Merry Christmas to those of you who do celebrate it today!
Loved reading all your comments and thoughts again!
SwarklesFan55 - What I wanted to achieve with their Skype fight was to have Barney start to realize that maybe he should start having actual conversations with her, instead of making joke after joke. I hope that will be clearer once I write the next Skype conversations.
Srcrib - I had already forgotten about Shannon again, but that is brilliant! I am totally going to use that in a later chapter. And I hadn't planned on making it a long fic, I originally had two separate ideas for new stories, and decided to write this one first, but now I will just converge them into one.
Guest - It still seems like she is using him? Oh man, I gotta work on that, maybe this chapter helps a little.
As for a spoiler (and I guess don't keep reading if you don't want to know): Barney's prediction in the car on New Year's will come true :-P
Out on the Town
"So spill it, how was Brunch with Ted? Can I see the ring?" Barney asked once they ordered their cigars, and scotch.
They had just finished an intense round of laser tag, which Barney had of course won. Afterwards, they had split to get showers, and changed before meeting back up here.
"Actually, it wasn't as bad as I anticipated." Robin replied.
"I take it he didn't propose."
"No. We talked about New York, and me giving up the apartment. He told me a lot about his childhood." Robin shrugged, "no big romantic gestures whatsoever."
"That's weird." Barney commented.
"Why?"
"Cause he was really set on winning you over, and then he finally got you for himself, and doesn't do anything about it?"
"Or maybe you were just messing with me this whole time." Robin suggested.
"And why would I do that?" Barney asked.
Robin shrugged.
The cigars came, and Barney lit it for her.
"I went to my bosses today." Robin said as she exhaled the smoke.
"And?" Barney asked.
"I wanted to make sure that they aren't going to let me go after Japan, it'd suck if I had already gotten rid of all my stuff, you know?"
Barney nodded, and asked again, "and?"
"They like the work I've done, and they like that I want to travel all over the world." She grinned.
"So Tokyo is only the beginning, huh?" Barney asked.
Robin nodded, "yeah. They said they might send me to Singapore, or Taipei next."
"That's cool." She didn't notice that his expression didn't match his words.
"Have you been to either place before?" Robin asked.
"I had a layover in Singapore."
"I bet it's an exciting city."
Barney nodded, "yeah."
"Will you visit me?" Robin asked.
"If I can combine it with work, sure."
"You should. I wouldn't have this awesome job if it wasn't for you, so the least I can do is be a good host when you come visit me."
"I'll see."
"Any place, any time, okay Barney?" Robin asked.
He nodded.
"I guess Lil, and Marshall have to wait a little while longer before visiting you in Europe."
"Who knows, maybe next year? Which place would you want to see?"
Barney had to think about it, yes he travelled a lot for work, but he wasn't really that big of a traveler per se. He had never been set on seeing the world.
"Maybe Paris."
"Paris?" Robin asked surprised, "as in the city of love?"
"Shut up. I just think you'd really enjoy Paris, I mean you speak French, right?"
"Yes, so? I wanted to know which city you'd wanted to see, not which one I'd enjoy."
"Lily talks a great deal about Paris, and how great her semester abroad was. It sounds like a place worth checking out." Barney muttered.
Robin grinned, "deal, it's mandatory for you to visit me if I am ever stationed in Paris."
They clung glasses.
"Anyways, my boss invited me to hang out with him at Okay tomorrow."
"The club?" Barney asked surprised. It was almost impossible to get on the guest list.
Robin nodded, "wanna go?"
"Are you kidding, of course I do! I've been trying to get in there for years."
"Should we ask the others?"
"Marshall, and Lily have that lame cheese tasting thing tomorrow, remember? They went on, and on about it yesterday."
"I might have spaced out, what about Ted?"
"Is he awesome enough to get in?"
Robin grinned, "we should at least ask him, right? Who knows, maybe he'll meet someone."
"Meet who? The One? Please don't tell me you are buying into that crab too."
"I am not." Robin assured him.
"Good, cause you are too awesome for that."
…
They didn't stay very long at the cigar club, Robin was still tired from the jet lag, and Barney had an early meeting the next day.
They did get hot dogs, and shared a milkshake on the way home, and Barney couldn't help but think that Robin was by far his favorite person to hang out with. She was more bro than either Ted, or Marshall had ever been.
…
"THIS PLACE IS LOUD" Ted screamed once he, Barney, and Robin had gotten inside the club.
"IT'S AWESOME!" Barney replied, equally screaming.
"I'LL GO SAY 'HI' TO MY BOSS!" Robin underlined her words with pointing towards the VIP room.
"DON'T YOU WANT TO DANCE?" Ted asked.
"LATER." Robin ensured him, and dug out.
"I DIDN'T KNOW SHE'D GET INTO THE VIP LOUNGE." Ted screamed.
"THE QUESTION IS WHETHER HER BOSS WILL." Barney winked.
"SHE WOULD NEVER SLEEP WITH A GUY LIKE THAT." Ted defended her.
"You clearly don't know her very well."
"WHAT?"
"NOTHING, LET'S DANCE." Barney pointed towards the dance floor, and Ted nodded.
…
Barney had just ordered himself a drink when Robin snuck up to him.
"HAVING FUN?"
"YEAH."
"SCORED YET?" She asked.
"NOPE, YOU?"
"NO, BUT IT'S NOT DUE TO A LACK OF ACCEPTABLE MEN."
"WANNA DANCE?" Barney didn't even wait for her response, and instead took her hand, and pulled her onto the dance floor.
He'd danced with her before, but never like this. Robin was in perfect sync with the music, and soon they were grinding with each other.
It made him want more.
At one point Robin put her arms around his neck, and screamed in his ear, "HAVE YOU PICKED OUT A TARGET YET?"
"WHAT?"
"A TARGET, I AM YOUR WINGWOMAN TONIGHT. PICK SOMEONE AND I WILL CHAT HER UP FOR YOU."
"YOU DON'T NEED TO." He replied.
"COURSE I DO, I'VE NEGLECTED THE JOB FOR WAY TOO LONG. HOW ABOUT THE BLOND AT THE BAR?"
Barney turned his head, the girl looked like she knew how to have fun.
He nodded, and Robin grinned, and let go of him, making her way over to the girl.
Barney had no idea how Robin did it, but within ten minutes the girl was putty in his hands.
…
Barney didn't see Robin again after that. He ended up fucking the blond girl in a bathroom stall, and exited the club shortly afterwards.
Ted was sitting on the sidewalk outside, and Barney joined him.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE?" Barney asked.
"You don't have to scream." Ted replied.
"SORRY."
Ted just shook his head, "I left, it's too damn loud in there. Besides, I thought Robin would hang out with us, but she's disappeared into the VIP Lounge."
"SHE WAS AROUND EARLIER, WE DANCED FOR A WHILE."
"You are still screaming Barney."
"SORRY."
Ted shook his head, "I saw you guys dancing, she looked like she knew what she was doing."
Barney nodded.
"SHE GOT ME LAID TOO."
"Congratulations."
"THANKS. IF YOU WANT TO WE CAN GO BACK INSIDE AND FIND YOU A GIRL TOO." Barney offered.
"Nah, it's fine."
"YOU WANTED ROBIN, HUH?"
"What? No! I mean, maybe, I don't know." Ted shrugged, "I like her – a lot. But then she starts talking about wanting to travel for pretty much the rest of her live, and how she never wants to have kids, and I can't help but think that she might not change her mind, even if we would be dating, you know?"
"DUDE, THERE ARE MILLIONS OF GIRLS WHO WANT EXACTLY THE SAME THING YOU DO, WHY GET HUNG UP ON THE ONE GIRL WHO DOESN'T?"
Ted nodded, "I know, but I can't just change how I feel about her you know."
"RIGHT, YOU HAVE FEELINGS AND STUFF. BOY AM I GLAD THAT I AM TOO AWESOME FOR THAT KIND OF STUFF."
"Stop screaming Barney."
"OKAY."
Ted rolled his eyes, and got up, "you wanna get out of here? I don't think Robin is coming anytime soon."
Barney looked back at the club, and nodded.
"SURE."