Hey guys! I'm baaack! Sorry, I went totally AWOL for a couple months. But I just started my freshman year of college, so I've been getting adjusted and all that jazz. Anyway, HIMYM is back and better than it was, so I'm excited. And this was just a little something I wrote and figured I'd share. Enjoy and let me know what you thought!

Nick isn't an idiot. He sees the way Barney and Robin look at each other. He can tell there's something between them. Every time they're in the same room, there's some kind of intangible chemistry that circles around them. He doesn't even think they notice it. He's not sure that any of their friends notice it either. Then again, Nick's always been a fairly observant person. And as an observant person he can tell that there's a history between his girlfriend and one of her best friends. He knows he has to ask Robin about it. But, honestly, they're still in that nice, new relationship bubble. Despite the fact that they've been together a few months, they're fine. Their fights have been small and easily solvable. They're really happy and he's not sure he wants to ruin that by dredging up, what he assumes, is an extremely complicated past with Barney. But he knows he has to do it. Because they've been together a couple of months, they're in a serious relationship and he can't ignore that she could potentially have feelings for someone else.

The thing is Robin knew it was coming. She notices the way Nick looks between her and Barney like he's trying to figure something out. To fit the pieces of some twisted puzzle together. But she waits. She waits for him to ask because honestly she's not about to volunteer any information about her and Barney. So, yeah, she knew this conversation was coming. And once Barney and Quinn broke up, she knew it was only a matter of time. But the problem is, even though she knew it was coming, she's totally unprepared when that line of questioning starts.

"So, Barney?" Nick asks awkwardly sitting down next to her on the couch.

"Yeah?" She replies hesitantly.

"What's the, uh, story there?"

"With Barney?" Robin questions as if the subject matter is somehow going to change.

"You and Barney, your relationship," he clarifies.

"Me and Barney?" Nick nods. "Well, we dated for a little while a couple years ago realized we weren't right for each other and then broke up."

"That's it?" Nick asks, eyebrow raised. And Robin thinks back to the speech she gave to Barney a couple months ago, about how the lies would blow up in his face, and she knows she has to tell Nick the truth. Or most of it, at least.

"And then we had, like, a one night stand last November."

"Do you still have feelings for him?" Her mind immediately flashes back to the day Barney and Quinn got engaged; how irrationally hurt and betrayed she felt by it. And then that night when she went to the storage unit and cried her eyes out over all of their memories. But that was months ago. That was before things got serious with Nick. That was also before Barney and Quinn broke up, she reminds herself. It's not like she has a chance with Barney, though. He's back to his womanizer ways, back to not wanting to commit. Plus there was the fiasco last November and she definitely didn't deserve him after that.

"No, no, Barney and I- we, we're just friends now."

"Look Robin, I really really like you, but I don't want to be invested in a relationship that's destined to fail."

"It's not!" She quickly objects.

"You may not notice, Barney may not notice, but I can see it. And I owe it to you to let you know and you owe it to me to let me go." Nick says gently touching her knee. "I want you to be happy, but I don't think I'm the one who can do that."

"I'm sorry," she says quietly.

"Don't be sorry," he gives her a small smile. "Just go be happy." He stands up and heads for the door.

"Nick?"

"Yeah?" He questions turning back towards her.

"Thank you." Nick smiles one last time before heading out the door and out of her life. And Robin just keeps replaying his words in her head. Go be happy. She doesn't know if she can do it though. Barney deserves better than her. He deserves someone who hasn't broken his heart. She sighs and glances around her living room. Her eyes land on a single key on her coffee table that she hasn't move since the last time used it. And just like that she knows exactly what she's going to do.

When the cab pulls up outside the storage lockers, Barney takes a deep breath. He doesn't know what he's doing here. He hasn't been here in a couple weeks, since the night he and Quinn broke up to be exact. He knows it's not good that on the night he broke up with his fiancée, he poured over a box of memories of his ex-girlfriend from years ago. He shakes his head and pulls out the spare key from his pocket, since he gave his other one to Robin. He doesn't even know if she ever came here. She never mentioned it, of course that means almost nothing. It's not like Robin has ever been vocal about her feelings. And to be completely honest, Barney didn't want acknowledgment of the box or any of the feelings that went with it. He gave her the key, so she knew that he couldn't, and still can't, throw their relationship away. As he approaches the storage locker, he's shocked to find the door open. Not only is the door open, but Robin's sitting inside surrounded by various items from the box. He hesitates for a moment before deciding to say something. He can't leave, he has to know why she's here.

"Scherbatsky?" He says quietly clearing his throat before to alert her of his presence. He doesn't know why he decides to call her 'Scherbatsky' because he honestly can't tell you the last time he used that nickname.

"Barney," she gasps in surprise leaning back against her feet.

"Hey," he takes a seat on the ground next to her.

"Hi," she greets finally turning to face him and he instantly can see that she's been crying.

"Are you okay?" He hesitates slightly because even though they have gained some semblance of friendship back, they're nowhere near how close they were a couple years ago. She sighs and he can see her internal debate about whether to actually tell him what's going on or not.

"Nick and I broke up."

"I'm sorry." And he genuinely means it. No matter how strong his feelings may be for her, he still doesn't want to see her hurt. Nothing is worse than seeing Robin upset. "Need me to beat him up?" She laughs and quickly shakes her head.

"No, it was-" she hesitates for a second before continuing, "it was mutual." He nods and finally decides to bring up the elephant in the room.

"So, what are you doing here?"

"I'm not really sure…" She sighs leaning back against the wall. "What about you?" He shrugs and then takes a deep breath ready to admit one of his deepest secrets to Robin, because if he is going to tell anyone, it is going to be her.

"Sometimes I just come here. If I'm having a bad day or anything like that." He admits and glances over at her for some kind of reaction, but her expression is blank. Finally she nods and begins pulling things out of the box, looking at them for several seconds before handing them to Barney. Suddenly Robin pushes the box away, crosses her legs, and turns to face him.

"Why did you and Quinn break up?" He's taken aback by the question, because where did that come from? But he tries not to let it show.

"We realized we didn't trust each other. That's not exactly how you make a relationship work."

"Why did you propose?" She squints and Barney knows she's trying to figure it out, but he knows that's impossible. He's still unsure why he proposed.

"I guess, at first it was to get her away from stripping, but then she quit and it was so nice to feel- I don't know, to feel so cared about that I decided to propose anyway. But I didn't do it out of love, which is how it should be. I don't know what I was thinking." He shakes his head. He really doesn't. Sometimes he goes over his time with Quinn and he feels like he was in a trance the entire time. He can feel himself sinking back into it, every time he thinks about Nora or Quinn. How comfortable the relationships were. How nice it was to go home with someone who cared about you, as opposed to a bimbo.

"I'm sorry about November." Robin blurts out quickly. And just like he's pulled out of it.

"What?"

"I feel guilty all the time. I just- I didn't realize how serious you were about us and I should have. I'm an idiot. And I'm sorry."

"It's fine," he repeats almost as an instinct because he would not go back to that night for all the money in the world. Suddenly, Robin's standing and pacing the room.

"Stop! Stop saying it's fine. Because it's not. I hurt you, Barney. It wasn't my intention, but that's what happened. And it's not fine and I wish you would stop pretending that it's fine. And that you're not mad at me." She explodes running her hands through her hair. He stands up and makes his way toward her.

"I'm not mad at you. I tried so hard to be angry with you, because being angry was so much easier than being hurt. But I can't stay angry with you. I try and then you go and do something adorable and I can't be mad at you anymore."

"Did you just call me adorable?" He shrugs but sends her the little smile that he knows will infuriate her. And it does. She crosses her arms and glares at him intensely.

"You're not really mad at me," he smiles widely taking a couple steps toward her. And just like that the tense mood in the room is broken and they're both smiling at each other. Then, Robin's smile slowly fades and her eyes drift to the ground.

"Nick and I broke up because he wants me to be happy." She says and Barney's eyebrows crease in confusion.

"That doesn't make sense."

"He asked about us." She replies. And he realizes he's not supposed to reply. He needs to let her get this out. Whatever it is. "Of course, I told him nothing was going on, that we were just friends. But he didn't believe me. Or he believed that I believed that nothing was going on." Barney squints at her trying to decode that last sentence. "But he said I wouldn't be happy with him." She takes a deep breath and her eyes land directly on him. "That I could only be happy with you."

"With me?" He repeats slowly trying to make sure he's getting this right. He tamps down the hope that he feels bubbling in his stomach. This conversation could be going absolutely nowhere, he really has no idea.

"Mhm," she mumbles quietly.

"And what do you think?"

"Well, at first I thought he was crazy. And then I realized that the first place I came after we broke up was here. I thought he might actually be right…" He can see what she's doing. She's laying it all on the line without laying it all on the line. Wording it so she could easily back out, if he wants no part of it. And he gets that, he really does, but after last time, well, he kind of needs her to put it all on the line.

"He might be right?" He sees her mentally weighing her options, trying to decide between laying it all out there or pretending like the conversation never happened. God, does he hope she lays it all out there.

"I miss you when you're not around." She blurts. And it's not what he's expecting, but he kind of likes the direction this is going. "Whenever I get upset or excited about something, I always find myself wanting to tell you first. You're my best friend, Barney. Or at least you were," she sighs. He takes a step toward her.

"I still am." He quickly assures her, because no matter what has happened between them, he'll always consider Robin to be his best friend.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that you're really important to me and Nick made me realize that maybe you are the only person who can really make me happy. And I have to stop sabotaging my own happiness because I'm scared of it. And so, yeah. That-that's what I have to say."

"Are you done?" He asks with a slight smirk on his face because she just told him everything he needs to know, short of those three little words. But it might be a little soon for that. (Okay, no, who is he kidding? He's totally about to blurt them out. What? No.) She nods her head and then he's moving toward her. And he's kissing her, just like he did in the cab last year. But this time it's so much better, because this is it. For real. And when he pulls away, as Robin's still catching her breath, he finally says it. "I love you." Her eyes widen and he's afraid he just ruined everything, but then she smiles and reaches out to touch his cheek.

"I love you too. Or did you not get that from my emotional speech?"

"Way to ruin the moment, Scherbatsky."

"You were about to."

"How do you know?" He retorts with a smirk.

"Because you like emotional, romantic stuff about as much as I do."

"You know, I think we may be perfect for each other." He smiles wrapping an arm around her.

"Shut up, Ted."

"Really, you had to bring up Ted? Stop killing my moments."

"We're not having sex in here, Barney."

"Why not?" He pouts.

"Because…"

"See, you don't even have a good reason." She sighs and lets a smile overtake her face.

"Okay, fine, but at least close the door."

"Already on it," he smiles flinging the door closed.

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