Hey! I hope you all didn't hate me for the cliffhanger. I've updated fantastically fast though, if it helps any.

Marveldc superhero fan, Imogen is pretty weird. Princesakaralita411, I've stunned you into a single word review, haha. Littleblackneko, don't feel bad, the first time I saw deathly hallows pt1 in the theater, this grown man yelled out "Not the elf! Man forget this movie!" so he was a favorite to quite a few. Jessie brown, I updated fantastically fast, and glad you enjoyed the cliffhanger. Sari, it was a mean cliffhanger, but… read on.

Guys, again thanks for the reviews. Enjoy chapter 7.

Topaz_b

Ps – announcement (maybe) soon.

You're asking me will my love grow,
I don't know, I don't know.

Barney looked down at her, a little taken aback by her question, and, to be honest, a little freaked out.

"What?" His voice cracked, and he tried to hide it with a cough.

"Did you propose to Nora?"

"Robin, where did you"

"Nora told me." She cut him off. "At work in the cafeteria." She stood up and crossed her arms, still not sure if she should be furious with him or not.

"I…" He sighed. "Yes." Robin looked at him, shocked.

"You… did?" She knew he had, but hearing him admit it was a whole other story. She swallowed.

"Yes…" He looked back at her, and she was transfixed by the pleading in his eyes. "But not how you think."

"Well there's only one way to propose to someone." Robin said. "Will you marry me?" She almost spat it out mockingly. "And what did she say, was it yes? Or was it 'O'Course guv'ner, I'd be right pleased'." She said in a horrible cockney accent. It made her feel a little better, but she was still angry, and underneath that, hurt, and a little jealous that she hadn't been his first proposal.

"Robin, that's not the" He almost yelled, but stopped himself. "Look, I asked her… because…" He sighed again, his breath coming out a ragged gasp. "There was an issue with her paperwork, some processing fault and it looked like she was going to get deported." He looked up at the ceiling, and then back down. "We'd been talking about marriage a lot anyway, so it kind of just slipped out."

"Slipped out?" Robin said in disbelief.

"Yea" He started harsh, but stopped. "Yes." He smiled at her. "It was only that." He reached in for her hand, but she pulled away.

"You're doing it again."

"What?"

"You're acting different."

"I'm not."

"You are!" She yelled at him. "I'm yelling at you, I'm mad, pissed! And you're acting so nice. You keep doing it! You're being so sweet, and douchey, and" The thought hit her and her mouth dropped. "Like Ted! You're acting like Ted!"

"I'm not."

"Barney you are!" She crossed her arms again. "Admit it!"

"I, ok fine." He said it and looked down. "I am acting like Ted!"

"Why!"

"Because!" He yelled it, and then his face and his voice, fell. "Because… I wanted to prove to you that I'm ready."

"Barney." Robin sighed. "Look, I know that you're ready, but I'm not." She let her arms fall to her sides. "Not yet." Her voice raised a little again. "But acting like Ted! Barney! That's the stupidest thing! Am I with Ted?"

"No."

"Exactly! And I couldn't even visualize being married to him!" She said, her voice up again. "I don't want a douchey life Barney! I don't want it to be all hearts and flowers and quoting bizarre poets every 3 minutes!" She gave him a look. "And that's why we broke up. I want adventure, I want excitement. I want" Her face softened a bit. "I want Barney, not Ted."

Barney opened his mouth to talk, but was silenced by a Robin's phone ringing. She ignored it. It rang again, and she ignored it again. Barney's phone rang next, and they both reached for it in his coat pocket. Pulling it out of his hand, she put it to her ear.

"Hello?"

Ted looked at Imogen as she took her bow on stage, unable to hide his smile. It wasn't the most traditional play, but it had an interesting spin on it. Shakespeare in the 24th Century, as decided by her class. In the back of his mind he wondered if Imogen knew any other playwrights, but he dismissed the thought. Looking around at the cast, android Romeo and alien Juliet, he wished he'd brought Marshall. Or maybe not, he could imagine Marshall would get bored after a while.

He'd run out during intermission and grabbed a rose from a vendor who admitted to him that when plays were on he moved his cart closer. During the standing ovation, where he was joined by a crowd of parents, teachers, and students alike who'd showed up for the one night only extravaganza, he'd clapped the loudest and the longest. He'd taken a step forward to hand the rose to her after her second bow. She had beamed at him, and blown him a kiss before taking her third.

Then Fred had stood and given her a dozen long stemmed roses wrapped in a white ribbon, and started calling out to her in Italian. As if that wasn't enough, he took her hand and kissed it when she reached for the roses and kissed it. Feeling the prickle of anger hit him Ted turned his head and looked at Fred, who had his eyes glued firmly on Imogen. He hid his anger, glad that he'd get her away from him after the play. He'd arranged a private table at a French restaurant, candles, champagne, the works.

"Oh really? I thought that was so cheesy!" Imogen laughed as Ted commented on the use of a jet pack to get up to Juliet's spaceship in the famous balcony scene. They'd designed a rocket pack ,hooked to a rope, that gave off a smoke vapor and was covered in blinking LED lights. "I still can't believe they got me to okay that!"

"Really? Because I thought the cheesiness was what made it charming." Ted said back with a laugh of his own. They were on the couch in her dressing room, laughing and discussing the play, when there was a knock. The door handle twisted, and he entered.

"Ah! Imogen, Jed."

"Ted."

"Ah yes. Why do I keep calling you that." He looked at him with an odd expression on his face. "Ah, no matter. I've come to invite you to dinner."

"Both of us?" Imogen said with an odd smile. Fred paused for a moment, and then nodded.

"Of course."

"Well to be honest, we already had plans."

"Well, let me tag along on yours. The more the merrier I always say." He smiled.

"Well I was actually hoping"

"Oh Ted, let him come." Imogen said, squeezing his arm. "Like he said, the more the merrier."

Sitting between the two in the circular booth he'd reserved originally for himself and Imogen, Ted kept fighting the urge to jab Fred with the snail fork he was twirling around in his hand as he dazzled her with stories of the opera he'd seen in Italy.

"I wish you'd have been there Genny, the music, the costumes, the imagery." He gave a contented sigh as he stabbed another escargot. "Ah, snail Ted?

"No thanks." Ted said with a strained smile. Imogen smiled at him.

"Oh, go ahead Ted, they're really good."

"I'm good." He'd lost his appetite somewhere between the theater and the restaurant, and he was sure it had to do with the way that Fred was keeping her attention and not giving him a chance to get a word in.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he reached for it glad for the distraction.

"Hello? Oh hey."

Marshall woke up alone in the bed, and sat up, looking for traces of his wife. He heard the clicking of dishes in the kitchen, and went out to find Lily at the sink, washing dishes.

"Hey baby." He came up behind her and kissed the top of her head.

"Hey Marshmallow." She said back. "I just had the urge to wash the dishes. It woke me up and everything." She said, humming as she washed. "How was your nap?"

"It was great."

"That's good." Marshall started to step away, when Lily made a noise.

"Oh, that's weird."

"What?"

"I don't know, that was just" She paused. "There it was again, it's this twinge and oh my god!" She finished with her voice raised. "Marshall!"

"What? What's wrong?" He said, before noticing the puddle growing by his feet. "Did you spill the dishwater?"

"No."

"Then, oh my god Lily, are you peeing yourself? Don't worry, it happens, I've done it a few"

"No! Gross Marshall." She turned and looked at him. "I think my water just broke."

"Oh is that OH MY GOD YOUR WATER BROKE!" Marshall said as panic filled his eyes. "What do, I mean, what are, I mean, Are we, I mean, should I."

"Marshall!" She slapped him. He flinched in pain and his face calmed.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now you call a cab." Lily said as she walked wide legged to the bathroom.

"Ok… wait what are you doing."

"Getting a shower."

"What? Why?"

"Marshall, what must have been an entire Minivan of fluid just poured out of me." She turned her head and shot him a look over her shoulder. "I am getting a shower!"