Maneet FF: Finally Found Ya, Epilogue (p102) Mar19,2015 - Page 54

beautifully written, yes Maan is going after her. Thank you i though it might lead to another tragedy but hope all is well now. Keep it up

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Chapter 26: Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

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[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpBvXcw7TXc[/YOUTUBE]

Staring down at the papers in his hands one more time, he closed the folder. Taking one final deep breath, he knocked on the door. He had been standing on the steps of Geet's house for the past 10 minutes, gathering his courage to actually knock on that door. He knew that some of the neighbors had noticed; he had seen curious eyes peeping out at him. He freely admitted to himself that love had made him afraid. He knew that she was behind those doors, and his greatest fear was that she would turn him away. If she turned him away . . .

He shook his head in denial. Of course, she wouldn't turn him away. Even if he had called multiple times during the past few days with no response from her. Even though she had let all his calls go to voicemail. She wouldn't turn him away without at least talking to him.

Damned Adi had taken off for a second honeymoon the morning after the engagement party debacle. Despite knowing how important contact was, he had left behind explicit instructions that he was not to be disturbed. Maan had, of course, ignored that directive when he couldn't reach Geet by phone, only to find out that the two had left their cellphones behind for just such an occurrence.

Stepping back, he waited for someone to respond. Looking down at the folder once more, he promised himself that he would make Geet listen. These papers were the reason he had spent the past week away from her. It had him taken him far longer than he'd hoped to get all of this together.

While his first instinct had been to go after Geet immediately, his family had stopped him. They had rightly pointed out that his words might not be enough for Geet. How could he show her what he wanted? How could he show her anything without proof to back up his claims? Clenching the folder in his hands, he prayed that this would be enough for her to realize that her past wouldn't . . . couldn't hurt him. It couldn't hurt them either.

She just had to give them a chance.

The door opened, and Maan was suddenly looking into Geet's mother's eyes. He stepped back in surprise. He had been so focused on getting to Geet, that this little divergence seemed like such a setback. You need to get out of this mindset, Maan Singh Khurana. Has the fear of losing her made you a coward?'

"Hello," he finally said, when the silence continued beyond the bounds of politeness. It seemed that shock had robbed her of her voice.

"Hello," she replied. "What are you doing...?" her voice trailed off, as if she was unsure of what to say.

"Who is it, Rano?" a male voice called out from within the house. A figure came down the hallway, his eyes widening in surprise when he saw the man standing in the doorway. "Come in," Mohinder Handa said, quickly ushering Maan in before closing the door behind him.

Maan raised a brow at the speed with which Geet's father had brought him into the home.

"We have had reporters camped out in front of our door since last week," her father revealed heavily. "Today is maybe the second day since they decided to leave. I'm afraid that if anyone saw you out there and made a fuss, the reporters might return."

Maan nodded in understanding and looked around the hallway. While both of Geet's parents had come at his knock, the person he most wanted to see had not. He turned back to look at her parents in query. "Is Geet around?" he finally asked, when faced with the seemingly obstinate continued silence. They had to know why he was here.

"Maan Beta . . .," her father began, "May I call you beta?"

"Of course," Maan said.

"Come in to the living room," Rano interrupted, urging their guest into the bigger room. "Please take a seat. Would you like something to drink?"

Maan walked into the living room, and immediately moved to stand in front of the window where the two had stood so long ago when he'd apologized for his actions. It was different. It was morning instead of night, the sun shining through the gauzy curtains to light up the entire room, but it was enough to calm him for a brief moment. He turned and stared back into the room, his eyes landing on a photo of an unsmiling Geet on the fireplace mantle. Clenching his hands into fists, he tried to control the surge of emotions inside of him. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to speak politely. He knew that these people were not at fault for the ache inside of his heart.

"I would like to know if I can speak with Geet. Would you please call her?" Maan asked. While he hated to be so abrupt, the more time it took for him to see Geet, the more worried he grew. He knew that the knot inside of him would only unravel upon seeing her.

Her parents exchanged a worried glance.

"Look, I'm sure that you saw the newspapers," Maan began. "You must know why the reporters were here."

"We have and we do," Mohinder said abruptly. "My daughter is the center of all of this attention and every detail about her past is coming out because she was in relationship with you?" His tone was extremely unhappy as he stated these facts. "We had left our past behind, and then this . . . with you. These vultures only care about her because of her connection to you. Did she think about that before starting this relationship? Why did she hide you from us?"

Maan opened his mouth, but nothing came out. What could he say to her parents, when they had been blindsided by all of this.

"Why would she hide something like that from us? We're not her enemies," Rano protested, her heart breaking at the thought that her daughter had hid so much. Tears welled up in her eyes. She knew that they had let Geet down in the past. They had been unable to protect their daughter from the abuse she had suffered at her grandfather's and cousin's hands. But after leaving Hoshiarpur, they had made all efforts to protect their little girl. It was only now, after seeing the breaking news stories, that they realized they may have tried too late. She had lost trust in them long ago. Rano felt her husband pat her shoulder awkwardly, and she quickly wiped those tears away. Geet hadn't trusted them with the biggest truth of her life. She hadn't trusted them with what her heart wanted.

"I don't think," Maan began uncertainly.

When they looked at him hopefully, as if expecting some answer, he cleared his throat and began again. "I don't think it was a matter of hiding something from you. She just didn't want to tell you anything, at least not until she had something more concrete to tell."

"What do you mean?" her father asked.

"I asked her to marry me at my brother's engagement party," Maan revealed. "She wasn't hiding that truth from you. It was only then that we really admitted our love for each other . . . to each other," he completed helplessly. "It was only then that she might have felt she had something to tell."

Rano blushed at the emotion she heard in Maan's voice, and her heart warmed at the love she saw in his eyes. "You were going to marry our daughter?"

Maan shook his head in the negative.

"Then what?" she asked, confusion apparent in her voice.

"I am going to marry your daughter," Maan asserted. "I love her with all of my heart, but I wasn't able to protect her. A woman from my past," Maan forced himself to reveal, "disclosed Geet's truth to the world to punish me. Afterwards, my first thought was to go and punish that woman, rather than staying at Geet's side. I left her alone while I tried to do damage control That wasn't right. It gave Geet the time to leave. But even so. . . I am asking you to trust me. I am asking you to allow me a chance to convince your daughter that what we have is worth keeping. Please call her down here," he entreated, staring at her parents.

"You still want to marry our daughter, even knowing what happened in her past? You love her that much?" Rano murmured, a hand going to her mouth.

"You're the reason that our daughter's past has come to light? It wasn't just that she was unlucky enough to love you, but someone deliberately and maliciously revealed her past to the world so that they could hurt you?" Mohinder asked, anger sparking in his eyes. He glared at the man who was the cause of his daughter's pain. While he might have stood by and watched in the past, he would stand idly by no longer. "You couldn't protect her minutes after getting engaged to her," he pointed out. "So, how can we entrust her to you in marriage? It was her relationship to you that brought her into the limelight. You are the reason that all of this is coming out, and you want us to let you talk to her? You want us to give you another chance to hurt her, when her mere association to you caused her such hurt? She can never be a teacher now!"

Rano's eyes widened as her husband yelled at Maan Singh Khurana. This was the man who had always been the peacekeeper. This was the man who had always tried to appease everyone, and, in the process, had hurt his own daughter. But now, it was as if he was a lion protecting his cub. She smiled happily. She knew that her husband would fight for their daughter, but he would not be unreasonable.

Maan stared down, unable to meet the censorious gaze directed his way. While Mohinder Handa's words were hard, he knew they came from a place of love. "When I first met your daughter, she could barely look at me," he stated, forcing himself to gaze into her father's eyes. "She would tremble every time I was in the vicinity. She kept herself covered, so that no one could see her scars. She was afraid of the dark."

Geet's parents blanched at the reminder of what their daughter had been before she started working for the Khuranas. She had simply been living life up until that point.

"It was only when we became closer, that she stopped being afraid," Maan continued, forcing them to face that truth with him. "She sat in the dark with me for minutes without breaking down. She wore a sari that I gifted her, baring her scars for the world to see. She began to look around and become aware of the world. She became aware of me."

Rano gasped slightly at that provocative statement.

"I like to think that she became this way because she fell in love," Maan said, barreling on. It was embarrassing to share this with her parents, but they needed to know. They needed to realize the reality of what the two had discovered with each other. "Being with me, coming to know and love the Khurana family changed her. She was happier. She was braver. She agreed to marry me!"

"She also ran away from you," her father pointed out acerbically.

"But you can see that she is running away," Maan argued, raising his hand in repudiation of that statement. "She loves me. She broke off the engagement to protect me. And she has to realize," he stopped, clenching his fingers into fists.

"Realize what, beta?" Rano asked, moving over and placing a gentle hand on one of those clenched fists.

Maan turned his head towards her, "She has to realize that I don't need protection. It's my turn to protect her. If she gives us a chance, we will have something beautiful. She has to realize that while she might not have the life she planned for, but she will have the life she dreamt of. While her dream career may seem out of her reach right now, I will help her to find another career she could love. I will never stand in the way of her finding her path in life. She just needs to give me . . . give us a chance."

Rano patted his shoulder in comfort.

"Please tell me where she is," Maan said in a driven tone. "Do this one thing for your daughter. I promise you, she does love me."

The couple exchanged glances, reaching a silent agreement. "She's in Hoshiarpur," Mohinder murmured. "Bring our daughter back, Maan. Bring her back so that we can then send her from this home to yours."

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"I don't know if I can get her to talk to me, but I'll stay here until I've convinced her," Maan said into the phone. "I told you, Vicky, I'm not going to let her go. She has to know that, too. Yeah, sure." He listened for a moment. "Do whatever you want. Pari will take care of the business until you get caught up with everything. And the two of you, along with Dev, can take care of anything else that crops up. I'm staying here until I can bring her back with me."

Stopping his car in front of the Handa haveli, his eyes moved over the old building. The windows were shuttered, and cobwebs were hanging from the eaves. The paint was peeling on the facade of the house. This was where his Geet had grown up . . . this was the place that had broken her. Even so, she had voluntarily come back here after her experience out in the world. His hands tightened around the steering wheel. He would not let her hide anymore. Her place was next to him, and not in this old haveli. Grabbing the folder, he got out of the car and strode up the stairs. Before he could knock on the door, he heard the sounds of an argument from inside.

"I don't want to go back with you," a woman's voice said pleadingly. "If you think about it . . . you don't want me back there, either. Why would you want me? When have I ever pleased you?"

"You're pregnant with my child," a male voice stated assertively, the voice surprisingly calm for what he had had just been told.

Maan braced a hand against the closed door. If Geet had told him that she wanted to leave him, especially after revealing that she was pregnant with their baby, he would have been a broken man.

"It's a girl," the woman replied. There was an expectant pause, but nothing further was said. She sighed. "I know you don't want a girl. I can see it from the look on your face."

"But . . . " the male voice began in half-hearted protest.

"You're probably thinking that after more than a decade of being married to me, I get pregnant and I can't even get that right. Instead of giving you a boy, I'm pregnant with a girl. I think it's time for you to divorce me. We need to be able to move on without each other."

Maan finally thought to check the door, and, finding it unlocked, he pushed it open and walked inside. While he did not want to interfere in whatever family drama was going on here, he needed to speak with Geet, and he couldn't wait any longer for all of this to play out.

"Pammi bhabi!" another male voice protested.

"You're my wife, Pammi!" the man said harshly. "And I'm not going to let you go just like that. There is no such thing as divorce in this family. You know that." Pammi backed away, when her husband moved towards her. The taller man towered over the petite woman, and he was using his size to great advantage. He leaned over the woman almost menacingly, and the woman seemed to shrink in on herself.

"I don't want to go back to that house," she said, trembling in front of her husband. She was clearly afraid, but she was adamant that she would tell him what she needed. "I don't want to go back to a place where my husband and my mother-in-law constantly belittle me and make me feel that all I do is make mistakes. And, added to that, with your aunt and uncle coming to live there . . . with their bitter unhappiness, it is a horrible place." She placed a hand over her womb. "I need to protect my child. Especially this child. If I go back with you, she will grow up in an environment where she will see her mother being shamed on a daily basis. I can't do that to her. I need to show her that the world will value her, because she is who she is . . . not devalue her for being a woman."

"You're coming home with me," Tejinder said, grimly. "You're my wife. That is my child." He took another step towards Pammi, reaching out to grab at her arm.

She backed away, crying out when she stumbled over something and began to fall. Maan moved forward and caught her by the arms, steadying her.

"If a woman is afraid of you," he said, glaring at the man standing mere feet away from the two of them, "Then clearly you aren't doing something right. If she runs away from you, stop and rethink your strategy. If you want her to come back with you, show her that you value her."

"Oy, don't interfere in our family business!" Tejinder shouted at him, his eyes focusing on Maan's hand on his wife's arm. "Take your hand off of my woman."

"You know," Maan said calmly, as Pammi quickly stepped away from him, "Your cousin, Brij, had similar ideas to you."

Tejinder's eyes widened at that comparison, a muscle twitching in his jaw.

"He also thought that he had a right to tell women what to do. He thought that it was okay to kill a woman, if she didn't follow what he thought was right, didn't he?"

"Don't compare me to a murderer. I'm not like that," Tejinder protested. "Tell him," he ordered Pammi and Lucky to defend him. The two only stared at him silently.

"I am not going back to your home," Pammi repeated. "You have to leave now."

Tejinder stepped back in shock, and it was easy enough for Lucky to usher his unresisting form out the door. Closing the door behind the man and locking it, the two turned to gaze at Maan questioningly.

"Where's Geet?" Maan asked, his eyes looking around for her. Hearing a small noise, he looked up and saw Geet standing at the top of the stairs. His heart stopped at his first glance of her. It had been so long since he had last seen her, and he had missed her so much. She had lost weight. She seemed more fragile . . . the shadows under her eyes more prominent than before.

His lips firmed in determination. He was here now. He would take care of her.

She backed away, shock replacing the curiosity that had brought her out of her room. She turned and fled down the hallway, her only aim to escape once more.

"Geet!" he shouted, running up those steps. "Geet, listen to me!" he entreated, following her down the hallway. He reached her room just in time to see her shut the door between them. As his hand went towards the knob, she locked the door from the other side. He pounded on the door in frustration.

"You need to leave, Maan Singh Khurana," Geet shouted through the thick doorway. "I don't want to see you! I can't see you." She began to cry, tears falling from her eyes.

"Don't I deserve a chance to talk to you face to face?" he demanded through the door, his hand coming to up to caress the wood, his heart at peace now that his Geet was so close to him. Despite her rejection, he was where he belonged. That knot inside of him was loosening. There was only continued silence. He knocked on the door. "Please." Seconds turned into minutes. Minutes turned into a half hour and then a full hour. "We were going to have a life together," he said bleakly. Nothing. Just more silence.

He got up from the floor, where he had settled upon realizing that she would not open the door anytime soon. He pounded on the door in anger at her continued rejection. "By coming back here, you're rejecting everything we could have had. Are you so much of a coward, that you won't do it to my face?"

He wanted to incite her anger . . . he wanted her courage to awaken. "Geet, open the door! This isn't some Hindi movie, where I can just break down the door to get in. If you want me to leave, then open this damn door and talk to me. Say that you're rejecting me to my face!" At the continued silence from behind the door, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

A soft noise pulled him out of his despair. There was the sound of a lock turning. The door opened, the hinges creaking loudly in the silence between the two of them. He stepped into the room, unable to see her in the darkness. He looked around more carefully, when his first attempt failed. Moving more deeply into the room, he found her in the shadows . . . she was standing in the corner of the room. There was only the expanse of the room between the two of them, but it felt like he had miles to tread before he could reach his love.

Maan moved towards her, intent on forcing her to talk. He saw her flinch and move back, almost embracing the darkness. He froze at that betraying motion. How could she be afraid of him? "How can you fear me?" he asked hoarsely.

"Why are you here?" Geet asked softly, staring at him.

"How can you ask me that?" he asked, moving forward once more. He would not stay away. He would not let her make this decision to hurt them. Reaching her corner, he put up his hand and cradled her cheek and encountered tears. "Why are you crying?"

"How can you ask me that?" she asked brokenly.

"Shouldn't you be happy now that you've left me behind?" Maan asked softly, wiping those tears away with his thumb. "Shouldn't you be happy that you no longer have to deal with the limelight? After all, it was my past that caused you hurt. It was my fault that you lost your chance to be a teacher."

"It was not your fault!" Geet cried out, wondering how he could have thought that. Reaching up, she grasped his wrist, her fingers curling around it eagerly.

"But isn't that why you ran away, even when I asked you to stay?" Maan asked, pulling his hand away. "Because you blame me for what happened?"

Her hand didn't want to let go. Despite his gentle tugs, she held on tightly. "I did not run away because I blamed you for what happened! I ran away because . . ." she stopped, unsure of what to say. Did she really want to guilt him into accepting her despite her past?

"Because you thought that your past would hurt me," he finished for her. "You wanted to protect me."

She shook her head quickly, but he nodded silently in response.

"Your past doesn't matter at all to me. It can't hurt me," he said softly. "You not being in my life would hurt me."

Geet dropped his wrist and walked to the other side of the room. She willingly moved into the light, unflinching as it fell on her, so intent was she on her mission. She opened her cabinet and took out a stack of papers. "You're saying my being in your life wouldn't hurt you? Then what are these?" She threw the papers at him. "Look at what my cousins brought me. They wouldn't hide the truth from me."

Maan looked down as the articles fell around him.

"Geet Handa: The Murderer!"

"The Khurana Heir's Fianc a Murderer!"

"Handas: A Family of Killers!"

"Hoshiarpur's Murder Mysteries!"

"The Psychology Behind a Man Loving a Killer!"

"Investors Are Pulling out of Khurana Projects!"

"Khurana Stocks Plunge!"

"Your family is hurting right now because of me. Your reputation is tainted now because of me," Geet said. "And these are just the articles that came out on one day. I couldn't bear to look at anymore. And it's only going to get worse," she pointed out bleakly. "Can't you see that what I did was a good thing? Leaving you was a good thing."

"Then you haven't seen anything else?" he asked, staring down at the articles strewn at his feet.

"What more is left to see?" she asked, moving over to sit down on the unmade bed. She was so exhausted; she no longer had the energy to even stand. She sobbed once, and then controlled herself. No more tears. She had spent the hours after leaving the Khurana mansion worrying that he would come and she would weaken. She had worried that he would come to resent her for her past years later.

And then one day had gone by. Hours away from the spectacle that had taken place at the engagement party, the impact had softened. She'd weakened without any prompting, and had wondered whether they couldn't be together. She'd begun to hope. He didn't come.

Two days and nothing. There was only silence. Silence enough for her to stew. Silence enough for her to wonder.

Three days, and her heart broke all over again.

Four days and she was in agony. The last thread of hope that had held her together had snapped. What had she really thought. She'd run away from him! Was he supposed to follow her?

Five days and she began to get angry. Had it been so easy for him to just move on? He couldn't even call and check on her?

On day six she had decided to move on, believing that he hadn't been worth her sacrifice. It would have been better if she had stayed and made his life hell. Despite those irreverent thoughts, she had still spent that day sitting in her dark corner.

Day seven . . . when she'd give up all hope . . . he was here. Maan came and sat down beside her. She turned to glance at him and then quickly looked away. He was really here.

"What's this?" she asked, staring down at the folder he placed in her lap.

"Some more articles that I want you to see," he replied.

"I can't," she protested. "How can you expect me to read this vitriol?" She picked up the folder and held it out to him. Her hands were literally shaking from the strength of her feelings.

"Trust me," he urged, pushing the folder back toward her.

Geet's hands continued to tremble slightly as she opened the folder. Her eyes fell on the papers inside. There were pictures of Maan. And Pari. And even Dadi Ma. And even more articles with pictures of the offices, of Dev and Meera, of Vicky and Pari. Were the newspapers going after all of them now? Her eyes widened when she saw the text in those articles.

"Savitri Devi and Her Three Treasures: Meera, Parineeta and Geet": The Khurana matriarch, one of the most powerful women in the city, cannot stop raving about the wonderful qualities of her daughters-in-law.

"My New Best Friend, Geet": Parineeta Singhania, one of the city's beloved socialites and the new fianc of the youngest Khurana son, extols the virtues of her sister-in-law to be.

"Self Defense is Not Murder!": The Domestic Violence Center cries foul at the characterization of Geet Handa!

"Geet Handa, the Savior": The Girls of Hoshiarpur Club defend Geet Handa's actions, saying that some of them would not be here but for Geet Handa.

"Geet Handa, My Daughter's Avenger": Kuljeet Singh talks about her daughter Channi's murder and how Geet gave Channi's killer his just rewards.

"Dev Khurana Enters into Merger Talks with Saxena Construction!"

"Buyers Eager to Buy In"

"Maan Singh Khurana Nixes Merger Talks and Talks New Projects!"

"Khurana Constructions Signs Contract for Two New Locations!"

"Pari Singhania and Vicky Khurana Elope!"

"Khurana Stocks Soar!"

"Vicky and Pari got married!" Geet asked in a shocked tone, her eyes flying to Maan's face. "How did that happen?"

"That's what you get out everything that I just gave you?" he demanded in an incredulous tone. "Look at the rest of the articles!"

"I did. But . . .," she paused and forced herself to focus. "What is all of this? Why would you all even do this?"

"Because they love you. Because I love you. Your past changes nothing." He leaned in and gently gripped her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. Geet turned on the bed, her eyes mesmerized by his. "As long as I am here, you will realize that no matter how close the world comes to you, it will always find me there, standing in front of you. As long as I am alive, your past will not come close to you. It will not hurt you."

Gripping her by the shoulders, he urged her to stand up. Then grasping her hand, he pulled her to the light coming in from one of the windows. She closed her eyes for a moment, and then opened them wide, staring up into his eyes once more. "You can never leave me. Do you know why?" he asked softly.

She shook her head in the negative.

"Because my life is barren without you, Geet." He cupped her cheek, caressing the soft skin with his thumb. She leaned into his touch, craving the contact. "You did what you had to do when you killed that monster. It hurt you, because you have a conscience, but you did what you had to do," he repeated. "You saved yourself."

She closed her eyes at that validation. She wanted to believe him so badly.

He rested his forehead against hers, soaking in her warmth. His other hand came up and cupped the back of her neck, holding her close. "You saved your cousin Rajji. And you saved all those other girls that Brij and his group would have killed. And if you had died, you would not have been in my life. We would never have met. We would never have loved. I would never have changed. I would be all alone. Have you ever thought about that?"

She shook her head, startled by the things he was forcing her to think about.

Moving back, he dropped his hands. She whimpered at the lost warmth. "You're my life. Come back to me."

He stepped away, but she did nothing. Holding out a hand, he silently entreated for her give him her trust. Seconds turned into a minute, and his hand fell away. The quiet confidence in his face disappeared.

"You're my life," he told her, taking another step back. Something had changed.

She noticed with a sharp pain that he was walking towards the door.

"I hope that one day you will have so much faith in me, that you will let me know all of you and let me love all of you." He leaned against the door, staring at her across the expanse the room once more. His smile had disappeared. "I have faith in you and your courage. I know that living with me will not be easy. You got a taste of that at the engagement party. People will always be envious of us and some will be out to get us, but I hope that you will find our love worth the effort."

Geet stood in the sunlight, gazing at him. The articles still lay on the bed. He had rallied his family to speak up for her. He had showed his might to the business world by signing even bigger contracts when the smaller companies were abandoning ship. She saw the shadows under his eyes. She saw his exhaustion. He'd turned things around for her and lost sleep over her. He hadn't left her behind, but had come chasing after her.

Her heart wanted to trust him. She wanted to oh so much.

"I will wait for you," he promised. He took one step back, leaving her room.

She gasped, her heart beating in panic.

Another step, and another step. "I love you." And then he was gone.

Geet stared at the empty doorway. She bit her lip, uncertain of what to do. She'd come so far and being in love with Maan Singh Khurana had changed her. She stared around the darkened room, her eyes moving over the dust and cobwebs. His following her had made her realize one thing. She no longer belonged here. She wanted to go with him. She had a right to desire love . . . to be loved. Why should she punish herself any longer for the evil that had plagued their lives for so many years?

He had made her believe in that. Loving Maan Singh Khurana would never be easy, but it would be wonderful. It would be joyous. It would be enough. It would be worth the effort.

"Maan!" her feet moved before she'd even allowed that thought to complete. "Maan, don't go!" She raced out the door and down the hallway. Turning the corner, she skidded to a stop. Her eyes widened at the vision before her. "Maan?"

He was on his knees before her. His shoulders were slumped. His head bowed.

Kneeling down before him, she raised her hand to touch his cheek. "Maan?"

He looked up.

She flinched at the tears in his eyes, but they were soon replaced with unadorned joy.

"I never thought that you would come so quickly," Maan admitted hoarsely.

It was her turn to wipe his tears away. This big, strong man had shed tears for her. Her heart melted at that thought.

"I love you," she whispered. "You're my heart. How could I let my heart walk away from me?"

He smiled at those words, and pulled her close into his embrace. He clutched her tightly, causing her to gasp and laughingly ask him to let her go. "Never," he replied, although he did pull back. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a ring.

Geet's eyes fell on the ring, and she smiled. It was her ring. Putting out her hand, she eagerly waited for him to put the engagement ring back on her finger.

Maan laughed softly and placed the ring in its rightful place. "Don't ever take it off," he ordered. Pulling her hand up to his lips, he kissed it gently. 'Thank you,' he thought to the higher being that had decided to have mercy on him and give him his this incredible moment.

Geet pulled her hand away and reached for the end of her dupatta and untied the knot that had kept her taveez safe. This was the only thing that she had right now. . . the only thing that she could use to convey her emotions to Maan. He was the one she had been waiting for . . . he was the one meant for her. She would put this taveez around his neck, and it would safeguard him for the rest of his life.

"Why are you so good? I have nothing to give you, except for this . . ." Reaching up, she silently hung the taveez around his neck. "I want to tie you in a bond that you can never break." She leaned in to place a kiss against his lips.

"This taveez ties us together, huh?" Maan asked.

She nodded. Someday, she would tell him the history behind this taveez. Someday.

"And from now on, it will tie us together for the rest of our lives," he promised. "Every morning will begin with you and every night will end with you." She repeated the words back to him. Everyday would begin with him and every night would end with him.

He pulled her close for another hug. Nothing would separate them now.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hours later, the two sat side by side on the stoop of the house, their eyes taking in the setting sun. The storm that had come into their lives so suddenly had now passed, leaving behind the beautiful colors of the sunset. They had weathered this storm, an indication of how they would meet and handle all such obstacles in their lives.

Maan gazed down at Geet with a smile, his love shining through at that moment. Nothing would keep them apart now.

Geet sighed in contentment and laid her head on his shoulder, her arm coming out to curl itself around his. She held him close, snuggling into his warmth. Her heart was at peace, and she was just so happy that the smile wouldn't disappear from her lips.

Maan turned his head and gazed down the street. His gaze sharpened, as he focused more closely on the buildings surrounding them. "You know," he said, holding Geet's left hand close to his heart, "I think I was here . . . it was a long time ago, but it must have been here. Huh." He shook his head.

Geet looked up at him from her position on his shoulder, her chin now resting on said shoulder as she gazed up at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I came down here to buy land for one of our ventures. The deal fell through, because the land I wanted wasn't for sale after all. It must have been this area . . . everything looks familiar. Look," he said, pointing to a building they could barely see over the rooftops to the left. "I'm sure of it. That building, it's a factory, right?"

Geet nodded slightly, her mouth falling open.

"It used to be blue?"

Geet's eyes widened at that. "Yes," she said softly. "There was a fire near there that did damage to the exterior of the building. Kareem Chacha decided to paint it red when it came time to hide the damage. It was right before we left here." She paused, ruminating on his revelation, and then rested her head on his shoulder once more. "It's so weird to think that you walked these streets at one point. We may have even passed by each ot. . . " her voice trailed off, and she raised her head to smile up at him. "How could I not remember meeting you, Mr. Maan Singh Khurana? You leave quite an impression. It was a sweet thought anyways."

He gazed down at her, and then leaned forward to place a kiss against her forehead. "You know, that day before I was to leave, I decided to camp out near the sea," he continued. "There is some beautiful scenery around here."

She nodded in agreement."That's why it was doubly horrible that such a pristine place could hide such evil."

"One thing I'll never forget," he began again. "While on my way out of town, I was driving past this festival. You know, one of those small things with rides and stalls. . ."

Geet listened quietly.

"When somebody just came out in front of my jeep," he continued. "A figure covered from head to toe. And so tiny. I braked, but she still managed to glance off the front of my jeep. I was so afraid that I might have done some serious harm." He exhaled deeply.

Geet froze at those words, her eyes turning to gaze up at him.

"I got out and helped her up, and I looked into her eyes," he murmured, staring up at the night sky contemplatively. "They were filled with so much . . . pain. Her arm, in my hand, was so fragile. She was trembling while standing there, still dazed by the accident. I don't even know if she saw me at all. Before I could even find out if she was okay, a big brute of a man came and roughly pulled her away."

Aapka humsafar, aapki zindagi mein aaj hi aane wala hai . . .
(Your lifemate is coming into your life today.)

"I wanted to intervene, but everyone told me he was her brother. They warned me that if I pushed, I would just make it worse for her. She was already bleeding, scratches on her arms and a gash above her eye. I didn't want to make it worse for her." He raised a hand to touch his right eye in memory and took a deep breath. "But her eyes . . . those eyes haunted me for the longest time," he admitted ruefully. His hand moved up absentmindedly to grab hold of the taveez.

"Yeh lo taveez. Isse usse pehna dena . . ."
(Here, take this taveez. Have him wear it.)

"I wonder if we could try to find out about her," he said thoughtfully. "Maybe we can make sure she's okay." He turned his head with a lazy smile, but the smile disappeared upon seeing Geet's face. "Geet? What's wrong?" His hand cupped her cheek, wiping away those tears. "Why are you crying?"

"Phir dekhna. Babaji ki mehar aap dono par hamesha rahe gi."
(Then you'll see. God's benevolence will always be with the both of you.)

The End

A/N: So here is the last chapter for your reading pleasure. I never planned for it to be hard for Maan to convince her. Vicky already hinted at how Geet would be sorry for running away, probably minutes after actually running away. All she needed was for Maan to come after her.

As always, I've used lines from the show: from the scene after Maan saved Geet in Hoshiarpur the second time, or when Geet gave him the taveez when they were both wearing white!

So, the End? If you guys leave lots of comments, I might be convinced to do an Epilogue. 😛

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Epilogue: Eternally Yours