FIC: Heartburn (2/3) HIMYM
Part 2
The next day, Luke decided that he wanted to spend his last day in NYC visiting their Aunt Robin and Leia agreed to tag along with him. They both worshipped their aunt - she was outrageous and unconventional and glamorous - although they didn't see her half as often as they would like to, with her jet-set lifestyle. But even when they'd been little kids, Robin had always treated them both like adults.
This past year, hearing about Robin's exploits as a young woman, and how Dad had actually fallen in love with her (which just weird), it had made Luke and Leia feel closer to their aunt than ever.
"Hey kiddos," Robin greeted them, kissing them both on the cheek. Her long hair whipped around her face as she linked arms with both of them and they headed towards Central Park. Robin might be a few years younger than Mom and Dad but she seemed to Luke like one of them - a contemporary. As they headed into the park for their traditional walk, Luke considered that if anyone might know how to contact their Uncle Barney without all of Dad's weirdness, it would be her.
"So… I asked Dad last night why we've never met our Uncle Barney."
Robin gave him a strange look.
"Jesus!" Leia said. "Not you too Auntie! Dad was all freaked out last night. I don't get how you guys could be so close in your thirties and never speak to him again now your… old!"
Normally Robin would have given Leia a piece of her mind (even though Robin was a total cougar, Luke knew she was conscious of her age) but this time she just thinned her lips.
"Leia, exactly what has Ted told you about Barney?"
"So, do you know how to contact him!" Luke replied, triumphantly.
"Well, there's a always a séance, I suppose…" Robin said, archly.
"What?" Both of them exclaimed.
"Guys, I'm really sorry but Barney's dead. He died before you were born."
"Wow…" Luke said, feeling a shiver go down his spine.
"No way…" Leia said. They both looked at each other. "Wow, that's horrible. The way Dad talks about it…"
Luke swallowed. "You think that's why he was so upset?"
Leia shrugged. "Maybe."
Luke felt a little sick. "Should we be guilty for bringing it up?"
Robin frowned. "No! Of course not. I'm surprised that it wasn't the first thing he told you…" She shook her head with a sigh. "It was all so long ago. I haven't thought about it in… years."
"Well, Dad hasn't got to that part of the story yet anyway. And he's got a thing about spoilers." Leia shrugged with a sad smile. "He only just got to the bit where you got that insane four AM early morning show and the others all promised to watch it only they got into a fight instead."
Luke nodded. He found it hard to speak. He didn't think he'd have time to properly apologise to his Dad before he got the bus back to college that evening.
In the meantime, Leia was chuckling. "Boy, that story was one of the best ones! Uncle Barney wore PJs made to look like a suit. And them him and Uncle Marshall had these Nightdresses…"
"Whoa! Whoa there!" Robin put up a hand. "Hold on… what early morning show? What has Ted been telling you?"
"Oh, we know he forgets stuff and gets it wrong. We're always picking him up on it." Leia said. "But I guess that it's hard to get all the details right on something that happened over twenty years ago, right?"
Robin nodded thoughtfully. "I guess." They walked in silence for a while. Eventually, they came across the little patch of ground where Robin always stopped and snuck a cigarette - another example of the anti-social behaviour that their Aunt occasionally indulged in. Both Luke and Leia had asked for a puff once but it had tasted foul and bitter and made them both cough. They had no idea why old people wanted to smoke.
"Aunt Robin?" Leia asked. "Did Uncle Barney ever get to tell you that he loved you? Did you ever figure it out?"
"Leia, shut up…" Luke muttered, seeing their Aunt's horrified expression. He wished to hell his sister wasn't so tactless. She tended to say everything that came into her head.
The spot where they stood was peaceful, with a small stone bench and a sprinkle of wildflowers. Robin was always very still there, she didn’t allow the usual chatter. Luke had rarely seen their Aunt being stern but he'd always guessed she didn't like being disturbed from her smoking.
It was one of his earliest memories of his Aunt - the wreathes of smoke and fresh air and expensive perfume. Her smile, her low, dirty laugh. This place.
Luke sat down on the stone bench, the cold seeping through his jeans and he ran his fingers along the back as they had a hundred times before.
But he'd never before noticed the indentation, the words carved into the back of the seat, very faint, barely there at all. He turned around to get a closer look.
"In loving memory. Brother, friend, much missed…"
A single name.
Luke swallowed because suddenly there was a lump in his throat.
*--*--*
"I don't know why you're so affected by this, that's all." Leia hissed. They were sat watching TV while Dad and Aunt Robin talked in the kitchen. "We didn't even know Uncle Barney."
"I don't know…" Luke said. He found it hard to find the words. He wasn't Leia; he wasn't good at expressing how he felt. He was more like Mom in that respect. But Uncle Barney's death, and seeing the park bench... This time last year they didn't even know Barney existed. Now, they'd started noticing him in old photos and even raving about his exploits when they talked to each other online. They'd even started looking forward to Dad's lame stories.
Luke sighed and made his way over to the kitchen to get some juice, opening the door a crack before remembering that Robin had asked them to leave her alone with Dad for a while. He couldn't resist hanging around by the door and eavesdropping.
"Ted… can I ask you a question?" Luke heard his Aunt say.
There was a pause and her could hear Dad moving around the kitchen. "Sure…"
"It's… I'm not sure how to…" Luke had never heard that tone in his aunt's voice before. "Ted… was Barney in love with me."
There was silence and Luke moved closer to the crack in the door, frustrated that he couldn’t see a thing.
"Only Leia said-"
"What? Robin!"
Luke shook his head. He felt the familiar twist in his gut, the pain he'd carried since seeing the park bench. It felt like acid reflux.
"Ted, I need to know."
"How can you even ask? Barney was… Barney. He wasn't capable of loving anyone! God, Robin - you remember how he was!"
"That's the point, I don't remember. Christ, Ted, it was twenty years ago. Now you've stuffed Luke and Leia full of your Baron Munchausen crap and now I don't know what to believe."
Luke bristled at that, and then he felt a lead weight settle across his chest.
"Don't worry, there won't be any more stories," his Dad was saying.
"Ted, I think you should tell them the truth. They deserve to know the truth…"
Luke beckoned Leia over before pushing open the door.
"Yeah, Dad," he said firmly, although he felt shaken inside. "Tell us the truth."
Leia nodded emphatically but their Dad seemed to clam up. Luke turned to Robin instead. "Robin, please tell us. How did Uncle Barney die?"
Robin glanced over at Dad, who shook his head, but she let out a sigh. "Guys…" She swallowed, as if steadying herself. "Barney was hit by a bus in 2008 and was killed instantly."
Luke gaped at her, turning to Leia, who just looked outraged. "N-no…" was all he could manage.
"Luke, your Dad would have got their eventually anyway," Aunt Robin said.
Luke's throat closed up. He couldn't even speak.
Leia shook her head. "Aunt Robin, you don’t understand. Dad already got there. He got past there. But in his version, Uncle Barney just had a bunch of broken bones. He survived! It was supposed to be a miracle." She looked on the verge of tears. Luke just felt empty. Why would Dad lie? What was the point in telling them these stories at all? His heart hammered in his chest and he blinked away hot tears of anger.
"Tell us it's not true!" Luke demanded. He was surprised how bitter he sounded.
"It's true," their Dad replied, with a sigh.
"Gotta go get my bus…" Luke mumbled, hurrying out of the kitchen. His brain was buzzing with his Dad's crazy, vibrant stories, of schemes to pick up lesbians and "Not a Father's day" and all the stuff that never happened.
Because it was all a lie.
He scrambled for his bag and was out the door in a couple of minutes, ignoring Leia's pleas to come back.
He just wanted to get away.
*--*--*
To be continued...
The next day, Luke decided that he wanted to spend his last day in NYC visiting their Aunt Robin and Leia agreed to tag along with him. They both worshipped their aunt - she was outrageous and unconventional and glamorous - although they didn't see her half as often as they would like to, with her jet-set lifestyle. But even when they'd been little kids, Robin had always treated them both like adults.
This past year, hearing about Robin's exploits as a young woman, and how Dad had actually fallen in love with her (which just weird), it had made Luke and Leia feel closer to their aunt than ever.
"Hey kiddos," Robin greeted them, kissing them both on the cheek. Her long hair whipped around her face as she linked arms with both of them and they headed towards Central Park. Robin might be a few years younger than Mom and Dad but she seemed to Luke like one of them - a contemporary. As they headed into the park for their traditional walk, Luke considered that if anyone might know how to contact their Uncle Barney without all of Dad's weirdness, it would be her.
"So… I asked Dad last night why we've never met our Uncle Barney."
Robin gave him a strange look.
"Jesus!" Leia said. "Not you too Auntie! Dad was all freaked out last night. I don't get how you guys could be so close in your thirties and never speak to him again now your… old!"
Normally Robin would have given Leia a piece of her mind (even though Robin was a total cougar, Luke knew she was conscious of her age) but this time she just thinned her lips.
"Leia, exactly what has Ted told you about Barney?"
"So, do you know how to contact him!" Luke replied, triumphantly.
"Well, there's a always a séance, I suppose…" Robin said, archly.
"What?" Both of them exclaimed.
"Guys, I'm really sorry but Barney's dead. He died before you were born."
"Wow…" Luke said, feeling a shiver go down his spine.
"No way…" Leia said. They both looked at each other. "Wow, that's horrible. The way Dad talks about it…"
Luke swallowed. "You think that's why he was so upset?"
Leia shrugged. "Maybe."
Luke felt a little sick. "Should we be guilty for bringing it up?"
Robin frowned. "No! Of course not. I'm surprised that it wasn't the first thing he told you…" She shook her head with a sigh. "It was all so long ago. I haven't thought about it in… years."
"Well, Dad hasn't got to that part of the story yet anyway. And he's got a thing about spoilers." Leia shrugged with a sad smile. "He only just got to the bit where you got that insane four AM early morning show and the others all promised to watch it only they got into a fight instead."
Luke nodded. He found it hard to speak. He didn't think he'd have time to properly apologise to his Dad before he got the bus back to college that evening.
In the meantime, Leia was chuckling. "Boy, that story was one of the best ones! Uncle Barney wore PJs made to look like a suit. And them him and Uncle Marshall had these Nightdresses…"
"Whoa! Whoa there!" Robin put up a hand. "Hold on… what early morning show? What has Ted been telling you?"
"Oh, we know he forgets stuff and gets it wrong. We're always picking him up on it." Leia said. "But I guess that it's hard to get all the details right on something that happened over twenty years ago, right?"
Robin nodded thoughtfully. "I guess." They walked in silence for a while. Eventually, they came across the little patch of ground where Robin always stopped and snuck a cigarette - another example of the anti-social behaviour that their Aunt occasionally indulged in. Both Luke and Leia had asked for a puff once but it had tasted foul and bitter and made them both cough. They had no idea why old people wanted to smoke.
"Aunt Robin?" Leia asked. "Did Uncle Barney ever get to tell you that he loved you? Did you ever figure it out?"
"Leia, shut up…" Luke muttered, seeing their Aunt's horrified expression. He wished to hell his sister wasn't so tactless. She tended to say everything that came into her head.
The spot where they stood was peaceful, with a small stone bench and a sprinkle of wildflowers. Robin was always very still there, she didn’t allow the usual chatter. Luke had rarely seen their Aunt being stern but he'd always guessed she didn't like being disturbed from her smoking.
It was one of his earliest memories of his Aunt - the wreathes of smoke and fresh air and expensive perfume. Her smile, her low, dirty laugh. This place.
Luke sat down on the stone bench, the cold seeping through his jeans and he ran his fingers along the back as they had a hundred times before.
But he'd never before noticed the indentation, the words carved into the back of the seat, very faint, barely there at all. He turned around to get a closer look.
"In loving memory. Brother, friend, much missed…"
A single name.
Luke swallowed because suddenly there was a lump in his throat.
*--*--*
"I don't know why you're so affected by this, that's all." Leia hissed. They were sat watching TV while Dad and Aunt Robin talked in the kitchen. "We didn't even know Uncle Barney."
"I don't know…" Luke said. He found it hard to find the words. He wasn't Leia; he wasn't good at expressing how he felt. He was more like Mom in that respect. But Uncle Barney's death, and seeing the park bench... This time last year they didn't even know Barney existed. Now, they'd started noticing him in old photos and even raving about his exploits when they talked to each other online. They'd even started looking forward to Dad's lame stories.
Luke sighed and made his way over to the kitchen to get some juice, opening the door a crack before remembering that Robin had asked them to leave her alone with Dad for a while. He couldn't resist hanging around by the door and eavesdropping.
"Ted… can I ask you a question?" Luke heard his Aunt say.
There was a pause and her could hear Dad moving around the kitchen. "Sure…"
"It's… I'm not sure how to…" Luke had never heard that tone in his aunt's voice before. "Ted… was Barney in love with me."
There was silence and Luke moved closer to the crack in the door, frustrated that he couldn’t see a thing.
"Only Leia said-"
"What? Robin!"
Luke shook his head. He felt the familiar twist in his gut, the pain he'd carried since seeing the park bench. It felt like acid reflux.
"Ted, I need to know."
"How can you even ask? Barney was… Barney. He wasn't capable of loving anyone! God, Robin - you remember how he was!"
"That's the point, I don't remember. Christ, Ted, it was twenty years ago. Now you've stuffed Luke and Leia full of your Baron Munchausen crap and now I don't know what to believe."
Luke bristled at that, and then he felt a lead weight settle across his chest.
"Don't worry, there won't be any more stories," his Dad was saying.
"Ted, I think you should tell them the truth. They deserve to know the truth…"
Luke beckoned Leia over before pushing open the door.
"Yeah, Dad," he said firmly, although he felt shaken inside. "Tell us the truth."
Leia nodded emphatically but their Dad seemed to clam up. Luke turned to Robin instead. "Robin, please tell us. How did Uncle Barney die?"
Robin glanced over at Dad, who shook his head, but she let out a sigh. "Guys…" She swallowed, as if steadying herself. "Barney was hit by a bus in 2008 and was killed instantly."
Luke gaped at her, turning to Leia, who just looked outraged. "N-no…" was all he could manage.
"Luke, your Dad would have got their eventually anyway," Aunt Robin said.
Luke's throat closed up. He couldn't even speak.
Leia shook her head. "Aunt Robin, you don’t understand. Dad already got there. He got past there. But in his version, Uncle Barney just had a bunch of broken bones. He survived! It was supposed to be a miracle." She looked on the verge of tears. Luke just felt empty. Why would Dad lie? What was the point in telling them these stories at all? His heart hammered in his chest and he blinked away hot tears of anger.
"Tell us it's not true!" Luke demanded. He was surprised how bitter he sounded.
"It's true," their Dad replied, with a sigh.
"Gotta go get my bus…" Luke mumbled, hurrying out of the kitchen. His brain was buzzing with his Dad's crazy, vibrant stories, of schemes to pick up lesbians and "Not a Father's day" and all the stuff that never happened.
Because it was all a lie.
He scrambled for his bag and was out the door in a couple of minutes, ignoring Leia's pleas to come back.
He just wanted to get away.
*--*--*
To be continued...