A/N: Thanks to ImperiumWife and p.i.a.13091994 for their reviews! Your reviews give me the motivation to continue with the knowledge that someone is reading and enjoying the story!

How My Daughter Changed Me

By ConsultingTimeLordIn221B

Chapter 3 – The Diaper Debacle

"Ellie, for Heaven's sake. Would. You. Stop. Squirming?"

The sound of wailing filled the nursery and surely the entire apartment as Barney and his daughter dueled to try and get her out of her onesie so that he could change her soiled diaper.

"This is ridiculous." He wiped his brow and glared at the one-year-old in agitation. "I'm supposed to have another year before you get aggravating."

Ellie continued to scream, her voice becoming more and more shrill with each passing moment until finally, Barney couldn't take it anymore.

"That's it. Enough is enough." He pulled out his cell phone and hit speed dial.

"Hello?" said the voice on the other end.

"I need reinforcement. My apartment. Now."

He hung up the phone without waiting for a response and stared at Ellie. He tried reaching out for another attempt but she only squirmed harder.

"Fine. If you don't want to change then you can sit in it until help gets here."

BRINGGG!

"Finally," said Barney, getting up from the rocker in the nursery. He went to the door and opened it. "I thought you'd never get here."

"You do realize I live in the suburbs now, right?" said Lily exasperatedly. "And that I have children of my own?" By her side were nine-year-old Marvin and seven-year-old Daisy.

"Hi kids!"

"Hi uncle Barney!" they both said, excitedly. "Can we watch cartoons on your big screen TV?"

"Yeah, sure. Knock yourselves out. But don't touch the Stormtrooper!"

"And don't fight!" added Lily after her two children. She turned back to Barney. "What is it exactly that you need?"

"A tranquilizer. Come with me."

Leaving the two kids in the living area, Barney and Lily made their way back to the nursery. Barney opened the door and suddenly the wailing grew tenfold. Lily gagged.

"Lord almighty, it stinks in here!" she exclaimed. "What are you feeding the poor thing?"

"Forget about that. She won't stay still long enough for me to get the damn onesie and diaper off!"

Lily sighed, rolling her eyes and taking off her coat. She rubbed her hands together.

"Watch and learn Barndaddy. It's time you learn from the master."

Lily cleared her throat.

"Lullaby and good night, with roses bedight

With lilies o'er spread is baby's wee bed

Lay thee down now and rest, may thy slumber be blessed

Lay thee down now and rest, may thy slumber be blessed."

By the time Lily reached the end of the lullaby, Ellie was silent with a content half smile on her face. Lily kept repeating herself until finally, the new diaper was on and Ellie was as good as new. Barney stared at her in disbelief.

"Singing?" he said. "In order for her to stay still I have to sing to her?"

"It worked on Marvin like a charm," said Lily cheerfully.

"Hm. Duly noted. Okay, well thanks for the –"

"Not so fast. I heard you had a certain visitor the other day…"

"Meaning your husband and Ted? You and Tracy sent them. Remarkably, they seemed pretty eager for me to take my clothes off…"

"No, not Marshall and Ted," said Lily, rolling her eyes. "You know I was referring to Robin."

"Oh." Picking up his daughter, he left the room to put her in her play pin near Marvin and Daisy. Lily followed behind him.

"Don't 'oh' me. What'd you talk about?"

After putting Ellie down to play with her toys, Barney turned around to face Lily.

"What'd she tell you?"

"Who says it was her who told me anything?"

"Of course it was Scherbatsky. I didn't tell anyone else so she's the only person who could've told you." Lily frowned.

"She didn't elaborate a great deal," she admitted. "Why are you shutting us out, Barney?"

"Who's shutting anyone out? I'm not shutting you guys out!"

"We hardly see you anymore."

"I'm up to my ears in baby –"

"It's not just that," said Lily. "Tracy noticed too, you're not looking healthy. You've lost a lot of weight this past year and we're worried about you."

"Well don't be," said Barney. "I haven't been drinking much Lily, that's probably the reason behind the loss of weight and my mood change."

"But there's more to it, isn't there?" she persisted. "More to your meeting with Robin. Hell, she hasn't been here since…" she faded off.

"Since we were married?" Barney finished for her. "You don't have to dance around it like an inexperienced stripper. I realized the same thing. It's fine, it's just weird is all."

"Where's the poop, Barney?" said Lily evenly. Barney groaned, running a hand over his face.

"Look Lily, I don't know what exactly it is that you want me to 'confide' in you. If you want me to tell you that old feelings came back when Robin visited, I can't. Sure, there are still moments when the memories hurt like hell but there's nothing I can do about it. In the end, I ended up spilling the goings-on of this past year to her."

"You did?" Barney nodded. "And did it help?"

"Yeah, I suppose it did."

Lily looked at him for a moment to gauge if he was telling her the truth and eventually she seemed to realize that he was.

"I think she's missed you the most," said Lily quietly. "When the two of us talked you kept coming up in random conversations like a bad case of chlamydia."

"Do me a favor Lily? Don't tell me stuff like that. If Scherbatsky's back for good, so be it but I don't need to hear that stuff when nothing will come of it."

Lily nodded understandingly.

"I should get going. I left Marshall alone with the little one and he's probably going out of his mind." Lily pulled out her phone to check it. "Two missed voicemails."

"Psh, it's like he's never raised a kid before." Lily rolled her eyes.

"Come on Marvin, Daisy."

"Do we have to go mom?" they whined. "We like it at uncle Barney's."

"Uncle Barney has enough grief from his own daughter, he doesn't need two more cramping his style," Lily said with a laugh.

"Too right you are," agreed Barney, but then he turned to Marvin and Daisy. "But how about next weekend you come back and you can watch some more cartoons with Ellie?"

"Can we mom? Can we?" begged the two children eagerly. Lily smiled.

"I don't see why not." 'Thank you' she mouthed to Barney. He just smiled.

"Bye uncle Barney!"

"Bye uncle Barney!" Both children hugged him.

"Thanks for the help Lily," said Barney, his hand on the door as he watched them leave.

"Not a problem Barney. Remember, you're a good father."

"So I've been told."

Lily smiled and disappeared down the hallway with her children, leaving Barney and Ellie on their own once more.

A/N: Shorter chapter this time but I thought it was a good ending point. Please review and share your feedback!