Delicate - A Rikara Tale (Completed!)

Fifteen - Reunion and Reservations

A/N: So, I've been told that IB is ending that this makes me feel sad for Rikarians. I know too well how it feels to have a beloved couple stop gracing your screen. Here's to you all.

Omkara watched his tiny wife attack his bhabhi and realization hit him when  Shivaay came into the room. Om put two and two together and his jaw fell open. Anika was Gauri's sister.

Fhat the Wuck indeed.

Gauri was finally able to let go of everything she was holding back, pushing down inside herself. She let herself go and sobbed hard into her elder sister's chest. "Jiji!" her small, broken whisper was both relief and disbelief at the same time as if she could not believe her luck. Gauri held onto Anika tighter as if she was scared they'd be wrenched apart again.

Anika could not help the tears that rolled down her own cheek. But Chutki needed her. Chutki needed to hear her voice and know she was safe.

"It's going to be okay Chutki, look I'm here na! Nothing is going to hurt you anymore." Anika patted the younger girl's back, trying to reassure her long-lost younger sibling as well as her own self. What were the odds that she could ever find her beloved sister? "minuscule, less to none" she had been told in all her attempts to trace Chutki. The fact that Anika only knew her own sister as 'Chutki', a childish nickname and not her given name had made things difficult. People had laughed in her face and dismissed her pleas as a drama, as a joke, as a nuisance. But she had never stopped trying or thinking of her baby sister. Even when she had been caught in the web spun by her now loving, then loathing husband, Anika had always longed to have her sister back in her arms. Now, she did.

"Jiji! Don't leave me again. I missed you so much." Gauri cried like she was four again "Promise?"

"Pakka wala promise!" Anika hugged Gauri tighter.

Gauri finally let go and touched Anika's cheek "I missed you. I prayed so hard that I would find you and now you are here. Praise Shankar ji. But did he have to wait so long to grant my wish?" she ended with a pout.

Anika smiled at the childish gesture and pulled Gauri's cheek "You have not changed at all."

Gauri pouted again " I am taller ok."

Anika burst into laughter. Chutki was still her Chutki, even if she was not as tiny as she used to be before. She had lost out on so much of her Chutki's life and now they had the rest of their lives to fill in the blanks and make up for lost time. Anika thought she was the happiest woman in the world when Shivaay had finally confessed his love to her and showed her he trusted her over his own Mother's schemes and lies but that was nothing compared to the joy she now felt at having the missing part of her life back.

"Ahem." Shivaay's pretend cough reminded the two woman that their husbands were still in the room.

Both of them looked at the two men with matching glares.

"Er. Hi. " Omkara waved feebly at Anika " Please do not threaten me. I will take care of Ri and make sure she is happy. Promise." Omkara was very familiar with how Anika's rage worked. He'd seen the great wall of SSO crumble before her might and so he thought it was wise to not make an enemy out of his wife's elder sister. Being the middle child, (as he did consider Shivaay to be his saga bhai and not cousin) Om knew both the sides of sibling protectiveness. It got nasty sometimes.

"You'd better." Anika growled, putting a hand on Gauri's shoulder.

It was then that it hit Gauri.

Om was responsible for bringing her Jiji back into her life.

This was the wedding present he was talking about.

A blush colored her cheeks and she was ashamed that she had thought he had meant something else. She gently removed her Jiji's hand from her shoulder and smiled at her. "He has been helping me a lot Jiji. He saved my life."

Anika raised an eyebrow "And why did you need to be saved?"

The room went so silent that the four people could hear the chirping of the crickets outside.

"Anika, let's talk about this later ok?" Shivaay stepped in, intertwining his fingers with his wife's to pacify her. It only made Anika blush and demand in a whisper what her husband thought he was doing in front of the kids.

"Bache? Excuse me?" Om coughed.

This time, both Anika and Shivaay glared at him "Haan, Bache ho tum haamre liye." Anika insisted.

"Not fair. Look that them joining forces. Ye bade siblings aise hi hote hai. Puri manmani karte hai. Hai na Gauri?" Om tried to make the mood a little lighter for his wife.

Gauri smiled back at him, her face radiant and happy, her smile making her look beautiful even in the simple kurta and devoid of all makeup and jewels. "Thank you. This means the world to me. You've done so much. Saved me. My maa and now you've returned my Jiji to me." She walked closer, trembling slightly, almost begging him to not hurt her or betray her trust. Then, with her hand on his shoulder, she used the other to pull his face down to her own level and kissed his cheek- a light touch, like how a butterfly lands on a flower.

"Aw look at them, young love. Waise you never really told me how you two met." Anika smiled from ear to ear.

Oh. Shit.

Om would rather not speak about this until he apologized heartily to Gauri for thinking of her as a golddigger. IIf Anika came to know of this he was sure to receive a smack from her Chameli as he had often heard her threaten to do to other idiotic people

Om shot the Great Wall of SSO a pleading glance. Not that he believed Shivaay had any control over Anika Bhabhi but he was quite keen on not getting hit.

"A... Anika late ho raha hai, tum dono kal aram se baate karlo. Chalo ab hum wapis chalte hai, apne Kamre mein." Shivaay came in between Om and Anika and tried to distract his wife with the suggestive tone of his voice. Unfortunately for him, his khidkitod wife was too intruiged by the prospect of interrogating her younger sister's husband to understand the subtle attempt at seduction Shivaay had tried.

As if she sensed Om's discomfort, Gauri moved ahead and put a hand on Anika's shoulder "Jiji, Jiju is right. Today was a long, tiring day. " she yawned for good measure, making Anika's eagerness change into an understanding expression.

"Theek hai. Anyway kal Gauri ki pehli rasoi hai so she should sleep soon anyway. But don't think that you are saved from telling me about your takar wali ishaqbaazi. Tomorrow." Anika winked at Om and took Shivaay's arm "Chalo na" Before he could even say anything Anika had pushed her husband out of the door and shut it behind her.

Om and Gauri were left standing alone in the big room, looking at each other.

"Don't worry. We will tell jiji about the phone, the bulldozer and you saving me from Kali. I know you regret calling me a home breaker and we will not mention it again. You are a good man and my Jiji likes and trusts you. I know because she was always very protective and would be threatening you instead she is teasing you. I trust you to not hurt her or me." Gauri smiled. She walked to the bed and lay down on the left side, knowing Om preferred to sleep on the right. "Goodnight Om."

Omkara was left baffled and staring at her sleeping form, wondering how he got so lucky to have someone as understanding and amazing as Gauri in his life.

A/N: I might just write five more long chapters or ten short ones charting their relationship. What would you like to see?