Fanfic: Five Things Barney Stinson Wants (part four)
Title: Five Things Barney Stinson Wants (part 4/5)
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Post season six
Characters: Barney, Nora
Word Count: 705
Summary: Barney gets closure with Nora
Disclaimer: only playing with CBS' toys, will put them back when I am done.
Fourth thing - closure
Clive. What kind of a name was Clive? Not that Barney cared about Clive’s presence in his life, which wasn’t anything, really. Clive was in Nora’s life, and Nora, by all accounts, got on with Clive better than she ever did with Barney. Really, though, with Nora, how could anybody tell? Nora liked everything. Except, Barney told himself as he took a deep breath before exiting the rented van he’d parked in Nora’s driveway, she didn’t like him anymore. Fair enough. The papers were filed and this was his last load of stuff out of her house and into his new apartment.
Barney supposed he should have seen this day coming from the start, but he’d been wearing one powerfully strong pair of Nora-goggles for a while there. Even when he’d been uncertain, Robin had pushed him at Nora hard enough and often enough that he’d convinced himself that it was the right direction. Full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes. More like a dead end, he told himself, pausing on his way down the flagstone path to the front door to check out the new paint job on Nora’s car. He ran his fingers over the glossy dark finish. No traces of Robin’s handiwork remained. He counted it worth every penny.
“Step away from the car, please.” The voice came from behind Barney, deep, male and English.
Barney pocketed his keys. “Just admiring the paint job.” He held out his hand. “Barney Stinson.”
The other man hesitated before extending his own hand for a brief, businesslike shake. “Clive Blake.” A silent beat, then, “This is awkward.”
Barney knew he would remember for the rest of his life that the first thing he said to his soon to be ex-wife’s new lover wasn’t any of the grand speeches he’d rehearsed, not the one he’d paid an award-winning novelist to draft for him, not any of Ted’s unused post-Stella speeches. No, the words that came out of his mouth of their own accord would go down in history as, “Nice suit. Hugo Boss?”
Clive’s eyes widened, mouth opening, then closing. “Yes, actually.” He looked back toward the house. The porch light flicked on. “You, too. Nora said you’re fond of Armani, but that’s not,” the next words died on his tongue as the door opened.
“Custom,” Barney supplied, because he had to say something when Nora stepped out onto the porch. “Nora.” He knew then what he’d seen in her. Her porcelain doll beauty hadn’t dimmed a bit. One glance at Clive, and she lit up like a Christmas tree. Being on the receiving end of that look could be a heady drug for any man who hadn’t already built up an immunity. The same indefatigable optimism that had convinced Barney he could ever fit into her fairy tale perfect life would get her through the divorce and into her happily ever after at last.
“Hello, Barney.” Nora stepped down from the porch with delicate, deliberate movements. “Don’t be angry with Clive. He meant to be gone before you got here, but his mum rang.” She finished with an apologetic shrug, hands chafing her bare arms against the cool of the late autumn evening. The sleeveless dress she wore was too structured to be called a sundress.
“It’s fine. I always take my mom’s calls, too.” He took in a breath, bracing himself for whatever came next. This was the first since they’d decided to end it that he’d seen Nora without their lawyers present. The first time he’d seen her with Clive. The first time he’d seen Clive shrug out of his jacket and drape it over Nora’s shoulders.
Nora clutched Clive’s jacket, her fingers stroking the lapels. “There’s coffee inside if you’d like some. It’s decaffeinated, but Clive made pumpkin cake.”
“No thanks,” Barney answered. “It’s too late for coffee. I think I’d better get my stuff.” The urge to get away from this place had never been stronger. Nora belonged here in this house with the picket fence outside and Clive’s pumpkin cake inside, and Clive belonged there with her. Barney was the intruder here. He always had been. Time to get back to his world, the sooner, the better.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Post season six
Characters: Barney, Nora
Word Count: 705
Summary: Barney gets closure with Nora
Disclaimer: only playing with CBS' toys, will put them back when I am done.
Fourth thing - closure
Clive. What kind of a name was Clive? Not that Barney cared about Clive’s presence in his life, which wasn’t anything, really. Clive was in Nora’s life, and Nora, by all accounts, got on with Clive better than she ever did with Barney. Really, though, with Nora, how could anybody tell? Nora liked everything. Except, Barney told himself as he took a deep breath before exiting the rented van he’d parked in Nora’s driveway, she didn’t like him anymore. Fair enough. The papers were filed and this was his last load of stuff out of her house and into his new apartment.
Barney supposed he should have seen this day coming from the start, but he’d been wearing one powerfully strong pair of Nora-goggles for a while there. Even when he’d been uncertain, Robin had pushed him at Nora hard enough and often enough that he’d convinced himself that it was the right direction. Full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes. More like a dead end, he told himself, pausing on his way down the flagstone path to the front door to check out the new paint job on Nora’s car. He ran his fingers over the glossy dark finish. No traces of Robin’s handiwork remained. He counted it worth every penny.
“Step away from the car, please.” The voice came from behind Barney, deep, male and English.
Barney pocketed his keys. “Just admiring the paint job.” He held out his hand. “Barney Stinson.”
The other man hesitated before extending his own hand for a brief, businesslike shake. “Clive Blake.” A silent beat, then, “This is awkward.”
Barney knew he would remember for the rest of his life that the first thing he said to his soon to be ex-wife’s new lover wasn’t any of the grand speeches he’d rehearsed, not the one he’d paid an award-winning novelist to draft for him, not any of Ted’s unused post-Stella speeches. No, the words that came out of his mouth of their own accord would go down in history as, “Nice suit. Hugo Boss?”
Clive’s eyes widened, mouth opening, then closing. “Yes, actually.” He looked back toward the house. The porch light flicked on. “You, too. Nora said you’re fond of Armani, but that’s not,” the next words died on his tongue as the door opened.
“Custom,” Barney supplied, because he had to say something when Nora stepped out onto the porch. “Nora.” He knew then what he’d seen in her. Her porcelain doll beauty hadn’t dimmed a bit. One glance at Clive, and she lit up like a Christmas tree. Being on the receiving end of that look could be a heady drug for any man who hadn’t already built up an immunity. The same indefatigable optimism that had convinced Barney he could ever fit into her fairy tale perfect life would get her through the divorce and into her happily ever after at last.
“Hello, Barney.” Nora stepped down from the porch with delicate, deliberate movements. “Don’t be angry with Clive. He meant to be gone before you got here, but his mum rang.” She finished with an apologetic shrug, hands chafing her bare arms against the cool of the late autumn evening. The sleeveless dress she wore was too structured to be called a sundress.
“It’s fine. I always take my mom’s calls, too.” He took in a breath, bracing himself for whatever came next. This was the first since they’d decided to end it that he’d seen Nora without their lawyers present. The first time he’d seen her with Clive. The first time he’d seen Clive shrug out of his jacket and drape it over Nora’s shoulders.
Nora clutched Clive’s jacket, her fingers stroking the lapels. “There’s coffee inside if you’d like some. It’s decaffeinated, but Clive made pumpkin cake.”
“No thanks,” Barney answered. “It’s too late for coffee. I think I’d better get my stuff.” The urge to get away from this place had never been stronger. Nora belonged here in this house with the picket fence outside and Clive’s pumpkin cake inside, and Clive belonged there with her. Barney was the intruder here. He always had been. Time to get back to his world, the sooner, the better.