::/Freaky Friday/::

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A/N: Before I start, I just want to make a few things quite clear so I don't get grief about them in the review section (I'll get it anyways, but I have to do my bit as an author too).

1. This is not my idea, concept or storyline. I repeat, THIS IS NOT MY IDEA, CONCEPT OR STORYLINE! It's merely the remake of the Hollywood movie Freaky Friday (2003). I absolutely adore that movie, and I figured the storyline would be perfect for a CID-style remake with Abhijeet and Adi in the lead roles. I've only stuck to the movie's basic plot, though, and changed most of the other stuff according to CID.

2. Abhijeet. Need I say more? Of late, almost everyone seems to be taking great delight in pointing out every tiny little negative aspect of Abhijeet that I show and blowing it WAY out of proportion. I only have one thing to ask... why is it that no one is bothered when our big, strong, brave Superman, Senior Inspector Daya, is reduced to a snivelling, over-emotional little crybaby who can't do anything on his own and always needs Abhijeet to rescue him in most of the stories I read nowadays? He is sentimental, I agree, but he is NOT by any means a fool. Nor is he a helpless child. Don't forget this is the same man who plays the piano with criminals' teeth. It's basically like trying to make the Lion King look like Hello Kitty.

I don't see anyone saying a word about such a portrayal of Daya. So why do people get so touchy when I point out Abhijeet's negative aspects, which are very much visible in the actual CID if only everyone would just try to look beyond the blazing halo of so-called perfection that appears to surround him? I don't know when everyone will be ready to accept it, but please face it: He. Is. NOT. A. God. If you want me to portray him as one, then I'm really sorry, but for me he's just a normal human like anyone else. And I fully intend to show him exactly like one. Whoever has a problem... don't worry, there are loads of other stories in this section which will suit your taste much better. :)

3. Please bear in mind that in this story, Adi is just 16. He may be wise and mature beyond his years, but he's still only 16. Just because his life isn't exactly normal, it doesn't mean HE can't be a normal kid. He has mood swings, difficulty in controlling his temper, frustration, rebellion, belligerence and biting sarcasm just like any other teenager. And seeing as how his dad has ALL of these qualities even at this age, it's really no surprise at all. It's just a phase that every teenager goes through, and Adi WILL grow out of it, as you've all observed in my other stories. So I doubt there should be any issues there.

Right, I know you guys haven't come here to read a lecture, so I will now spare you and let you read the story.

Oh, by the way- starring the awesome and adorable Tapasvi Mehta as our one and only Adi. :)

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What is the greatest and most beautiful miracle in the world? Of course, different people have different answers to this question. A majority, however, agree that it would undoubtedly be the miracle of procreation. Having children is a miracle beyond all else- the creation of a new life is the most profoundly great thing a human is capable of. Indeed, it is even said that a child holds power over virtually everything in the world.

And then there are the teenagers. Not children, not yet adults. It is but natural, therefore, that this is the period marked by a great deal of confusion, frustration, and more often than not, miscommunication. This is the story of one such instance... where miscommunication led to something that was earlier only the stuff of imagination.

"Adi."

Ah, here we go.

"Come on beta, wake up."

"Mmmph," came a muffled noise from beneath a veritable cocoon of blankets, and the top of a tousled dark head made its appearance as Adi moved upwards a little, clutching his pillow around his ears in an attempt to block out his father's voice. Abhijeet shook him gently by the shoulder. "Adi beta, get up now. You don't want to be late."

"Daaaaaaaad," whined Adi, thumping his fist on his bed and kicking his feet belligerently. Abhijeet let out an exasperated sigh, and left the room to go get ready for work. When he returned ten minutes later, Adi was still exactly as he had left him- lying on his stomach with his face buried in the pillow, his hair standing out like spilled ink against the white pillowcase. "Adi," Abhijeet said firmly, giving the sixteen-year-old a vigorous shake. "Up, now. And I mean it, young man!"

Adi mumbled something unintelligible, which nevertheless didn't sound very flattering at all, and Abhijeet glared down at him. "That's it," he proclaimed vehemently, and going around to the foot of the bed, caught hold of his son's ankles and pulled with all his might. Adi was no less, though- he immediately grabbed the headboard of his bed for support, and Abhijeet was forced to give up the attempt after three whole minutes of relentless but pointless pulling.

"My God," he groaned, rubbing his temples, and then suddenly had an idea. Pulling out his mobile phone, he set off a loud alarm ring right next to Adi's ear. Predictably, the boy jumped about a foot in the air with a howl of indignation and tumbled out of bed just as Abhijeet strode out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Adi, hurry up!" he shouted from the hall a little while later as he put his CID badge into his coat pocket. "What? I'm ready!" Adi defended himself with a grin as he came out of his room, fully dressed in his school uniform with his bag slung over his shoulder.

As the car went off down the road, Adi began to fiddle idly with the radio. "Would you please decide on one station?" Abhijeet asked testily, and Adi rolled his eyes and turned the radio off, sweeping his windblown bangs out of his eyes. "Hey, Dad, think I can get my ear pierced?" he questioned, tugging absently on his earlobe, and Abhijeet snorted. "Absolutely not. I for one do not want the future ACP of CID Mumbai looking like a little pirate."

"Oh come on, Dad, it's not like I'm gonna be the ACP tomorrow or something!" Adi retorted. "Even if you decide to abdicate, the crown'll go straight to Daya uncle, so I have nothing to worry about for many more years," he added in an undertone, and Abhijeet narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "And there's no need for that muttering, either. Whatever you have to say, say it aloud."

"Nothing, Dad!" Adi was thoroughly exasperated by now, but thankfully they had reached his school. Abhijeet pulled over by the side of the road, just outside the school gates, and reached over to fix his son's red-and-gold tie. "You're supposed to do up the collar button before putting the tie on, you know," he informed Adi, and the boy let out a huge, long-suffering sigh before grabbing his bag and getting out of the car. "Bye, Dad," he said shortly, and entered the school as Abhijeet drove off.

No sooner had Adi reached the stairs than he was hailed from behind. Turning, he saw a boy with slightly spiky hair hurrying towards him. "Hey, Kenny," he greeted his best friend, and the latter leaned towards him, speaking in a low voice. "I'd steer clear of our dear Madam Shrieking Shrew if I were you. It's Biology first period, and you know how she is."

"Excellent," said Adi darkly. "Just what I need. To get sent out of class for no reason at all first thing in the morning."

"Who's kicking you out of class?" a girl's voice enquired, and Adi and Kenny turned to see Saara standing nearby, looking quizzically at either of them in turn. "Who do you think?" Kenny asked drily, and Saara groaned. "Oh, gosh. Please don't tell me Shreya ma'am is out to get Adi again."

As it turned out, that was exactly what Ms. Shreya's intention was. "Aditya, dear?" she called across the classroom in her usual supercilious tone, and Adi's shoulders slumped as beside him, Kenny grimaced. "Here it comes," he mumbled as Adi got to his feet. "Yes, ma'am?"

"What is this supposed to be, dear?" she asked in a dangerously sweet tone as he approached her desk. She held up a notebook for him to see, and he looked warily from the book to her. "Um... my Biology homework, ma'am."

Ms. Shreya turned a page, and Adi's jaw fell open as he beheld the ghastly sight of a huge streak of royal-blue ink that extended from the upper margin of the page all the way to the top edge. "Really, dear? It looks more like Art homework to me," she remarked nonchalantly, picking up her red pen and scrawling '5 marks cut for untidy work' beneath the streak of ink even as Adi burst into loud protests. "But ma'am, that ink definitely wasn't there when I handed in my notebook! I checked!"

"Well, now, it certainly couldn't have appeared by magic," Ms. Shreya said cheerfully. "Do your work neatly from now on, or it'll be minus ten marks next time." She pushed his notebook back towards him. As she did so, Adi immediately noticed that the index finger of her left hand was stained with royal-blue ink. His eyes narrowed, but the next second he heard Kenny's voice muttering in his ear. "Don't push it, there's no telling what she'll do next."

"You expect me to just take this quietly?" Adi hissed as they returned to their seats. He was positively seething, his eyes glittering dangerously exactly as his father's did when confronted with a particularly poisonous criminal. "She can't just get away with stuff like this! It's not the first time either, you know. Ever since she became our Biology teacher..."

"I know, Boss, but it's not like we can do anything about it either," Kenny said wearily, raking a hand through his hair. "We're CID officers, remember? We need proof!"

At the CID bureau, Senior Inspector Daya was saying the same thing. "We need proof, Abhijeet, we can't just go arresting whoever we like even though we know he's guilty."

"Well, let's look for proof then. Vivek, I believe this is your area?" Abhijeet gestured to the computer, and Vivek's well-practiced hands flew over the keyboard. "Well, sir, the thing is, I have his phone records and bank statements, plus a minor criminal record, but I can find nothing related to this particular case... whoa, wait!" he exclaimed, his hazel eyes widening as he hit upon a link. "Look at this."

Abhijeet, Daya, Tasha and Sachin quickly scanned the page Vivek showed them, and Abhijeet looked triumphant. "Brilliant. Let's roll."

Within a few hours, of course, the criminal, blubbering like a baby, was hauled off to jail, and Abhijeet checked his watch. "Right, so I'll go do some grocery shopping before Adi gets home," he remarked to the room at large as he strode briskly out the door. "Hold up, I'm coming with you," called Daya as he hastened to follow.

Meanwhile, the boy in question was accosted by Saara the instant he came downstairs with Kenny after school. Her face was glowing and she was practically bouncing up and down on the spot. "Guess what, you guys!"

"You learned to break doors?" quipped Kenny, smirking at her, and she made a face at him. "I wish. No, take a look at this!" She seized them around the elbows and dragged them over to the notice-board, on which a large, brightly coloured poster was prominently displayed. "There's a huge cultural event scheduled for next month. They're holding band auditions tomorrow, and our school band's been registered!" she squealed gleefully, and Adi and Kenny exchanged looks of delighted incredulity. "You're kidding!"

"Nope!" Saara shook her head. "The audition's tomorrow night, at the YMCA mini-auditorium."

Adi did a double take. "Wait, what? Tomorrow night?" The three teenagers exchanged horrorstruck looks as the same thought hit all of them at once. "Tomorrow's the CID awards announcement ceremony!" Kenny exclaimed.

"At which Dad's gonna be officially announced as the new ACP of our branch," Adi reminded him, and flourished his hands in the universal gesture of hopelessness. "We're screwed."

"Oh come on, guys, don't be so negative," Saara said, though her voice was uncertain. "I'll try talking to Papa and maybe he can-" she trailed off at the looks on the boys' faces. "OK, fine, I admit it. You are screwed."

Adi slumped against the notice-board, sighing heavily as he looked wistfully at the poster. "Of all the times for Mom to be out of town..." he mumbled under his breath.

Back at home, meanwhile, his father was presently on the phone with the very same lady, who was attacking him with a relentless flow of concerned queries. "How's Adi? Is he eating properly? Does he go to bed on time? I hope he doesn't stay up late watching TV with you-"

"Tarika."

"Speaking of which, how's that headache of yours? I keep telling you to get it checked up, but of course you don't listen to me. And are you eating properly? Don't forget your vitamins, I've kept them in the drawer of the bedside table-"

"Tarika..."

"And I'm so, so, so sorry I can't be there for the announcement ceremony tomorrow! Please don't hate me, I really can't make it... the conference ends only on Saturday morning and I've booked the earliest available flight, so I'll be home in the afternoon-"

"Dr. Tarika, are you going to let me speak or not?" Abhijeet asked in a long-suffering tone, and his wife fell silent at the other end. "Thank you. So anyways, in answer to your questions... Adi's fine, and we're both eating properly and going to bed on time. My headache is now completely gone, and no, I'm not forgetting my vitamins. And for the last time, it's OK. I understand, all right? Your conference is just as important as this, you can't afford to just leave it halfway. You'll be back in time for the official award ceremony on Saturday, anyway, so what's the big deal?"

Tarika let out a small sigh. "I miss my boys, you know. That's kind of a big deal."

Abhijeet's tone softened. "Like we don't miss our favourite girl. In fact, I'm just counting the minutes for you to get home." She laughed in spite of herself, and he smiled. "You take care of yourself, all right?"

"And there you go, stealing my line as always," Tarika retorted with clear amusement in her voice. There was some distant noise in the background. "Listen, I have to go now," she said hastily. "I'll call at night to talk to Adi, all right?"

"OK," Abhijeet said. "Love you."

"Love you," she told him before hanging up. No sooner had the call ended than Abhijeet's phone rang again. It was from an unknown number. Frowning, he picked up. "Senior Inspector Abhijeet here." His frown deepened as he listened. "Oh, really?"

A while later, the house was nearly brought down by a series of hair-raising yelps.

"There you go. He saw it," Daya muttered, and looked down at Saara, who was wincing with her hands over her ears. "Come on, beta, we'd better go check out the cricket match on TV." He hurriedly escorted Saara to the living room, just as Adi's footsteps thundered down the stairs. "Dad!" he bellowed. "Dad, did you see what happened to my-" He broke off, abruptly stopping in his tracks. Abhijeet was sitting at the dining table like a judge, and the look on his face gave Adi a very strong feeling that the verdict wasn't going to be in his favour. Nevertheless, he strode forward determinedly, just as Abhijeet spoke. "I talked to your class teacher."

"What?"

"Just now, on the phone," Abhijeet informed him as he stood at the other end of the table with his hands on his hips. For a moment Abhijeet could barely control his smile- it was like looking into a mirror frozen several decades in the past. He quickly focused on the situation at hand, however. "Where's my door?" Adi demanded.

"Privacy is a privilege, Aditya," Abhijeet said curtly as Adi glowered at him. "Where's my door, Dad?"

"Your door will be returned to you, if and when you can explain-" Abhijeet was cut off by Adi's belligerent voice. "I need my door! You give me that door, or... or I will do something!"

Abhijeet raised his eyebrows sceptically at his son, and fixed him with a hard stare. "I think we can drop the drama. And maybe you can politely explain to me why you were sent out of class twice today?"

Adi folded his arms. "OK, fine, I was sent out of class. But that was only because Sudeep kept hitting me on the head with a volleyball!"

"When is this ridiculous fight with Sudeep going to end?" Abhijeet asked incredulously, and Adi scowled. "Um, never? Because he's an insane psycho freak? And you'd know that, Dad, if you paid like a tiny bit of attention." He made to storm out of the hall, but Abhijeet called sharply after him. "Adi!"

"What?" Adi yelled in frustration, turning on his heel and glaring at his father, whose eyes were glinting dangerously. "I think you know full well that I pay attention, Adi. Enough to know that you got a 15 out of 25, on Biology homework today?" The disbelief in his voice was evident in his face, and Adi's heart fairly rankled at this injustice. "Well, Shreya ma'am is totally out to get me," he complained.

"Oh, her too?" Abhijeet asked sardonically. "Yeah," Adi said with vigour. "You know, she just looks for ways to torture me! Like today, a huge streak of ink mysteriously appeared in my Biology notebook, and it definitely wasn't there when I-" He was cut off by Abhijeet's scornful snort. "You, beta, have been spending way too much time with Freddy."

"See?" Adi shouted indignantly. "Why do I even bother telling you anything?"

"OK!" Daya said hastily, appearing on the scene like an angel of deliverance. "Why don't we all go out for Chinese?"

Adi let out a snarl and stomped out of the hall. "Everyone's hell-bent on ruining my life! I wish Mom was home!" they heard him yell.

Later, at Wang's Kitchen, their table was unnaturally quiet. Saara was looking uncertainly back and forth between the three males, Abhijeet's jaw was still clenched rigidly, and Adi was staring stonily at the menu. Daya, as was his nature, was making desperate, albeit futile attempts to bring things back to normal. "Adi, your door is in the balcony."

"Like I didn't figure that out, Daya uncle," Adi muttered in reply, and Daya's broad shoulders slumped in defeat as he looked helplessly over at his daughter. Saara shook her head and shrugged, and Daya got to his feet. "I'll just go make a quick phone call," he said, and speedily left the table. As soon as he was gone, Abhijeet looked across the table at his son. "Adi. Do you really think that acting like a wounded tiger will get you what you want?"

The sixteen-year-old glanced at his father and put down the menu, sitting up straight in his chair and stretching his face into a faint smile. "I'm sorry, Dad. I've been stressing a lot in school lately, and I deserved to be sent out of the class. I'm gonna apologise to Sudeep and Shreya ma'am. I guess what I'm trying to say is... I'll try and do better, Dad. I'll really, really try." He flashed his most charming smile, and Saara stifled a giggle.

Abhijeet, however, was undeceived. "OK, what do you want?" he asked, and that was all Adi needed. "To go to this really important band audition that we can never have again. Tomorrow night, at the YMCA mini-auditorium."

"An audition? That's great!" Abhijeet was impressed. "You mean after the awards announcement ceremony?"

"Well... more like during the ceremony," Adi said hesitantly. "But-"

"During? You mean 'during' as in 'instead of'?" Abhijeet found himself at a loss for words as he looked at Adi, who was determinedly averting his eyes. "Well, I mean... uh... technically?" the boy said, and Abhijeet rose to his feet. "Adi, I need to talk to you right now."

"I don't think-" Adi muttered, but Abhijeet cut him off, his voice raised. "Now." Exchanging a This-is-it-we're-so-dead glance with Saara, Adi got up and followed his father, who steered him towards a quiet part of the room. "Adi, I am going to make one final attempt to try and understand what goes on in your head."

"Don't treat me like a suspect, Dad," Adi said defensively, and Abhijeet stared at him. "I am not doing anything of the kind, I'm being perfectly calm and reasonable here."

"OK, fine!" Adi made an impatient gesture. "They'll select one local school band to play at the National Cultural Fest. We were lucky to even get a slot in the audition. Honestly, it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance, Dad, please. Please, why can't I just go? Please!"

"And what I'm hearing is that my special night means absolutely nothing to you," Abhijeet stated, and Adi growled and punched the pillar he had been standing against. "I don't even need to ask if my band means anything to you." He stalked off in the direction of the restroom, and Abhijeet followed. "Adi, wait."

"What?" Adi exclaimed angrily, spinning around and facing his father squarely with a dark scowl. Abhijeet suppressed his temper with difficulty. "Let's talk about what this is really about, OK? This is about your mother, isn't it."

Adi's face reddened with anger. "Dad, stop interrogating me. This has nothing to do with Mom. This is about the audition, which will never happen again!"

"Enough with the drama!" Abhijeet snapped, and sighed. "Adi, teenage life is not that hard."

"Please, Dad. You couldn't last one day in my life," Adi retorted, and Abhijeet was quick to return the favour. "Yes I could, and I'd do it without getting sent out of class!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Dad," Adi barked, his eyes blazing now. "Sorry I'm the one thing about you that isn't perfect!"

"Perfect?" Abhijeet couldn't believe his ears, and actually let out an incredulous laugh. "You think I'm perfect?"

"I know you're perfect," corrected Adi violently. "Your perfect track record, perfect wife, perfect colleagues, perfect fans who worship the ground you walk on-" He was interrupted in mid-flow as Abhijeet caught him by the shoulders. "Seriously, beta, you need a serious reality check if you think I'm perfect!"

"Cookie?"

They both turned to see a petite, elderly North-eastern lady smiling at them. They had met her before- she was the mother of the restaurant's owner. She carried a plate, upon which there were two fortune cookies. "Cookies," she repeated brightly, holding the plate out to them. Abhijeet and Adi exchanged furtive looks, and Adi smiled uncertainly back at the old lady. "Uh, aunty, this isn't really a good time..."

"No, now is a good time," she insisted, the strange smile adorning her face all the while. She pointed alternately at Abhijeet and Adi, talking enthusiastically in her native tongue until Adi finally snatched up the cookies. "OK!" he said hastily, and the old lady beamed and walked off. When she was out of earshot, Abhijeet rounded on Adi. "Adi, for one day in our entire lives, the world is not going to revolve around you."

Adi didn't respond, except to give his father a piercing scowl and stride into the men's room, slamming the door behind him. "Adi!" Abhijeet called, knocking sharply on the door, but there was no reply. Both of them leaned against the door on either side of it, and opened their fortune cookies. Unrolling the tiny scroll of paper inside, they read:

"A journey soon begins,

Its prize reflected in another's eyes.

When what you see is what you lack,

Then selfless love will change you back."

No sooner had the words left their mouths than everything around them began to shake violently, the very ground trembling beneath their feet. As quickly as it had come, however, it stopped, and Adi stumbled out of the restroom at once. "You OK?" Abhijeet asked worriedly, and Adi nodded, looking slightly dazed. They hurried back to the table, where their food had just been served. "Did you feel that?" Abhijeet asked Daya as they sat down, and his best friend looked confused. "Feel what?"

"There was an earthquake," Adi said, and Saara looked at him curiously. "No, there wasn't." Adi met his father's gaze across the table, and they exchanged befuddled looks.

That night, as the clock struck twelve, in his sleep Abhijeet rolled over onto his stomach, sprawling haphazardly across his bed, just as in the other room Adi turned over onto his back, sleepily pulling his blanket neatly over himself.

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A/N: This is only the beginning... the real story begins in the next chapter ;) So please review and tell me what you think so far!

Again, this is NOT my idea or storyline, it's just the remake of Freaky Friday. I've used most of the dialogues from the movie, too.