One tiny detail causes a split between this world and the other, in which Ted spots Robin across the room and falls in love.

Robin Scherbatsky, for the first time in her life, gets a cold. And in catching the common cold this particular week, she opts to go straight home after work instead of hanging out with coworkers at some bar. MacLaren's.

She blames pollution. But really, it's only physics.

XXX

Two years later—

Her sister, Katie, has just moved in with her from Canada. Katie was accepted at NYU and Robin's suggested she live with her while still adjusting to a new city.

One Saturday, just as Robin is all dressed up to go out with some friends, Katie bursts in the apartment, her eyes red, her expression shaky. The dogs instincively follow her until she slams the her bedroom door, nearly sending them across the hall.

'Katie?' She knocks patiently. 'What's wrong? Open the door.'

'I'm fine!'

'Katie, I have a sledgehammer and I'm not afraid to use it.'

The door swings open. Katie goes back to the bed, hugging a pillow, as Robin follows.

'It was Aaron, wasn't it?' she asks, referring to the douchebag Katie's currently dating who smells like pot and cheap cologne. 'I'm going to pound that kid.'

She frowns. 'No. It's. . .I saw some posters around the area of this director, you know, looking for models. So I was like, why not, right? The auditions were held awhile ago. I went there, and the director. . .he, um, well, he told me to take my clothes off and pretend to model. So I did. I took my shirt and pants off. When he started flirting with me, I got really uncomfortable and ran out.'

Robin goes numb. She freaks out and starts cursing, then heads out to find a gun with Katie, panicking behind her.

'What's this "director" called?

'I don't know. Don't overreact! I mean, nothing really happened.'

'Where were the auditions?'

'Robin!'

'Katie, it's either you tell me or I call mom. Right now.'

So Katie scribbles the address quickly and Robin leaves, swearing every step of the way.

XXX

Burning with rage, she enters the "audition room" after a couple of other bimbos come out giggling. She rolls her eyes. Idiots.

She plasters a smile on her face and manages to hide her surprise. Because the so called director isn't what she expected—he isn't old, overweight, oozing with sleeziness or even remotely disgusting-looking. He's young, dressed impeccably, cool and—Robin hates to admit it—the kind of guy she'd consider if he ever came up to her.

'Name?' he asks, sizing her up.

'Robin Scherbatsky.'

'Age?'

'Twenty six.'

He seems to consider this for awhile, then shrugs and scribbles something down on his clipboard. While he does, she slips onto the couch next to and puts a hand on his arm.

'Come on. We all know what this is about,' she whispers.

And then they're kissing (is it supposed to feel this electric? she thinks, chalking it up to the adrenaline from being angry), and she slips her hand into his suit pocket and takes his wallet out, dropping it into her bag carefully. She pulls back suddenly and leaves him hanging.

'Is there a bathroom here?'

He points at a small room to the right of the dark, poorly lit room. 'I'll be here when you get back,' he reminds her with a wink.

He manages to surprise her once again: his wallet is full of cash and credit cards. A guy as well-off and good-looking as him, why the need to lie? There's no driver's license, but there's a strange letter with instructions in case his body is found in a desert, signed 'Barney Stinson'. Robin smiles, satisfied, and doesn't even bother putting the wallet back into her bag.

'What the hell—' Barney starts, seeing her emerge from the hallway.

'Okay, listen, Barney Stinson.' She waves his wallet. 'You almost took advantage of my seventeen year old sister today. And unless you want to end up in jail for sexual harassment, at the very least, you're going to shut up, keep your hands to yourself and do as I say.'

He holds his hands up. 'Is this a game? Am I being punk'd—'

'I said shut up, didn't I? Now, go outside and tell those women auditions are over.'

Barney reluctantly does as told and gets back into the room.

'There were Chinese twins out there,' he mumbles.

Robin looks around the room, wrinkling her nose. 'You're going to apologize to my sister. Is there anywhere, I don't know, decent around this area?'

'There's a bar across the street.'

'Okay then.'

He moves to grab his wallet back, but she's too quick and he trips with the effort. She suppresses a laugh.

Texting Katie the address, she steps on his foot with her heel, making him yell. 'That's for my sister, jerk.'

They get to the bar—she's been here once or twice, she thinks, on a date—and Barney waves at a group of three people before moving to sit with them (she just stands there awkwardly). He's still frowning and suddenly she wonders if telling Katie to come to a bar and meet her almost sexual assaulter is a good decision.

Shooting him would be so much easier.

'This is Ronnie—'

'Robin,' she corrects him.

'Robin. She's making me wait and apologize to her sister for holding fake auditions to screen women. And she has my name.'

Robin is surprised at how normal his tone is, how frank he is with his friends.

'When are you going to learn, Barney?' one of the guys ask exasperatedly. He has black hair that looks meticulously geled to look messy.

'Nice one, Robin,' a tall, clean-shaven guy tells her, grinning. He raises his hand and Robin high-fives it a little uncertainly. 'I'm Marshall, by the way. This is Lily, my wife. And that's Ted.'

Lily smiles and waves at her, a petite, red-head. Robin decides they aren't too bad and sits down with them.

'So why are you all friends with Barney?' she asks. 'I mean, no offense, but he's a sleeze.'

Lily snorts. 'You can call him much worse.'

'Lily!' Barney groans. 'You're supposed to be on my side, not hers.'

When Katie gets there, Barney starts looking like he's about to run. That is, until Marshall threatens to slap him.

'I'm sorry I lied to you. And hit on you. But in my defense, you lied about your age. Ow!' Robin had punched him. 'But I am really sorry if I hurt you or anything. I shouldn't have done it. If I could take it back, I would.'

She is, again, surprised by how sincere he sounds and looks (and so does Katie, it appears).

'I shouldn't have lied about being seventeen,' Katie relents, smiling weakly. The rest of the guys then proceed to cheer her up with embarassing stories of Barney, going on endlessly until Katie is laughing and looking much better. Robin goes to the bar to order some drinks, proud of how she handled the situation.

Suddenly, Barney appears from behind and eyes her order. 'Soda? Really?'

'I'm trying to be a good example.'

'Right.'

She pulls a twenty from his wallet before placing it back in his pocket. 'Thanks for paying.'

He looks like he has something else to say, but she doesn't wait, walks back to the table where Marshall is doing some funny impressions. They stay for about half an hour more until Robin decides it's time to leave.

XXX

She bumps into him again about two weeks later at a coworker's birthday party. He excuses himself from a girl he seems to be hitting on and crosses the room to meet her.

'How's your sister?' he asks.

'She started school a couple of days ago at NYU.'

'Awesome.'

'Why am I even talking to you?' She laughs. 'You know how weird this is? You almost assulted my little sister!'

'She lied about her age!'

'Well, still, it was a disgusting thing to do. Bye, Barney.'

He catches her arm in a hurry. 'Look, I'm sorry, all right? I feel bad about it—'

'Do you, really? Because I'm thinking you do it all the time.'

'I hate that you think I'm just that kind of guy.'

'Why does it matter?'

' Let's go someplace. I'll prove to you that I'm not just a womanizing idiot.'

And for some unknown reason, Robin complies. They get a cab and he leads them to a laser tag arena, where they suit up and are beaten by a group of noisy kids twenty minutes into the game. So they play another and this time, they win. She won't admit how much fun she's having. He redeems a giant stuffed penguin for her with his tickets and buys them some onion rings and soda, which they eat as they walk along the streets in endless conversation.

It turns out that they have a million things in common, which surprises her because of the rarity of finding someone who understands how she thinks. She has known this guy two weeks and already it feels like they're old friends. They throw insults at each other at lightning speed, complimenting each other for particularly witty ones. When it starts to rain and cabs can't be bothered to stop for them, he calls some guy named Ranjit and two minutes later they're in a car going to get a drink at Maclaren's.

At about two in the morning, she insists Katie might be worried about her. He relents and they get back into the car.

'I hate to say it, but I had fun,' Robin tells him at her doorstep. 'You're almost forgiven.'

'I can do with that for now.'

'So, thanks.'

'Friends?' He reaches a hand out. They're soaking under the rain and it's dark, she smiles and shakes his hand.

'I really am sorry for what I did.'

'I believe you now. Don't make me regret that.'

Their hands linger for longer than a handshake should last. For a second there, they're leaning in, and Robin can almost conjure the feeling of kissing him the first time. Until she remembers Katie might be watching and pulls back.

'You have to stop doing that to me, Scherbatsky,' he says, shaking his head.

She smiles, walks up the steps with her soaked penguin and opens the door. 'You need to earn it first,' she replies loudly against the fierce rain.

He stands there and grins back. 'Challenge accepted!'

It isn't the smoothest start. Certainly, it isn't ideal. But it doesn't matter because yes, in some universes, it takes Barney and Robin just a little bit more time and complications to find each other and fall in love.

The important thing is that, in the end, they always do. Whatever happens. They do.

What universe should the next chapter be about? Please review and suggest! :)