Zombie!Fic - As Long As We Both Shall Live
Barney hadn’t asked her to marry him since he’d died.
The realization hit Robin all of a sudden, out of nowhere. When she thought about it, she felt silly - it’s not as if they ever were going to get married, even when they both had a pulse. But whenever the thought came back to her, she felt a little sick.
So, one night, when she was lying on his chest (he didn’t have a heartbeat. That freaked her out, when Barney first came back to life, or whatever this was, but she’d gotten used to it, as strange as that sounds), she had to ask.
“Barney?”
“Robin.”
“Will you marry me?”
Barney lifted his head and stared at her, quizzically. “Of course not.”
“What? What do you mean, ‘of course not’?” Robin sat up. “Barney, you asked me that every day for years, and now you won’t?”
“We can’t get married.”
“Give me one good reason why not.”
“Well, for one thing, I’m legally dead,” Barney said, as if she should’ve thought of that before. “I mean, I don’t know if the laws have caught up with the zombie phenomenon, but I’m pretty sure that you can’t marry a dead person.”
“Oh.” It’s the only thing that she can think of to say. “Um. OK.”
She snuggled back down, her arms draped over Barney. As she fell asleep, Barney brushed a strand of hair from her face.
“Besides,” he said. “They’d have to think up of whole new vows for us, because ‘till death do us part’ doesn’t really work anymore.”
She smiled before she closed her eyes and fell asleep. Barney, not being able to sleep, watched her. He sighed.
Even if it was legal, he still couldn’t go through with it. Marriage meant too much. Even if he and Robin had never wanted kids, and even if they’d been too old to have them before he’d died, they’d never taken the final steps to prevent conception. They’d never wanted a normal life together, but getting married would just remind them that they never could.
He and Robin had never wanted those sorts of things out of life. But if they took that step, if they got married, it would just be a painful reminder of how many doors had closed.
And Barney couldn’t stand there and promise that he’d be with her until death did them part when he didn’t know if death (real death, this time) would come tomorrow or next week or ever. It’d be like lying. And he’d never lied to her before.
So Barney just put an arm around Robin and stared at the ceiling. He’d just have to let her think that the reason why they weren’t married was because of the law.
The realization hit Robin all of a sudden, out of nowhere. When she thought about it, she felt silly - it’s not as if they ever were going to get married, even when they both had a pulse. But whenever the thought came back to her, she felt a little sick.
So, one night, when she was lying on his chest (he didn’t have a heartbeat. That freaked her out, when Barney first came back to life, or whatever this was, but she’d gotten used to it, as strange as that sounds), she had to ask.
“Barney?”
“Robin.”
“Will you marry me?”
Barney lifted his head and stared at her, quizzically. “Of course not.”
“What? What do you mean, ‘of course not’?” Robin sat up. “Barney, you asked me that every day for years, and now you won’t?”
“We can’t get married.”
“Give me one good reason why not.”
“Well, for one thing, I’m legally dead,” Barney said, as if she should’ve thought of that before. “I mean, I don’t know if the laws have caught up with the zombie phenomenon, but I’m pretty sure that you can’t marry a dead person.”
“Oh.” It’s the only thing that she can think of to say. “Um. OK.”
She snuggled back down, her arms draped over Barney. As she fell asleep, Barney brushed a strand of hair from her face.
“Besides,” he said. “They’d have to think up of whole new vows for us, because ‘till death do us part’ doesn’t really work anymore.”
She smiled before she closed her eyes and fell asleep. Barney, not being able to sleep, watched her. He sighed.
Even if it was legal, he still couldn’t go through with it. Marriage meant too much. Even if he and Robin had never wanted kids, and even if they’d been too old to have them before he’d died, they’d never taken the final steps to prevent conception. They’d never wanted a normal life together, but getting married would just remind them that they never could.
He and Robin had never wanted those sorts of things out of life. But if they took that step, if they got married, it would just be a painful reminder of how many doors had closed.
And Barney couldn’t stand there and promise that he’d be with her until death did them part when he didn’t know if death (real death, this time) would come tomorrow or next week or ever. It’d be like lying. And he’d never lied to her before.
So Barney just put an arm around Robin and stared at the ceiling. He’d just have to let her think that the reason why they weren’t married was because of the law.