AN: The ride begins... Now! Hello Swarkles! (I mean, at least they've reunited...)

One week later

The first few days had been especially hard, not just for Robin, but for the two of them. Barney had tried his best to be delicate on his choice of words and even though she knew he was trying his best, there were times when she just could not help but feel the same wave of self-accusation.

It was a new way for two old friends to get along as they ditched the battles of sass and wit, replacing the gaps in their relationship instead with nice words. It felt weird and unlike them for her, but as they both thought it would be for the better for now, they went along with it.

"I think the best way to begin would obviously be a cup of tea, given your… Conditions," Barney began as he sat her down one day, determined to avoid the words 'London', 'Luke' and anything else that would bring back the unwanted memories.

He had finally mustered up the courage to talk to Robin about her situation and he felt like there was no better time to do it than then.

Handing her a cup of tea like he had suggested, he cleared his throat awkwardly. "So, um, what are your plans?" He asked, hoping the subject was not, still, too sensitive.

She had just gone through something like a breakaway, after all. And if these things were not hard enough already, she had done it from a foreign city with a boyfriend in a coma who is pretty much like a ticking time bomb. He thought. She's definitely more scared than she lets on.

"I guess it's to get back on my feet and start all over with my career," she replied, shrugging, an action so casual that it caught him by surprise.

"Why'd you say so?" He questioned, wanting to know.

"Firstly… I guess I'm still career-driven. I was crazy enough to think that I was somehow changed in such a short period of time. Now that I've come back, I realised that I still am a workaholic, so I'll stick to that. There's not much I can do anyway."

And to that, Barney snorted subconsciously, which gained a glance of confusion from Robin.

"Robin Scherbatsky, you have many good qualities aside from being a workaholic, dealing with boring paperwork and being a really big office freak," he explained, trying to gather himself as he displayed failed attempts of trying to hide his muffled laughter.

Offended, she gazed at him intently, cross with his sudden break out in chuckles that seemed to have been aimed at her. "What are you laughing at?"

"Well, to start off," he said, in between broad smiles he somehow could not seem to hide. "I'd say a quality of yours I admire very much, out of a hundred I can easily name, is the way you-"

"No. Stop. Okay." She blurted. "I think I get what you're getting at." She cut him short, not wanting him to continue, afraid she'd bask in compliments that she knew were neither true nor impressive, compliments tailored to raise a smile on her face.

"Good. I didn't have any because I knew you'd stop me. I just wanted you to realise your potential."

"Thanks," she replied, heartfelt nonetheless. "Hey, you have a lot of great qualities too. Just to name a few, from the top of my head, you're…" She paused, her pupils dilated as she shifted her gaze to the ceiling without moving her head. She was thinking of the nice things she could say about him.

"You were saying?" He replied smugly, completely unembarrassed by the shower of praise he was expecting.

"Actually, I was thinking you'd cut me off, so… I don't have to say anything. Because I've got nothing." She confessed, throwing her hands in the space in front of her, gesturing in a matter of fact way.

"I'm still waiting," he prodded, giving her a nudge in the rib.

Heaving a sigh, she continued eagerly, tucking her hair behind her ear as she did so. "I suppose… I suppose you look good at all times… Plus you smell nice." She looked at him doubtfully.

Pleased with the compliments, he tugged at his tie and cleared his throat, waiting for more still, a move she happily ignored.

"Come on! That can't be all you've got. I've got a few off the top of my head," he replied frantically, counting his fingers. "Let's see… I'm quite the character, I've got awesome styling, I am, without a doubt, way hotter than you and I smell nice." He finished.

"Yeah… I've already said that."

"Doesn't hurt to re-establish the fact. And given I smell extra nice after all, it wouldn't be a scandal if anybody said it twice."

Robin rolled her eyes. "Look at you. You're so in love with yourself." She looked at him in disbelief, at the same time smiling from the entertainment this was offering.

"Yeah, but at least I have reasons to be, unlike you." He quipped, seemingly satisfied with his comeback.

"Hey." She snapped, faking anger. "You just said I have many great qualities."

"You do." He agreed, giving her a half smile. "Just… Your qualities are not really of good quality."

"Fine… Whatever." She replied, slightly defeated, but not about to give up just yet. "I feel sorry for your future girlfriend. If I were her, I'd run fast."

Laughing, Barney pretended to throw up and she gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder. "I don't do girlfriends. I just… Go to bars and be awesome."

And with that, it seems as though the two's friendship had magically been patched up, restored and embellished, leaving them at the place the two just needed to be for now.