Hey all! I'm here with the last chapter of my story...

before I begin...my replies to my wonderful reviewers whom I could not pm.

Naina: ya! poor Daya sir. But don't worry...it will be the beginning of something beautiful...

Choclote: she will be fine dear...

DA95: lo man li aapki baat.

Rukmani: thanks for your review. The cliffhanger resolved here..

and thanks to all guests for their reviews! Let me begin with Yaadein chapter 8.

Chapter 8: Pehla kadam...

Emptiness.

That was all he felt at the moment. No other emotion seemed to register at present in the mind of Senior Inspector Daya.

From the moment the doctor had come out and declared that Shunya was in coma, that was all he felt. There were tears in many eyes, shock on many faces, sympathy and regret on others, but his face was as blank as his mind. He could hear his brother trying to bring him back, to make him speak. He could hear Freddy trying to offer his sympathies and support, but his mind could not register any of it. All he could think was- Shuna coma mein hai...I lost her again...I could not protect her...

That was how he felt every time something like this happened to one of them. The officers of CID were his family, and he felt miserable every time he failed to protect one of them. But it was more profound in this case. Ever since they had become friends, he had made it somewhat his life's mission to protect her from any and every hurt. This resolve had been strengthened the day he saw her cry when he was five years old. When they had been kidnapped, he actually did not regret being tortured as much as he regretted his failure to protect her. He felt like a failure...

When he got his memories back, that was the first feeling that came to his mind. He had failed her again. He was not there with her for all these years...he left her in pain...and that was when he had resolved to make up for all those years by protecting her with his life. And he failed again. He lost his friend just six months after he got her back. He failed again...He failed again...

Every day since that moment was just a blur for him. He could feel nothing, hear nothing, say nothing. It was actually one week after that day that things changed. His brother entered his room, sat beside him, turned his face towards him and said in a gentle yet determined tone- "Daya, issme tumhari koi galti nahi thi."

And that was when the floodgates opened. He hugged his brother and cried like he hadn't cried in ages. "Nahi Abhi, sab meri hi galti hai. Mai apni dost ko bacha nahi paaya...mai use protect nahi kar paaya...phir se kho diya maine use Abhi! Phir se." His voice was choked with the emotions that he had kept suppressed for so long.

"Nahi Daya, jo kuchh bhi hua usme tumhari koi galti nahi thi. Tum bhool rahe ho Daya, Shunya tumhari dost hi nahi, ek Jabbaz CID officer bhi hai. Khatron se khelna kaam hai humaara. Tum use hamesha bacha nahi sakte Daya. Aur jo usne kiya, apna farz samajhkar kiya. Dosti ka farz." Pyar ka farz, he thought, but did not say aloud.

"Aur kisne kaha Daya ki tune use kho diya hai, hain? Wo bohot strong hai Daya, bohot strong. In six months mein mai itna to jaan hi gaya hoon use. Wo zaroor lautegi tumhare paas. Jald hi lautegi. Par tab tak, tumhe strong rehna hoga Daya. Himmat rakhni hogi. Jeena hoga, mere bhai, jeena hoga."

"Sach Abhi! Kya tumhe sach mein lagta hai ki Shuna vapis aayegi? "

"Bilkul. Aur vapis aakar jab vo dekhegi ki uske dost ne apni kya haalat bana li hai to use bilkul bhi khushi nahi hogi. Kya tum yahi chahte ho, hain?" Eyes dropped. "Nahi na! to chalo ab. Jaake fresh ho jao. Phir chalke khaana khao. Kal se duty pe lautna hai tumhe, samjhe! Tumhare bina CID bureau soona ho gaya hai. Forces tum dono ka bachpan ka sapna tha na Daya? Tumhe lagta hai ki Shunya khud ko maaf kar payegi jab use pata chalega ki tumne uski wajah se apna sapna chhod diya, haan?" Daya looked up with a jerk.

"Theek hai Abhi. Main aaunga kal se duty pe."

Abhi smiled. "Chal, ab jaake fresh ho ja. Main khaana laga raha hoon." and he started to leave.

"Abhi!"

He stopped in his tracks and turned back.

"Thank You!"

He smiled and left.

Her eyes slowly fluttered open, but her vision was still hazy. She could barely make out the white walls, the equipment and the blurry outline of one face staring down at her with...relief? happiness? surprise? She could hardly understand. By the time her vision had cleared enough, the figure had rushed out to call the doctors.

Memories came rushing back to her. The case, the sniper, the shot...Dayu! Wo theek to hai na! With this thought in mind, she began to rise, only to be stopped by the entry of the doctors and...Dr. Tarika, her friend, her sister, who returned with them.

The doctors checked her thoroughly for about ten minutes and then declared, "Ab ye bilkul theek hain. Aap inhe ghar le ja sakte hain."

What had happened? She wanted to ask. But before she could do so, the doctors left, and so did Taarika. She had her phone in her hand and was dialing a number excitedly, she noticed. A smile crept on her face, which quickly vanished when she turned her head and noticed the date on the calender on the opposite wall.

One month. She was here for one month.

By the time she got over her shock, Taarika had returned. "Shunya!" she shouted as she hugged her. "Thank God! Thank God!" was the only thing she could utter at the moment. Tears were rolling from her eyes. "Tumhe andaaza bhi hai, kitna darr gaye the hum sab, haan! Ek mahine se coma mein ho tum. Har din, har pal, sab yahi ummeed karte they ki tumhe hosh aa jayega. Daya ka to burra haal ho gaya tha! We all missed you!"

And the two sisters began chatting. Taarika told her about all that had happened in the past month. The cases, Ishita's new fiance, the gossips, the jokes, the banter, the sadness, the anger, the tears. Every moment of the past month was recounted. She had barely finished, however, when the door of the room opened and ACP Pradyuman entered with Dr. Salunkhe.

"Sir!" said Shunya and tried to rise up.

"Nahi! Lete raho! Inspector Shunya! Tumhe wapis dekhke bohot khushi hui! ab kaisa lag raha hai beta?"

"Mai theek hun sir. I'm sorry! maine aap sab ko itna pareshan kiya.."

"Sorry mat bol bacche!" said the tender voice of Dr. Salunkhe. "Tumhe vapis paake vakai bohot khushi ho rahi hai. Tumhare bina ab CID ka parivaar adhura lagta hai!"

After that, all of the officers came to greet her. Sachin presented her a bouquet on behalf of the entire team. Freddy Sir had brought some gaajar ka halva, which brought a 1000 watt smile on her face. But her eyes were searching for someone else. Catching the cue, Freddy Sir said, "Wo ek case ke silsile main sheher se bahar gaye hain. Aate hi honge."

Ten minutes after everybody had left, the door opened to reveal the two Senior Inspectors of Cid. The sharp shine of CID had a warm smile on his face as he greeted her. The heart of CID, however, was frozen at the door for a moment, as if still unable to believe the sight in front of his eyes.

"Dayu!"

And that was enough. He rushed to her and captured her in a strong yet gentle hug, as if she will disappear or break anytime. "shuna!" he said after some time. "agli baar tumne aisa kuchh bhi kiya na, to mai tumse kabhi baat nahi karunga, samjhi! Jaanti ho kitna darr gaya tha mai, haan? mujhe laga ki maine phir se tumhe kho giya. Please Shuna, phir kabhi aisa mat karna!"

"Shuna apne Dayu se bhala door ja sakti hai kya kabhi!" at these words he hugged her again and finally let her tears flow.

After about ten minutes, Daya had steadied himself. That was when his brother approached them. "Welcome back, Shunya!" he said. The words were few but the tone expressed his emotions so well! Relief, happiness, care... Shunya was really touched. "Tumhaare discharge ki saari formalities puri ho chuki hain. Ab tum ghar chal sakti ho."

"Sach Abhi!"

"Haan mere bhai! Mai bhala tujhse jhooth kyun bolunga?"

"Thanks boss!" with that, Daya hugged his brother.

It was six hours since Shunya had returned home. Yes, she could now call the duo's house her home. Presently, she was resting in the guest room which had now become her room for the past six months. That was when she heard a knock at her door.

"Mere kamre mein aane ke liye tumhe kab se knock karna pad raha hai Dayu?"

The door opened and Senior Inspector Daya entered with a small smile on her face. She shifted and he sat down beside her on her bed, but refused to meet her eyes.

"Kya baat hai Dayu?" Shunya's voice fully showed her concern.

"Wo...wo...mujhe maaf kar do Shuna!" Daya was clearly in anguish. "mai tumhe bacha nahi paaya Shuna! Meri vajah se tum..."

"Shhh...shant ho ja Dayu! bas ek baat ka jawaab de. meri jagah agar tum wahan hote, to kya tum bhi wahi nahi karte jo maine kiya, haan?" his silence stated his answer better than words. "to phir kis baat ki maafi mang rahe ho tum?" with that, she hugged him to stop any words of protest from her friend. They stayed like that for sometime till Daya slowly rested his head on her lap. Shunya smiled as she ran her hand through his hair. This had become somewhat a ritual between the two of them for the past six months. It soothed the two of them, gave them comfort. In a few minutes, Daya fell asleep, succumbing to the physical and emotional exhaustion of the day. Shunya smiled and gently placed a soft kiss on his forehead before allowing her eyes to close as well.

About half an hour later, Abhijeet Sir's voice woke them up. "Daya, Shunya! Aao lunch kar lo! Mai khaana laga raha hoon!"

Daya stood up. "Haan Abhi! Mai fresh hoke aata hoon!" With that, he took a few steps towards the door, but stopped. To Shunya's surprise, he turned back and returned to her side. "Kya baat hai Dayu?" she asked, a bit concerned.

But Daya said nothing. He kept staring intently into her midnight black eyes, as if trying to search for something within their depths. Then, he smiled softly, bent down and...placed a quick kiss on Shunya's cheek.

With that, he dashed out of the room, leaving behind a surprised and flustered Shunya, and a smiling Abhijeet, who had observed the interaction.

Finally! thought Abhijeet.

This, my friends, was the beginning of a beautiful relationship, which blossomed in the years ahead.

And that's it! the end of this story. Thanks to all readers and reviewers for their support! Hope you enjoyed this journey as much as I did...well, i was planning to give it a tragic end, but changed my mind later...i believe I will have to change the genre of the story...hope you liked the end!

Goodbye for now friends! I will return soon with 'Ek naya Saathi: chapter 7"

Please read and review.