Well, I wasn't supposed to post this chapter until this weekend, but a few things have come up. 1) this story has gotten so much more attention that I expected it to so early on, and 2) I will be out of town for the rest of this week, and I'm not sure how busy I will be.

also, I know these first chapters are fairly short, but they will be longer in the future. They start getting longer around chapter 6 :)

So, here ya go :)

Disclaimer : I do not own VA or any of the recognizable characters

Please review!

Enjoy!

Dimitri's POV (written by Bethismyname)

My alarm went off at 0500 hours, just like it had on every other day for the past 4 years.

I went for my morning jog and was back and out of the showers by 0600 hours.

I was surprised to find a spring in my step as I headed towards the yard for the morning parade at 0630 hours. Today was the day that we started the new pen pal program. It was strange to find myself looking forward to a letter from a high school student, but not talking to my family very often was taking its toll.

I had the occasional phone call with them, but that was about it for my contact with the outside world. The last call was almost 4 months ago.

I had joined the military at the age of 20, passed the exams top in my group, and was called in for duty three years later.

"ATTENTION!" In practiced time, we all lifted our left leg and stamped it into the dirt ground, straightening our backs and staring straight forwards. "OKAY MEN! TODAY, AT 1000 HOURS, SECTIONS ONE AND TWO ARE GOING TO BE SCOUTING OUT THE REBEL BASE IN THE NORTH, SECTIONS THREE AND FOUR ARE GOING TO BE INVESTIGATING THE REPORTED REBEL SIGHTINGS AND SECTIONS FIVE AND SIX WILL BE HELPING OUT THE SURROUNDING VILLAGES WITH SUPPLIES!" He paused, but only momentarily. "But, on a lighter note, the pen pal letters have arrived today. Go to the command tent at the end of this parade to receive yours, if you signed up for the program."

There were some supressed laughs as he spoke. No one had ever heard the Colonel sound so casual and… human.

"OFFICER ON PARADE!"

3…

2..

1..

Right turn. Salute. March.

Half of the men rushed towards the command tent, and I (as always) was pushed to the back in their hurry to get there.

Finally, I made it inside and to the cargo section.

"Belikov? I didn't think this would be your type of thing!" the man behind the counter said, "It looks like you have the last letter too." He handed me a plain, white envelope with 'To Comrade' written on the front in a feminine scrawl.

I ripped it open and read over it in seconds. It was short, but I set about writing my reply immediately.

September 6, 2009

Dear 'Rose H',

It was nice receiving your letter, and I feel I should tell you a bit about myself in return.

My name is Dimitri, I am 24 and I am currently serving my second year in Afghanistan. I have a best friend too; his name is Ivan and he is here with me as well. We have been friends since kindergarten and signed up for the army together.

My hobbies are running, sparring and reading, and my favourite food is anything my mother makes. She lives in Russia, where I grew up, with my sisters. I haven't seen them for over a year and I miss them terribly.

-Comrade

I don't know why I signed it with the nickname she gave me, but I did anyway. I put it in an envelope and wrote the address she'd written on the top corner before handing it in for it to be sent back.

With a sincere smile on my face, I went to go find Ivan to prepare for our mission.

oh, and before I forget: several people have asked about my use of the nickname Comrade since Rose does not yet know that Dimitri is Russian. Well, Comrade has several definitions (that's not exactly the word I wanted to use, but still...). In this story, comrade is used more along the lines of being another nickname for friend. Also, (in case you didn't know) Comrade is a common nickname for soldiers (example: Comrade-in-Arms). I hope this clears up any confusion.