A/N: So to recap: So he's gone. And they got married. Oh yeah, MASH is my favorite military-esque show. So if you've noticed, there are a lot of references. Thanks to all my followers and Tumblr family. I really appreciate the love.

Curveballs

Chapter 11: Letters Back and Forth

My dearest Anna,

Night has fallen around us and everything is calm. The stars have come out and they are so bright without the marring of city lights or congestion. When I look up at the stars, I know that at some point in the day, you and our children have seen the same stars. I stare at the stars and I can see your face in the constellations. Every light of the stars is your eyes to me. When I close my eyes I can feel your breath on my neck. Your lips on mine. The way you taste. You haunt my every dream, my love. When I dream, I dream of holding you in my lap, feeling your warmth around me as I fill you. My love, how I long to have you in my arms again. I am so lost without you. When I return, I am going to take you far away and love you until I can't love you anymore and then start all over again.

My dearest love, I long to hold you in my arms and make the pain of our separation ease for you. Being without you is agony. I count the days until I can return to you and our darling children. Thank you for the prints of my baby girl. Waking up to your smiling faces next to my bunk makes life here that much more bearable. I carry you in my breast pocket on every flight. I carry you close to my heart, because it is there that you live.

Tell Gerda that I owe her my eternal love and gratitude for the very large tin of peanut butter cookies she sent in your last package. You can tell Coral that while her husband refuses to share his cookies, I gave him some of mine. Thank you love for taping their last game. The boys and I watched it the other night when our other film didn't arrive. I finally got the chance to shout "That's my boy!" in front of all the guys when Auggie was up to bat. I couldn't stop a tear from rolling down my cheek when he made the game winning stop at the plate.

Our days are long and tiresome. If we aren't running flights we are manning supply runs to the local villages. Some are so grateful to see us and others we are met with violence. The grateful outweighs the violence tenfold.

My love, the batteries on my lantern are starting to flicker. Sadly I must end this letter. Do know that I love you more than anything else in the world and cannot wait until I can get back to you and back to our life together. I dream of you my darling. They are only good dreams.

Until I have you in my arms,

Your Kris

Anna never read her letters from Kristoff anywhere but their bedroom. Sometimes his letters were so filled with sexy thoughts that she had to blush and laugh. Other times they were overly romantic that she wanted to cry. Reading his love from the yellow striped paper filled her so much that she could scarcely breathe. But his letters to August, those they would read together in the big easy chair that used to reside in Kris's barracks on the base. Now it was next to the fireplace in their new home. When a letter would arrive for August, they would curl up together and read it together.

How different Kristoff's letters to his son were than those to his wife. His letters to his son were filled with encouraging words, baseball tips and photos of Kristoff and Sven with their big toys. August's letters were the highlight of his day if there was one.

About three months after Kristoff had been deployed, he and Krista were staying with Elsa while Coral and Anna were at the new house putting together the newest care package. Elsa knew what was going in it because she had been the first to be told.

"Are you sure this will be the best way to do this?" Anna asked, packing the box. "It's going to totally blindside him."

"I did the same thing to Sven," Coral said. "Trust me. This will be great."

Dear Dad,

I know Mom's sending you the tape of the last game but Krista hit a home run! It wasn't a big scoring one like mine was but it's the second in our season and the only one that a girl has hit in the whole league. With that win, the Nordics are in second place in the whole league and we'll be in the Little League championships! Mr. Oaken from Mama's work as said if the Nordics win, he'll let us have a victory pool party at the resort. Mama also said that if don't win we can still have the pool party.

We've finally moved into the house, Dad. Mr. Kai, Aunt Elsa's assistant guy helped me put up the tire swing in the tree. I got to take one swing before it fell down. Mama said that we'll just have to wait for you to get home before we try putting it up again. Aunt Elsa and I have been painting the inside of the house while Mama's been at work. She said that white walls are boring so we're making the house a rainbow house! The kitchen is in reds, the playroom we made floor to ceiling chalkboard so Astrid and I can color on the walls all we want and won't get in trouble for it. My room is blue and Astrid's looks like a bottle of that yucky tummy medicine got spilled all over the walls. Mama and Aunt Elsa say that all little girls deserve a pink and purple room.

Mama misses you a lot Dad and I do too. I think Astrid misses you but she's still a baby and I don't think really understands where you are. I can hear Mama crying for you at night. I will crawl into bed with her and hug Mama tight. I even gave her my bear one night. That only made her cry more. Come home soon Daddy, so Mama won't be sad anymore.

Your son,

August Dale-Bjorgman

Somewhere far away, Kristoff was anxiously awaiting the mail. When he spoke to Anna last night she said she had a package coming for him and to be ready for it. He figured it contained more edibles and he wanted to make sure he could get to them before the vultures descended on them. Service men could smell home baked cookies a mile away and would circle hoping to get a taste of home.

Before Kristoff wouldn't even care if the mail had made it. Anything he would get Coral would send him in Sven's packages. Now, he had a family and they sent him cookies, pictures, videos and letters. He watched with bated breath as Olaf handed out the mail. A large box was remaining on the truck. Please be from them.

"Captain Bjorgman, sir," Olaf says. "This one's yours."

Kristoff lunged for the box, grabbing it in both hands and taking it back to his quarters. Unbeknownst to him, Sven and Olaf follow him with video cameras, staying just out of sight. Kristoff ripped off the layers of tape from the box. There was a tin of something tasty from Gerda. Papers from lawyers and realtors for Kristoff to sign and get back to Anna. There was a DVD titled "Astrid's First Steps, First Words, Auggie's Pool Party" and another stack of snapshots of his family. There was an envelope that was labeled "For Your Eyes Only." There was a gift and bubble wrapped square with a letter attached that said, "Read Me Before Opening" in Anna's handwriting. Busting into the cookies, Kristoff opened the letter, lying back on his cot to read the lovely words of his wife.

My dearest Kris,

The months have been long without you. Astrid started walking and talking. True to your prediction, her first words were Da-da. She toddles along in our home, exploring all the nooks and crannies. I think she's looking for you but what can you really know what a year old baby girl is thinking. She's almost outgrowing her chest carrier. Got a call from the lawyer today. It won't take much of a fight to get Commander Jerkwad McAsshole to give up his parental rights. Apparently he didn't think it was necessary to contact me to let me know that he and Glinda will be out of the country for the foreseeable future. In fact I expect the papers soon and then we can begin the official adoption process for Auggie and Astrid. He's already told me that he wants to be registered for school in September as August Dale Bjorgman.

We have all been hard at work getting moved into the new house. Signing the mortgage papers alone was the worst moment since you've been gone. I realized that we have a house that you haven't even gotten to decorate yet. Elsa, Gerda, and August have been painting the inside for most of the summer. I think they must have bought every color in the hardware store. There are two rooms that I won't let them paint. Ours and the third bedroom upstairs. That one will contain a very special guest. You may now open your present.

Kristoff set his cookies aside and reached for the bubble wrapped box. Sven and Olaf moved in closer to watch him open the gift. He ripped away the bubble wrap causing several of them to burst. He got through that layer and then the layer of wrapping paper. Coral had to have wrapped it because he could barely get through the tape before finally reaching for his knife. Cutting away the paper he found the back of another box. He turned it over to discover a shadow box containing a baby hat, booties, an ultrasound photo and a onsie that read "My Daddy's a Helicopter Pilot, what's yours?"

"Wait, what?" Kristoff said aloud, the confusion on his face. Thanks to Olaf and Sven, his subtle reaction was caught as it dawned on him. "OH MY GOD!"

Yes my dearest. Our miracle is coming. According to the last ultrasound, our baby will be here sometime in March. It's too early to find out if our baby will be a boy or a girl. And I don't want to know until you can be there with me to share in the reaction. My love, I have our love growing inside of me. The heartbeat was created from you. Knowing that I have this child growing inside of me, is enough to get me through the long nights dreaming of you.

Oh my love, how I long for you to feel our child move inside of me. I lay awake at night holding my belly, wishing your hands were around me. Nothing I will ever do in my life will compare to the joy I have, knowing I am giving you a child. A child with me. I love you so much, Kris.

Your doting wife,

Anna

He set down the letter and stared at the shadow box containing the baby things. He slammed the heel of his hand into his eyes to stop the tears from falling. She was pregnant. Anna was pregnant. Anna was going to have his baby. Anna was going to give him a child. Not that he needed another one, he had two already. But this child, born of a love that couldn't be measured by the stars in the sky, would be more precious than any other in the world. Because this child was a part of her. As much as she loved that the child was a part of him, he loved that the child was a part of her. And that thought made the tears fall from his eyes. And his best friend caught it all on video.

Poll Time! Boy or Girl?

Give me your best girl/boy name and I will select the winner!