A/N: Hi guys! I don't know if there are still some old readers left here, and if there are, if anyone remembers me since I'm returning here after more than two years. But I sincerely hope that you all like this new story in the Beyond Investigation series.

For those who have not read my previous stories in this series - it is a series in which I try to go beyond what has been shown on screen in a particular episode and give everyone a peak into the personal sides of our beloved cops. This time, I picked the Episode no. 1116 called Azadi Ki Jung (Part-II).

Do tell me how you all like it 😊

Happy Reading!

"Abhijeet…umm…meri wo baat adhuri reh gayi." Daya approached his friend, feeling a little hesitant seeing him turned away from him, still clearly feeling hurt.

"Adhuri?" ACP asked, acting surprised, "Daya, tum kab se apna kaam adhura chorne lage?"

"Sir wo…mai Abhijeet ko sorry bolna chahta hu." Daya said.

Daya saw Abhijeet looking at him but turn his face away as soon as he spoke. He felt his heart pinch.

"Haan to phir bol do na." ACP was clearly taking charge of the situation, seeing how far the matter had escalated, and sensing that an interference at that moment would be better than leaving the two men to sort out the issue by themselves.

"Leking kyu?" Abhijeet suddenly spoke. "Kyu…kehna hai sorry tumhe?"

"Nahi…yaar…tumhe samajhne me mujhse galti ho gayi."

"Arre yaar lekin…mai to tumhari kisi baat ka bura manta hi nahi hu." Abhijeet tried to end the matter.

Daya couldn't help a sad smile as he said, "Bura nahi mante? To phir…transfer kyu liya tumne?"

Abhijeet had no answer. He looked away, a shade of sadness spreading over his face once again at that painful reminder. ACP, who was only watching their little exchange till then, saw it clearly and came forward with a news that he knew would cheer them both up, at least for the moment.

"Transfer? Kaun sa transfer? Transfer-wansfer kuch nahi. Sab raddh ho gaya." ACP said in mock-serious tone, immensely enjoying the identical expressions of shock on both their faces, but especially on Abhijeet's as he knew how hard he had been on himself in the past few weeks, how difficult it was to take the decision to take transfer, and that, had it been approved, it's negative effects would have been felt by him more than anyone else.

"Kya?" "Kya..?" Both Daya and Abhijeet's simultaneous replies made him laugh a bit as well.

He felt his eyes go a little moist as he saw his two boys shaking hands and move from there with big smiles and lighter hearts. He knew it wouldn't be as easy as shaking hands at a time when they were still high on adrenaline from the day's work and fight with the goons. He knew the whole story now. Not that these two would ever have revealed anything, no matter how much he grilled them, so he hadn't even tried to do that this time. He had directly talked to Freddy, who he knew would be as concerned as him when it came to one of his seniors, and this time it wasn't about just one but two of them.

He understood that it will all come back when the adrenaline had gone down, and they had had a moment to calm down. The painful moments, the hurtful words. It wouldn't be easy to forget. He just hoped that Daya and Abhijeet crossed this little hurdle that fate had thrown their way and came out with their friendship and their own hearts unscathed on the other side.

They had messed up this time and they both knew it. ACP had given them a second chance by not forwarding the transfer application. He started following them towards their car still smiling, hoping they handled it a bit more maturely this time around. His mind went back to last week when he had just returned from a seminar in Delhi…

One week before…

ACP had just returned to Mumbai, and was currently on his way back home. Directing his driver to take him to his home, he sat relaxedly on the back seat and took out his cellphone. He dialed Abhijeet's number and waited for him to pick the call.

"Hello, sir. Flight land ho gayi apki?" Abhijeet's voice came from the other end.

"Haan Abhijeet. Bas abhi raaste me hi hu. Ek-adh ghante me ghar pahuch jaunga."

"Oh. Okay sir."

ACP felt Abhijeet wanted to say something more so said, "Kya hua? Kuch kehna hai?"

"Wo…actually…na..nahi sir, kuch nahi. Aap abhi abhi aaye hai, ghar ja ke rest kar lijiye thora. Hum baadme baat karte hai sir" Abhijeet quickly retracted.

"Arre koi baat hai to bolo na."

"Nahi sir, kuch nahi. Mai baad me call karta hu sir apko."

Abhijeet was about to cut the call but held on when ACP started to say something.

"Acha Abhijeet…"

"Ji sir?"

"Daya ko bhi tum hi inform kar dena mere aane ka, acha?" ACP didn't know if it was even possible but he could swear he practically felt Abhijeet go still for a moment at that command, before he recovered and answered in a low voice.

"Yes sir."

After that the call was cut immediately from Abhijeet's side.

ACP looked at his cellphone and sighed deeply. He didn't know what exactly the problem was but he knew something was definitely amiss. Since Abhijeet was his second in command and headed all cases in his absence, he had been talking to him regularly during his time in Delhi. But since the last few days, he had noticed that Abhijeet had sounded a little low. He had even asked him about it.

"Kya baat hai Abhijeet? Tabiyat to theek hai na tumhari, haan?" ACP asked in concern.

"Haan sir, mai theek hu. Bas kaam zyada hai abhi to thori thakaan ho gayi hai."

He had believed him at the time.

Abhijeet had tried to sound normal after that but his long experience and his camaraderie with this man told him otherwise. To confirm his suspicions, he had talked to Daya as well, pretending to take updates about a case, and had felt something off there too. He had made a wild guess that whatever the issue was, it was something to do with these two. Right now, while he was talking to Abhijeet, he had deliberately asked him to talk to Daya to gauge his reaction. And that momentary hesitancy from Abhijeet's side had confirmed his suspicions.

His guess was that Daya and Abhijeet had had some argument that didn't end well. But for the life of him he couldn't imagine any argument between these two going to such levels where Abhijeet was hesitating in making a simple call to Daya. Their fights were rare and usually happened due to disagreements over case-related issues. And they never let that affect their personal relationship.

Well, he was back now and will be talking to them soon enough. In fact, if Abhijeet didn't call him himself as he had promised to do, he planned to call him to his house himself. He wouldn't be going to the bureau for a few more days since he had to attend another conference in Mumbai itself, but he could always call him at his place pretending to want to discuss a case or something.

He took a deep breath and rested his head against the headrest, closing his eyes as the car moved on.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

He didn't need to pretend anything. Abhijeet had called him a few hours later. He had asked when they could meet so he could report about the ongoing case. ACP had asked him to meet him that very evening at his place.

He looked at the wall clock once again as he waited for Abhijeet. He tried to read a book he had picked but could only think about how nervous Abhijeet had sounded on the phone when he had asked for a meeting with him. This was unlike his normal character. There was definitely more going on there than met the eyes. He noticed his own anxiousness and huffed at himself.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

ACP went and opened the door. It was Abhijeet, trying to act normal and put on a smile for him, but clearly nervous for whatever reason.

"Abhijeet. Aao, andar aao."

ACP led him to the living room. Once they were both seated, ACP started as, "Abb batao, kya loge. Chai, coffee?"

"Arre nahi sir, kuch nahi. Mai bas case ka report karne aaya tha."

ACP smiled with, "Haan to wo bhi kar dena. Mai kaha mana kar raha hu." Then added softly, "Thake hue lag rahe ho, mai chai mangwata hu, tab tak case bhi discuss ho jayega."

"Arre sir…"

But ACP hushed him and asked his house-help to get two cups of tea. Over the next twenty minutes, they discussed the case developments. Since the case was only halfway through, it didn't take them too long to go through it. By then, their tea had also arrived. Now that their formal discussions were done with, Abhijeet fell silent. He took a sip of the hot tea and looked down at the cup, holding it in both his hands.

ACP noticed his silence. He also noticed that he looked a little lost. There was a constant shade of sadness on his face. He gave him a minute to see if he would open by himself but seeing nothing coming forth from his side, he a gave a little push.

"Kya baat hai Abhijeet? Pareshan lag rahe ho." He asked softly, concern palpably visible in his eyes. Abhijeet looked up and giving a furtive glance at him, went back to staring at his tea. ACP sighed and called him, "Abhijeet?" Still finding only silence in response, he added, "Dekho mai ye to nahi janta ki baat kya hai par mai ye zaroor janta hu ki koi baat hai jo tumhe pichle kuch dino se pareshan kar rahi hai. Hai na?" He once again received a furtive glance, but this time also a small nod, so ACP asked once more, hoping that he would tell him the matter this time, "To batao phir…kya baat hai, haan?"

Abhijeet took a deep breath. ACP noticed his fingers fidgeting on the cup.

"Sir mai…mujhe apse ek…ek request karni hai sir."

ACP felt confused. Why was Abhijeet so nervous about this?

"Haan bolo na…" He said encouragingly.

"Sir wo…mujhe…" he stopped, suddenly feeling extremely nervous about what he was about to do. This was, after all, the only family, he had ever had. Whether it be good, bad, sweet, or bitter, he had spent every moment of his life with these very people. Yes, he had made up his mind but even at this moment, sitting here in front of ACP sir, he felt his resolve breaking about leaving this place and these people. He remembered Daya, how they had stood beside each other through every thick and thin. He remembered how every time he called out to his friend, he knew he'd be there.

But then suddenly some other incidences came to the forefront of his mind. They had the same voice but the emotions running through that voice had completely changed. In place of love and care, there were anger, resentment and at times even hatred. He felt a shiver run through him at that thought.

"Haan Abhijeet, bolo"

Abhijeet came out of his thoughts with that voice. He held his cup of tea more tightly, trying to get the little remaining warmth out of it.

"Sir mai…" taking a deep breath, he looked ACP in the eyes and said before he lost his courage again, "Sir mai Mumbai se transfer lena chahta hu."

He had started speaking with as strong a voice as he could manage but his voice broke a bit at the end. It wasn't easy for him, even under the current circumstances. He saw the look of utter shock on ACP's face and immediately looked down again, feeling guilty.

"Kya? Ye kya keh rahe ho Abhijeet?" ACP couldn't believe what he had just heard. He knew Abhijeet was upset, but never had the thought crossed his mind that it could be something so serious that he would think about taking transfer. He knew what CID Mumbai meant for Abhijeet. It meant a lot to all its members but especially for this man, it meant not only a job or even just a good friend circle. To him, it was his family. Practically his entire life, or better said, the only life he remembered was spent here, with these people. His loyalty, his love and care, his feelings for his team, and especially for those who had spent years with him like Freddy and Daya, could not be put into words. It could only be felt, as he had in all his years as his senior. Then what went so wrong in the few days of his absence that he wished to leave all that behind and move on. If he could ever move on…

"Haan sir. Aur ye faisla maine bohot soch samajh ke liya hai sir." Abhijeet said.

"Abhijeet, aisi bhi kya baat ho gayi hai ki tumne itna bada faisla le liya?" ACP asked. He saw Abhijeet take out an envelope from inside his coat pocket and trying to hand it to him. "Nahi, mai ye nahi lunga!" ACP said a little loudly, knowing what it contained. Abhijeet smiled sadly, having expected such a reaction. He silently placed the envelope on the coffee table before them. ACP took a deep breath and tried to be a bit calmer, although still feeling as if someone was squeezing his heart. "Abhijeet, please, sahi se batao…baat kya hai, haan? Dekho mai jaanta hu ki ye team tumhare liye kya maayne rakhte hai. Isliye mai ye bhi jaanta hu ki ye faisla lena tumhare liye bhi aasaan nahi raha hoga, aur na hi itna bada kadam tum aise hi loge. Kya hua hai, haan? Kisi ne kuch kaha hai tumhe? Jhagra hua kisi se? Salunkhe se? DCP se?"

Abhijeet quickly shook his head "Na..nahi sir. Aisi koi baat..."

"Daya se?" ACP cut him. Abhijeet stopped suddenly and looked at ACP in shock. He clenched his jaw to stop himself from showing any emotion and down his head.

"Nahi sir. Aisa kuch bhi nahi…" He started but could not help his voice sounding low.

"Matlab Daya se, hm?" ACP asked softly. Abhijeet just took a deep breath and kept looking down, knowing he was caught and there was no use in trying to hide anything from his senior now. He could feel his eyes tearing up and didn't dare look at his senior in his weak moment.

"Kya hua hai? Kisi case ko lekar behes hui, haan? Ya kisi aur baat ko lekar?" Seeing Abhijeet still choosing silence, continued, "Abhijeet, tum dono ko mai jitne samay se janta hu utna team me koi nahi jaanta. Itne saalo me kayi baar tum dono me behes hui hai par kabhi…" ACP stopped and taking a deep breath started again, "Iss baar aisa kya ho gaya hai Abhijeet ki tum itna bada kadam utha rahe ho? Ek baar mujhse baat to karte…Acha Daya se baat karne ki koshish ki tumne, haan?" He asked gently.

Abhijeet looked up at ACP silently. ACP was shocked to see that his eyes were red with tears. And now that he was paying attention, he could also see slight dark circled under his eyes. And his eyes, as expressive as ever, told him all there was to tell about the pain he was going through. Clearly, Abhijeet had put all his efforts to mend the bridge between himself and Daya but wasn't successful. Not able to see any solution, he had decided to leave. He still didn't know what the matter was but this…whatever this was, was clearly taking a toll on Abhijeet.

He still wondered what could have gone so wrong that had made Abhijeet, one of the most resolute men he had ever seen, to give up. He decided to find out but knew it was no use asking either Daya or Abhijeet about it. They would never tell. The fact that Abhijeet had expressed this much pain in front of him was more than he had expected. Otherwise, this was a man who would gladly share all his happiness with the world but none of his pain. The only other time he had seen him so broken that his pain was clear for all to see was in the Rocky case when they had thought that they had lost Daya forever.

ACP looked at Abhijeet who had now walked up to a window and was looking outside. Looking up to the heavens to have strength, he walked up to Abhijeet and placed a hand on his shoulder. Abhijeet wiped off the tear that had rolled down his cheek and faced ACP.

"Ek kaam karo, abb aaye ho to khana kha ke jana." ACP said, totally changing the topic.

"Kya?" Abhijeet was taken aback with the sudden change in topic too. "Na..nahi sir. Iski koi zaroorat nahi hai, mai…"

"Abhijeet…" ACP called in a fatherly tone that he rarely used, and at this moment he knew it was needed. As expected, it worked its charm. Abhijeet stopped speaking immediately. "Pucha nahi hai, bata raha hu. Maine pehle hi tumhare liye bhi dinner banana ka bol diya tha Ramu ko." He said in a strict tone that plainly held concern.

"Lekin sir, iski kya…" Abhijeet started. ACP raised an eyebrow questioningly. Abhijeet lowered his eyes and quietly said, "Okay sir."

ACP smiled secretly and led him to the dining hall.

.

.

Later that evening, they were standing in front of ACP's house.

"Kuch aur dino ke liye bureau ka kaam tumhe sambhalna parega, Abhijeet."

"No problem, sir. Aap chinta mat kariye."

"Arre nahi, tumhare hote chinta kaisi. Itne saal mere absence me tumne hi sambhala hai, to aage bhi…" He stopped suddenly and looked elsewhere. Abhijeet looked at him in pain, knowing what he was thinking. "Anyways, koi problem ho to batana."

"Ji sir. Good night, sir."

"Good night. Khayal rakhna apna."

"Yes sir" Abhijeet replied with a nod and moved towards his car.

ACP looked at his retreating back and then as he drove off the driveway, he pulled out his cellphone and dialed a number.

"Hello, Freddy"