"Happy father's day, papa" Rudra said, as he gave his father a hug as soon as he joined the table. Everyone smiled. While Om just settled for a smile. Tej was happy, happy enough that he was given a chance. And he understood that they were not at the best terms. Things like this take time.

Everything's has changed, yet nothing changed.

Shakti did too when Shivaay had looked up from his plate with his lips pressed tightly. He wasn't expecting anything as he never was the father his son deserved. They turned back to having breakfast, occasionally laughing at Rudra and Annika's bickering. Unaware that everyone was waiting for him to leave, Shivaay continued his breakfast in silence. They continued on with their work after having the breakfast.

"Basanti? Did he leave?" Om asked in the conference call.

"Yes, target has left the territory. We can begin our mission. Forwarding to Ramlal."

"Guys, why I was named Ramlal?" Rudra cried, clearly disliking his name.

"Do you think we have time for this Ramlal? I got the name Chulbul. That is my wife's old name!" Om said frustrated, as he spied on his brother's car, which had now left the Mansion's premises.

"Okay, now let's get to the plan!"

"Basanti?"

"I'm already preparing the card. Check!"

"Simran?"

"Check!"

"Angarey?"

"Decorations, check!"

"Ramlal, Chulbul, in the kitchen. Check!"

"Thakur?"

"Thakur!"

"Check! Shivaay sir is busy on a call."

"But sir, ma'am. Why'd I get the name Thakur?"

"Because that was the only name left. Be grateful that you didn't get Ramlal." Rudra grumbled as he whisked the batter.

"Khanna?"

"Yes sir. Sir-" the phone nearly dropped out of his hand at the sudden adressal.

Shivaay looked at him weirdly. "Are you okay? You're behaving quite odd." He observed.

"Do not mess this up, Thakur." He could hear the warning in Rudra and Om's voice as he gulped meeting his boss's eye who was looking at him suspiciously. Well there he goes. Stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea.

"Thakur? Who's Thakur?"

"No one, sir. My kids and I have been playing a game. They gave me the character's name-"

"Taken from a movie?" Shivaay asked absent minded.

"Yes sir, world's best movie."

"Sholay?" To which Khanna nodded enthusiastic.

"But that voice, that voice was not of a kid-"

"It was my wife. She loves making different voices-" Khanna said quickly, before his boss could even finish his sentence.

Shivaay looked scandalized. That detail wasn't needed. He really did not need to know that.

Khanna looked horrified, when he understood what he had made out of his sentence.

"Sir I meant-"

"It's okay! It's okay, Khanna. I really do not need to know that!" Shivaay interrupted him chuckling nervously.

"But sir let me clarify-"

"I. Said. It's. Okay. Khanna. Let's enjoy the view." Shivaay immediately turned to look out the window to avoid any further awkward talks.

Khanna mentally sent his wife a sorry.

<>

"This has to be perfect." Om stressed as he carefully put the fondant on the first cake. While Rudra prepared the icing on the other.

"O, the icing should have been blue. Why it's green." Came out a nervous voice.

Om looked up at the cake. The white cake, with a stark green colored icing on it.
He looked at the cake again, then at Rudra, then back at cake and a laugh of disbelief erupted out of him, startling his brother.
He laughed, Rudra too laughed.

"Why the heck are you laughing?" Om said smacking Rudra at the back of his head.

"You-

"No don't answer that. Try to wipe out the icing. Though I highly doubt it'll work. Couldn't you have checked before putting on the icing."

"Nai, mujhe sapna nai na aya tha ki yaha blue icing ke alawa bhi aur colors hai. Jabki kal ye decide hua tha ki blue icing hogi cake par."

"We don't have choice. Try to wipe of the cream." Om suggested weakly.

Rudra nodded as he bent down to carefully wipe out the icing when Bhavya barged in through the door. And out in reflex, Rudra's hand pushed deeper than necessary, into the cake.

"RAMLAL!" Om shouted in panic, feeling a physical pain seeing the cake he had baked with so much love and sincerity, destroyed in front of his eyes.

"ANGAREY" Rudra cried, as he face palmed against the kitchen counter clearly giving up.

"Chulbul" Bhavya turned to her brother-in-law helplessly.

Hearing the shout Annika and Gauri rushed in.

"Simran" Om cried out.

Gauri let out a scream of her own seeing the condition of the cake which seemed perfect when she had last seen it.

"Basanti" Gauri cried out.

Anika stood gaping at the scene. She turned and frowned when she saw no one to continue the chain.

"Phail gaya raita."

<>

"Sir do ghante aur?" Khanna gulped looking at his boss who was pacing in the cabin.

"Ha, yha hum dubara cake bana rahe hain. Tum ghante target ko territory se bahar nahi rakh sakte." Om said furiously, as he cut the call.

Khanna turned towards the sky helpless.

Shivaay was already pissed. Not only the deal didn't happen, the meetings to didn't go smoothly. He was not having a day as of now. And plus the members seems have been ignoring his phone calls and wherever he dialled Anika's it seemed busy. Who this was girl was talking to?

<>

"Shivaay sir, where are you going?" Khanna asked when he saw Shivaay exiting his cabin.

Shivaay simply raised his eyebrows. Khanna gulped.

"Sir, I meant- that I mean-"

"Spit it out Khanna, come on." Shivaay said getting impatient.

"Sir, actually my wife wanted to meet you. She's bringing dinner she cooked for you." Khanna said. Shivaay's face drained of colour.

"S-she didn't have to-" Shivaay said paling.

"Please sir, she won't feel good if you left without meeting her." Khanna said as he pushed Shivaay back in the office. Shivaay reluctantly agreed.

Khanna quickly dialled out his wife's number and told her to bring lunch for him and Shivaay. He told her everything and she agreed to come.

"Khanna, how long?" Shivaay said impatiently his fingers drumming on the table.

"Just a minute sir-"

"You have been saying that since last hour." He whined, ignoring his rumbling stomach. "I need to take my medicines." He said.

Khanna looked at his watch in anticipation, he needed to hold Shivaay in the office for one more hour.

"She's here!" Khanna said relieved when he saw the message from his wife. Shivaay sighed looking at the clock. Yes, he was having lunch at 6 in the evening. He glared at Khanna who just stood there sheepishly.

"Everything done?" Annika asked.

She was in jitters. Everything has to be perfect.

Om and Rudra around and nodded in approval. They fished out their envelopes and placed it in the boxes placed around the cake. Annika took her own out and placed it near the cake. They cut the power.

"Let's call the man of the evening back home." Om smirked as he dialled Khanna.

Khanna was relieved when he saw the call. He looked at the rear view mirror only to see Shivaay glaring at him pointedly. He gulped, he pulled over the car to the mansion.

"Wow, O. See, you dialled Khanna on your phone and I can hear his voice till here." Rudra said.

"Idiot. They've already reached. Khanna! Couldn't do one thing-"

"Come on let's hide. We don't have time for this."

<>

Shivaay arrived to a dark mansion. He frowned. He called Khanna to check the main power board. Where was everyone else? No-one picked up his phone today when he called. What are they planning?

He sighed, "Annika!" He called. She winced. "Om, Ru" they put hands on their mouths to stiffle the giggles from escaping.

His eyes fell on the boxes and he understood their game and picked them up. He reached the first box.

To my superhero,

It read. Shivaay chuckled, it was from Rudra.

I don't know what i am doing with this later. So pardon the mistakes made. What do we write here though?

Shivaay laughed at that, it was such a Rudy thing to say.

Nevermind that Bhaiya. I wanted to thank you for what you did for me. Ever since I have opened my eyes in this world all I have seen is you. You were there standing with me holding my hand at every step of my life. You were there as a shelter for me whenever I needed comfort. You were the one who held me whenever I cried. Everyone used to tease me for being a cry baby but you never let me feel that. You always took me in arms without any question. And then you left for your college, that time I felt like my only sense of comfort was stolen. Your room became my sanctuary. You were not only my elder brother, you were my first friend as no body wanted to befriend the chubby me. You were my first teacher, because it was not mom or dad who taught me things a parent should. It was you. You held me when I started walking. I learnt walking while holding your fingers.
You remember the time I had to write an essay on gratitude towards our parents. That was the first time I won a first prize. I told you I lost the essay when you asked to show you. I was too shy at that time. I had written about you. My essay was dedicated to you.

Shivaay wiped the tears which had gathered around his eyes swiftly. He continued reading,

You became the father me and O needed. Hence,

Happy father's day Bhaiya. Don't ever leave out side. We won't be able to survive.

"Rudy.." Shivaay whispered as he pocketed the letter. It was a treasure to him. These things were more precious to him than the worldly pleasures he grew up with. He was proud of his brothers. And reading this letter he felt proud on himself that he was a good figure in someone else's story.

He moved forward. Another box. Shivaay picked up, he looked around the darkness prevailed except for the spotlight he was being pointed on by. He opened the neatly folded letter. It was from Om.

Shivaay,

I am sorry if the letter came out as stiff. We used to be such close ones. We weren't seen without the other. You may have been only two years older than me but you still stood as my guiding star in the tormenting darkness which shrunk my world.

You held me through the times when everyone else left me to be. You were there adamant that I would come around. You had hope in me when I myself didn't. You were there through the tough times of rehabilitation. You were injured so many times when I acted out but you never gave up on me. Everyone calls me fighter for emerging from that time but so were you. I wouldn't have done it without you. Shivaay, I can't thank you enough. But I still stand with my views that you should take sometime off and relax. You were my first inspiration to the young artist like me.

Thank you for being the father to us when ours left us stranded.

Happy father's day Shivaay. We wouldn't be we without you.

Shivaay wiped the tears with the soft material of his handkerchief. There was another letter inside it.

Shivaay bhaiya,

This is Prinku, your little princess. I am sorry for not being there. But i want to say my words of wishes too.
Though I don't remember much but from what other's have told me I was your princess. But I don't know if you know it or not just like Rudra you are my superhero. And my Santa Claus, if you remember that Christmas when I rutted about that soft plushie I wanted. You made the store open at midnight to bring it for me. I'm sorry for all the troubles we have instilled in you when you yourself were struggling but you never complained at that time I couldn't understand but now when I am an adult I am getting to know how hard it would have been which you so easily shrugged off.

Happy father's day Bhaiya.

He was cursing his siblings. Yes siblings, he never considered them as cousins. They sure wanted him emotional.

He walked over to the cake. There were two of them. And there was another card there. He picked it up.

Shivaay,

He recognised the handwriting it was Annika's. He was surprised he wondered what she had written. He flipped it open.

You may have been wondering why am I writing you a letter on this occasion but your answers are there under the lid. Pick it up.

Happy father's day to the best father to be.

Shivaay frowned. His mind does not register the last words.

He gasped, when he picked the lid up. The lights went on. He looked at the cake. With the whisked cream it was written. Coming soon to meet you dada.

Below there was a date. Seven months from now on.

"A-annika? Is it what?-" She nodded. He immediately pulled her in hug. She couldn't control the tears of her own seeing the pure happiness and joy on his face.

"So, how did you like the surprise?" Om asked grinning from side to side. Shivaay then pulled them in hug kissing the top of their heads overwhelmed. This would have been the best surprise of his life.

So? Did you like it?