Amends

Summary: It all began with him.

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Swara hasn't trusted anyone in a while. It doesn't come easily to her, not after everything she has seen.

She had over the time invested what little faith she could scrap from the rock bottom of her heart in Durga Prasad. The man turns out to be a viper.

So when Sanskar reaches out to touch her hand she flinched away from him. Fisting that hand, rather so that she could hide her trembling fingers Swara presses it to her mouth.

Where was Sunny? Who could have taken him? Sunny knew enough not to go with strangers. Then was it someone from the family? Or a close servant? Someone he knew well enough to think Swara had send them?

Sanskar brings her a glass of water and an aspirin. He lays them down before her meaningfully.

"Don't torture yourself," he says. "Miss Bose."

Swara jerks at the title. Nobody has called her that in a while. Her eyes are fearful when they meet Sanskar's.

"Kissi ko nahi bathayenge hum." He nods at her. "Koi Sunny ko aap se nahi cheen sakthe. Yeh vaada hai humara."

Swara sighs, the last of the fight leaving her. She takes the pill instead, and massages her temples.

"Kaha honga mera Bachcha-" she chokes on the thought. "Kaisa honga. Kiss ke saath honga."

"What happened to Lakshya - Swara?" Sanskar asks suddenly. "Hungary main kya Hua tha?"

For a moment she stares at the last bit of water left in the glass, swirling it.

"When Ragini was seven months pregnant - they got into an accident. Ragini passed away giving birth to Sunny. Lakshya was under the impression that one of their business rivals did it. Hungary main jo Nirvana branch hai - the manager there has been involved in a money laundering scheme through Nirvana accounts. Lakshya was trying to trace those funds. Jaankaari mein aap ka naam bhi aaya tha..." she looks at Sanskar.

He looks thoughtful.

"I have never touched black money," he replies. "But perhaps, considering how Adarsh has implicated all of us, I won't be surprised if you find any papers bearing my signature from the time I used to work at Nirvana."

"Lakshya was certain it wasn't you. He wanted to find out who it was that was using your name. The matter dragged on and a problem came up back here in Maheshwari mills - Kolkata. Apparently the money was traced back to there. Lakshya was supposed to return the day after - he, he got a call and went off never to came back."

"Did you check where the call came from?"

Swara nodded.

"It was a payphone, in front of a park. No security camera footage."

Sanskar sighs.

"But the last call Lakshya had made was to your office."

His eyes flickered up to her and held.

"A call with one minute and sixteen seconds."

"I did not talk to Lakshya, Swara. I swear it."

For a moment she says nothing, Sanskar wonders if this woman will ever trust him. The Maheshwaris have not painted a good image in her head, with Durga Prasad and Adarsh behaving the way they were why would she think of him any different.

"Like you have not talked to Papaji today?" She says softly. Sanskar's fist clenches.

"Bathaiye humein Aisa kya karna honga jo aap hum par - humari baat par bharosa kar lein?" He demands.

Swara shakes her head, drains the remaining water in her glass.

"You misunderstood me Mr. Maheshwari. What I meant to say is - somebody else is answering your calls. You are probably unaware."

Sanskar stops short.

"Koi toh hai Sanskar... jo Hungary mein tha, ab yahaan hai. Jo aap ke saath saath move ho raha hai. Aap nahi hai - maan li Maine. Par koi toh hai."

Sanskar stares at her, suddenly caught by the idea.

Swara says nothing more. Instead she clasps her hands together and tucks them under her chin.

Closing her eyes she begins to pray.

"You stayed with Maheshwaris for so long yet you couldn't find them because - perhaps the man you are trying to find is not in that house. Not in Nirvana. They are somewhere around me."

"And the people who die, doesn't die because they are Maheshwaris - but because they are connected to you." Swara adds. "Kavita." She reminds him softly.

"Lakshya. It was an attempt to kill him that had killed Ragini. I couldn't find anything because I considered you responsible - not the reason."

"And now Sunny." Sanskar wiped a hand across his face.

"How did your mother pass away Sanskar?"

"Unki -" he pauses. "Accident Hua tha."

The phone they were both looking at lying motionless on the conference table begins to vibrate. Sanskar picks it up with unusually stiff fingers.

"Mr. Chairman sir, lobby mein aajaiye please."

It was Raghav, from his voice Sanskar already guesses what might await them at the lobby.

"Chaliyein Swara," he says as he cuts the call. "I think Sunny is back."

They don't talk on the way down in the elevator. Each having their own inner struggle to contain. Indeed Sunny sits in the lobby, his leopard spotted backpack on his bouncing knees. Swara sweeps him into her arms, kissing both his cheeks soundly. She shakes with relief, Sanakar notices.

"No kissies mama," Sunny tells her. "I'm a big boy."

"Kahaan the aap, big boy?"

Sanskar asks him, dismissing the gathered staff with a gesture. The staff of Nirvana returns to their tasks at hand and Swara places Sunny down on the sofa once more.

"Glass princess ki saath!" Sunny says.

Swara forgets to exhale and her throat burns. She begins to cough. Sanskar pats her back absentmindedly.

"We went to ride her dragon!"

They exchange a look.

"Sunny - kitne baar aap se kaha hai beta, you don't go with strangers. Please -" Swara cannot stress it enough. "Mama aap se request kar rahi hai, please fir kabhi Aisa mat kijiye. Promise kijiye -"

Sunny lets her hug him. Swara kisses his hair.

"Sorry mama," he mumbles. "I didn't want to make you cry. Sorry mama!"

Swara doesn't say anything. She just holds him close and looks at Sanskar over his curly head. Sanskar meets her eye.

Sunny is already dropping, he hugs her and settles to doze.

Sanskar comes to sit beside them. Bringing Sunny's feet up and placing them on his own lap he unbuckles Sunny's favorite spider man shoes thoughtfully.

This was a warning or a testing of waters. He wasn't still exactly sure if Durga Prasad was entire innocent in all this.

"Will you go home?" He asks Swara instead, placing the two shoes down neatly. Sunny looks at him sleepily. Swara strokes his hair and his eyes flutter shut.

"Nahi." Swara says firmly. "I will not go back to that house. Nor would Sunny."

"I understand your anger," Sanskar tells her. He does really. He had left that house a long back with similar sentiments.
"But someone else seems to be making use of your emotions Swara. The moment you came out of the protection of that house, this happened. It is as if someone wants to chase you back in."

"Then I will not go back at any cost."

"Hum ek baat kahe toh aap manengi?"

"Kya?"

"Ghar jaaiye Swara." He says it so calmly, yet there is something about his voice that broke no argument. "Iss waqt wohi duniya ka sabse safe jaga hai."

"Sanskar-"

"If Durga Prasad Maheshwari has a hand in this, he will stop when you go back. If he doesn't, he will make sure nothing in this world touches his heir. Go home Swara."

"Nahi."

She purses her lips and looks away. "I can keep Sunny safe myself. I don't want anyone's protection."

The stubborn streak in her was a flame that burns bright. Sanskar watches her for a moment.

"Come on then," he says getting up. Swara looks up at him, question apparent in her eyes. "I will take you to a place where I know you will be safe. Patha hai humein aap ko zaroorat nahi hai madat ki. Yeh ehesaan kar dijiye hum par, taaki hum bhi chain ki neend so jaaye."

The way he phrases it, turns it upon himself leaves her with no retort.

Swara purses her lips harder but nods, unwillingly. She stands up carrying Sunny and Sanskar picks up the shoes and the bag.

"Call the driver -" he tells Raghav.

"Aap nahi aarahe?" The words escape her mouth before Swara had thought it through.

Sanskar helps her to the back seat, places the bag and shoes on the seat beside her and smiles.

"If - what you think is right, humse doori banaye rakhiye Swara. Hum aap dono ko katre mein nahi dhaal sakthe."

"Sanskar woh -"

She shouldn't have said that, Swara bites her lip. She didn't mean for him to make out such meaning of it. He places a hand on her shoulder, for a brief moment - then brushes it over Sunny's hair.

"I have troubled you enough. Knowingly and unknowingly. Let me make amends."

"Sunny will miss you," Swara mumbles. "He doesn't easily forget people."

"And I will miss him. I don't easily get attached to people. But that is not the important thing. Let me work this out first. Let me make sure you are safe."

He pulls away, shuts the door and turns to instruct the driver.

"Kaveri ji ki pass le jaaiye, Kaka. Unse humari baat hogayi hain. Aap bhi wahi rukh jaaiyenga, ghaadi ke saath. Agar madam ko aapki zaroorat ho toh."

As the car pulled away, Swara caught Sanskar's eye and smiled.

Then, they were gone.

**