peaceful when she slept. He put his arm around her back and dozed back to sleep. He woke up about half an hour later and kissed her forehead gently. Robin stirred and opened her eyes. She planted a kiss on his cheek and whispered a good morning in his ear.

"Morning gorgeous. We should probably tell our families today." Barney said.

"Ok." She yawned. "I'm kind of dreading telling my dad. If he even dares to treat them the way he treated me then he's not allowed to see them."

"Fair enough." Barney said. "Why don't you invite him to that café he likes? That's what we did last time you had to tell him something." Robin agreed with him thinking about when she told her father she and Barney were engaged all those years ago.

"What are we going to do for everyone else?" Robin questioned.

"Call my dad, your mom and your sister. For James and my mom, we have one of those family lunches with them today." Barney reminded her. They had family lunches with Loretta, Sam, James, Tom, Sadie and Eli approximately once a month. It was something Loretta demanded have done because she and Sam were getting older and she wanted to see her family as much as possible.

Robin and Barney got out of bed and got ready to go to Loretta and Sam's house. While Barney had been getting changed, Robin had called her dad and invited him to dinner at his favourite restaurant. They decided to tell everyone at lunch first, then her father and finally call Jerry and his family and her mom and Katie.

Robin was pulling her purse onto her shoulder and Barney was standing up from putting his shoes on when she decided to change. Barney groaned and flung himself onto the couch. She rolled her eyes and retreated to the bedroom for a few minutes before coming out in an off the shoulder, blue and white stripped sundress and white, flat strap sandals. It was looser than the shirt she had on before, with was good because the couple didn't want Barney's family to find out he was going to be a dad because of her bump. They wanted to tell them. With this dress on, you could hardly see her baby bump. The only reason Barney could see it was because he knew it was there.

"Hot." He whispered walking over to her and placing one hand on the small of her back and the other on her neck. She laughed.

"Thought you'd like it." Robin pulled herself away from her husband to grab her bag and then they left the apartment.

They arrived at Loretta and Sam's house on Long Island to find James, Tom, Eli and Sadie already there, and a game of soccer already in full swing in the backyard. Barney and Robin walked through the side gate, his arm around her hips and her hand in his back pocket.

"Hey everyone!" Barney called out. Eleven-year-old Eli and seven-year-old Sadie yelled something about the cool adults being here and ran to greet their aunt and uncle. Barney and Robin exchanged hugs with the kids followed by the other adults.

"We're playing soccer! Come join in! It's the usual teams!" Sadie squealed. Normally they played Loretta, Barney, Eli and Tom against Sam, James, Robin and Sadie. Robin and Barney exchanged a quick look. James and Barney were equally as competitive as each other and that sometimes got rough. Robin had suffered knees, elbows and even feet to the face whilst playing games with the Stinson boys. She didn't want to cop an elbow to the face, or worse, the stomach.

"Uhh…I think I'll sit this one out." Robin said.

"No! Come on Robin! We need to smash them again! I can't win with just dad and Sadie on my team. We need you!" James said.

"Last time we played, you gave me a bloody nose." Robin pointed out.

"It was an accident! I apologized like, eight times. I'll be gentle." James replied.

"James. Leave her alone." Barney warned his brother before turning to his wife. "No pressure for you to play, babe." He knew neither he or his brother were the furthest thing from gentle when it came to competitive sports. He couldn't think of anything worse than Robin getting hurt and he certainly didn't want to put the babies at any sort of risk.

"I won't play either. I have to finish lunch." Loretta objected, evening out the teams.

Lunch was served only ten minutes after they started playing the game. After everyone had plates of hot dogs and coleslaw balancing on their laps, Barney and Robin shared a look, and Barney opened his mouth to announce his news to everyone but James beat him to it.

"Guys, Tom and I have something to tell you." James said. Barney closed his mouth and looked over at his brother. "We're thinking about maybe adopting another kid!" Loretta and Sam went wild, hugging and congratulating them. Barney's mouth dropped open and he looked at Robin. They couldn't take the spotlight away from Tom and James' news but they couldn't really wait another month before telling everyone either.

Barney was angry at James and Tom. His wife was four months pregnant with their first (and second) child, but James got to take their opportunity to tell everyone to say that he and his husband were considering a third child. But, he also knew it wasn't James' fault. He had no idea.

"And to celebrate we brought champagne!" Tom said pulling a bottle out of a bag. Great. How perfect. So, freaking perfect.

"That will go great with shrimp! I think we have a bag in the freezer. I'll go get it and some champagne glasses." Sam said, standing up.

Robin's eyes shot to Barney's and she shook her head. There was no way she could handle that smell. She had barely been able to stomach the smell of the hot dogs cooking. Sam came back out of the house and opened the champagne. James poured it into the glasses and handed them out.

"No thanks." Robin said when he offered her a glass.

"Why not? Come on Robin! It's a special occasion! Tom and I could be having another kid! You could be getting another niece or nephew! Just have a glass of champagne." James urged.

"James! What is it with you trying to force my wife to do things today? Leave her alone!" Barney defended Robin. James shrugged and backed away, lifting the glass to his own lips.

Barney lent over to whisper in Robin's ear and they quietly argued whether they should tell everyone today. They had to, or they wouldn't see his family for another month, and Robin would be way too far along to announce it without Loretta getting upset that they hadn't told her sooner.

"We have an announcement too." Robin said. She nodded towards Barney.

"Robin's pregnant." Barney announced giddily.

"OH MY GOD!" Loretta screamed happily. Everyone erupted into happiness and rushed to hug the soon to be new parents.

"How far along are you?" Tom asked after everyone settled down.

Robin smiled. "Sixteen weeks." Barney grinned proudly and placed a hand on her bump.

"We wanted to tell you guys in person. That was going to be when we found out, eight weeks ago but mom and Sam were on holidays. Then last month when we were supposed to come over, the morning sickness was so bad she was either sleeping or vomiting so we couldn't come over then." Barney added.

"Is it a girl or a boy?" Sadie asked.

"Sades, they probably don't know yet." Tom said.

"Actually, we found out yesterday." Robin said, smiling at Barney.

"It's twin girls." Barney announced.

James, Tom, Loretta, Sam, Eli and Sadie all rushed to hug the couple excitedly. Sadie was over the moon that there were going to be girls for her to play with and Eli was just happy that his Aunt and Uncle were going to be parents. He knew they'd be the coolest parents ever, and was already jealous of his baby cousins.

Robin and Barney left Loretta and Sam's earlier than usual because they had to get ready to go meet Robin's dad. They went home and showered and got changed. Barney put on a different suit and Robin put on jeans and a shirt. She considered wearing the same sundress, but figured it would be too girly for her dad. On the way to the cafe Robin warned Barney that her father's reaction was going to be very different from his family's reactions.

To their relief, the pair arrived at the restaurant before Robin's father did. They found a table and sat down. The two chatted for a few minutes until Barney saw his father-in-law enter, his arm around a woman in her mid-fifties. Barney nudged his wife and pointed in the direction of her father.

"Who's the woman?" He asked.

"That would be my stepmother I guess. I've never met her." Robin replied. Her father and stepmother make their way over to the table where Barney and she were seated.

"Robin, this is Carol, my wife. Carol, this is my daughter Robin and her friend Barney." He introduces, draping his own coat around his chair.

"I'm her husband and have been for six years, but my charming father-in-law still isn't acknowledging that." Barney's tone was cold as he shook Carol's hand. Robin elbowed him in the side. Dinner wasn't off to a great start.

The waiter came and they ordered their food. During the course of the meal Robin and Barney kept trying to make their announcement but Robin's dad wouldn't shut up about himself. Every time Robin tried to cut in he would start talking again.

"Alright, I'm just going to go to the bathroom. Be back in a minute, babe." Barney said kissing Robin on the cheek. They had just finished dinner and had ordered dessert.

"Spaghetti's is the men's room." She reminded him quickly. Her father decided to go as well, leaving Robin in the awkward company of her newly acquainted stepmom.

Barney was washing his hands and humming to himself when his father-in-law stepped in as well.

"You know Barney, I can't believe you and Robin are even still together." He started saying. Barney rolled his eyes. "I would've thought you'd have dumped her by now. She's a failure. Surely you can't be proud to call her your wife." The older man raised his eyebrows when he finished talking. Rage was boiling inside Barney. Nobody had the right to talk about Robin like that. It wasn't true. It was the exact opposite from the truth. Barney was unbelievably proud of her and everything she's achieved. Instead of firing off some snarky and petty comment like he wanted to, Barney kept his mouth shut. "Are you going to say something, Blondie?"

"Just shut up before I do something I'll probably regret." He threatened angrily. Well, that came out wrong.

He opened his mouth to say something when Robin's father hit him square in the nose. Blood instantly began gashing down his face. Barney was going to hit his father-in-law back but figured Robin would be angry if he did that. Instead he placed a hand over his nose and walked out of the bathroom, back to their table. Mr Scherbatsky followed him.

"Oh my god! Barney!" Robin jumped out of her seat and ran to her husband's side. She pulled his hand away from his face and pushed him into a chair. She pulled a napkin from the table and handed it to him. He pressed it against his nose. Robin spun to face her father. "Did you do that?" Nobody replied. "DID YOU DO THAT?" She screamed louder at her dad. Barney had to stop himself from making a comment about pregnancy hormones.

"He needs to learn to toughen up." Her father simply replied. Barney felt Robin's hand grip his arm tighter. She was beyond angry at her dad. He pulled the napkin away from his face so he could squeeze her hand. The bleeding had stopped now.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You can't just go around punching people! Especially not your son-in-law!" Robin was beyond angry. She grabbed her purse from the ground. "Come on Barn. We're leaving." Barney opened his wallet and threw a couple of bills on the table. He pulled both their coats from their chairs and draped Robin's over her shoulders. He put a comforting arm around her waist. She was still staring daggers at her father.

"Come on babe." Barney soothed. Her eyes were beginning to water. He attempted to guide her out of the restaurant but she spun around.

"Oh sorry. You were too busy talking about yourself during dinner and I couldn't get a word in edgeways so I forgot why I invited you out. I'm pregnant." Robin's voice was angry. Her lip began to quiver and Barney knew she was about to start sobbing. He quickly pulled her out of the café so her father didn't see her cry. Barney wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of having something to comment on. The two could hear him yell out after her but didn't care.

Robin composed herself in the cab and didn't let hormones get the better of her. When they got back to the apartment, Barney suggested calling his father, her mother and Katie. He figured the sooner the better. She agreed and they called Jerome first. Cheryl, JJ and Carly were with him so that made two less phone calls. The four of them were ecstatic. Robin's mom was next. Robin dialed the number and pressed the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" Her mom answered.

"Hey mom." Robin yawned.

"Robin! How are you? How's Barney? Why are you yawning? Are you getting enough sleep? Oh, this is perfect! Katie's here too! Both of my girls!" Genevieve was overexcited and her voice was way too perky for Robin's liking.

"Slow down mom! Barney and I are great. I'm just tired but yes I'm getting heaps of sleep." She answered. Ms Scherbatsky fired off another series of questions and Robin tried her best to answer them. Barney left to get changed quickly and when he came back, Robin had fallen asleep on the couch, the phone pressed to her chest. He laughed gently and then took the phone from his wife's grasp.

"Genevieve?" He asked.

"Barney? Hello! How's work? Where did Robin go? Can you please make sure she's getting enough sleep because I really worry about her and-" She would've kept going for hours so Barney quickly interrupted her.

"Everything's great. Listen, she's exhausted and fell asleep on the couch. I'm going to wake her up so she can tell you what she called to tell you about." Barney explained. He gently shook Robin. "Baby. Wake up, beautiful." She groaned and covered her eyes. "Your mom's still on the phone."

"Oh!" She quickly took the device from Barney and clicked speaker. "Mom can you call Katie down so she can hear this too please?"

"I'm here. I've heard the whole conversation." Katie yelled from the background.

"Right, okay. Um…I'm pregnant." Robin said. Genevieve's shriek of happiness pierced the phone. It was so loud, both Barney and Robin covered their ears. She started speaking a mile a minute, asking Robin so many questions she didn't have answers to. Was she going to breastfeed or bottle feed her baby? What colour is she painting the nursery? Does she know she can't eat ham? Have she and Barney picked out a name yet and is it too American? Luckily this time it was Katie who interrupted her by snatching the phone from her grasp.

"Congratulations! I can't believe I'm going to be an aunty! And Barney, what the hell is with the whole thing with calling Robin baby and beautiful? Ugh I think I'm gonna puke." Katie said.

"He started doing it in the first few years of our marriage and it's just normal now. We kinda just do it naturally." Robin explained.

They spent a few more minutes discussing nicknames with Katie until Genevieve got ahold of the phone again. It was another half an hour before they finally got off the phone.

...

A/N

I did warn you I loved James and Robin's relationship. :)