Chapter Title: A Secret Tradition

Episode: Belly Full Of Jelly 1x09

Chapter description: After hanging out at the strip in this episode Barney and Robin continue to hang out and end up having a tradition every year on Thanksgiving.


"I still can't believe you peed on a church." After they left the strip club Barney and Robin decided to hang out a little more. Since Ted wanted to leave and both Barney and Robin wanted to stay a while longer cause neither one was tired or ready to go home yet.

"I know, it was a stupid drunken move on my part but that church had it coming." Both laughed at Barney's stupid remark and started walking up the street.

Once they hit the corner looking around for a cab both stopped and looked at each other for a moment.

"So, would you like a ride madam?" Barney asked as a cab pulled up in front of them.

"Sure, but I thought we were going to hang out more I'm not ready to go home to my lonely apartment or my dogs yet." Robin's first Thanksgiving in New York was a bit boring, she didn't love American Thanksgiving as much as the Canadian Thanksgiving but she did love the food.

When Robin met Lily, Marshall, Ted and Barney months after she moved to New York she didn't feel alone as she did when she first moved to the city. Since Marshall and Lily went to visit Marshall's family in Minnesota she had to wing it and hang out with Ted and Barney for the day. But, she didn't mind, while the charity part kind of sucked. Helping others felt good to her and she liked helping out at the homeless shelter it was her way of giving back to those who aren't as lucky to have a traditional Thanksgiving meal with their families.

She went into journalism to make a difference and so by making a difference today made her want to celebrate a little more.

"Feeling lonely all alone in Brooklyn?" Barney said in a mocking tone with a laugh.

"Actually, I wasn't going to go home either there's a bar near my apartment. I go there usually after I leave Maclaren's it's a great place to just relax plus it's close to my building." Barney looked at Robin before opening the taxi's door and then turned back to Robin standing on the curb. "If you don't want to go home you can join me if you want." Barney hoped she'd say yes because Robin seemed so cool to hang with and so much better to talk to than Ted. Plus, she's easy on the eyes and is way more attractive than Ted. Okay, that part was a joke but it's a true joke.

"Okay, I will join you." Robin enters the cab and Barney follows. They go to the bar Barney knows and spend the entire night talking, getting to know one another better. This night also marked kind of a tradition for both Barney and Robin over the years.

Every year on Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Eve the hang out first with the gang and than when nobody knew it. They'd leave the bar a few minutes apart to go hang out at the bar they now call their home away from home. And, now that the years have past and they're married the tradition still lives every year when Thanksgiving is going on. For the last 6 years since they been together and married they also included the Canadian Thanksgiving which is now celebrated because Barney is also Canadian. At first it was just a silly prank that Robin surprised him with the first year they were married and since then the traditions of both holidays is celebrated even if one of them isn't around at the time.