ArHi FF : Beauty & The Beast#5 | Back at last! Author's Note: Pag

"W"what?" Khushi stuttered

"No, you're not going crazy. We're actually here!"

"Surprise!" Arnav stage-whispered to Khushi and smirked when she turned her saucer-like eyes to him.

"Oh my God." Khushi mumbled and turned to face the couple at her doorstep. "Oh My GOD!"

Her exclamation ended in a shriek as she threw her arms around her dear friend, Kripa.

"You forgot me!" Angad accused and threw his arms around both women, drawing them into a hug.

Though Khushi had her back turned to Arnav at the moment, he knew she was crying. Again. These days, for a change, he didn't mind her tears...simply because he knew they were tears of joy.

"What are you doing here?!" Khushi questioned, pulling away from the embrace.

Kripa moved closer to Arnav and took a good look at Aarush. "I was there to welcome Amber and Aditya home...how could I possibly not be here to welcome Aarush?!"

"But...but how?!" Khushi was still bewildered.

"We've been planning this with Arnav, Anjali, and Aman for a few months now...in fact...we landed three days ago." Angad explained.

"You did this?" Khushi looked at Arnav tearfully. Would this man ever stop awing her?

He shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. "It's the least I could do."

Uncaring of who saw and what they would think of her, she engulfed him in a hug that almost knocked him off of his feet. She murmured her gratitude and then perched on her tip-toes to leave a quick brief kiss on his lips.

Khushi only had a few moments of reunion with her friends because then, all the impatient Raizadas swarmed them accompanied by Aman, Anjali, and the almost-soccer team of kids.

Clearly understanding the importance of Kripa and Angad in Khushi's life, Devyani and Manorama gracefully handed the pooja thaal to Kripa and watched with widespread smiles on their faces as little Aarush was welcomed into Shantivan for the very first time.

Time became insignificant that day as Shantivan hosted the biggest family gathering it had ever seen. When friends such as Aman, Anjali, Kripa, and Angad existed...it wasn't adequate to dub them under bonds of friendship. Sometimes, some relationships were above and beyond blood ties because they were ties of the soul.

When two individuals who have walked through nearly identical paths in life come together, their hearts connect at a level that cannot be deciphered. When two groups of people connect through that individual, their bonds become just as special. Those groups would merge to form a family.

Family. Where individuals not only share joys but also sorrows, not only share their problems but also offer solutions, where no judgments exist and everyone is accepted with their flaws, faults, and past mistakes.

As she watched all these younger individuals around her, laughing and smiling with unbound bliss, Devyani recalled the first day she had met Khushi. Devyani had praised her name for how well it suited her personality. She still stood by her statement.

The joys of this house had left with Khushi...now with her return, she had brought back the joyful environment with twice the exuberance if not more.

Shantivan--the quiet house that once was residence to six individuals was now witnessing the interactions of a beautiful family of eighteen.

The only small smudge on this crystalline euphoria was the slightest tinge of sadness in Anjali's eyes.

She couldn't describe in words how utterly happy she was for Khushi and Arnav. Her disappointment had nothing to do with them. As she had watched Aarush in Arnav's arms--almost every minute all day--she couldn't help but feel resentful that Aman refused to allow the opportunity for him to experience this.

Why couldn't he understand that she wanted another baby with him, the man that she was in love with...A baby that was born out of love and not some forceful act of lust? She felt insulted that he would think himself capable of differentiating between Ishan and his biological child even after the numerous times everyone had tried to knock sense into him.

Despite her judgment, she hadn't been able to keep some bitterness out of her behavior towards him all day and she was sure he had picked up on it. Alas, he had not relented in the least.

Now, as she watched him cradle Aarush, while Ishan peered at the tiny life from over Aman's shoulder, she couldn't help but imagine the same scenario with Aman holding their child.

Lucky for her, Ishan was on the same page as his mother.

"Dad, ashk dem where dey got him fwom..." Ishan questioned curiously in his toddler accented English.

Aman glanced up at him bemusedly. "Why?"

"I want wun!" Ishan grinned. "Can we get a liddle baby too?"

Anjali watched Aman's reaction closely even as anticipation for his response rand through her very being. It was a known fact amongst the group that Aman rarely ever denied anything to Ishan. From letting him sleep in their bed to imitating a cartoon character, Aman went to lengths to bring a smile to the little boy's face. What would he do about this request?

"You want a little baby at our house?" Aman questioned, his eyes alight with amusement.

Ishan nodded enthusiastically with a grin that stretched ear to ear. "Can we get wun?!!?"

Aman chuckled and shook his head, glancing down at Aarush again, unbelievably, considering the idea.

Anjali was unaware that Angad, Kripa, Arnav and Khushi all had stopped talking, their attention solely on Aman. When he glanced up, he frowned in confusion at the four faces staring at him but ignored them as he sought out his wife.

Her expression was just as hopeful as always whenever this topic came up. He glanced away when Manorama called them all out to head to the dinner table.

One by one, everyone got up and left the room except for the three couples who had witnessed the small interaction between Ishan and Aman. Khushi glanced at Anjali, feeling a tad saddened for her friend. She threw an accusing glance at Aman but he was too busy staring at Anjali to notice much else.

"Anjali..." Aman began in a pacifying tone.

She closed her eyes and braced herself to hear the rejection one more time. It didn't matter how many time she brought it up and how many times he said no'...it still hurt.

"Anjali, look at me." He spoke sternly and paused until she opened her eyes and looked at him. He flashed her an impish smile. "Let's get a baby."

Anjali sagged with relief and leaned back in her seat not quite being able to believe what she had just heard while Khushi and Kripa squealed loudly, hopping off their seats, making a beeline for her. They hauled her to her feet before gathering her in their arms as the three of the squealed and gigged away.

"Women..." Angad shook his head and rolled his eyes.

Arnav stood and walked towards Aman to give him a playful punch on the shoulder. "Glad that you're doing being an idiot!"

"I know right!!" Khushi exclaimed, rushing towards Aman, dragging Anjali with her.

Arnav gave a half hug to Anjali, the joy on her face bringing him a sense of peace. It was incredible how protective he felt of her. He had been annoyed with Aman as of late because of this particular issue and how much stress it was bringing to Anjali. Their assumed bond of a brother and a sister only got stronger by the day. Now, when Anjali was finally getting something she had wanted for a while, how could he not be ecstatic?

Pulling away from her, Arnav scooped Aarush out of Aman's hand just in time as the next moment, Khushi nudged Anjali towards him. Khushi's hand curled around Arnav's bicep and she rested her head on his arm as she watched Aman and Anjali share a loving embrace.

"Are you happy?" Aman questioned quietly.

Anjali giggled, albeit tearfully. "More than I can tell you! Thank you so much! I love you..."

"And I love you..." Aman pulled apart just enough to kiss her forehead.

"Awww!" Khushi and Kripa cooed together, watching another picture complete itself.

_____

Khushi woke from her pleasant dream and opened her eyes into the night, certain that Aarush had cried in reality as well. She frowned when she noticed that Arnav's spot was empty. She rolled onto the other side to look into the crib, to make sure that Aarush was still asleep. A momentary panic hit her senses when she found the crib vacant as well but then her mind put two and two together.

Knowing exactly where she would find them, she tossed the covers off of her and crawled out of bed, heading straight for the glass door. She paused at the threshold of the French doors when her eyes found Arnav and Aarush. Arnav sat on their favorite bench, one leg folded under him, one of his arms cradling Aarush close.

He was, like he had done for the past month of being a father, admiring his son.

It was a sight she'd seen often. The first couple of weeks, Arnav would sit with Aarush in his arms, just observing him disbelievingly. He would leave loving feather-light kisses on the little fingers of the hand and little toes of his feet--gestures that both Amber and Aditya had also picked up.

She could sit there and watch him like this for hours. Even now, as she watched, his free hand caressed Aarush's small fist for a few seconds before he brought it to his lips and left a feather light kiss. Snuggling the baby's arm against the crook of his elbow, Arnav's fingers traced the tips of the little baby toes with surprising gentleness. Holding the tiny foot delicately, Arnav kissed the tips of the toes.

Smiling in adornment, Khushi walked out into the perfect summer night, taking a deep breath in to inhale a lungful of floral scented air. She sat next to him without exchanging a word and his free arm immediately draped around her shoulders, pulling her closer. He tore his eyes away from Aarush to turn to kiss Khushi's temple chastely.

"You didn't have to get out of bed..." he murmured against her skin.

"How long have you been out here?" Khushi questioned, resting her head on his shoulder.

"About five minutes...he woke up so I brought him out here." Arnav's eyes settled on his baby boy again. "He fell asleep within seconds."

"You should have woke me..." Khushi stifled a yawn.

"You haven't been sleeping much in the past couple of weeks..." Arnav sighed. "I guess a part of that is my fault."

He flashed her a wicked smirk and Khushi blushed on cue, recalling their volatile intimacy in the past few days. Any moment, no matter how small, was stolen if they managed during the day. Between Arnav's work, Khushi's household tasks, the three kids, their guests and family...they barely found much time for each other.

It only took the first few days to determine that Aarush would be giving them sleepless nights for the next few months if not more. Khushi tried to get to him before he could wake Arnav but it was next to impossible. Arnav almost always beat her to it. In the few quiet minutes between Aarush's incredibly short sleep sessions, Arnav and Khushi would allow themselves to let go and be swept away with the passions and desires they had bottled for weeks.

"My husband and my kids can keep me up all they want..." Khushi chuckled.

They sat there in silence, cherishing the rare moment. The term peace' had held no meaning in this house for the past month. With their visitors and the baby, not to mention a group of six young kids...there was constant chatter and noise around this place. Even in the confines of their room, the only moments of peace and quiet they found were these rare ones when they both tried to put Aarush to sleep...Like right now.

For someone who liked, in fact sought out, the peace and quiet, Arnav had become remarkably fond of the noise. In fact, he was a little upset about the pending departure of the Khannas. How quickly had this month passed...

Aarush was already a month old. It felt like yesterday that Arnav was a bundle of nerves, waiting for the baby's birth. Sometimes, it still felt like a dream...a surreal present that he still couldn't believe he had.

"I still can't get over this..." Arnav whispered quietly. "He's my son. We...we made this baby..."

Khushi chuckled faintly. "Yes we did...I think he'll grow up to look just like you."

"You think so?" Arnav glanced at Khushi, a tinge of pride and hope in his eyes.

Khushi nodded softly. "Everyone thinks that...well...everyone except for Amber."

"It's like she's grown ten years in this month." Arnav frowned at the idea of his princess being older. "Just before dinner today, she was sitting in the living room with Aarush in her lap, yelling and scowling at anyone and everyone that made a noise. She even threw me a dirty look when my phone rang! Then the other day, she kept pointing out what Adi and I were doing wrong..."

Khushi's lips lifted in a smile. "Is someone jealous that his precious Amby is giving more attention to another man?"

"As long as it's her brothers, I'm fine..." Arnav grumbled sheepishly.

"And what're you going to do when she finds a man that she falls in love with?"

Arnav's brows knit together in a frown, displeased at the thought. He watched the water in the pool sway gently for a few long moments.

"Remind me to invest in a gun." He spoke seriously.

Khushi burst into soft laughter and slapped his arm playfully. "Arnav! Your kids will be very comfortable coming to you with their problems if they know you have a gun."

Arnav chuckled with her and the two of them fell silent again for a few minutes. Arnav missed being home. Many times he had considered working from home but it was just too loud. Besides, he knew that if he stayed at home, there was no way he would get any work done. Puzzles with Amby, Soccer with Aditya, and...baby bottles with Aarush would keep him distracted during the day and then his wife would have him distracted at night. Well...truthfully, he would have her distracted...but that was beside the point. Sometimes he secretly envied Khushi a tad bit because she got to spend so much time with everyone at home.

Arnav let out a long breath. "You should visit me at the office with him."

"No way!" Khushi gasped. "The only time I really get with him is when you're at the office. You should take Amber with you...you two have been hogging him!"

"And that's not going to change any time soon." Arnav grinned proudly.

"Leave it up to you to make me envy my own daughter..." Khushi teased. "You let her have him..."

"We've been over this." Arnav teased back. "You've had a nine month head start with him...Amby and I are just trying to catch up...Adi will join our club as soon as Aarush is running around...I don't think Adi's as thrilled by a baby that pretty much just eats, sleeps, and cries."

Khushi shook her head at his comment. It was a futile conversation. If she were being honest, she loved how possessive Arnav was of their kids. And the devil knew that she loved that quality in him...so there was no winning here.

"Let's get you to bed daddy..." she stood up and tugged at Arnav's free arm.

Once they returned back inside, Khushi took a quick detour to the washroom. When she returned mere couple minutes later, Arnav was already asleep on the bed while Aarush slept on his stomach. Even in sleep, Arnav's arms were gentle around Aarush, holding him close to his chest. Khushi shook her head and crawled in, pulled the duvet over all three of them. Leaning over, she kissed Aarush's forehead and then left a gentle kiss on Arnav's slightly parted lips.

_____

"That's a really good one!" Akash encouraged.

"Cheese!" Amber and Aditya spoke in unison as Akash clicked yet another picture.

Khushi sat on the bench by the rose bush in the poolside area with Aarush propped up against her in her lap, flanked on either side by Amber and Aditya while Arnav stood behind her, his arms enveloping them all, smiling for the camera.

It had been half an hour since they'd all stepped out to click some pictures before Angad and Kripa departed with their kids the next day. Various combinations of individuals from this large group had posed this way and that, been clicked in some candid shots for the better part of the morning. When Akash had suggested family pictures, Arnav had immediately suggested the infamous bench as their location.

Akash knew that this particular spot in the house held a lot of emotional value for both Arnav and Khushi, though he didn't know the particulars of why. If this area of the house was so important, it was only apt that their family portraits be clicked here.

So for the past half an hour, Akash had taken numerous pictures of the family of five. The atmosphere in the house was happy, although the slight disappointment of the pending departure tainted the joy a bit.

It was a part of life. Visitors had to leave eventually.

Angad, Kripa, Prateek, and Sur had seamlessly merged into this family within the span of 6 weeks they'd been there. Now, as their visitor's permit was nearing expiry, they had booked their flight to go back to India. All these pictures were just a way to capture some of the many wonderful memories that had been formed under this roof.

"Can we take one with everyone?" Khushi smiled at everyone.

Every single person present here right now was of utmost importance for Khushi. She knew that though he didn't express this as much as she did, they were just as important to Arnav.

Without any protests, everyone made their way to the bench and began arranging them in a pose while Akash set up the tripod and changed the setting on the camera so that it would take a picture on a timer.

When he glanced up, everyone was ready.

Devyani sat on the bench, the center of this household, the eldest root of the Raizada family. She held little Aarush in her lap, flanked by Arnav on her right, with Manohar and Manorama standing behind her. Akash knew that the vacant spot on her left was his. Arnav and Akash would be accompanied by their wives. Aman and Anjali stood next to Manohar while Angad and Kripa stood next to Manorama. All the kids had lined up, cross legged, on the floor.

Akash couldn't help but grin widely as he saw the perfect fit on the small LCD screen of his camera. The panoramic shot of this family would be the most cherished picture from the entire collection of the day. Besides, who knew when they'd all be together like this again?

Setting the timer for 30 seconds, he rushed forward and maneuvered his way through the wall of kids to get to his spot. Everyone squeezed in a little tighter while Sahil counted down.

In perfect synch with the camera's timer, everyone smiled wide as the kids chorused a ringing, joyful "Cheese!"

The camera captured yet another picture. To an outsider, this picture may be just an ordinary group shot. To Arnav and Khushi it was more. Much more.

For them, this very picture spelled out their Happily Ever After.