This is a little longer chapter I wanted to really get into the situation B/R were in when they cheated in season 7. I wanted to explore what they really felt during that time before and after because the thing that they really aren't great at is communicating. They are great with expressions and just talking to each other like normal friends do but these two complicated people are better at showing than telling.

Also, the gang finds out about them getting back together.

It's not that they never wanted to tell their friends it's just they just got back together. It's fresh, it's a new start to start over from where they left off before. Barney and Robin had spent the next two weeks getting back to their normal routines, both as a couple who just rediscovered just how much they missed each other. And, as individuals who have jobs and personal lives of their own. The two weeks spent together without anyone finding out that they were together again just like they had done the first time they dated during that fun and unexpected thrill ride of the summer of 09.

Since getting back together, they both had to figure out the new normal of being a couple again without anything or anyone standing in the way between them. So, Barney and Robin went to work, chatted every moment they got the chance, met for lunch a few times and usually she stayed at his place. She forgot how fun and exciting it was to sneak around with him keeping their relationship a secret from their friends. It's not that they wanted to keep their relationship then or their reunion now, from their friends but they have their reasons. Being together again is great but it's new and neither wanted to see the relationship crumble again.

But, after two weeks their friends had become suspicious of the two. Their routines usually consisted of one of them going to the bar alone or trying to keep a reasonable distance from each other with not much contact. Sometimes they would get seated together, trying to keep themselves distracted without anything physical happening wasn't easy. Sitting next to her or near her was the most frustrating thing because each time she would be wearing something tight or short or revealing that it drove him mad causing him to fidget in his seat. Robin knew he was having trouble keeping a straight face and staying calm around her. It is hard for her to do the same thing without wanting to jump his bones. But, she kept calm while calming him down by rubbing his leg under the table. She still laughed along with his jokes and talked like platonic friends do.

But, their normal routines started to get a little messed up and their timing was off. Before they would come to the bar separately and at different times but by the second weekend everything completely unraveled for them.

"Oh, there's Barney and Robin I wonder why they're late." Lily says seeing her two best friends walking into the bar together looking quite happy and laughing at something.

Barney and Robin see their friends sitting at their booth looking at them. Lily starts waving at them to come over and they smile and walk over.

"Hey, you two what's so funny?" Lily asks smiling at her friends.

Barney takes a chair and sits down at the end of the table and Robin sits in the booth next to Ted who was looking at them with a weird look on his face.

"Nothing. Barney was just talking about something that happened at his office today." Robin said taking a sip of her fresh scotch.

The gang started talking about things but Lily kept quiet as she looked between Barney and Robin talking and laughing with each other. Robin starts picking at his food and sharing his beer making Lily look at them suspiciously through out this conversation. Every now and then Barney would look at Robin with a side-eyed look, laughing and smiling at her and Robin would oddly start to touch him on his arm or hand. Continuing to share his food and drink, finally after a while Robin holds Barney's hand on top of the table rubbing circles around his knuckles staring at him as he tells along and possibly untrue story. The small things they do during their get-together with their friends started to derail their plan and soon it caused Lily to shout out.

"Oh. My. God." She screams out looking and pointing at her friends. "You, and you bar now." Lily said telling her friends to walk with her up to the bar to talk to them.

"Okay, spill it."

Barney and Robin look at each other and smiled.

"When? Where? How?"

Lily, can't believe it Barney and Robin back together? She didn't think or believed they would ever get back together.

"Okay, calm down. It happened two weeks ago. It's fresh, we didn't want you guys to know yet because we're just trying to figure this out for ourselves. We didn't tell you because we wanted to enjoy our time back together." Robin says, Lily tries to let this sudden news sink in and be happy for her friends but she also knows that they have their problems in the past. She doesn't want to lose any of them if it doesn't work out again. But, otherwise she's happy for her friends.

"So, you guys are happy?" Lily asked looking between the two smiling with joy for her friends.

"We are." Robin says looking lovingly at Barney who is by her side with his arms around Robin's back holding her to his side.

From a far, Marshall and Ted look on at the conversation Lily, Barney and Robin are having. Marshall has a wide grin on his face seeing his two friends looking quite cute standing next to each other. Robin's hand slowly rubs Barney's chest as the couple look at each other. Ted's staring now moving or knowing what to say in this moment. Lily then hugs her two best friends and congratulates them.

"Wow, looks like they're back together." Marshall finally says looking over to where his wife and friends are standing then looking at Ted. He stops smiling seeing a bummed looking Ted sitting across from him.

"You okay?" Marshall asks, he's completely happy for his friends but sad for his best friend.

"Yeah, I guess. I'm just shocked that's all." Ted says, he's telling the truth but with a bit of sadness and a little bitterness but he's happy for his friends too.

Marshall gets up and joins Lily and Barney and Robin at the bar.

"Well, congrats you two. I'm happy you decided to make your relationship work again after everything that's happened." Barney hugs him and they break apart.

"Thanks, man we're happy too. It's been a while but we are seeing where this goes. We never stopped feeling the way we do for each other and it took Robin's helicopter incident for us to realize what we were missing out on in life." Barney and Marshall start talking as Lily and Robin walk back to the booth.

"So, you're back together huh?" Ted said, looking at Robin who sits down across from him at the booth.

"Yes, we are. It's new, but we're trying again because..." Robin pauses then looks over at Barney who's talking to Marshall then back at Ted. "I love him." She says in a tone of voice that tells Ted what he knew all along but didn't want to admit to himself.

"I'm happy for you both." After this, Barney and Robin say goodnight to their friends and walk out of the bar hand in hand back to his place.

When they arrive back at Barney's both are tired and ready for bed. It's been along day but finally after two weeks their friends know about them being together again and everything seems to be working and back to normal.

"That went surprisingly well. I wasn't going to say anything tonight but I just couldn't keep my hands off you." They are in their bedroom getting ready for bed. Robin puts on one of Barney's t-shirts with just underwear underneath and Barney just goes shirtless after washing up in the bathroom.

"Yeah, it did I'm glad they finally know about us." Barney says putting on some night shave before climbing into bed beside Robin who just put her phone on silent next to the bed on the nightstand.

"Lily and Marshall seemed happy for us but Ted seemed a bit in shock." Robin points out as she snuggles up to Barney his arm easily goes behind her head as she rests her head on his chest. This was her safe place, it's always been her safe place. It's a place she had missed during the time they weren't together. The last time they were like this was when they cheated together but it wasn't in a nice romantic safe way. It was more frantic wanting after months, years of pining and wanting. They didn't know then just how the wanting of being together in that intimate way again was something they both were craving since their breakup. Now, it's a totally different story. One that both are now more aware of then that time of frantic needed wanting each other.

"I guess it's all just shocking for Ted. I know he loves me too but I don't feel that way anymore for him. It's you, it always has been I just didn't. No, I wanted to be with you I was just scared that you didn't feel the same way." Robin starts drifting looking at the sealing as Barney kisses her hair affectionately whispering.

"I wasn't sure either, you do know that right? I was in love with you then and I love you now the in between was always there. I just didn't know how you felt then that's why I didn't tell you that I loved you and wanted to be with you. I was completely honest then, I had been thinking about you and about us since we broke up. It's the complete and honest truth. I am glad you still loved me then too after you chose Kevin over me." He doesn't want to upset her or ruin this moment so he hopes she understands him more now than back then.

I didn't choose Kevin over you I was just scared." This is when she starts to tear up causing her sight to become blurry. She can't make up for that time but she can try to make him understand that the reason she didn't choose Barney wasn't because she didn't love him.

"So, you're saying you wanted to be with me then and it wasn't because you didn't love me but because you were scared and didn't know how I felt? I can accept that." Barney has never been great with words, he's more of a showman not a wordman but in those moments in that time caused him more pain than he was willing to admit aloud.

"But, I hate that the pain of the thought that I lost you forever at that time. It killed me, more than our breakup did." At that point Robin picks her head up and sits up on the bed then Barney pushes himself up leaning against the headboard.

"I didn't realize how much I hurt you. Barney, I can't explain why I made the biggest mistake of my life back then but I can tell that it hurt me too. In fact, I've been hurting for quite a while before that time. I just couldn't bring myself to admit that I screwed up. I can't make up for that time but don't think I didn't love you. Because I did, I never stopped. The only way I can make up for it now is to love you and spend the times we missed together, together. But, I hate myself for hurting you and I can not forget making that choice and hurting you." Barney's never been one to cry at many things, the times that he did cry were when he was a kid, over his father or over losing Robin both times. But, this is the first time in months that they were really talking about that time a few months ago.

"I just can't lose you again Robin. I can't put myself through the pain of that anymore." Barney doesn't get anything more from Robin and both are silent before they lay back down and go to sleep. They sleep through the night.