This started out as a new chapter of Caught, but then it developed into something else. The tone is a bit oddly detached, so I'd be interested to see what you all think.

PS- Unlike most of my stories, Ch2 is related to Ch1, so read both. Hope you enjoy.

Elephant

Them

They're slipping. They both know. This game they're playing is becoming more and more obvious to the others, and they're letting it.

At first it's little things; knowing stuff about the other which Ted, Marshall and Lily don't.

"Where's Barney tonight?"

"It's Eli's birthday so he's gone to visit them,"

"I don't remember him mentioning that,"

No, you don't, she thinks, because he told me in his bed yesterday morning when we were falling sleep together.

Sometimes it's moments which happen often, but a little differently nowadays.

"Barney, you've got lipstick on your neck," says Ted.

"Gross!" says Lily.

He smirks and rubs it off. It's not an uncommon scene between them- except this time Barney's smirk is because Lily and Ted haven't noticed that it's the lipstick Robin's wearing today.

And it's the glances; the prolonged eye contact; the simultaneous reaching for their beer bottles. The fact that over the last few weeks, his gaze has been less and less focussed on the blondes entering McLaren's, and more and more at the woman sitting in the booth beside him. Sometimes it seems to Lily that Barney and Robin are in a bad mood with one another- which doesn't make sense because surely meeting at MacLaren's is the first time the two of them have seen each other today. Lily doesn't know that they've been bickering in the morning and in phone calls throughout the day. Likewise, sometimes the pair of them seem cheerful and jokey with each other, and they have a story which happened to them both- the others are confused about when it happened. Robin laughs more at his jokes. He holds doors open for her.

It starts out as little things.

Then there's the physical; she collapses into Barney when she laughs; he puts his hand on the small of Robin's back when they're leaning on the bar. Once or twice, Wendy might have caught them holding hands under the table. They've sat on the same side of the booth for months now, but recently they've been sitting closer than before, legs pressed against one another's'. Sometimes when he stretches his arm around the back of the seat, it's almost as if he's draping it around her. Sometimes she'll straighten his tie or grab his wrist or smooth her hands over his shoulders. Sometimes even in public they barely manage to keep action above the waist…but that was inevitable.

Then it's the excuses; getting more elaborate, less plausible. Truthfully, it's a game they have between them; seeing who can get away with the most ridiculous reason for leaving the bar early.

"See you tomorrow- there's a new make-up girl who I have to show around before tomorrow's report,"

or

"Gotta go, guys- I've got that crash course in Ukrainian,"

or

"I'm visiting my dogs,"

or

"I'm visiting the Stinson family tomb,"

or

"I've got a date…yes Ted, I know it's been three weeks, but I want to wait a month before I introduce him to you guys…yes Ted, I know you know that we didn't wait a month for other stuff,"

or

"Lindsay just texted me, she's bored and lonely; my favourite mood …yes Lily, they do ask me back…because I'm that awesome…ha, we'll try it sometime and you'll see,"

The others give them funny looks, ask questions, roll their eyes. Ted is confused when Robin comes home very late at night or, early in the morning on the nights when she hasn't supposedly been on a date. By nature he's a digger for information, so her answers to him have to become increasingly creative. As the Summer goes on he becomes pre-occupied with preparing for the start of term, and too busy to ask questions, but the excuses are getting wilder so it can't be long until he'll catch them out.

And then there are the big things. Obvious. Unavoidable.

Marshall finds Robin hanging around in Barney's office.

Disappearing in the bar together for twenty minutes or so.

The times when she comes home smelling of him.

Littered around the apartment one Saturday morning, Ted finds socks which aren't his own. He'd know from the plush silkiness whose socks they were, even if the ankles weren't emblazoned with BS. He wonders what the hell Barney's socks are doing in his apartment, and tries to think of a reason to dismiss it. He can't.

They can't keep this up forever. Perhaps it'll be one little thing too many that one of the gang will pick up on, or perhaps it'll be when Ted or Lily finally call them out on their excuses, that Barney and Robin's secret relationship will be unmasked (but without the secret it's a…). Perhaps they'll get caught by literally getting caught in the act (okay that does sound hot). Perhaps one of the big things will blow it all.

Whatever it is, however they get caught, they both know that the catch is coming- and they're not trying to stop it.