This is it, the final (official) chapter or In My Life. I've decided to follow up with an interlude (a la The Long and Winding Road) and put the title in that so that you guys can follow through to it.

maveldc superhero fan, thank you for your review and I'm looking forward to your input. crime-drama lover, welcome back and you have to let me know when your story is posted. littleblackneko, I keep thinking of all my loving and the words almost fit, but its about going away (and may fit elsewhere, again, haha) and I love the baby name suggestions. princesakaralita411, Imogen definitely needs to relax, just hang on and keep reading.

Anyway guys, I love you all! Enjoy this, and keep following.

Topaz-b

Ps – I did make up the Fred guy, lol

I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more

Barney stepped outside of the bar, looking up at the night sky with a smug grin on his face. He'd excused himself from the table, leaving Ted and Marshall there with Imogen and Lily. Robin was working late at WWN, and he had the time to put the last few touches on his plan. The late March weather was warmer than he'd thought it would be as he tucked his hands in the pockets of his pants and turned towards the building steps.

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, the moment he knew he wanted Robin, and only Robin, forever. He'd never actually said it to her, he was afraid of what her reaction would be. Wasn't sure if she'd freak out or not, but it was a risk he'd take. He fingered the box in his pocket. He'd just picked it up from the jewelers, and all he had to do now was let the pieces fall into place, make the perfect moment happen.

Which would happen, of course. He was too awesome for it not to.

Ted and Imogen left the bar, and headed up to his apartment. He had his arm around her waist, pulling her close against his side. They'd been going out for a few months, and her was contemplating asking her to move in. Robin's room was empty, and he figured he could use that as the bargaining chip if she was reluctant.

Imogen entered and yawned. Ted sat on the couch and beckoned for her to join him, and she gave him a reluctant smile but sat, stiffly, next to him. He pulled at her until she relaxed in his arms.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, I don't know. That Barney thing."

"Barney thing?"

"Yeah. What he said about the B and J equals A thing."

"That, oh yeah." Ted gave a laugh and Imogen looked at him. "Oh come on, it was funny." Her eyes hardened. "Or not…"

"Ted, I can't believe you didn't stand up for me."

"What are you talking about?"

"I told you."

"Imogen if you had told me, I would know what you were talking about." She huffed at him.

"When I was graduating college, there was one course that I was in danger of failing, so I did some extra credit work and went to turn it in one afternoon. One thing led to another… and…" She trailed off.

"You slept with him?"

"Yes… but it wasn't for the grade!" She looked up at him pleadingly. "We'd been having this great talk and he was so insightful. He really knew what I was talking about. The next night was a kegger at a frat down the street to celebrate graduation, and I got drunk and told a few friends… who then told the entire school."

"Wow."

"Yeah, so then when I graduated, everyone blamed it on that one professor…" She sighed. "I mean I know it must look that way but Fred and I were so in sync."

"Fred?"

"Yeah we were on a first name basis. It was a really relaxed course."

"That's, um, great." Ted wasn't sure which side of the line he fell on, but he kept his mind open.

"I'm so glad you understand Ted." She leaned back against him. "I mean who fails Women's Studies?"

"Heh, that's funny."

"What?"

"The Women's Studies teacher at Colombia is named Fred. Fred Mackenzie."

"Yeah, he was my Women's Studies Teacher when I was here. We had the most amazing relationship."

"You mean you guys had a relationship after you graduated?"

"Oh yeah. We were together forever. He paid for my year of backpacking, got me in in that Theater company in England, he even got me the job here."

"Wow you guys are still really good friends huh."

"Friends?" She laughed. "Oh yeah definitely." She leaned into him again. "In fact we broke up just before I started as a professor at the university."

"Oh… Wow…" Ted coughed to hide the weird range his voice was drifting into. "That… ah… quick huh… does that make me rebound guy?"

"Huh? Oh no Ted." Imogen said. "Nothing like that at all." She snuggled down next to him.

Robin entered the apartment late, to find a note from Barney directing her to the roof. She dropped her purse and headed up to where Barney was sitting on a blanket, smiling up at her.

"Aww Barney." She said, kneeling down next to him and accepting the champagne flute he was holding out.

"I figured you might like a bit of a change of pace." He said, popping the cork in the bottle beside him and filling her glass. "I got this when we were in France."

"You've still got it?"

"Saved it for a special occasion." He winked at her. She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. He smiled back and hit a button on his phone.

"See, I knew you had it in you." She said before straightening. "Oh! Barney! I have something to show you, its in my purse." She stood.

"Ah, Robin, can't it wait?" He said in a panicked tone. She smiled.

"It'll just take a second." She disappeared through the rooftop door just as the first of a series of fireworks lit up the sky. He sighed and sat back, his hand travelling again to the ring in his pocket.

She came back up when the last firework had cleared the sky. He smiled up at her as she sat beside him again, dropping her purse beside her. She held out a picture.

"The photo editing guy at work did it for me. Isn't it awesome?" It showed Barney and Robin's faces super imposed onto the cover of a video game. He smiled. It was awesome.

"And it goes perfect with this special occasion champagne." Robin filled her glass. "What was the occasion anyway?"

"Oh, pretty girl on the roof. No one can see us, and the position I can get you in over that wall." He pointed and Robin giggled. Barney gave an inward sigh, he'd wait until it was perfect.

"Well Ted you shouldn't have ignored the warning signs." Marshall said, dropping his folder on the table.

"What warning signs? Marshall she's perfect."

"Except for the ex-boyfriend whose given her everything, she's horrible to my wife, and she can't take a joke."

"You're exaggerating."

"Yeah well, you're not even aggerating. You're UNDER-exaggerating."

"Marshall that's not even a word."

"Ted, come on. Where did you meet her."

"She sat in my class."

"Ok, and the last one who was sitting in your class."

"Was… oh god Zoey."

"Exactly."

"Marshall you're crazy."

"Oh, am I Ted." Marshall looked at him. "I bet you that I am not crazy, and that you'll see it for yourself."

"Alright then Marshall, I bet you are crazy, and that she is indeed perfect."

"God you really live behind rose coloured glasses."

"Marshall."

"Fine. Wager will be…" He trailed off, thinking, and then a crazy smile crossed his face. "The flamethrower in the zombie proof house."

"Agreed." They shook hands.

Barney and Robin were curled up on the couch, watching his 300 inch screen. The news was on, something he usually only watched when Robin was on. He insisted tonight though.

She was about to suggest a channel change when a special report flashed up. Tuning in to the familiar music, she sat up. The woman on the screen looked up into the camera with a smile.

"This just in. Special report, Barnard Simpson asks Toby Sherbasky will you marry me? I'd love to hear the answer to that one Jim."

"Me too Claire, next up"

"Wow they're really running with they Gay Marriage approval. It is the sweetest proposal though. And clever. Got to pee."

"Yeah." He said, watching as she stood and crossed to the bathroom. The door closed behind her and he gritted his teeth. "They got the names wrong! The names!" He huffed and turned off the screen, diminishing the light in the room fantastically. "This is getting ridiculous…"

Marshall looked up as his boss entered the office, smiling at him.

"So Marshall. How's the not so little woman?" He said. Marshall gave him a confused look and he mimed a pregnant belly with his hands.

"Oh. She's good." He smiled.

"Know what it is yet?"

"No, we're leaving it as a surprise." His boss smiled back.

"That's a novel idea. Now about that report on the case from last year."

"Oh, um, sir." Marshall said. "Its not quite finished." He pulled out the collection of folders, now transferred to a box to accommodate the reams of notes he'd added to it. "To be honest sir, it seems kind of unworkable."

"Eriksen." His boss smiled. "Mind if I tell you a secret?"

"Um… sure." He said, steeling himself for whatever was next.

"We give the hard cases to those we want to keep around. Those with real promise." He crossed his arms. "I told you Eriksen, you've impressed up upstairs. Keep up the great work."

"Oh. Thank you sir." Marshall said with a grin threatening to split his face in half.

Barney watched as Robin rose with the crowd and chanted at the figures on the ice in front of them. He'd brought Robin to a hockey game, bought her a giant beer and a pretzel, and buckled in for the game, keeping his eyes on the jumbotron.

There was a goal, and half the stadium erupted in cheers, the other cursing loudly. Beer, pretzels, and hotdogs flew through the air and smacked onto the glass separating them from the ice. Barney wasn't aware of anything around him, concentrating hard on the screen. He didn't notice the first shove, the following one, or the fight that erupted around him.

What he did notice was the screen flash, and the words he'd been waiting for finally pop up.

Robin Scherbatsky

Will you Marry me?

He turned to look at her, and realized she hadn't seen it. She was standing, throwing her beer in someone's face and leaping over the seat to attack them.

He slumped back in his seat, sighing. It just wasn't in his cards. There was no perfect moment. He dodged as a hotdog, flicking mustard as it went, narrowly missed his suit and slammed against the glass in front of him.

"That was a good game eh." Robin said. Barney smiled. Whenever Robin was amped up after a game, she couldn't drop her accent as easily as she'd have liked. He pulled her hand to him, lacing their fingers together, and stopped at a vendor for an ice cream. She held her ice cream, and let go of his hand to catch the ice cream dribbling off of the edges and down the hand holding it.

She laughed at the comment Barney had just said, about how little Barney was liking the show she was putting on. Her foot caught the edge of a sidewalk slab that was sticking out higher than the rest and she fell to the ground.

Barney stooped next to her, kneeling in her dropped ice cream.

"Aw, now I'll need a new one." She said, and then laughed again. Barney laughed with her.

"Oh Scherbatsky, what am I going to do with you?"

"Well hopefully not rely on me to not trip." She looked up at him. Barney smiled and looked down at her in the dim light of the street lamp above them.

"Oh my god, you're beautiful." He said, almost astounded. She smiled.

"Yeah well." She reached out to his tie and straightened it. "You're not to shabby yourself." He reached up and halted her hand where it was, his other reaching for his pocket. This was it, this was his perfect moment.

"Robin… will you marry me?"

In my life I love you more