Swadarsh SS ~ Checkmate ~ Part 5, Page 10, 15th Oct - Page 6

Hey, thanks. Yes. Adarsh is super intelligent and has a very good support system here. And Swadheenta is the same fighter that she is... so, it has to be well! Hopefully... we will see 😉

Thanks for reading

Thanks Sana. Well, I don't know about foolproof, but they have a plan in place. We will see if they can execute it brilliantly... 😃

Thank you. I feel like I always owe you an apology because you wait so keenly for my updates... Thanks for keeping me motivated to write frequently!

Thank you!

Hey Bonny! I know. How I wish the show actually showed Adarsh being this way. Never mind. Let us fulfill our fantasies 😆

It will be a tough ride for Swadheenta, but now they are all a team and Swadheenta knows that. Hopefully she will find comfort in that thought. And hopefully all of their actions will yield results soon. 

Thanks. I have planned this to be a 10 shot SS. Hopefully I can keep it interesting till the end. There is a definite plan in place. But there will be some unexpected hurdles...let us see how our super team will over come it all...

Thanks. The thing about this story is that it has no suspense. So, I dont know about the gripping part. I intend to show things that actually happened in the show and connect up some loose ends, that is all. But, the super team working together makes it more believable, at-least for me... let us see how it progresses!

Hey, thanks!

I hope they are happy tears... I will feel terrible if I made you cry otherwise...

Updating the next part today. Hopefully you will enjoy it. 

Adarsh woke up feeling a light weight on his body. He looked down to see Swadheenta sleeping with her head on his chest, holding on to him tightly. Smiling, he looked at face only to notice some stress lines on her forehead. Knowing what was about to unfold in a few hours, he held on to her for a few minutes. He hoped that he would give her some strength and in turn gain some strength from her to pull through everything. A few minutes later, he tried to put her on the bed and start his daily routine. He needed to go for his morning run, not just to maintain a sense of normalcy in front of the others, but also because he had to clear his own head and prepare himself for things to come. But apparently it wasn't meant to happen. The minute he tried to move Swadheenta away from him, she woke up startled. With apprehensive eyes, she looked at him as if asking what was wrong. At the moment, he didn't have it in him to leave her alone and go for his run. Sighing, he pulled her to him. Sshhh. Kuch nahi hua hai. So jaaoo. I am right here. Go back to sleep. He rubbed her bad and her eyes began to relax, and she put her head on his chest again and hugged him back, tighter if possible, and went back to sleep. 

He could tell that she was still restless and kept rubbing her back to make sure she was aware of him being with her. Finally, after a few more minutes, he realized that she had gone back to sleep, he lay in bed with his eyes wide open. A run or not, he would have to prepare himself for things to come. On an emotional front, he knew that Swadheenta had the toughest battle ahead of her. As much as she knew all of them, she was new to his family and their ways. This was time for her to used to all of them, understand them, adjust and accommodate to their ways, and make her own place in this house. What a rough start she was having! 

Everyone in his family was opinionated. He could not imagine even one of them being even tolerant of Swadheenta after this morning, forget kind or understanding! Adarsh may not agree with all of them, but he understood their reasons and actions. His dad was extremely ambitions and hoped for big things for himself, but unfortunately he was not as strong willed as his mom. That had made him forgo his principles and do anything and everything that the system demanded. He had been fairly successful so far. His mother on the other hand was extremely strong willed. She came from a line of successful businessmen, and was used to certain ways of life. Conscious of status and wealth she had always hoped to be independent, rich and successful. But she did it on her terms. She took cases which fetched her a lot of wealth, but she did not do anything that would wrong anyone. While Jai bhaiya had inherited more of their dad's genes, Abhay and Adarsh had taken after their mom. But Adarsh was not influenced by status and money and had always considered these things trivial. He had always been someone that found happiness in small things. After his birth, dad had taken on the responsibility of caring for Jai bhaiya. Abhay was born when Adarsh was about an year and a half. With mom's attention divided between Abhay and himself, and dad's on Jai bhaiya, Adarsh had learnt to become independent very soon in his life. Not that he had any complaints. He in fact preferred it this way. And he loved his family, he loved them the way they are. Was he doing the right thing? He knew he would put everyone through grief by not helping them move on from this tragedy. But, would it be fair to Haider maamu and Asad if he thought just of his family? What about them? They were his family too. And Swadheenta? He looked back at her sleeping form and pulled her a little more to himself in reflex. She was his responsibility. He had vowed to ensure she was safe, comfortable and happy. And when he knew she was right, there was no way he could abandon her. His family would have to understand. But would they? He tried to prepare himself for what could happen

Dad - He knew his dad would be furious with Swadheenta's announcement. Manohar liked everyone at work to have the impression that he was on top of things and that he was a problem solver. This would be a huge set back for him if everyone found out that a problem was originating in his house and he had no control over it. Before anyone questioned him about it, he would want to try and solve it. Adarsh planned to use this behavior of his dad's to his advantage. When his father made a big fuss about shutting Swadheenta up, Adarsh simple would suggest that the easiest way would be to give her credible proof against the Jilani's. Instead of trying to shut her down, conduct an internal inquiry and share the reports with her. But he knew his dad would not agree to this easily. He would have to persuade with mom to convince dad completely.

Adarsh realized that he was beginning to get a headache. Stress! he thought to himself. Not letting it stop him, he continued to think of how he would handle his family

Jai bhaiya - Bhaiya would be very upset with Swadheenta because dad and mom would be upset. Dad was not independent by nature and always used other people for his needs. Having been so close to dad since his young years, Jai bhaiya had adapted this habit of dad's. He was not independent and could never handle anything independently. His reactions, emotions, thoughts were all influenced by the actions of people around him. Jai bhaiya would only be a problem till he convinced mom.

Jaya bhabhi - The Ideal bahu! Jaya bhabhi was not very much unlike him. Just like he made a lot of compromises to keep his family happy and together, Jaya bhabhi also sacrificed her whole life to make sure all of them were happy. She did not have a voice against mom and did her best to maintain truce in the family. Although she did not voice her opinion against anyone in the family, Adarsh knew that she respected mom the most. And off late, Jai bhaiya and Jaya bhabhi were working towards resolving their differences and moving on in their relationship too. Adarsh expected this to be a great influence in Jaya bhabhi's reactions to their present situation. She was overwhelmed with Jai bhaiya's acceptance of their relationship and would do anything to show her support to him in his decisions. Jaya bhabhi would be a problem only until he could handle mom and Jai bhaiya. 

Sighing, he thought to himself that his biggest challenge would be handling mom. Once she was managed, she would manage the rest of them.  

Mom - Mom was more practical and would try and see things for what they are. Adarsh would use this to convince mom that Swadheenta was having trouble accepting the fact that these people that she lived with and considered family were being blamed for such a heinous crime; that since she was Suhasini's student and went largely by instinct; that the more you tried to shut her up, the more she would be willed to fight and that it may be best to help her find some proof that will discredit her present claim. He knew his mom would at-least listen to him and give this some thought. he hoped that this would make mom support his decision for an internal inquiry. If mom asked for it, dad would not say no. Also, he was hoping that Simmi can persuade mom to take up the case. He was going to do everything possible to make sure it happened, but in the worst case scenario, if she didn't take up the case, he would still need her backing and influence to convince dad with the internal inquiry. He would also have to look up for a few loyal and just lawyers that he could approach with the case if mom decided not to fight. But if mom did take up the case like he thought she would, then an internal inquiry would become all the most essential because mom would ask for it as proof for her case. 

While hugging Swadheenta to himself he hoped that everything will fall into place soon, and that he will be able to steer his family from this mess as soon as possible. He knew it would be a very tough next few days. He prayed to God for strength for the both of them. With that, he decided to try and stay in bed with Swadheenta for a few more minutes before the craziness began. Pecking her forehead, he tried to close his eyes for a few peaceful minutes!

Restlessness, unease, anxiety, heart ache, numbness, despair! These were her constant companions these days. She had not been able to sleep well last night. It wasn't anything new, she had not been able to sleep well since her wedding night. She smiled to herself thinking of what the statement would mean to all other newly weds. She could feel herself tearing up and her eyes stung from the unshed tears. She had woken up in the early morning hours when she felt Adarsh stirring in his sleep. It was only when she woke up that she realized that she had been clinging on to him without even letting him move. She remembered how he had patted her back to relax her, holding her tightly to himself. She suddenly missed the warmth of him around her and hugged herself instead. 

Adarsh had showered and gone down to spend time with the rest of his family. She couldn't help feel lonely and insecure. She chided herself for feeling this way. Now, after knowing everything that Adarsh was doing for her, it felt stupid to think of "them" that way. He loved her and was going out of his way to do things for her. She remembered again how tightly she had held on to him last night, as if her life depended on it. Well, come to think of it, her life did depend on him, for everything! How much she loved him. They didn't deserve this. No-one deserved this. So many of their dreams for their happily ever after, and everything broken! Helplessly, a few tears escaped her eyes and she quickly wiped them off. 

Swadheenta took her time in the shower this morning. She needed to strengthen her mind to execute what she intended to (correction: What Adarsh intended for her to do). She had contemplated backing out of all this several times since last evening. She knew it was an uphill task. She knew that she had to go this for maamu and Asad. But she was uncomfortable with everyone else being a part of it. It was dangerous, she knew it in her gut. What if something went wrong? What is something happened to anyone of them? Would she be able to deal with it? She had voiced this to Adarsh in the confines of their room last night. His calm and collected "and what if something happens to you Swadheenta? What if something happens to Haider maamu because none of us helped him? What then?" question had shut her up. She understood that this was necessary. She understood that Adarsh stood for what is right, and it was his need too to bring the truth in front of everyone. Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she got out of the shower. 

Looking at her cupboard, she picked a black dress for today. Somehow it felt appropriate in so many ways. Black had always been her favorite color. Although Adarsh told her several times that he liked her in all colors, the twinkle in his eyes every time she wore anything black told her that he liked it too. Also, since the time she had become a lawyer, she felt most comfortable and confident in Black. Lastly, when she thought of what she was about to do, it felt like an apt choice because she was going to be the bringer of bad news for this family! She shut her eyes tight, determined not to let the final reason creep into her mind. But it had. Black was the color Asad hated most. He disliked the gloom attached to the color. As if talking to him, she said aloud Itni badi ladai akele lad ne ke liye chod gaya na? Ab suffer kar. Har din mujhe black mein hi dekta rahe. Looking at the clothes she chose to wear, she gave herself a mental shake. Swadheenta, you are thinking so much about clothes that you are going to wear today? Get a grip on yourself! There are bigger things to do. And all this will end well. Trust your instincts, trust your gut, and more than anything, Trust Adarsh! You have to be strong for him. Come on now. Get dressed and go down! After her pep talk, she quickly changed and dressed and prepared to go down and make her first move!

Simmi had been planning about how she was going to escape breakfast with everyone this morning, but realized that she didn't have to do much planning. She had been feeling so sick since morning that she had thrown up several times already. Mom had been checking in on her frequently, and attributed it to morning sickness. But Simmi knew better. She had gotten so nervous about everything that was about to happen that her nerves were getting the better of her now. When mom left the room after bringing her some juice, Simmi sat down and tried to relax. 

Simmi, tu na, sab ka plan bigaad ke rahegi. Aisa chalega toh Swadheenta ke liye aur zyada mushkil ho jaayega. And Adarsh bhaiya toh thuj pe kitna count kar rahe hai. Relax. Kuch nahi hoga. Sab teek hi hoga. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down! She tried to think about why she was feeling the way she was. It wasn't like she had anything to do today. So what was she so nervous about? Thinking about it for a while she sighed and smiled to herself. Turning towards her bedside table, she picked up Abhay's picture and held it close to her

Now looking at his pictures with tears in her eyes she continued I love you. Aapki behan jeetegi. Woh aapko aur Asad ko insaaf dilaayegi. Lekin aap hamesha hum sab ke saath rahiye Abhay. Aapke bina yeh nahi hopaayega. She smiled at his picture and putting it back on the table closed her eyes to relax herself!

Paddy left for work unusually early this morning. She wondered why she had not been able to sleep well last night. It was not like the Sinha's were her family! But she knew that she was wrong. They may not be family, but she had grown extremely fond of Adarsh since the time she started working with him. She respected him profusely and had always looked up to him. But now, in this present situation, his ability to think rationally and support the right when the right stood to destroy his family imbibed a different sense of emotion in her for him. No, she didn't love him that way. She knew he belonged to Swadheenta. But she knew that she will never be able to respect anyone as much she she respected him! And Swadheenta too. That girl was truly made of steel. How she must have been breaking inside! But she still had the courage and will to walk through fire to establish the truth. Paddy had resolved that she would do anything she could to help them.

Good morning maam Paddy walked in to her editor-in-chief's office as soon as she reached her work place. She had to convince her about her story and work for the next few days to have her backing if anything went wrong. Keeping her fingers crossed, she hoped things would work out. 

As Paddy walked out of her boss's office, she was wearing a slight smile. She had now won herself the permission to conduct the impromptu interview with Simmi in a couple of days. And after Swadheenta's announcement and Simmi and Suhasini's reaction, she would have free reign to work on this story.  Yess! she gave herself a pat on the back.

It did not come naturally to Suraj to be very protective and possessive of anyone in his family. He had working parents and his sister and him and been brought up in a very independent manner. His wife also worked in the IT department of a big multinational and drive herself to work each day. So he would have to play his cards very safely to convince his family of his reasons to drop his sister off at college each day. As he sat at the dining table having breakfast while pretending to read the morning paper, he though of his final arguments in his mind and put down the paper. Now looking at his sister, he asked

Surprised at his sudden question, his sister looked around at everyone at the table before answering Ache chal rahe hai bhaiya

Haan beta, kya baat hai? His dad asked concerned

Everyone became silent at the table as they listened. Suraj was thankful that no one was asking any questions or looking at him, for he was a very nervous liar. Prodding himself to continue, he went on

Humm, mein samaj sakti hu his wife concurred

8:15? Kuch jaldi nahi hai yeh? Tu toh 9:30 tak nikal ta hai everyday? His mom questioned

Caught unawares, Suraj fumbled a little, but quickly covered up with a Woh, kaha na maa. Yeh case mein hum saare busy hone waale hai. Toh jaldi nikal na padega. Aur aise bhi, chutki ke classes 9 tak shuru ho jaate hai. Toh, mein bhi jaldi nikal jaaoonga. 

One battle won. Suraj was happy that no one will now question his need to drop his sister to college everyday.

Prakash came in to his house to look at Zubaida sitting by herself lost in thoughts. He had been feeling the same way these last few days, but today, after long, he felt more hopeful and positive. He hoped that Zubaida would feel the same way once she heard the news he intended to share with her. With his wife in tow, he walked towards Zubaida and called out to her

Zubaida was brought out of her hollow thoughts when she heard Prakash. She looked at him with a blank expression

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she nodded uncertainly. She knew that she was infringing herself on this family. Swadheenta had left her here, and she had no where else to go. Swallowing her pain, she looked at him waiting for him to continue

Zubaida continued to listen to him quietly, but her expression although questioning was more relaxed and hopeful now. Prakash continued