NOTICE: This chapter does have a brief scene of smut. It is relatively un-graphic and very short, but it is in there.
The gang had a clear plan in mind now. It had taken them practically all night to formulate it and conclude together, but they had, and their goal was now set. They would leave their parents' camp come the following morning, or, if they felt particularly lazy, due to perhaps staying up so late, the following night. Barney and Robin had set the steps of the whole thing, planning every little detail out as they did so well, and once everyone else had agreed on it, the deal was sealed. Now was the fun part- setting it into motion.
Few had dared to go above ground if they didn't need to, but Ted took this exception around 5 AM that night. Clint and Virginia had been having 'sandwiches'- MANY sandwiches- and Ted wasn't taking well to their loud chatter and all of the smoke billowing in from next door. So, he took matters into his own hands, grabbed a pillow and blanket, and headed above ground.
He didn't just head above ground, however, he walked a bit, just around the corner really, until he reached his favorite place in the city at all- the GNB Tower, still in amazing condition, barely crumbling at all, like a relic that had withstood the test of time.
Climbing up to the top of it, he located his chaise lounge, soaked thoroughly with rainwater and smelling more than slightly of mildew, and draped his blanket over it. But he didn't lay down instantly. He was awake now, maybe a little too much, and he figured that he hadn't seen a sunrise in forever, so he may as well seize the opportunity while he could.
So, he sat there for a while, blanket over his shoulders, gazing over the blackened skyline that would have once been aglow with the lights of New York's once-bustling nightlife, and a sense of reminiscence came over him suddenly, a sense of longing for how life used to be.
An abrupt creak from behind him caused him to scream like a girl, but when he looked closer, he saw that it was only Tracy.
"Back here again, huh?" she asked as she walked slowly over to him.
"Oh, yeah, my mom and Clint were having some sort of weird sandwich party," Ted replied. He scooted over on the chair, patting it invitingly for his lover to sit down next to him. "Couldn't sleep?"
She shook her head. "Nah. I think…maybe Barney and Robin were…uh, you know."
Ted nodded understandingly. "Right. That's how life is with those two."
"Or maybe it was Marshall and Lily. At any rate, I now have some serious psychological scars that are never gonna heal."
She smiled and Ted chuckled. "Yeah, same here," he replied.
She took a seat next to him, and for several minutes, they sat together in silence, gazing up at the night sky, taking in the strange serenity of the moment, until Ted spoke up suddenly.
"So…tomorrow we'll be heading out," he told her. "But…before we do that, there's something I gotta do first."
Tracy watched, awestruck, as Ted pulled a small box from out of his pajama pants, and when he popped it open, a small ring was inside, just as she had expected.
"I never thought I'd be asking this, under this circumstance, but if the opportunity ever does come up, and we're not constantly running for our lives, will you marry me?"
"Yes! Yes, yes, a million times yes!" She grabbed Ted and hugged him ecstatically, practically knocking him over in the process.
"Sshh!" he hushed her, though he was smiling. "Don't draw attention from the zombies!"
"Teddy Boy, you have no idea how much I love you," she told him. She snuggled up to him after he had slid the ring on her finger, resting her head on his chest. The two spent the remainder of that night watching it fade away into morning, as the rosy, orangey red sun slowly rose from the jagged skyline of the city.
Robin awoke that morning to a tapping on her shoulder.
"Hey. Yo, Scherbatsky. Up and at em. Wake up."
She rolled over and covered her face with a pillow. "Barney, let me sleep," she groaned.
"But I've got something super awesome to show you!" he pleaded.
"Are you naked again?" Robin muttered.
"No, not this time. Just get up, please?"
Robin reluctantly did, but only after several minutes of begging on Barney's behalf. He had helped her get out of bed, taking her hand and assisting her in lifting her heavy weight, and once she finally did, he led her outside, slowly taking the stairs as he held her hand in his.
"Barney, where are we going?" she asked, still sleepy and therefore still slightly irritable.
"It's a surprise! Just wait!" he responded.
They walked a bit farther, right past a spraying and busted pipe, its clear eruption of water reflecting rainbow in the early morning sun, a few ominously painted DO NOT ENTER signs made of splintered wood placed up against a chainwire fence, a pack of zombies feasting on the corpse of a dead dog like vultures, who were far too engaged in their meal to even notice the two, and eventually, they came to their destination. A subway station, its entrance now shrouded by thick tangles of bushes, but which had a clearing in the middle, allowing for entrance. Barney pushed through the shrubbery, leading Robin behind him.
They descended down the stairs, then stopped at the bottom.
"So…what do you think?" he asked.
Robin looked around at her surroundings. They were in an abandoned subway station, which looked as though it had never been touched, but rather that it had somehow been kept in perfect condition- it was as if the underground had preserved it in time. The subway car itself was parked, signifying that it, much like the rest of the place, had been frozen ever since the apocalypse, never to be used again.
It was well-lit inside of the station, unlike the rest of the city, and there was a feeling of damp humidity, accompanied by an earthy, silty scent, yet there was a comfortable air of coolness about it. In a way, it really was strangely beautiful, and granted her a feeling of peace.
"Wow," she breathed out. "You cleared out this whole place just for us, didn't you?"
"Oh, well, no," Barney answered. "I mean, that would be the dream. But truthfully, I found this place while searching for a private spot for us to do it. But THEN, I realized that we haven't had more than one second together for God knows how long, and…I thought I'd fix that. I mean, if it's any consolation, I did have to shoot a few zombies before I made sure it was safe, but they're gone now. Rest assured."
In the corner, resting on the ground, was a small radio, and Barney made his way over to it before turning it on. To Robin's surprise, some muffled music cranked out, then cleared of its static and could be heard almost completely. She was even more shocked once she had noticed what the music was- the Beaver Song. Somehow, by a way that only Barney could possibly manage, he had gotten ahold of it.
He took off his jacket, then smiled at her.
"Wait, how did you-" she started to ask, but he hushed her, placing a finger on her lips.
"Sshh. No time for questions. Scherbatsky…let's dance."
He took her hands in his, and they danced together slowly, moving in perfect synchronicity to the song, their bodies skillfully matching each other's time.
It was a funny thing, really, how they could dance to such a song in that way, treating it as if it were a Mozartian piece, with such preciseness that anyone watching them without hearing the song itself would think so.
And they danced around each other, eyes focused, smiles on their faces, Barney twirling Robin at each use of the word "beaver," until the song finished all too soon and they were left standing still, chest to chest, palm against palm, able to feel each other's hearts beating under the thin fabric of their clothes.
"Barney," Robin said, his gaze fixed on her own. "You know, this morning could be our last."
He tilted his head like a curious puppy dog. "Hmm?"
She traced her fingers along the silky smooth fabric of his tie before taking it and tugging on it, ever so gently. "Hmm what? You know damn well where I'm going with this."
There was a fiery glint in her eyes as she smiled at him, and he knew the game she was playing- and he was certainly ready to play right along.
"You saucy little minx," he growled out. But she was right- later today, tomorrow if they were lucky, they would be back out in the streets, struggling to survive, and with the plethora of horrendous creatures now roaming the area, there was a good chance that they wouldn't even live to see the next night.
He backed her into the wall and kissed her once again, her fully pregnant belly barely even a noticeable factor to him at this point, pinning her there for several minutes before she gently pushed him off of her body, leaving him breathless, and undid the buckle of his pants, ever so quickly and skillfully.
"Are we really about to do it on the floor of a subway station?" he asked playfully.
Robin nodded. "Could be our last day, remember?"
And he wasn't going to argue against that.
Before they knew it, they were on the cold, hard floor of the subway station, not an ideal place for making love, yet they seemed entirely ignorant to it. Barney tentatively lowered his body over hers, his skin warm against her own, before he pushed into her, at first starting slow, tenderly kissing her neck and savoring the moment as he bucked his hips ever so gently, before the sensation of it all charged him with a stronger carnal desire that powered him to increase his speed. His movements became quicker then as he thrust faster, until at last, he came to a finish, just seconds before she did.
They collapsed against each other, sharing their warmth on the coldness of the ground, their breathing slowing gradually.
"If that was the last time," Robin panted. "We nailed it."
"Haha, yeah," Barney agreed. "Yeah we did. The 'it' in question was undoubtedly nailed." He winked at her, and that charming little look on his face, ever so devilish and sexy, was almost pure cause for her to want to go again after a few minutes, had she not been overtaken by a sudden sharp cramp.
She cried out in pain, clenching her stomach. "Ooh, oh my God," she said, wincing from the jab.
"What's wrong?" Barney asked worriedly, sitting straight up.
"Nothing," she replied.
"You sure you're not going into labor?"
She shook her head. "No, I don't think so…"
Barney ran his tongue over his lips. "Cuz…when you do… ya know I have zero experience in delivering a baby, right?"
"Yeah, but Ted said he'd help me," she replied. "Apparently he once delivered a neighbor's baby."
"Ted?" Barney was incredulous at that. "Robin, he once ruined a suit of mine by bleaching it! You can't trust the guy with a suit, and yet you trust him with your baby?"
She stared at him. "Barney, a suit isn't a living thing."
"Yeah, that's what you think! My point still stands."
After getting redressed, he helped her off the ground, but the sudden bolts of pain she was feeling were cause for concern. But she didn't worry, not yet anyway. If her calculations were correct, she shouldn't be due for at least another week. And besides, the only thing she had to focus on now was she and her friends' escape back out into the harsh apocalyptic world around them.