A/N-Okay, so this was originally a drabble I sent out to all of you on your message boards, but now Apukar asked me to make it into a chapter of its own, so you all know what's happening at the end, but this is just an extended version, right?

If anyone was troublesome when it came to birthdays, that person was Mandavi. No one quite knew what to give Mandavi. Mandavi just was so-mysterious, without even trying to be. Still, even while being all mysterious, it didn't make her any less excited for her birthday. So, as soon as it was a few days before her birthday, Mandavi popped up everywhere with a "So, I'm excited what you're going to give me for my birthday, aren't you?!" And everybody was forced to nod along weakly.

Why was Mandavi so mysterious? Well, because, no one really knew what she liked. Sita loved nature. Urmila loved clothes and jewelry. Shrutakirti lived, breathed, and ate flowers and food (well of course she ate food, what else would she eat?) But when it came to Mandavi, everyone struck a blank. Most of the time, Mandavi just teased everyone and chased around anyone who dared tease her back.

And so, the day before her birthday, Bharat was losing it. Bharat loved Mandavi very much. While he was quite soft-spoken, Mandavi was brash and quick, and almost always admonished Shatrughan when he teased him. Bharat also decided that Mandavi was the best person on the Earth, and that he needed to give her a gift lest she leave him (which she would never have done, but how could you say that to Bharat? "She won't leave you." Then Bharat would just have a breakdown)

"Shatruuuu!" Bharat cornered Shatrughan and pulled him into his private chambers. Ram trailed in after him curiously, and shut the door. Lakshman, as always, was out of picture. "Now only you can save me! Tell me, do you know what Mandavi likes?" When Shatrughan just stared at him, Bharat smacked his arm. "You're a useless brother! You can't even have my back when I need it! All you do is tease me." he sniffed.

"Uh, excuse me?" Shatrughan cried, duly offended, and straightened his angavastram as if it would make him look larger than Bharat (he was already larger, but that didn't matter). "I'm not supposed to know what your own wife likes! That's not called me not having your back, that's called your own gifting incompetence! You're her husband, and you don't know what she likes! How do you expect me to know, Bharat! We're not even that close!"

"Well Lakshman always knows what Shrutakirti wants." Ram piped up. "And Lakshman is Urmila's husband, isn't he? Which is very surprising, because usually Lakshman has no clue what to give anyone for their birthday. But at least he isn't having a breakdown like you, Bharat." Ram shrugged. "That's okay though. I have no idea what to give Mandavi either, and I'm her elder brother. We're in it together."

Bharat sniffled, still not appeased, but went along with it nonetheless. "Besides, Bharat, it isn't as if we're all going to die if we don't give Mandavi a present." Shatrughan attempted to reassure his elder brother. "We're just probably going to get torn to pieces and be on a bed for the rest of our lives, but rejoice! We'll still be alive, and we'll all get to see Lakshman still be able to do anything he wants, because he gets away with anything, the devil!" Shatrughan shook his fist vengefully.

"I'm sure I do." Lakshman snorted, and everyone except Ram (who could sense Lakshman's presence like a weirdo), jumped. So only Bharat and Shatrughan then. But still, it was scary. "I know what I'm getting Mandavi bhabhi." Ram and Shatrughan leaned in interestedly, while Bharat snorted and looked away, his lips knit tightly together and looking utterly pouty. "A lockbox. Shrutakirti always steals her things, you know?"

"THIEF!" Bharat shouted, making everyone jump this time. "You stole my idea! I was going to give that to her first!" Lakshman glanced at Ram like 'Was he really?' and Ram shook his head, as in 'No. Liar liar angavastram on fi-yah'. "I would have never thought that my own family would betray me like this!" Bharat sobbed. "Now what do I do? You stole my idea! I was going to give a lockbox to Mandavi."

"Don't worry," Shatrughan pacified him, walking closer to his bed and patting his shoulder hesitantly. "I bet Mandavi bhabhi won't even mind. She loves you, and Shrutakirti of course, more than anything. She won't just leave you because you didn't know what to get her. How about you just get her a pair of slippers or something to run in instead?" Shatrughan paused. "No, that's lame, even for me."

-----O------

Mandavi woke up the next day late as usual. But she wasn't reluctant to get up, as usual. "Oh my God, I'm late! They've probably already laid out the presents!" she shrieked, and threw her covers off, getting tangled in them in the process, and falling off, rolling around the floor, before finally removing herself from the blankets and sheets which Bharat used and pleasantly kept them aside, smiling.

Then, very unlike herself, she quickly glanced at herself in the mirror. "I look a mess." she grumbled, quickly straightening out her clothes and her hair. "It's my very first birthday with Bharat. I wonder what he's gotten me. These days, he's even left his painting, and he's spending more time with me too!" She squealed, then clapped a hand on her mouth. "Jeez, Maan, what's gotten into you?" she muttered to herself.

Mandavi, very Kaikeyi-like, danced down the hallways, twirling around so that her skirt wound around her legs, and occasionally picking up a flower and taking a deep, long sniff of it, sighing blissfully. Birthdays were always the best time for Mandavi, because she got so many random things. It was hilarious, but she hoped for once that someone may get her something she'd really like. Maybe Bharat would finally accomplish that.

And so Mandavi danced into the main hall, where a long table was covered with gifts and presents. She pretended to be surprised. "Thank you!" she screamed, and immediately launched herself onto poor Sita, who patted her back weakly, and slightly guiltily, though no one quite knew why. "I'll open, this one first!" she grabbed a present wrapped in shining red, and shaked it around a little bit. Lakshman shifted from foot to foot.

"You might not like it, and that's fun. I didn't really know what to get you, we're not that close as you and Shrutakirti and everyone else, but I thought you might need this, so-"

She ripped the paper off excitedly, and her eyes shone. "A lockbox! Thank you, thank you!" she smacked his arm playfully. She brought over the next one, in blue, and pointed towards Ram knowingly, before removing it from its bag. "A-lockbox." And sure enough, instead of the carved wood that Lakshman had given, Ram had decided to gift her a lockbox of steel. "Thank you! What a coincidence."

She quickly grasped another present, and shook it, before tearing off the pink paper almost barbarically. And out came...a wooden box, circular shaped, with a single, metal lock on the end, which jingled merrily as Mandavi glanced at it. "It's a lockbox...." she trailed off. "What?" Present after present was opened, and Mandavi's smile faded as each one turned out to be the same thing. Lakshman's frown also deepened, and he crossed his arms as Ram smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

Finally, Mandavi looked up, and around at the entire family of shifting people. "Well, actually, you see," began Shrutakirti. "We didn't know what to give you Mandavi. None of us really know what you like. So when word spread that someone had decided to give you a lockbox, the rest of us decided to copy-"

"Me!" Bharat added desperately. "THEY COPIED ME!" And everyone nodded along, covering for Bharat (because they figured Mandavi would be the most upset if she knew Bharat did not know), as Mandavi just gaped, and Ram patted his unlucky brother's back. "You see, because I know you very well, Mandavi. And I'm very upset with the rest of you!"

A/N-Short, but simple *sweats nervously* No double update guys, and no take-backs! There's only so much you can stretch a drabble. That thing was what, 2000 characters. I could have benefited from 2,300, but hey. I squeezed it in. This is like, 5000 characters. 

By the way, expect another Bharma-centric OS soon! God, I am newly in love with this couple! Also *clears throat* DAILY UPDATES OF POA ARE STARTING AGAIN GODDAMMIT BECAUSE I NEED TO WRITE NOW AND I REFUSE TO BE LAZY ANY LONGER-