"Sana?"

"Bacha" Sidharth's mom softly uttered, keeping her hand on Shehnaaz's shoulder. It was 2 O'clock in the wee hours of the night already.

She was sitting on the blue sofa, clutching little Vedant to her chest as he slept nuzzling his face into her neck, slightly whimpering due to the flu he had caught.

"Jee aunty?" Shehnaaz whispered so as to not wake up the kid.

"Kitni der se usse aise pakad k beithi hai bacha, I'm sure your body would be stiffened by now. Andar jaa k leit jao na thodi der uss room mei, Nisha is already there" Sidharth's mom said with concern, pointing towards a room a few steps away from them.

"Uh, no aunty. Mein theek hu,yaha se thodi hili bhi toh yeh uth jayega and you know tab kya hoga" Shehnaaz mumbled hinting at how Vedanth had been really cranky the entire evening, profusely crying at every little discomfort giving the family a tough time to pacify him. He had thankfully found his little comfort in Shehnaaz, perhaps because of her enormous patience with him, so he refused to leave her.

"Ha jaanti hu but phir bhi, I insist. Dekhte hai aur kitni energy bachi hai inn shehzade mei rone ki. Subah se laga rakha hai, don't think he'll fuss around much now. Utho utho...give him to me or even better tum khud Neetu ke paas sula do" Sidharth's mom suggested, she was genuinely worried about this girl. There was a comfortable rapport between the two of them right from the day they had met.

She'd been quietly observing Shehnaaz from some time. Shehnaaz was frequently caressing Vedanth's back softly, pressing occasional kisses on his head whenever she heard him whimper. She was even rocking him back and forth if she felt like he'd cry, sometimes tightening her arms around him too perhaps trying to derive some warmth & affection for herself as she went through a myriad of emotions while waiting for any positive update on Sidharth's finding.

Few hours ago

Shehnaaz's heart beat was so fast and loud that Nisha who was next to her knew and felt how her body shivered when they heard about Sidharth missing.

Sidharth's mom stayed quiet without saying a word when everyone else panicked and started asking  questions they had to Naveen.

"Waheguru" Shehnaaz mumbled and almost collapsed on the sofa. Her eyes had pooled with tears but she dared not to let them fall off her eyes.

She knew nothing could happen to Sidharth, she had a strange kind of trust and belief in him & his potential as an able officer but the probable situations that he may be in, scared the hell out of her. She tried to look at his mother once, who was sitting with a worrisome face but still had a tinge of calmness too. She probably had an unwavering faith that made her so resilient. Shehnaaz was unable to fathom how strong this woman was to stay so dignified and composed even during such a dire situation.

"Naveen, what do they mean they're not able to find him? For god's sake he's the DCP & also the head of the  special task force (STF) damn it...how can they be so easy about all this?" Neetu had burst out her frustration on her husband.

"Jag, tum kyu kuch nahi kar rahe ho? Abhi k abhi kisi minister se baat karo... You know them, don't you? what if these people don't take it seriously? You know how these government departments work na, pata nahi iss time mei humara Sidharth kaha hoga kaise hoga!" Preeti quivered, insisting her husband seek help as he did have certain contacts in the Maharashtra government.

"Yeah, mom is right. Papa, karo na kuch..." Nisha urged too, she couldn't bear the thought of her mama being in any kind of danger.

"Uh Preeti di, mein papa se bolke baat karane ki koshish karta hu to the home minister's office. Shayad papa bolenge toh they may connect sooner. I mean, papa is friends with the home minister so can I...?" Shehbaz suggestively asked unsure of how the family would react.

"Of course. Whatever it takes to know that Sidharth is fine" Jag, Preeti's husband exclaimed & the next moment Shehbaz was on the call to his dad.

"Yeah, aur mei Jenny se baat karta hu.  She will be allowed into their special task force office na...Hume at least yeh toh pata chalega ki they are putting their efforts to find Sidharth" Naveen said and called up Jenny.

In a hall full of people & the chaos, two women were sitting numb without speaking a word, they were Sidharth's mom & Shehnaaz.

Shehnaaz slowly stood up and went to sit next to his mother. She slipped her palm slowly into hers and pressed it softly. She was actually very scared of the situation & more so for Sidharth. She had never been so fearful of something wrong happening to anyone other than her mom, dad & Shehbaz. But, here she was almost at the verge of crying at a mere thought of Sidharth being in any danger. That moment, she knew what he meant to her. The realisation of his place in her life was clearly visible to her eyes and her heart.

He was no longer just the prospective sperm donor or a friend for her but he was so much more than any human being that she chose in her life. He was her everything at that moment & she couldn't tolerate her own thoughts about the uncertain situation that they were in. And his mother, the woman who birthed the best man of her life was no less than a fairy who was trying to be the calm to her hurricane of thoughts.

She held Shehnaaz's hand, softly caressing her fingers broke the silence.

"He'll be alright Sana. Mera Sher beta hai voh..." She paused a bit and her eyes beamed in pride as she continued

"You know? Isse bhi zyada dangerous missions pe gaya hai woh and he's been nothing less than a warrior. Ha voh jab tak ghar nahi aata ek ajeeb sa dar hota hi hai man mei but the moment he enters home from that door? Voh pal sab kuch bhula deti hai. Him in flesh & blood sahi salamat mere ankhon k samne that's all we want hai na?, I wait for that moment & so far he's always come back to me. I'm sure aaj bhi waise hi wapis ayega. Jab se isne police department join ki hai more than being a son or their brother or mama to these kids he has been a selfless server of his uniform & his country. And a brilliant one at that" she paused a bit.

Shehnaaz noticed a very faint smile on her face as she continued "Well, I am flaunting my son's capabilities but, yeah voh fact hai bacha. Mei uspe trust & hope rakhti hu & he has never broken them. And there's this supreme power above, protecting & planning way ahead of us. Voh jo chahte hai vohi hota hai so I can only say ki have faith in Sidharth & the almighty bas...yeah?" She caressed Shehnaaz's head lovingly.

This was much needed for Shehnaaz, his mother had beautifully calmed her down to a large extent just by her words and actions. She was so profound in whatever she said that shehnaaz was in awe of her and her positive approach to life.

Sidharth's mom knew how disturbed Shehnaaz was & that she was experiencing the chaos for the first time whereas the Shukla family had prior experiences of such missions that Sidharth went on. So she made sure that the girl who was an important part of her son's life was comforted.

Shehnaaz heaved a sigh that she didn't know she was holding since a long time and hugged her instantly.

"Thank you. Thank you so much" she mumbled against her shoulder.

Sidharth's mother caressed her head and rubbed her back up and down to soothe her.

"Thank you kis liye?" She asked in a lighter tone.

Moving apart, shehnaaz held both her palms and touched them to her forehead while mumbling softly "for being you"

"Thank you for being you...aunty ji"

Sidharth's mom felt a gush of affection for the girl who touched her heart and soul. Shehnaaz would surprise them all with her gestures most of the times but today she had surpassed herself when she took Rita ji's hands to touch to her forehead giving her the highest regard.

Her gesture overwhelmed Sidharth's mother, she instantly hugged Shehnaaz again. Perhaps, everyone in the Shukla family were expressive with their actions & gestures more than words. They all gave the best hugs, heartfelt genuine warm hugs.

"Sana? My dear, please call me mom or maa or mummy or whatever you feel like except aunty...you are just like Preeti, Neetu & Nisha to me, you are family bacha. Not only because we know you through Sidharth, it's also because tumne hum sab k mann mei apni ek alag si jagah bana chuki ho khud ki. We love you for who you are..." Sidharth's mother said, still hugging her.

Shehnaaz was too vulnerable to receive such kind of love from someone not her blood related family. She tightened her arms around & replied softly...

"Mummy ji bulaungi...theek hai na?" She asked in a coy small voice.

"I love it meri jaan. Tum kuch bhi bulao acha hi lagta hai mujhe. Now, stop sulking and talk to Jenny. Pata karogi kya hua STF ke office mei? In the meanwhile, I'll just be back?" She said in a way that exuded dignity, poise & command as she moved apart from her.

Shehnaaz now knew from whom did Sidharth inherit these qualities. She just nodded her head and tried to compose herself. She couldn't be weak at the moment. To even think of or imagine that Sidharth was amidst firing, the bullets & arms, Shehnaaz shivered from within but the tiny pep talk with his mother had certainly calmed her to an extent.

She heaved a sigh & stood up. She spoke to Jenny & got to know that the entire STF was on a high alert & there were two teams assigned to find Sidharth. Though, it did not guarantee anything, it was at least assured that there were trained cadets on the lookout for Sidharth meticulously. Jenny said that the team expedited the process only after the home minister ordered them.

Shehnaaz mentally thanked her dad & her family's status for being able to reach the home minister to seek help in this situation at an odd time. She informed Jenny to keep updating her on any lead and disconnected the call.

Naveen & Jag were also trying their best to find any solution to reach Sidharth by hook or crook.

Shehnaaz felt restless about not being able to do anything herself. She roamed in the hall. She suddenly realised that it was already 10 in the night & she hadn't returned to her house. She had second thoughts on informing her parents but she did anyways. She called them up and informed that Sidharth was an important friend to her so she and shehbaz were with his family. Her mother frowned when she heard her own daughter confidently say that she'd spend the night at someone else's place that too for a man. But her dad was quick to intervene and agreedDCP considering Shehbaz was with her & he had known how Sidharth had been of great help to Pioneer. He was a practical man and he knew that any day Pioneer or he would need the help from the Police department & who better than the Sidharth Singh Ranawat to come under the weight of receiving a favour. So, they finally agreed and even video called to make sure that their kids were okay and together.

Minutes became hours and there was no sign of any positive update on Sidharth. The family members tried to do mundane stuff to pass time, they were rigid on not sleeping until they had heard about Sidharth's well being.

Shehnaaz's instinct was that she'd see Sidharth by the morning. Somehow, though there wasn't any update yet, she had been feeling eerily confident about Sidharth's safe return. She had been feeling intuitive about something going wrong the moment she had received a text from Sidharth about this mission which came true.

So now that she was feeling he'd be home in a few hours, she wanted to trust her instinct this time. That's when vedant had again started throwing tantrums and Shehnaaz took him to pacify his incessant cries. This is what had lead to her putting him to sleep holding him to herself for the next 2 hours until Sidharth's mom suggested her to take some rest.

Present

"Uhm ok mummy ji" Shehnaaz finally agreed to her suggestion. She had not once fumbled in addressing Sidharth's mom as she had requested her some time ago. It came to her naturally to call her as a mother because she had accepted her like one long ago.

"Good. Neetu uss room mei hai, jao" she pointed to the corner room.

Shehnaaz nodded & took a couple of steps towards the room when Sidharth's mother's mobile rang startling them a bit in a rather silent house. She stood rooted to the same spot anticipating what her heart wanted.

Rita ji immediately lowered the volume before even she could notice the caller to not wake up Vedant.

Her eyes widened a bit when she saw the name on the screen and recieved the call.

"Hello..." She almost whispered not knowing if the caller was the same person as the name that flashed on the mobile screen.

"Kya..." she was interrupted in between so she paused right there. A moment later she continued
"Huh? But, ek second ruko toh..."

Before she could complete her sentence she heard a beep sound and the next moment Shehnaaz's phone started ringing.

Immediately, she walked till the couch where her mobile was and picked it up. Her heart was thumping loud when she received the call.

"Hel... Hello" she uttered softly, praying it to be whom she was anticipating.

"Ek second..." She heard the voice but then all she could hear was the beep sound. Shehnaaz looked bewildered at Sidharth's mom. But, within few seconds the call was reconnected.

"Mom, Shehnaaz..." They both heard the voice they had been learning to listen. It was Sidharth on the call, who had put them up on a conference call, they realised. Both saw each other's faces, eyes brimmed with tears and still uncertainty in them.

On the other hand, all Sidharth could hear was silence, so he spoke again...
"I'm... I'm okay. Sun rahe ho na?"

Both the ladies heaved a sigh to listen to their man finally speak and assure them that he was doing okay.

"Sidharth..." They gasped in unison.

"Huh...Sorry, dono se ek sath baat karna tha. So I've put you both on a con call. Mein theek hu mom. I know ki by now you all are worried as hell about me. But, sach mein I'm ok" Sidharth said to assure them of his well being.

He was aware of his family's tensions but he wasn't aware that shehnaaz was with his family too. Hence, he wanted to assure her and his mom together at once. Shehnaaz let her tears flow down when she heard him that he was okay and he wanted her to know about him along with his mom. Not before not after. He kept her equal to his mother and she cried, in helplessness, in love & in guilt. A guilt of trying to use his friendship for her gain so far.

While she was unable to utter a single word, his mom replied "Sidharth, bacha... Thank God you called. Are you really okay? Chot lagi hai? Are you in pain? Kaha ho? The entire department is in search of you. And, Shehnaaz humare sath hai ghar pe..."

Sidharth was delighted to hear that Shehnaaz was with his family at his home, he had not expected that. His heart raced for her, he wanted to be with her right away at that moment. He knew what it took for her to stay over at his place for a night but still she did. He was overwhelmed so breathed in & continued.

"Mom, sachi mei theek hu. I'm talking normally with you hai na? Baki, I'll be home by morning so tab bataunga. Don't worry, Jenny is with me" he assured again thus relieving the women.

"Acha, okay jaldi aa jao bache. I'll inform everyone else... Sab bohat tensed the..."

"Okay mom, Shehnaaz? You there baba?" He was quite concerned that he didn't hear a word from her.

"Yeah she is, baat kar lo tum dono. I'll see you soon bacha"  she took vedant from Shehnaaz's arms and left to inform the family.

"Baby" Sidharth gasped as he could sense her feeble whimpers.

"Ssshhhh, don't cry meri jaan. I'm okay sachhi. Bas shoulder pe thodi si chot lagi hai & I have pain in my arms. That's all, kuch nahi hua hai" he said softly like he was explaining a kid making shehnaaz cry all the more for how he was talking to her and taking care of her when all she had planned with him was a baby and nothing else. The guilt ate her up.

She hiccupped a bit while crying.

"Sidhhhaaarthh! Ghar aa jao" she managed to say between her sobs melting Sidharth's heart in a puddle.

"Aa raha hu bacha, please mat ro meri jaan" he cooed little endearments, his heart thumped loud & also felt guilty for putting her through all this turmoil.

"Hmm..." She said trying to stop her sobs.

"I'll be there as soon as I can okay? Ek kaam karegi until I come? Please make some parathas for me? Ha baby? I'm hungry" He requested thinking that'll divert her mind and keep her busy until he reached.

Her heart broke hearing that he was in so much pain, hurt & was hungry too.

"Ha banaungi na...you come home soon please" she insisted.

"Yes ma'am, on my way" he smirked, she knew though on an audio call.

"Okay" she said simply. If it was another time she'd have a banter with him but not now.

Sidharth assured her again and disconnected the call.

It was already 3 am, so Shehnaaz quickly made her way to the kitchen and took out the dough to knead for the parathas. She was used to of having her way around in their kitchen in the past few months so it was normal for her to barge in and do anything that she wanted to. The family always made sure she felt at home.

In some time the dough was ready & she began her preparation for the aloo filling when Preeti entered the kitchen.

"Sana, kya kar rhi ho beta?"

"Uh voh Sidharth wants parathas so, thought I'll prepare the dough and filling ready" she said with a plain face. Preeti noticed that she seemed exhausted - mentally & physically yet she was there in the kitchen doing whatever required to fulfill her brother's wish. Her heart swelled with love for this girl. She knew that her brother would not find a better girl than shehnaaz.

"Acha, batao kya help chahiye? I'll do, for a change" Preeti said in a light tone trying to cheer her up.

"Aisa kya? Hmm yeh aloo smash kar dijiye phir once I turn off the cooker. Mein raita banaungi tab tak" Shehnaaz said with a small smile.

And they both fell into a casual conversation about what they'd do once Sidharth was back while simultaneously working in the kitchen.

*******

It was around 5:30 in the morning that Sidharth arrived at his house with Jenny. The entire Shukla family was waiting for him with their bated breaths.

As soon as he was at the doorstep, they all lunged at him but stepped back seeing him wearing a shoulder bag. He was hurt.

Everyone were overwhelmed to see him back after the scary night. Sidharth tried to hug one by one as much as he could. They noticed that he was even limping a bit.

While he met everyone, he was surprised to see Shehbaz also present. He hugged him too. Jenny told everyone that he was hurt on his shoulder & calf muscle in his right leg. But he was taken to the hospital and treatment was given. Doctor had prescribed him medication & complete rest for the next two weeks.

Jenny also said that the smuggler gang had tried to kidnap Sidharth and hold him hostage to get their ceased ammunition back. However, Sidharth had escaped.

They were all scared but were also relieved that he was back home safely. Sidharth hugged his mom the longest and kissed her head.

"I'm okay mom. Please yar... Ab aap bhi mat ro na" he said pressing another kiss on her head.

"Sidharth! Dara diya tu ne sabko...And Sana? She was strong but it's a first for her bacha so she cried jab tu ne call kiya..." She hugged him rubbing his back up and down.

"Yeah... I'll talk to her" he said and moved apart.

Shehnaaz was standing at a distance in the middle of the hall. He limped towards her and hugged her with his free arm.

"I'm sorry...should have prepared you before I went on the mission" he said pressing a soft kiss on her forehead.

Shehnaaz hugged him back carefully.

"Come, sit down. Pair pe lagi hai na? Aise limp kar rah hai phir bolta ki theek hu" she scoffed a bit moving apart.

He chuckled & did as she said.

Nisha got him a glass of water which he gulped down in one go.

"Mama, Next time na, you better not turn off your phone" she said in a stern tone.

"Jee mathe" he agreed. He knew what his entire family went through.

After some time, they all had a very early breakfast, courtesy - Shehnaaz's hot parathas and went to their rooms to sleep as they were all sleep deprived the whole night and thankfully it was a weekend.

Shehbaz slept on the sofa as soon as he finished eating.

Once everyone was out of sight, Sidharth pulled shehnaaz to his room.

He locked the door & removed his shoulder bag, groaning a bit he freed his hurt arm.

"Sidharthhh! Pagal hai? Kya kar rah hai?" Shehnaaz gasped being horrified.

"It's ok, kuch time k liye I can remove it" he said and pulled her close to him with his other hand.

He encircled his arms carefully around her waist and tried to pull her as close to himself as he could.

"Dar gaya tha mera bacha?" He whispered.

"Hmm..." she hummed drawing circles on his chest.

"I'm sorry... To put you through all this. But I promise, I'll make it up to you baby..." He said and pressed a kiss on her forehead.

"But abhi k liye, can I ask you something?" He questioned taking her chin in between his fingers making her look up at him.

"Kya?

"Sleep with me?" He said calmly but Shehnaaz's eyes widened like saucers.

"What?!" She exclaimed.

"What what?" He asked unable to understand her OTT reaction.

"You - You want me to sleep with you?" She reiterated.

"Yeah" he said cooly but then realised what his statement has insinuated and chuckled at her.

"Arre meri jaan, it's not what you think. I just want to sleep with you in my arms peacefully for sometime. Bas, dirty mind you have hun?" he clarified, still laughing.

Shehnaaz bumped her fist on his chest & made a pout annoyed at how he was laughing.

"Ha mein dirty mind hu toh tu kya hai? Sant mahatma? Khud gandi batein bolta hai phir bill mere pe phadna hota hai" She scoffed, her chubby face with a cute pout looked so adorable and edible that Sidharth couldn't stop himself from claiming her pout in his lips.

They kissed until they were out of breath and finally laughed together.

As he wanted, they just slept next to each other as they couldn't even cuddle properly because of his shoulder pain. Sidharth laid flat on his back and Shehnaaz wrapped her arm around his torso. Both felt at ease, at relief and at home. Sidharth spoke to her and clarified all the questions she had about his mission and how he fought the smugglers and escaped. Shehnaaz was amazed to listen to him speak so highly of his job and her respect for him & his job grew manifolds. Shehnaaz kissed his heart multiple times as they discussed and caressed his hair. Sidharth was happy to be back home and to be sharing a beautiful moment with Shehnaaz. They realised that perhaps this is what was called sukoon and slowly fell asleep.

********

It was around 12 in the afternoon and everyone was in the hall except Shehbaz & Nisha. Shehnaaz had gone to her house freshened up and returned to Sidharth's house as they were expecting a guest.

Their guests had arrived and they were having a casual conversation when a sleepy Nisha walked over to the hall in her shorts & tee with messy hair. Her eyes were still closed as she rubbed them and walked to her mama.

"Good morning" she said yawning & rubbing her eyes not once realising that there were more people in the house.

"Nishu! Get inside the room" Preeti gasped seeing her messy daughter walk in on the guests.

"Kya yar Preeti! Thand pa kudiye " She teased her mother in her new found love for Punjabi and blinked open her eyes.

"Sorry" Preeti mumbled and reached her daughter to take her inside but Nisha being Nisha had to react.

She walked a few steps, seeing everyone present there & said "Sanu, I can see my dream alive in front of my eyes pata hai? I've got superpowers today... Yay!" She giggled.

"On that couch" she added pointing her forefinger directly at their guest as she shut her eyes being still sleepy and tried to tie her messy hair up in a bun. Her family was kind of embarrassed by now in front of the guests because of their girl.

"Nishu, kya bol rhi hai? Get inside we have guests baba" Preeti insisted trying to put a leash on her daughter's casual/confusing behaviour.

Sidharth & Shehnaaz almost chuckled at their darling Nisha having a ball game. Hearing her mom speak of guests, she now opened her eyes wide and clear to see and impulsively exclaimed "WTF! Shubman Gill?" She was in utter disbelief.

************

Thank you for reading... 😊

Please do let me know how this chapter was...

And I had asked you guys to guess the male character and for whom he would be paired with. So, two of them guessed right SivaDevarakonda & @realshinypallavi.

So the male character is the Prince of the Indian cricket team - Shubman Gill as himself & he's paired opposite Nisha.

As promised this chapter is dedicated to you both ❤️ thank you so much for ur support & love on this book.

Love,
Avni