Sanskaar watched Ragini as she closed her eyes and prayed at the temple.

She was dressed simply in a salwar kurta without any makeup, and yet it was hard for him to look away.

There were things about her that he was learning and observing with every passing moment. Things that he had never bothered looking at when he first met her.

Things like how she always carried change coins with her in a small bag/motli and made sure she never missed giving some to any of the poor people sitting outside the temple before she walked in to take the blessing.

She opened her eyes and he looked away, his heart beating quickly as his eyes stayed on the idol in front of him.

The pandit walked over and gave them tirth, smiling at him knowingly. He looked away. A few days later, Ragini might be here but with ...

"Sanskaar," Ragini called out, "where are you lost?"

Sanskaar shook his head, tiling his head pointing outside the temple.

"Maa used to sit here just watching the city," Ragini had a soft smile as her eyes glazed, taking her into her world of memories, "I always found it boring. I would complain. I wanted to be with my friends."

"Now you see what she saw," Sanskaar said softly.

Ragini looked at him with a warm smile and nodded, "Is it strange?"

Sanskaar shook his head, "Time changes how we see things. And some times some people do," he said as he watched her closely.

"I miss everything about her," Ragini said, "Her cooking. Her hugs, Her laughter ..."

Sanskaar let her speak, watching her as she poured herself.

Ragini let out a small laugh, "She did these silly things for my birthday each year," she twirled the end of her dupatta as she spoke.

"What did she do?" Sanskaar asked tracking her fingers as they played with a fringe unconsciously.

"She turned all the clocks in the house one hour back. Even the one on my mobile," Ragini said looking back at the city lost in her thoughts, "When the TV shows began, I was wrong but she kept telling me that all the shows were preponed by an hour because of some special."

"When did you find out?"

"When my friends started calling me to wish me," Ragini said shaking her head, "But by the time I looked for them, all of them had gone missing. I couldn't find her or Baba or Dadi or Dadaji."

"What did you do?"

"I looked into their room. Nothing," Ragini said looking at him, "Then I stomped to my room angry and ..."

"And?"

"My entire room was decorated," Ragini said with the awe still palpable in her voice, "I don't know how she did it. She just did."

Sanskaar watched her eyes light up at the memory.

"She made sure each one of my birthday was so special." Ragini said looking at him, "I wish I could tell her that. That she made them special. Not by it being my birthday."

"I think she knew," Sanskaar said quietly, "That is why she did it every single time."

"She will be happy when she sees I have fulfilled her wish, wont she?" Ragini asked in a small tentative voice, as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"She will be happy if you are happy," Sanskaar said stretching his fingers towards her before pulling it back in a fist.

***

Sanskaar stood in the terrace seeing the city in front of him with unseeing eyes. He could not dare to close his eyes. They were filled with his past. And with Ragini.

Both made his heart ache.

Two deaths sealed his fate. Unconnected. Untimely deaths. Deaths that left behind a trail of lost souls.

And now it was going to take Ragini with it. Away from him. Forever.

He felt the thought stab at him, unleashing its pain. Pain that could not find its way through his words and coursing its way through his eyes instead.

"Sanskaar" He heard Annapurna call.

He straightened immediately wiping the trace of any moisture from his eyes. "I am here," he called back, struggling as his voice caught his throat.

Annapurna walked in hassled, "There you are," she said glancing at him for a second before turning away, "Come with me."

"Where?" he asked quietly.

"Just come," she said pulling at his hand once before rushing away.

***

"We are going to Gadodia?" He said as they reached closer to their destination.

"Where are you lost?" Annapurna asked patting his arm lightly.

"Why did you get me here?" he asked softly.

"Look at him," Sujata chided, "All these days he was here more than at home. Hovering around Ragini. And now that we ask him along, he has all these questions."

"I was just saying that because there must be things to do at home, right?"

"And we didn't have things to do all those days that you went missing?" Annapurna teased.

"Everything is being taken care of," Sujata said.

"Exactly. We need you here to help us carry everything," Annapurna added.

"Carry what?"

"The wedding dress," Sujata said before going back to chatting with Annapurna.

***

Sanskaar felt his heart constrict as he carried the dress laden plate inside the house. He watched as Annapurna handed it to Ragini.

Was this a punishment for what happened fifteen years ago?

He had no answers.

He was just glad that Ragini didnt ask him to carry it over to her room. He wouldnt have been able to do it.

He still remembered how she looked in that dress.

"Sanskaar?" someone called out breaking his thoughts.

He turned around to find Shekhar looking at him.

"Uncle?" Sanskaar said quietly.

Shekhar nodded.

"Can I talk to you please?"

Shekhar watched him for a second before titling his head towards his study.

***

"Ragini?" Shekhar called out as he entered her room.

"Baba?" Ragini looked up from the photo album she was scrolling through. Tears smeared a trail along her cheeks.

Shekhar walked over and sat next to her, glancing at the photos she was looking at. He wrapped his arm around his daughter wiping her tears, "Missing her?"

Ragini nodded, resting her head on his shoulder.

"She always knew how to make you smile," Shekhar said, "I am not all that good at it."

"I wish she could be with us right now ..."

Shekhar kissed her forehead, "She is with us," he said pointing to her heart and his, "Here. She will always be here."

Ragini nodded, "Always."

"Come with me," Shekhar said pulling at hand.

Ragini looked at him, eyebrows knotted.

"Just come," he said quietly, pulling her hand gently.

Shekhar walked with her into the terrace.

"Why did you bring me here, Baba?" Ragini asked looking at the dark place. Stars twinkled lightly in the sky.

"Your Maa left something of hers with me. She would be mad at me if I didn't hand it over to you," Shekhar said.

"Something of Maa's?" Ragini asked, "Dadi gave me her jewellery ..."

"Not her jewellery. Something more precious," he said.

"Wha–"

Ragini gasped as lights sparkled all across the terrace. They covered the plants and the walls. Colors–white, blue, red, green, gold sparkled through them. She turned around to look at Shekhar, "Baba?"

Shekhar smiled at her before dragging her over to the lounge chairs at one end. It had a birthday cake there and a diary. Shekhar picked it up.

Ragini looked at him with wide eyes. Her eyes still trying to take everything in.

"Janki wanted this for your last birthday at home, before you got married," he said leafing through the diary before looking at her.

Ragini felt tears trickle down her eyes.

"She was planning this. See here," he said showing her the diary.

Ragini picked it up gently, holding it almost as she would a butterfly. Her eyes drifted over the words scribbled there. Words that her mother had written. She looked up at her father.

"She would want you to have this," Shekhar said, "It has a lot more ideas that she planned over the years."

"Baba ..."

"After she was gone, I was never in a state to arrange anything and you never wanted to celebrate," Shekhar said quietly, "But we owe it to her, don't we? She planned it for you."

Ragini nodded gently, holding back her sob.

Shekhar tilted his head at the cake, "The cake is waiting for you."

Ragini looked at him for a second before walking towards it and sitting in front of the cake. She was about to blow the candle when Shekhar placed a hand on her shoulder.

"There is one more person who should be here as you cut it," he said.

Ragini watched him look at the dark part of the terrace.

"Sanskaar," he called out.

Ragini jerked back to look at her father before looking in the direction he was staring.

Sanskaar walked out of the dark, quietly. Reluctantly.

"You should be here with us too," Shekhar told him as he walked towards them, "Janki planned it, but you made it happen."

Ragini watched him quietly.

"Cut the cake, Ragini," Shekhar said drawing her out.

She nodded, making Shekhar eat the first bite before extending the piece towards Sanskaar. Sanskaar picked up a piece with his finger letting her know it was enough for him.

"It is getting late," Sanskaar told Shekhar after the cake was cut, "I should leave."

Shekhar nodded.

"Sanskaar," Ragini called out, "Wait"

He stopped to look at her.

"I want to talk to him," Ragini said to Shekhar, "Only for five minutes. I wont be long. I promise."

Shekhar looked at Sanskaar and then at her. He nodded and left the terrace.

Sanskaar watched her as she met his eyes.

She walked towards him, clutching the diary close to her chest. She looked into his eyes for a long time, opening her lips and closing them again, trying to say words that just wouldn't leave her.

"Ragini," he whispered.

She jolted forward and wrapped her arms around him, still holding the diary.

His eyes widened as he gasped.

She clutched the back of his shirt, "You did this for me. You brought Maa to me ..." she whispered pulling him closer.

He stood still. Rigid. Unmoving. Even when his heart was running a sprint on its own.

She sobbed clutching on to him.

He squeezed his eyes shut, clenching his fist on his side. Every pore in his body screamed at him to hold her. To wrap his arms around her.

But he knew that if he did, he would never be able to let her go.

Not even if she asked.

***

When he dragged himself back into his room, he felt he left a part of himself back on the terrace. Back in that moment. Those few minutes when she held him. When it was just them.

As he entered his room, reality hit him with its force.

Lakshya was waiting, watching him grimly as he took each step.

"Here to warm me again?" Sanskaar asked plainly.

"No," Lakshya said getting up, "You already know what is on the line."

"Then why are you here?"

"You know who is the most dangerous man in the world?" Lakshya asked looking at him, "Someone who has nothing to lose."

"I am sure you will find a way now to tell me that is you" Sanskaar muttered.

"You go on the way you are and I will show it to you tomorrow," Lakshya said jutting his jaw, "The only thing that matters to me is my freedom. If you put that at risk, I will do whatever it takes to get it back. Whatever!"

"Money isn't important then?" Sanskaar asked.

"You want to fool around with this? Fine," Lakshya said narrowing his eyes and walking closer to Sanskaar, "Guess who is the weakest person of all?"

Sanskaar gritted his teeth.

"One who has everything to lose," Lakshya scowled, "What is sad is that you only have yourself to blame for it."

"You resorted to blackmailing me over a secret that I told you when I was a kid. A kid. A scared kid," Sanskaar growled, "You had to stoop so low to protect yourself and you are talking to me about not having anything to lose."

"You handed this to me yourself," Lakshya shot back, "You complain about being a kid. A scared kid as you say. What stopped you from coming out clean in the past fifteen years then?"

Sanskaar muscles went rigid.

"What happened?" Lakshya asked, "Dont have an answer for me now?"

Sanskaar clenched his fist as he watched Lakshya.

"I will tell you why you kept quiet," Lakshya went on, "You did it because you didn't want anyone to know that there was a chance that Hari kaka would have been with us today if–"

"Lakshya," Sanskaar said in a stone cold voice.

"Stoping me from saying it wont change things. It will also not change something even worse about your secret."

Sanskaar's eyes snapped to look at Lakshya.

"It could have happened again," Lakshya said quietly.

Sanskaar felt the lump in his throat grow.

"I may be stooping low to protect my freedom," Lakshya said, "But at least I didn't put the family at risk the same way you did with your secret."

Thanks so much for all your love to this story. I cannot say how wonderful I feel every time I read your comments. I hope this one is also a chapter you can enjoy.

I am sounding like a broken record, but do vote if you like the chapter. And do keep those comments coming.

Thanks