Into the Sand

Hi everyone! I've always wondered how Barney and Robin got to the point where they "stopped watching," in 3.16 and started snogging. This is my idea of how it happened.

PS- I'm English, but I've tried to include Americanisms where necessary. Apologies if there are any errors.

It's the "Aaw," that gets her. "Aa-aaw. Come here. Come here,"

Robin's heard the "Come here," a thousand times before, usually preceded by a "Hey," or a "Come on," as Barney pats a spluttering bimbo in a pushy, exaggerated way. But she's never heard an "Aaw," before. His tone is sympathetic, like he really cares about her. And then Barney is on her side of the booth putting his arm around her like a big brother. It feels nice to have him here beside her, and simply his presence so close makes Robin feel better, although she tries not to dwell on the significance of this. She lays her head on his shoulder, and his fingers slide a little across her arm. Barney's voice rattles on cheerfully, and when he calls her the (second) most awesome person he's ever known, Robin feels unusually flattered- he's not normally one to suggest that anyone else is even close the to same league of awesomeness that he's in.

Barney's hand feels surprisingly soft against her skin, and his shoulder feels safe and comforting as she rests her head against it. He's being so lovely and friendly, and she doesn't want to be on her own. She doesn't want him to go. So she asks him. She takes a breath, and asks him.

"Barney, do you want to come back to my place?"

How many times has someone said those words to him? A hundred, two hundred? How many times has he winked slyly and smirked with satisfaction? But this time, he doesn't. This time, Barney hesitates, unsure how to answer. Does he want to go back to her place? Robin leans in and whispers to Barney, tells him about the video she has back at her apartment. That's when he realises why she's asked him- she doesn't want to be alone. For Robin to be on her own tonight, after being ditched by that Simon idiot, would be awful. Barney understands how she feels, because he often feels this way himself. Of course, he's normally the one doing the ditching, but he appreciates her fear of being alone. God knows that he fears it himself. He so desperately wants to be loved. Deep down somewhere inside him, he knows that that fear is the reason he is…well, like he is. And so, because he can empathise with her, and because she's been messed around by Simon, and because he knows that somewhere he has the ability to be a good friend- he says Yes.

And maybe also because she's hot.

The whole thing- their whole relationship, the on-off, are-they-aren't-they saga and Don and Kevin and Nora and Quinn- it all happens because Robin's vacuum cleaner has been broken for a week on that evening. If the vacuum cleaner was working, none of it would have ever happened, probably. If this was Ted, he'd probably call it destiny.

Barney and Robin sit side by side on the couch, and Barney puts the video in and presses Play. They watch the video of Sandcastles in the Sand. Barney sits in silence until it's finished, and then he bursts out laughing. They watch it again. Barney snorts with laughter throughout and Robin hits him on the arm to shut him up. They watch it again. Robin points out the people in the video and the location, and confirms that yes, that is Tiffany. They watch it again. Barney swears at Simon and repeats "Lame. Lame. Lame," whenever he's onscreen. They watch it again. Barney laughs again, and sings along to the chorus, falsetto. It's when they're watching it the sixth time that the broken vacuum cleaner comes into play. Barney's knee slightly knocks the coffee table as he laughs, and its enough to dislodge a little of the dust left beneath it. A particle of dust catches itself in Robin's eye, and she blinks to get it out, eyes watering. Barney glances at her- oh God, she's crying again. That Simon guy it a total idiot. Robin Scherbatsky is the most awesome chick ever, and Simon treated her like crap.

"Aa-aaw," Barney says again, and Robin melts a little. He shuffles over to her and wraps his arm around her for the second time that evening. Without thinking about it, she rests her head against his chest.

"Don't cry," he tells her, pointing at the TV screen, "Look how lame you were then, and how badass you are now. Simon- he was lame then, and he's lame now. You're worth, like, eighty-three of him," he jokes, and feels her body shake a little with laughter.

Then- for a reason which will be completely and utterly unknown to him even for years to come- he presses his lips to the top of her head, kissing her lightly. It's a bizarrely Ted-like gesture, not the kind of thing which Barney Stinson normally does, he tells himself. But to be honest, normal goes out the window where Robin is concerned. And God, her hair smells good.

Surprised by the paternal, very un-Barneyish display of affection, Robin tilts her head off his shoulder and looks questioningly up at him. Unnerved by his own action, Barney smiles nervously back.

He has a really nice smile, she thinks. And really blue eyes. And he's being so kind tonight, and suddenly all the little things Robin's been noticing about him recently, and all the little things he makes her feel come flooding back, and right now in this moment, she wants Barney more than anything else in the world.

And she kisses him.

Barney has been kissed by so many women in his time that it's instinctive for him to kiss back without really considering who the kisser is. Consequently, it takes a couple of moments for it register that this is Robin kissing him. Robin. This is so unexpected that Barney has to open his eyes mid-kiss to check. Oh God- it really is her. He isn't quite sure what to think- good, because he has wondered what it must be like to kiss her, and good because she's so Goddamn beautiful. No, no, this is bad, bad- she's his best friend, and if he was going to hook up with her it shouldn't be like this, and oh God, what about Ted? Ted's going to murder him. But Robin is purring against Barney's mouth and clinging to his lapels, and she's completely and utterly gorgeous. So what the hell.

Robin's mind goes blissfully blank for the first few seconds when she is kissing Barney Stinson. When her thoughts begin to uncloud, the first thing that registers is that it is good. Really good. She can see already why even the girls he deceives and abandons keep coming back for more. Heat rises between their bodies, and Barney's mouth is and inviting, and Robin's tongue is searching for his because she wants him, she so badly wants him. Robin knows that she's over-emotional and vulnerable and more than a little drunk right now, and Barney might only be taking advantage of her- but those are easy things to think in hindsight or if you're an outsider. She's neither- she's right here, now, in the moment and kissing him is perfect and nothing else is important. She wants to forget about Simon and just lose herself in Barney's arms and Barney's touch and Barney's body.

She's pulling him towards her by his tie, and that's when he knows that this is serious and that this is going to go further. Barney feels his hand go up to the back of Robin's head, clamping her towards him. Robin's arms slide down his shoulders and his back, and she begins to push his jacket off and fumbles at his collar, setting to work on his shirt buttons. Barney pulls her onto his lap and holds her tightly, and she wraps one arm around his neck, while the other continues pulling at his shirt, her fingers brushing against his chest as she undoes button by button. That's when Barney's brain- which hasn't been operating clearly these last few minutes (how long have they been kissing? He honestly has no idea)- clunks back into gear. No matter how he feels about this situation, he doesn't want to take advantage of Robin. He'd hate to hurt their friendship- or worse- hurt her. He wants her to be certain that this is OK. For quite possibly the first time in his life, Barney breaks off the kiss.

"Robin," he murmurs, leaning backwards slightly, "Are you… sure?"

His steely blue eyes are- for once- serious. Robin looks away from them, hesitates, takes a breath (she isn't sure when she became so breathless) and considers. She thinks about Ted and Lily and Simon and the fact that Barney is her best friend. Then she looks at his muscled chest showing beneath his shirt, and his extraordinarily handsome face, and his slightly rumpled blond hair. She remembers the "Aa-aaw. Come here," and the way he put his arm around her in the booth. She remembers how he took her hand on the street outside MacLaren's and held it all the way back to her apartment. She thinks about what he's just done- asked her if this is what she wants, because deep down he's a good guy, and he doesn't want to hurt her.

"Yes,".

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed. If you loved it, hated it, anything in between, reviews are appreciated.

Have a lovely day :)