Chapter 17- Ted and Tracy

A/N- I had a hard time deciding if I wanted to include a chapter about Barney's day, but I decided against it, because I really wanted to get this chapter out there. A few of you have been missing the rest of the group, so I figure I can always use the ideas that I was going to write as a flashback.

That night, Barney arrives at the bar. He sees the two couples sitting at their normal booth. Lily is the first one to notice his arrival.

"Hey Barney! Where's Robin? Is everything ok?" Lily hopes that everything worked out between them. Barney texted her and told her that they had talked later that night, but it is Barney and Robin. Just because they talked doesn't mean that everything is now back to normal. The fact that Barney is walking in by himself is just exasperating her bad feelings about the situation.

"She's at home. She isn't feeling well," Barney brushes her off with an air of nonchalance.

"Really? She isn't still mad at you?" He smiles just thinking about all that happened today and everything that he has to be thankful for.

"No. Everything is perfect. I swear on my suits." Lily smiles. She still thinks he is hiding something, but she knows that he wouldn't swear on his suits if he was lying.

"Good. We've all been worried about you two. Especially you," Marshall adds. "We weren't sure how you were going to take it when you found out. What ended up happening, bro?"

"She came home, and apologized that she never told me about not being able to have a baby, and we made up. It was a rough night, but I think we will be stronger because of it."

Ted, Marshall and Lily nod their heads approvingly, but when Barney looks over at Tracy, he is unsure of what she is thinking. Her face looks like a mixture of shock and guilt. Apparently, she didn't know about Robin's infertility, well, supposed infertility, either. She probably now feels guilty about leading him on, but looking back on it, he is glad she did.

Ted breaks Barney out of his thoughts, and asks Barney, "We were really hoping that you both would be here tonight. We have some news and it is really important. Can you call Robin and have her come over? " Barney starts to panic. His mind wanders back to earlier this afternoon.

When Barney arrived home from work in the early afternoon, he found Robin in bed with the papers from the doctor's office spread around her, and the laptop on her lap.

"Barney, thank god you are here. There is so much that we need to do! We have to think about baby furniture, and a nursery, and baby proofing, and registering for baby clothes, and preschools and oh my god! And the worst part is that I have to stay in bed. I can't even get up to do these things."

"Calm down Robin." He figured that she may have done a little too much research in the few hours that she has been home alone. He picked up the laptop and moved it to the desk across the room and climbed into bed with her, where he put his arms around her. "It will be fine. You have the gigantic TV, you can shop for baby things on the internet, you can read all of these papers, and I will be here for you every day." She smiled at him. He really does have a calming effect on her.

At that moment, they both heard their phones. They picked them up to look at them and read the message on the screen.

-Lets all meet at the bar at 8. We have some news-

"Ted wants us to meet at the bar at 8," Barney stated, looking at Robin. He looked at her, knowing it was going to upset her not to be able to go, but she seemed fine.

"I know, I got the same text. Sounds good to me," she replied simply. He turned to stare at her. Did she forget that she had to stay in bed?

"Um, Robin?"

"Yeah?" She noticed him staring at her, and wondered what was going on. She was really looking forward to seeing the gang. She hadn't seen anyone since they had dinner, which felt like a lifetime ago, with all that had happened.

"You realize that you can't go, right?" Barney asked gently. He didn't want to upset her, especially with the way he found her a few minutes ago.

"Aww, crap. I can't can I?" She looked over at Barney who was shaking his head. Damn it, she knew this was going to be hard, but she didn't think it was going to be quite this hard. "So what are we going to tell them? I could just say that I am sick and get out of it. I mean you could still go."

"No, I really just want to be with you. It wouldn't feel right for me to go without you anyway."

"That's really sweet of you Barney, but if they have some news, at least one of us should go."

"You sure?" He looked at her questioningly. He knew that he probably shouldn't leave her alone tonight. It was going to be hard for him, because he felt drawn to stay there with her. She shouldn't have to go through this alone, and honestly he wanted to do nothing but stay at home with her.

"Positive. I will be fine. Just make sure that I have dinner and something to drink before you leave. I will call you if anything is wrong," she reassures him. "And don't say anything. I want to tell them together."

"Uhhhh... no. No. I don't think she would feel up to it." Barney knows that he is terrible liar when it comes to the gang, and he is surprised that they can't see right through him.

"Can you try?" Ted begs. Barney thinks that Ted was always one to get his way. He wishes he could tell Ted that Robin isn't home by choice. There is no way he is risking either Robin or the baby just to appease Ted's every whim.

"No, Ted," he answers forcefully. The rest of the gang notices the tension between them.

"Barney, can you please?" Ted whines. "I really want Robin here for this. It is really important." Well his baby is a lot more important. Maybe he needs to go at convincing Ted a different way.

"She isn't going to come," Barney tries.

"Fine. I will call her myself." Oh crap. Think fast.

"Please, Ted. Just tell us. I can tell her later," he blurts out in a last ditch effort.

But it's too late. Ted already started the call.

Meanwhile, over at the apartment, Robin had just started to doze off while watching a movie on the Lifetime channel of all channels, when her phone rings.

"Hey Robin!"

"Hey Ted," she says weakly, because she knows that she has to sound under the weather.

"Barney said you aren't feeling well. Are you sure you can't come for a couple of minutes? Tracy and I have an announcement to make," Ted pleads.

"I really don't think I can." She knows that whatever is going on over there, Barney obviously couldn't handle. Although, when could anyone ever stop Ted when he was determined?

"Are you sure?" Ted asks sadly.

"Yes," she declares firmly.

"But, I really don't want to tell anyone without you," he whines again.

"Well you are just going to have to. I am not leaving my apartment and that's final." She has an idea, but she needs Barney's opinion first. "Put Barney on the phone," she demands.

"Ok..." Ted is as confused as can be, but he holds the phone out towards Barney.

"She wants to talk to you." Barney looks at him just as confused.

"Hey baby, what's up?"

"I have an idea to get him to show up." Barney mutters a thank god under his breath. Ted is really getting under his skin tonight. "Why don't you just have them come over? If Ted and Tracy are making an announcement, why don't we just do it all at once?" Could she really want to tell them all right now?

"Are you sure about that? I mean isn't it a little soon?"

"I don't think so. I mean, we will only tell the 4 of them. What is it going to hurt? We don't have to tell anyone else."

"Ok. I think I can be ok with that." A smile spreads across his face. They are going to share their big news too. "What about how you feel, though?" Luckily she gets his cover word.

"I will move to the chair in the living room and they will never know the difference. Remember, I just have to have my feet up, that is all. I may be on bed rest, but I don't have to stay in bed. They will never know the difference."

"Alright. I'm ok with it if you are sure." He wants to be sure that she really wants to do this. It has been a stressful day.

"I'm positive," she says calmly and reassuringly. "I love you."

"I love you too." He hangs up the phone, and hands it back to Ted. The group looks at him with anticipation.

"Robin says she won't come," Barney says just to piss off Ted. "But she said she wants us to come to her."

"Why?" Marshall asks.

"I don't know. Maybe Robin will tell you when we get there."

The group leaves MacLaren's and Barney can hardly contain his excitement. It is a long 23 minutes to their apartment, but Robin is waiting for them in the living room when they arrive. She and Barney share a secret smile as the group enters the room.

Tracy and Ted sit down on the couch immediately, and Lily sits beside them. Barney pulls up a chair behind Robin, and Marshall pulls one up to the side of the couch, near Lily. Barney goes and gets a 6 pack out of the fridge, conveniently leaving one out, so that no one notices that Robin doesn't have one. He brings them over to the coffee table, and Lily, Marshall and Ted each grab one.

"We have an announcement to make," Ted says.

"Uh we know Ted. You have been telling us all night," Marshall retorts. Everyone breaks out laughing except Ted. Ted looks at Tracy, like he isn't sure what to do next. Tracy squeezes his hand, and smiles at him. He nods at her to just say it.

"I'm pregnant."