The five some made their way inside the hospital and after what was a very emotional session between Payal and Aparna, with everyone else wishing Aparna good health, along with Khushi who felt a lot better and stronger compared to yesterday, and avoiding getting emotional most of the time. The siblings and Khushi checked on Anita Raizada as well apparently finding her busy in the operation theatre. Bidding Aparna Gupta goodbye they left the hospital, making their way back to the car where once again everybody had to cram in, Khushi yet again sitting on Arnav's lap. The ride to Payal's place was a bit more peaceful with Khushi having finally adjusted to the hardness of Arnav's reflexes, and him use to of her hair all over his face. But when it was time for Payal to leave, Aakash, Arnav and Khushi had to get off half way, so that Payal's parents wouldn't doubt of where their daughter was, the three hiding behind a bush.

Crouched behind the bush, Khushi retreated her cellphone from the hidden pocket in her skirt to check Vivek's message instead their were about 25 missed calls from his number. She made it a point to call him as soon as she got back home and soon enough the three were out of their position behind the bush, and had went back to the car, much to their drivers amusement, who had certainly thought the children had completely lost it. Taking their seats inside, Khushi sat back on the seat making a face, since she had only recently gotten use to of Arnav's lap and it just wasn't her way to adapt to changes quickly. They sat next to each other, Anjali grinning at Aakash from the rear view mirror, silently congratulating him on the success of their plan. The entire ride back to the home of the Raizada's Khushi had spent looking at her cellphone which was buzzing away in her hand, but seeing the place and time she knew she just couldn't attend the call.

Once back home, the kids all rushed inside extremely exhausted, who much to everyone's surprise had ran to her room without a word, leaving the three siblings exchanging odd looks with each other. Paying not much attention to the weirdo she was, Arnav went to his room to change while Anjali and Aakash after cracking a few more jokes about the event in the car, left for their rooms to change as well, since none could deny that all of them were starving.

Khushi pressed the green button on her phone, and kept it on her ear, hearing the excited, some what wary, somewhat surprised and annoyed voice of Vivek buzzing from the other end of the line.

"Chun. I have been calling you since ages! Where were you?" Vivek said irritated, clutching the phone tightly on his hand standing next to the window of his room, looking out at their garden which was blossoming with daffodils.

"Sorry. Was at the hospital. Mobile was on silent and in my pocket so I didn't hear it. *pause* Did you talk to Vishaka? What did she say? Did you two patch up? Did you propose her?" Khushi asked excitedly, looking at her reflection in the mirror, the frenzy state she was in and gave a bad sigh to herself, turning away from it listening to Vivek's reply.

"Whoa..Whoaa..Whoaa..waitt Chun..one question at a time. But first of all you tell me, what did you talk to Vishaka about? She seemed so guilty, and I don't know really nice about you." Vivek said still a bit confused, but generally ecstatic of having his love life getting back on track.

"Nothing really. I just made a deal with her. She agreed to it and that's it. Things are normal now." Khushi said conversationally, balancing the mobile between her head and her shoulder, plucking the bob pins out of her hair, and letting the pony loose so that her hair fell down all over her back.

"Deal? What Deal?" he asked her back seriously, still very puzzled, but before Khushi could answer, she heard Arnav shouting the house down from his room calling for either of Anjali and Aakash. She opened the door of her room, and stepped out of it, seeing nobody in sight to respond to his frantic calls, and she herself cautiously stepped inside his room, only to find his head popping out of the door of the washroom looking at her in what was a combined emotion of amazement and embarrassment.

"Gupta? What are you doing here? Where is Bhai and Di?" he asked her grossily, and she looked at his face trying hard not to giggle, but seeing that he was in a good mood to throw anything worth hitting at her she absorbed the laughter within her.

"Vivek, I'll call you later." She whispered into the phone, and disconnected the line, leaving Vivek on the other side, in a panic striken mood, curiosity fully having consumed him up and as much as he wanted to call her back, her disconnecting the call was not normal, so he decided to wait until she called him on her own. Khushi was now looking at Arnav with a very comic expression, while her only stared at her blankly still holding tightly to the edge of the bathroom door.

"Bhai and Di are both in their room. You were shouting away mad, so I thought I might just check in." she said grinning at him, and he looked at her rudely enough, rolling his eyes in his sockets, but then seeing that since she was here she might as well do this work.

"Gupta open my cupboard and give a towel from it." He said still in a very grim mood, and turning away from him, her back facing his she nodded, and walked over to his cupboard while he shut the bathroom door from inside tight. Her hands scrambled around his neatly arranged well maintained cupboard for some time and finally finding the towel she was about to close it when a paper went fluttering down from the corner. She bent down to pick it up and looked at in utter shock, seeing the image of the infant sketched on it.

Her mind in a whirlpool she kept the sketch in her hand, walking towards the bathroom and handed over the towel to Arnav from inside, who did not even see her face but slammed the door shut. Puzzled and extremely curious as to what this picture was doing her, she sat on his bed, staring at the sketch in complete bafflement, until Arnav's hand who was tapping her shoulder, having her sitting their caused her to look up at him still confusion written all over his face. The moment he saw the sketch she was holding, he hurriedly bend down and snatched it from her hand seeing her stare at him in complete shock.

"Gupta do you have any manners? I told you give me the towel not to pry inside me cupboard" he snapped at her angrily, folding the sketch in his hand and stuffed it inside the pockets of his Bermuda, his eyes still blazing in fury at her.

"Where did you get this picture from?" she asked him studying his expression carefully, when he made a face at her, and then gazed at her surprised.

"Excuse me? This is my room, I own this sketch. Who are you to question me where my things come from?" he told her hoarsely, not looking at her and was about to stuff the picture back into the cupboard when she held on to his wrist and turned him around fiercely, that annoyment of being snapped at flashing in her eyes.

"Do you know who this girl is?" she asked him curiously, irritation covering her tone, but he was just staring at her in merry astonishment stunned at her interest in this girl.

"No..but what do you care? Do you know her?" he asked her in vexation, observing her changing expression but she quickly recovered and looked at him straight her face going blank.

"I asked you first. Do you know her?" she said still in fighter mood, but his arousment on her interest in the sketch was only growing as their conversation proceeded.

"Yeah. So what? How does that matter to you? Besides, why are you interested her in the first place anyway?" he lashed out her curiously, but she was just staring at him with wide eyes, her jaw dropping open, and he had to struggle with the kind of reaction he was supposed to portray seeing that utterly hilarious expression on her face.

"What?" he asked her confused, and she still continued to gape stupidly until he had to actually shake her and bring her back to the real world.

"You know this girl?" she managed to stay after a while, and he had to just shake his head like crazy, making her sit on the bed, and poured a glass of water from the jug on the side table handing it over to her.

"Here drink it, and go take a bath. I think the sun's done some real harm to your already useless brains" he remarked sarcastically at her, and she gave him a good death glare, making a face at him, but still drank the water keeping it down in a huff on the side table when she was done.

"I am serious Raizada. Tell me who made you this girls sketch?" she asked in sa straight kind of voice, and Arnav had to wonder for a second if she had fever or something or had completely lost all of the remaining sense within her.

"Paa did. But why are you so concerned? Do you know who this girl is?"

"Well that's not the question if I know her or not, the question is how do you know her? Do you know her name?"

"Her name? No..waitt..Gupta stop twisting things around do you know who she is? If you do tell me, and if you don't then stop wasting my and your time and go take a bath." He told her in a obnoxious kind of tone and for a moment she frowned, but then the truth of the whole situation dawned on her. He didn't who this was, he didn't know the name, he knew almost nothing judging from his expressions, that mean she had to know what was he doing with this sketch anyway. Before he even knew Khushi had taken custody of the sketch that he was holding in his hand and was had opened it up looking at in awe.

"You don't know her name, and yet your dad made a sketch of her for you? What for?" she asked him, completely ignoring his question and he stared at her stupefied but then just decided to answer her straight since her twisted talk was making him go insane anyway.

"Oh erm..no..I saw her at dad's military party when I was five..I developed I don't know..maybe a crush on her..but..it doesn't matter now..I don't care anymore about her." He said blushing hard, but suddenly it all went away and he was looking at deep vexation at Khushi who was grinning at him stupidly.

"And you said what? Peeta is stupid? You like a girl since age 5 and you call him stupid? How ironic Raizada, how ironic." She giggled away joyfully, looking at the sketch of the girl in her hand carefully, her eyes twinkling in mischief with them, she was just glad she had come across this, it was the best thing ever.

"Shutup Gupta! Its different, You don't understand, he kept waiting for Katniss I am not waiting for that girl" he said in utter disagreement, annoyed over the fact that she was trying to capture him in the net that he himself had made earlier. It was just not fair, he had use his brains over time to compete with her vivacious, smart nature.

"And what if you find her? What will you do then?" she asked softly, noticing the expression on his face changing, her eyes fixed on his face because she had to know what he would do, she just wanted to know it more than anything she had ever wanted to know and suddenly he answered, the answer taking her aback, her face going grim with disappointment.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" she repeated after him, her face down with sadness and he could only continue to stare at her in a state of utter bewilderment.

"Why are you so disappointed? You still haven't answered my question Gupta. Do you know her?" he repeated his question for the trillionth time now, but she was too engrossed pondering over something to answer his question at all.

"It doesn't matter any more. You don't care for her." She said sadly, and got up walking out of the room, when he held on to her hand, and she turned around to look at him grimly staring at her and walked towards her taking the sketch from her hand and deeply looking into it, and then at her face, repeating it for a number of times, until she felt some kind of realization dawning on his face.

"This girls resembles you. Is this you?" he asked more to himself than he did to her, and she stared at him wide eyed, his hand still holding on to her wrist, which she struggled so he did let go but the grip only tightened around it.

"Answer me Gupta! Is this you?" he said more seriously this time, looking straight into her eyes which were unable to maintain eye contact with him and kept looking away from him and won at her hand which he was holding firmly.

"Even if it was, it wouldn't be much use to you. After all I can never be your Katniss can I?" she said her voice low, and he could sense a inward implication in her words, his grip on her hand getting loose, the chance which she quickly availed, and stomped out of the room, not turning back once to even see how shocked and lost in thought he looked.

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Arjun Raizada sat on the couch his head lieing back on the head rest, after he had finally gotten the tickets for Thursday to his flight back to Stanford, this being his last working day for the next one month to come. Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead, even though the temperature of the air conditioner was on 16 degree centigrade, his military jacket lieing on the arm rest of the couch, the dozens of medals pinned to it shining in the dim light of the lamp kept on the side table.

He had been waiting for this day since the last 3 months, to meet his children, to meet his wife, be back at home and enjoy life to the fullest, but life had never failed to surprise him, just like it hadn't this time, this time as much as he was glad to get back their was a fear of facing her again that crept inside him shaking him to the most. Going back, was simply not going back for him just now, he was turning back, to face her yet again, the person who made his life into what it was, the person who had never imagined life without, and now the person who he hadn't even seen once in the last ten years.

His mind whizzed off to the old good times that they had spent together, the times when they knew that life without each other did not exist, and today it seemed ironic enough that life without each other did somehow manage to exist. He shut his eyes tight, letting the treachery of that day, seep back into his mind rattling him back to fury, because in all the bombardments he had seen in his life, all the injuries he had suffered, his near death experience in life, nothing was as worst as what had happened back that day.

"Appy,you have to know that you are not doing the right thing. He isn't worth you, trust me. He is just using you to fulfill his dreams, he doesn't love you Appy" Arjun said in a pleading tone before his best friend, holding her hand tightly into his, but she was just looking at him with an intense disgust in her eyes, that fond look, that strong bond of friendship between them was gone.

"How many time am I supposed to tell you that I don't want to listen to anything you have to say! I mean I don't understand, what is your problem, cant you see me happy?" she lashed out at him shaking in fury, and this was the last straw to his patience, as he grabbed her by her shoulders and pulled her towards himself, looking ferociously into her eyes.

"I can't see you happy? Do you even know what are you talking danmmit! We both grew up together, I was the one who you came to when you wanted happiness, I was the one who knew you in and out not him! And now suddenly, just because you have fallen for a mad ass you think I can't see you happy?" he said venom for that boy she loved spitting out of his mouth like a lethal weapon that was marring the beauty in her face.

"Arjun you are hurting me. Leave me alone, I need to go, he is waiting." She said tears streaming down her eyes, and seeing that he loosened his grip on her, but did not let go of her completely, instead started shaking her violently.

"What has happened to you Appy? I never knew you like this. Where is my Appy gone tell me?" he said in a panic stricken, hurt kind of voice and she let a lot more tears but finally gaining all her strength, she pushed him away from her, staggering back herself from the force she had applied and looked into his hurt eyes with absolutely no concern.

"Your Appy is right here. You just did not know me enough Arjun." she replied back her voice dangerously low, and he saw her turning back leaving him back in complete shock, his body wailing for her comforting touch back on him, every single time he had found himself in such a position she would be there to keep his hand on her shoulder, but now that he looked down on his shoulder there was no hand, because the owner of that hand was going away from him, far far away.

"Are you going to choose our 19 year old friendship over that pervert's 2 year old drama?" he shouted to her retreating form, and she topped back in her tracks stationary to her point, but craned her neck back to see him, hope flashing in his eyes but in a moment of truth it was all gone.

"Yes" she said in a thunderous kind of voice, and locking her eyes just one last time with him she left her purse swinging away on her arm, to the car that waited for her two streets back, her soon to be husband sitting inside it. That moment was that one, when she had left behind every happiness of her, for that one happiness which mattered most to her, left behind everything that mattered, left behind her best friend, who she had promised never to leave.

Arjun opened his eyes at that single fleeting moment, but closed it tight again, a small lone tear cascading down his cheeks, that pain and sorrow of losing what he valued most returning back to him. But as soon as the hurt had subsided, a raging fire of anger was burning inside him, it was like a thousand memories that were playing in his mind which made him feel all the more terrible.

"Your best friend had a stroke."

"What! Apar'how could she' (his voice trailing away bitterly) no wait..which best friend are you talking about? I don't have any best friends" he retorted subtly, his head now covered with beads of sweat, mind churning back to produce the image of her, the image of the person of he so missed, hadn't it been for that day, probably they would still be best friends.

"Arjun please, stop playing me, stop playing yourself. You know it's her. She has been your only best friend, 25 years did not fade away the effect of that friendship, it's still there Arjun nothing has changed"

"Everything has changed Anita, nothing is the same. She chose him over me, over our 19 year old friendship, she is the one who drove me away from herself, there was nothing that I can do about it"

"She's paying for it now Arjun. She's paying for every wrong decision that she made."

Only the thought of something happening to her made him shudder with extreme pain, he knew how vulnerable she was, at least from the days he remembered her she was weak, even a scratch on her hand would leave her wincing in pain for the next one week. Betrayal, a stroke, being a single parent she had been through so much, he had no idea what would be his first reaction when he saw her, more importantly how would she react? Did she still remember him, did she still care, was she also waiting to see him like he was? No. He said firmly to himself, rejecting the thought of all such meaningless things. Why in the world would she wait for him? She didn't even know that he was coming back, she knew absolutely nothing. He gritted his teeth in anger, why was he thinking about her anyway? She had chosen the wrong person 19 years ago, he wasn't the one to blame, she was, she had been doing the wrong things, why after all these years did he still care for what she was going through? It was not like he matter to her now.

Freezing his mind to stop thinking about her, he tried to concentrate on thinking about the happy times he would be sharing with his family, his monkey boy, his princess, his Chotte, and then the best of all his lovely wife. But the more he tried the more his mind only wandered over to thinking about Aparna, and now a new thought had come up into his mind, she had a daughter, a daughter which his children were fond off, a daughter which his Choote liked. He recalled what Anita had told him about Arnav's equation with Khushi, the three sibling's interaction with her and every single detail related to it. Arjun just couldn't help thinking how under such crossed up circumstances he could ever avoid facing Aparna, now that these families were so close to each other.

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Khushi sat on the bed, dragging the small study table, that was in the room and assembled her books on it, refreshing her mind to note down all the homework of the day and started working on it. Her cellphone has kept at the corner of the table, and while she was busy solving a tricky word problem it started ringing away furiously causing her to make an awful face. Seeing Vivek's called ID flash on it she felt a bit queasy her earlier encounter with Arnav in his room playing her mind, along with the uneasy situation at lunch back on the dinner table. Knowing nothing better to do, she received the call and kept it on speaker mode finding it safe to do so since her door was locked from inside and anybody entering it would knock.

"You forgot to call back so I decided to do it." Vivek said in a expressionless tone from the other end, making Khushi slap her hand on her forehead, cursing her memory for its failure of remembering anything at all.

"Yeah, slipped out of my mind. Sorry" she said admittedly and continued to solve her problem, her hands working furiously on the calculator while her ears paid attention to what Vivek was saying.

"Chun stop doing your Maths homework, and tell me about the deal" Vivek said in a firm voice, and almost suddenly she stopped working on the calculator staring at the phone from which his voice was coming from in utter surprise.

"How do you know I was doing my homework?" she asked him in a state of shock, him from the other side of the phone laughing mentally to herself, throwing his arms back around his bed.

"What else would you do with a calculator? *pause* Anyways, stop changing the topic and tell me about that deal now" he stressed upon it and quickly in a summarized form she told him about her and Vishaka talk in the locker room, him gaping in astonishment from the other side of the phone.

"You actually told her that she could call you a bitch and ass if she wanted?" he asked her in a stupefied voice, Khushi making a awkward expression on his query feeling the burning desire inside her to kick him,

"I did but it was purely figurative. It doesn't mean she has to call me that." She said her voice showing that slight irritation in her voice, and then she asked him about him and Vishaka talk which he told in perfect details along with the weird moments, adding in his expert comments in it time and again making Khushi's mood cheer up yet again.

"Cool enough for you. I hope she doesn't chick around anymore about you and me" Khushi said laughing and he replied in the affirmative from the other end, his mood turning a little serious after a while as he asked her the next question.

"Chun, your mom's good now?" he her a bit worried, remembering the condition she wa sin the other day.

"Yeah a lot better than yesterday."

"Then why are you so dim?"

"Dim? Me? No." she said trying to sound as convincing as possible but she knew she was kidding the wrong guy, he knew her just too well to fall for this.

"Yeah whatever Ms.I Suck At Lieing. Did you fight with Arnav?" he asked her back, still concerned about why she was in such a gruffy mood the instance she had received his call.

"Huh? What makes you think me fighting with Raizada would spoil my mood?" she questioned him astounded to which he replied as the most unexpected answer she wanted to hear.

"All of your mood changes these days are related to him only, so I thought this might be as well" he answered back normally, surprised that she did not realize such a normal thing on her own accord.

"Seriously?" she asked back startled, apparently not aware that Arnav's presence had so much effect on her mood, this made her mind churn with countless thoughts of the relationship she had with him.

"In that case maybe he can be my Peeta, but erm..erm..what chance are there that I can be his Katniss too?" she mumbled away to herself, but audible enough for Vivek to listen,w ho had this crazy kind of expression on his face, hearing her talking crazily to herself, that too all nonsense.

"Chun Bye. Go to sleep for some while your minds working over time, I don't want to find you in the mental asylum tomorrow" he told her cheekily, and waited for her to say something but realizing that she might be too consumed up in thought to reply disconnected the line on his own shaking his head on the craziness of his best friend.

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Regarding The Title

Paving The Way- Okay, so this chapter had been named this because all over in the life of every character something or the other has happened. A new horizon had opened in all of their lives which there are dealing with and trying to bring out a straight path out of it. Starting with Aakash and Anjali and their paving of ways for brining Arnav and Khushi closer to each other, followed by Vishak and Khushi, and Khushi's tiring efforts to bring on her best friend love live back on its track. Arnav and Khushi who are still unaware of their relation, and are trying to pave a straight path to actually clear their heads of the confusion that is marring their thoughts. Arjun, who is dreading about his meet with Aparna, trying to get back on that road of friendship which she and him had years before left stranded. Last but not the lease Vivek and Khushi and him making her unknowingly realize how Arnav's presence in her life effected everything about her, paving the way to a new relationship and at the same time strengthening their own bond as well.

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Events In The Chapter

Comparing with the previous Chapter, not very eventful, but the story is moving, and nothing is going in rounds and rounds, thankfully enough. For the record, maybe by Chapter 20, or I guess so it will be a TL Special where Khushi will be seen realizing the unique equation she shares with Arnav. Not quite sure that it will be Chap 20, but it will be somewhere around it only so wait for it.

Btw, if we have any good banner makers I would love someone to make me a banner for the TL SPECIAL updates, the highlights of this FF, which I don't want to risk into making with my own pathetic banner making skills. If anyone is interested do let Pm me, and I'll let you know the requirements of the banner. The one I think is bets will be given credits for, and all other suggested will be the one who this TL SPECIAL will be dedicated too. Looking forward to your response.

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Precap

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nav_bat2012-09-16 00:57:07