Modern Day AU Kristanna. Anna is a single mom of two children; an eight year old boy August and a year old daughter Astrid. After her marriage crumbles she comes back to her hometown to start their lives over. What she doesn't expect is a baseball playing, Air Force captain from the local base to make such a difference in their lives. Based on the Hallmark movie "Meet My Mom." My first full fanfic in years and my first Frozen.
Curveballs
Chapter 1: Starting Over
At 28, Anna Dale didn't expect she'd be back on the road to her hometown. She expected her and Hans marriage to last forever but he and his secretary Glinda had other ideas. Humiliated and broke, Anna took her eight year old son August and the new baby Astrid and headed back to the loving arms of her sister Elsa, the only family she had left after her parents death when she was 16.
Arendelle, Anna and Elsa's hometown was built around Fort McEntire, a joint Army/Air Force base of operations. Many of the men and women stationed at McEntire were career military. They were stationed all over the world operating humanitarian aid. Growing up in a base town there were a lot of girls in Anna's school that knew they were going to be a military wife. Anna, who had only ever dated one guy in her whole life, ended up married to him. She thought they would be together but Hans had other ideas. From one of the richer families in town, it was expected of Hans to marry and start a family so the Westergard family line would continue. But he never loved Anna and only used her grief to his advantage. It took her seven years to realize it and finally left.
"Mail call!" a green camo clad young man shouted from the back of an armored Humvee. "Sven!" The company clerk kept shouting out names. One man, who hadn't received mail in three years, stayed back to allow the other men and women to get their mail and packages from home. Captain Kristoff Bjorgman hadn't gotten so much as a smoke signal from anyone in years. In fact, the last package he got was from his now ex-wife and it contained divorce papers. Now at 35, he wasn't sure he'd ever be ready to try to be in another relationship. A child of the village where they are stationed at, kicked a soccer ball towards him and Kristoff, wanting to be doing anything else but watching the mail be passed out, joined in.
"I am so glad you guys are here!" Elsa shouted from the porch of her house. A large paper banner hung in the trees, welcoming her long absent family. In the months during his parents divorce, eight year old August had gotten very close to his aunt Elsa. The pair would call, write and video chat with the other all the time. For Elsa it helped ease the isolation she felt with her family gone all the time and it helped August not have be around his father. In fact once he realized what a not nice guy his dad was, August insisted that he have his mother's name, Dale as his to further separate himself from Hans.
Anna took the baby out of the carseat and joined her sister and son on the porch. "You didn't have to make such a fuss about all this," Anna said, adjusting Astrid on her hip.
"It wasn't all me," Elsa said, opening the door to let her family in. "Gerda and Kai had their hand in a bit of this as well."
"I will have to thank them when I see them," Anna said. The living room of the house hadn't changed much in the nine years that Anna had been gone. The furniture was still the same floral monstrosity that her mother had picked out years before. The black veiled wall sized portrait of her parents still hung by the stairs. It was tradition in Nordic culture to which Anna and Elsa were but only first generation, to veil the portraits of loved ones gone. Elsa and her housekeeper Gerda had redone the upper floor bedrooms to make Anna, August, and Astrid comfortable. August was going to be in Anna's old bedroom because there wasn't enough room in there for both Anna and the baby. Anna and Astrid would be sharing the guest room, well Elsa's old room now that she's taken the master bedroom.
While August was busy unpacking and setting up his room, the two sisters sat together holding the baby and discussing what was next in Anna's life.
"Oaken's Resort has hired me on for the front desk position," Anna said, bouncing Astrid on her knee. "Mr. Oaken said that I'll be on the morning shift, 7 to 3 so I'll be off in time when August gets home from school. He understands how important family is and is willing to work with me on a schedule."
"That's good. The resort is a great place to work," Elsa said. "Everything is going to work out for you here. You'll see."
"At least we won't have to worry about Hans," Anna said. "He and Glinda are clear across the country and I highly doubt he'll bother coming to visit his children."
"If I didn't have such a public job, the things I would do to that man," Elsa laughed. "How is August taking it?"
"As well as can be expected," Anna said. "He told me on the drive here that when he goes to school he wants his name to be August Dale. He doesn't want anything to do with his father."
"Well, that's his choice. We can't force his hand anymore than we can force Hans'."
Eight year old August Dale was nervous on his first day at a new school. He hadn't time to make new friends before the first recess and for the little boy it wasn't fun. The other boys were playing baseball and while August loved baseball, he wasn't very good at it. His dad had always been too busy to help him so when tryouts for the team came up he wasn't good enough to make it. Anna, his wonderful mom had tried her best but being rather clumsy and uncoordinated teaching her son the fundamentals of baseball was a sinking ship.
After recess his teacher started passing out index cards. "We're going to be writing to soldiers that are based here at Fort McEntire. Each of you will be given a solider to write to. Their name, rank and position in either the Air Force or Army are written on the card. Most of these men and women have been away from their families for months at at time. So let's try to brighten their days with some nice words and pictures."
Writing a letter was a daunting task for a second grade class. But August was going to do his absolute best. He looked at the name on his card. "Captain Kristoff Bjorgman, Helicopter Pilot," August read. He took out a sheet of paper and in his best handwriting he began to write.
Dear Captain Bjorgman,
My name is August Dale and I am eight years old. I am in the second grade at Arendelle Elementary School. My class is writing to soldiers and airmen from Fort McEntire which is really close to my house. I just moved back to Arendelle with my mama and baby sister. My dad is not around much but I don't mind. He wasn't that nice of a dad to start with. I like baseball and video games, except I'm not very good at either one. Mama says I just need to practice more. She tries to help me but she's not very good either.
My teacher says that you're a helicopter pilot in the Air Force. How did you get that job and do you like it? Teacher says you are in Africa. Is it nice there? Spring has finally gotten here and Mama and Auntie Elsa are loving it. Spring is my favorite season. What is your favorite season? Do you have many friends in the Air Force? I haven't made any new friends since I moved here. Mama says that once I start baseball I'll have more friends than I know what to do with. I can only hope she's right.
Thank you for reading my letter. Teacher thinks she may have a barbecue for all the people our class is writing to when you come back from Africa. I hope you can come.
Sincerely, August Dale
Several weeks later at the base in somewhere no one has ever heard of Captain Bjorgman was flying a crate of supplies from the base to the village. After delivering the supplies he and his co-pilot headed back to base. When they arrived, they were just in time for the mail call. Kristoff was headed back to his bunk when he heard a shocked laugh come from the corporal handing out the mail.
"Hey Cap! Captain Kristoff Bjorgman, you have a letter!" the little guy shouted at him.
"A letter for me?" Kristen thought. Who would send him a letter? His parents were gone, aside from his best friend Sven Olson, he had no one in the world. He walked up to the corporal and accepted the letter. The handwriting on the envelope was slanted and uneven in sizing. A child's handwriting. Kristoff knew what this was. Yet another "Write a Vet" program at some school. He was half tempted to just throw it away without opening it, until he saw the postmark. The letter was postmarked Ardendelle, California, his home, where his base was. He walked back to his barrack and sat down at his desk to read the first letter he's received in years.
After reading the letter, Kristoff dug out a legal pad and began to answer the questions of an eight year old boy.
Dear August Dale,
Thank you so much for your kind letter. I haven't gotten a letter from anyone in years. As you know my name is Kristoff Bjorgman and I am captain in the Air Force. I fly helicopters that deliver food and medicines to remote places of the world. While I can't tell you where I am right now, what I am doing here is very important. I like being in the Air Force and I plan on being in the service until I am too old to do it anymore. My best friend Sven is my co-pilot and our company clerk Olaf is fun to pick on. He's nineteen and this is his first deployment since joining the service.
Don't worry too much about making friends. When the right ones come along, you'll know. My buddy Sven and I met in high school and we've been the best of friends ever since. Your mom is right about making friends in baseball. Don't give your mom too much grief about not being good at baseball. It takes time to develop your skills and find your rhythm.
I understand your feelings about your dad. My dad wasn't the greatest dad either but he did his best. That's probably where your dad is too. I'm glad you have your seasons. Spring is my favorite too. We don't have much of a season change around here. It's either wet and hot or dry and hot. Well, August, I have to go to a meeting but I really enjoyed your letter and if you want to, you can write to me all you want.
Your Air Force buddy, Cpt. Kristoff Bjorgman
"Who have you been writing to, buddy?" Anna asked her son.
"Captain Kristoff Bjorgman," August said, setting down his pencil. "He's somewhere in Africa and he doesn't have anyone else to write too."
Anna slid the response letter towards her and glanced over the words. While weary about her eight year old son writing to a complete stranger, it was the first time August had been excited about anything since the divorce. Anna left her son in his room to enjoy writing to his friend.