#it would be important that Kristoff have a biological sibling

[lukin08]

A Major Life: San Diego

Rating: T (For some swearing)

Previous Chapters Here

A/N- So this one gets a little deeper into baseball than previous ones.  Also, I edited out a bunch of parts that could show up in later in some snippets.  The majority of it involved Kristoff’s family and I’m still thinking about it.  Some useless knowledge, but in case you are interested, Kristoff has 5 siblings in this fic- an older brother, a younger biological sister who’s five years younger (Kiersten- she’s the only one actually mentioned specifically in this chapter), another sister who’s around three years younger than him, a brother in high school and his youngest sister, who will just be going into high school.

Adorable art from @kristannafever

“Kari!  Get over here and give me a hug!”

Karoline was already wiggling out of Kristoff’s hold.  She spotted Sven in the lobby before they walked through the main doors of the hotel. As soon as she was down, she raced over and Sven swept her up into his arms.  

“I missed you so much!” Sven exclaimed.

Karoline was unusually quiet.  It almost looked like she didn’t believe he was here.  She put both hands on the side of Sven’s face and studied him.  When she seemed satisfied that she was really seeing him in person, she moved her arms around Sven’s neck to hug him.    

“I missed you too, sweetie,” Sven said, rubbing his hand over Karoline’s back.

Kristoff and Anna strolled up to where Sven was standing.  Karoline caught sight of them and flashed the largest smile.  “It’s Sven!”

Sven grinned at them and leaned down to give Anna a hug with his free arm.  Then he quickly pulled Kristoff into a strong side hug.

“Nice whiskers,” Sven laughed when he got a good look at Kristoff after he let go of him.

“What?” Kristoff shrugged. “We went to the zoo.  How can you go to the zoo and not get your face painted?”

Karoline grasped Sven’s cheeks and moved his head so he was looking directly at her.  “I’m a peacock and mama is a zebra and daddy is big lion.”

Sven chuckled and Karoline’s excitement, finally noticing the colorful and much more elaborate whirls of paint than her parents had on the side of her face.  “And who came up with those?”

“Me!” Karoline smiled proudly.  All of the sudden, her face changed to a look of concern.  After a moment, she patted his shoulder.  “Don’t worry.  You can be an animal too.”  Karoline stopped, in deep thought until she grinned again. “I know.  You can be a reindeer!”

“It fits you so well,” Kristoff said, with a smirk over at his friend.

“Hey,” Sven shot a look at Kristoff.  “If Kari says I’m a reindeer, then I’ll proudly be one.   …As long as there’s no face paint,” he quickly added.

“Alright missy.”  Anna came up to the pair.  “You are a sticky mess and mama’s tired.  Time to get up to the room.”

Sven let out a small whine and jokingly stepped back.

“You aren’t helping,” Anna said shooting a teasing glare to Sven.

Kristoff placed his hand on Anna’s shoulder.  “Go on up. I need to close out our bill and make sure our room switches over to the league’s account.  I’ll bring her up with me.”

Anna smiled up at Kristoff and nodded.  “Are we still seeing you for dinner?” Anna asked, turning back to look at Sven as she started to walk away.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Kristoff was already at the front desk when Sven came up to him.  Karoline reached out for Kristoff and he took her from Sven.  

“We have to pick up passes,” Sven said.  “I came down to grab them.  They are closing off our tower tomorrow.  Players and guest only.”

“Oh?” Kristoff responded. “I’ve never stayed anywhere that did that before.”

Sven gave out a hearty laugh.  “Welcome to the land of the big dogs my friend.”

The receptionist informed them the passes weren’t ready, but if they were willing to wait, they’d have them in a few minutes or they could send them up to the rooms.  It wasn’t busy now and Karoline was starting to fall asleep in Kristoff’s arms, so the two decided to wait for a bit in the lobby.  

“After dinner you owe me a beer,” Sven said sitting down in one of the chairs.  

“I owe you a beer?”  Kristoff sat down in the couch next him.  Karoline was already sleeping and he adjusted her to make sure she’d be comfortable.  

“Yes.  I flew out here a day early to see you, it’s the least you can do to thank me.”

“I seem to remember it being your idea to meet us out here.”

Sven waved his hands out. “Minor details.  But either way, are you up for a few later?”

“Of course.  I just need to get Karoline settled first.  I can’t miss story time.”

“You read to Kari every night?” Sven asked.

“It’s kind of our thing.”

Sven stretched, throwing his arms out.  “I don’t think I’ve seen Anna in what?  Two months? I was surprised when she said she was coming out.”

“There was no stopping her. The doctor said it was fine and it’s her choice to decide if she was up for going.”

“Well, she looks good. What’s the due date again?”

“September 23rd.”

Sven threw his head back and laughed.  “Oh man are you two lucky!  Right before the playoffs!”  He stopped to look at Kristoff.  “So what’s plan?  And don’t say anything because we both know you’re going to win the division at the rate the teams going.”

“We’re home the last week of the season and I have permission to take off a couple days as long as we’ve already clinched.  The team wants to rest the pitchers anyway as long as possible.”

“And how are you going to manage the post with a new baby in the house?”  

“We have someone to help at night.”  Kristoff paused searching for the name.  “A night nurse I think it’s called, but I don’t really know.  I had to sign an agreement with player relations that we’d hire one.”

“Oh wow.  They aren’t kidding around.”

“It’s the playoffs. I’m not happy about not being able to help that much.  But at least Anna can get some sleep, so I suppose it’s not the worst thing. Plus Anna’s sister is coming in for a bit and my mom will be there.”

Kristoff caught Sven grinning over at him. “What?”

“Kristoff Bjorgman, family man.  It’s a good look on you.”  

The desk clerk came over with the passes.  On the way to the elevator Sven spoke again, his tone serious.  “You seem to be in a good mood.  Are you feeling better about things since the last time we talked?”

Once in the elevator, Kristoff answered him.  “I’m here. I’m having a good time.  This could be the only all-stars I ever go to and I’m going to enjoy it.  We’ll see what happens in a few days when we’re all back. But I’m tired of the way that things have been.  I’m done with everyone’s opinion on what I need to do or say or think for things to get better.  I’m taking charge of my program and if I go down it’s going to be of my own accord, not bending and trying to change to what others think I need to do.”

The elevator opened and Sven stepped out.  He turned around quickly, pointing at Kristoff and smiling as the door closed.  “That’s the Bjorgman I know!  I love it!  We’ll talk more after dinner.”  

 On the other side of the door in their hotel room, Karoline was a fit of giggles.  From the noise, Anna could make out Karoline and Kristoff were playing some game that involved him tossing her onto the bed repeatedly. Her laughter was pure joy and it made Anna smile as she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror.  She ran her fingers through her hair that was already parted into two sections.  

Anna always braided her hair in some form whenever she went to see Kristoff play.  It had been this way ever since they were first dating. Kristoff teased after one of the early games she attended that it must have been good luck since they won.  Anna didn’t bother to mention that she only braided her hair that day because it was hot, but she wore it that way for the next several games she went to and the team kept winning and the tradition somehow stuck.  

It hit her that Kristoff wasn’t even announced to play tonight.  Why was she going through the motions?  This was silly.  A quirky superstition Kristoff had that carried no weight.  She should just leave her hair down and stop wasting time worrying about something that was completely out of her control.  But she couldn’t bring herself to move.    

“Babe!  I have to leave in 5 minutes.  Are you almost done?”  Kristoff’s voice broke through her thoughts making her jump.

“One second!”  Anna called back.  She looked in the mirror again and let out a sigh before straightening up.  “Positive thoughts,” she said and quickly twisted her hair into two braids.

When she walked out into the room, Kristoff had Karoline upside down by her feet.  She was telling him to let her go, but laughing in between.

“Hi mama,” Karoline said as Kristoff flipped her around so she could stand on the bed.  “We were playing!”

“It sounded like you were having fun! Daddy has to leave now.  Say goodbye and wish him good luck.”

Karoline jumped back into Kristoff’s arms and gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek.  “Play good baseball, daddy.”

“Thanks, bug.  I’ll see you after the game.”  

Kristoff put Karoline down and she went to play with her toys at the table by the window.  Anna watched Kristoff collect his things and followed him to the door.  When he turned to Anna, she didn’t give him time get any words out.  She reached up, placing both hands to his cheeks and pulled him down for a kiss.  His body stiffened, surprised at the forcefulness of her lips, but he quickly relaxed and his hands fell to small of her back.  Kristoff pulled her closer to him, matching the intensity of her kiss.

“What was that for?” Kristoff asked when the kiss ended.  He kept his arms on her back, still holding her to him.

“That was because I love you.”  Then Anna kissed him again.  Kristoff let out a low hum as their lips met, massaging his fingers against her skin in response.  When they stopped, Anna moved her eyes up to Kristoff, still in his embrace.   “That one is for good luck.”

Kristoff looked down at Anna and moved his hand up to run his fingers along one of her braids.  “Thank you,” he said softly.  He looked as if he was about to say something more, but changed his mind.  

They both reluctantly pulled away from each other.  There wasn’t enough time for Anna to tell Kristoff how proud she was of him and for all the emotions threatening to pour out of her.  All their struggles and sacrifices and countless times apart had led them here.  Kristoff deserved this regardless of whether he played or not.  She could tell him more tonight- would tell him- after the game, when the noise of fans were gone and all the excitement from the night died down and it was just the two of them again.  When he’d look at her the same way he always did and she’d think it almost impossible to feel so loved.

Anna gained her composure and gave Kristoff a bright smile.  “Be ready when they announce you.  You better believe you’ll be able to hear my cheering across the stadium.”

“Wouldn’t doubt that for a second.”  Kristoff bent down and gave Anna one last quick kiss.  “I love you.”

“Love you, too,” she said as he started to open the door.  “Kristoff?”

“Hmm?”

“Promise me you’ll have fun tonight?”

He looked her square in the eyes and she could see the sincerity in them.  “I promise.  Now, I really have to leave.  I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Wait,” Anna said, reaching behind her neck and fumbling to remove her necklace.  Kristoff gave her a confused look when she held out her hand to him.  

He looked down at her palm. Anna could almost see his mind searching for what she wanted.  Finally, understanding came over his face.  Kristoff nodded his head a few times.  He spread the fingers of his left hand and pulled off his wedding band, handing it over to Anna. “Keep it safe.”

“I always do.”

Anna threaded her necklace through the ring and handed the ends back to Kristoff so he could clasp it back around her neck.  She spun around, grabbed his hand and kissed right next to where the scripted letter A was tattooed on his ring finger that he had gotten for all the times he couldn’t wear his ring when he played.

Then she lifted her head confidently at him.  “Now get out of here,” she said pushing him playfully out the door.  

 Alright let’s do this.  Let’s meet the National League All-Star team.  

The announcer began introducing the players along the third base line in team order.  Anna was seated fifteen rows back from the dugout surrounded by Kristoff’s family.  Cliff sat next to her, as he always tended to do when they were at games together.  To her right was Karoline and Kristoff’s sister, Kiersten.  Everyone else was either sitting directly in front or back of her, with Bulda in the next row back, sitting alongside Sven’s parents.

Anna could see Kristoff scanning the crowd.  He had an idea of where they were all sitting, but hadn’t placed them yet.  She kept her focus on him, inching forward on her seat in anticipation as the announcer got closer to his name.  Then he found her, holding his gaze on Anna right before his name was called.

From the Chicago Cubs, Kristoff Bjorgman

Kristoff lifted his hat to the applause as Anna and the group around her all jumped to their feet and screamed as loud as they all could in the short moment before the announcer moved to the next player.  Anna caught Kristoff’s chuckle at their antics before he tipped his head down so the cameras wouldn’t catch him laughing.

It wasn’t long before the starting line-up was called and Anna was once again on her feet.

Batting second, Third baseman from the St. Louis Cardinals, Sven Olsen.

Sven ran out and lined up with the rest of the starters.  After the other starters were called, the teams scattered to their sides in preparation of the first inning.  Anna followed Kristoff walking to the bull pen until he disappeared from sight.   She settled in, ready to watch Sven and hoping beyond hope she’d see Kristoff on the pitcher’s mound sometime tonight.

 Sitting in the bullpen really wasn’t as bad as Kristoff imagined.  The atmosphere was light and all the guys seemed to be in a good mood. Even better was one of his teammates also made the cut and Kristoff was able to sit by him for a bit.  

He thought he’d be more uncomfortable sitting around during the game, itching to get out there and throw. But he kept his focus on his overall experience.  He was able to get some long tosses in yesterday during the All-Star workout for the media and simply being on the field amongst the best of his peers was satisfying enough for him.  

Three days from now everything would start to count again. He was determined to go into the second half of the season with a different mindset.  No longer was he going to try to conform to what everyone else thought he needed to fix or change or do. Regardless of the outcome, the next days and weeks were going to be on his terms.   He could live with what happened then.  He would be in control.

Kristoff was so wrapped up in his thoughts he didn’t notice how fast they were going through pitchers. Usually the second and third pitchers each got two innings, but they had both come and gone in one.  It was already coming up to the sixth inning now and they had gone through five guys.

“Bjorgman!  You’re up!  Inning after next.  Go warm up.”

Kristoff’s head snapped up at the pitching coach, who had just finished with the call from the dugout. The coach caught his confusion and added.  “The outcome of this game could mean something to you.  Go have a say in how one the innings will turn out.”

His mind was racing. Kristoff didn’t even remember grabbing his glove, yet somehow it was in his hand and he was stepping up to the rubber in the bullpen to start his warm up.  Everything was moving too fast and this wasn’t going to go well if he couldn’t get himself under control quickly.  

Kristoff took a step back from the mound, closing his eyes, and concentrating on getting his breathing regulated.  There wasn’t much time so Kristoff focused in on what he needed to do.  One inning, three outs.  That was all. He went through an abbreviated visualization of his pitches, pushing out all other thoughts.  Kristoff opened his eyes and stepped back up to the mound.  One inning, three outs.  

The only stakes in the game tonight was home field advantage in the World Series for the winning league. But for Kristoff, it meant everything. He was going to show everyone he deserved to be here, that his run wasn’t over and he was one of the pitchers to be feared again.  He was going to make every hitter that stepped up to the plate the next inning wish they hadn’t gone up against him tonight.

One inning, three outs.  He was completely in his zone when he reached his hand up to kiss the A on his finger. He pulled his glove on and held it out for the catcher to toss him the first ball.

 Anna flopped down in her seat, just coming back from talking to one of the wives from Kristoff’s old team. She probably wasn’t paying as much attention to the game as she should be, but she had at least caught all of Sven’s at bats and was watching enough to prove it to Sven when he’d ask her about it later tonight.  Karoline was sitting on Bulda’s lap.  She’d been so wonderful tonight; cheering whenever she saw Sven and occupying the rest of her time being entertained by one of Kristoff’s siblings.  

The inning changed over without Anna even glancing up.  She was turned to Kiersten who was talking a mile a minute about one of the players she met the night before during the friends and family time on the field before the home run derby.  He texted her before the game and Anna completely loved the sparkle in Kiersten’s eyes.  It amused her to no end thinking about how Kristoff would react to hearing any of this. He definitely wouldn’t be happy about it, but Kiersten was 21, going on 22 and could make her own decisions.

“Anna.”

Still engrossed in the conversation, she didn’t hear her name.  

“Anna.”

Cliff lightly shook her shoulder to get her attention.  Anna twisted her body to him and was met with a giddy expression on his face.  “Anna, look!” he said, pointing over to the bullpen.

It was difficult to see at this angle and with the fencing up, but she instantly recognized Kristoff throwing.  Anna shot up, trying to get a better view.  She could tell right away how he was if she could see his face.  Somewhere from behind a voice yelled at her to sit down, but all she could do was wave her hand behind her as she continued her laser focus at the bullpen.

“Anna, sit,” Cliff said. He tugged on her arm enough to get her to comply.  He placed an earbud in her hand and his phone screen was in her face.  At first Anna tried to bat it away but she finally looked at the game streaming on his phone and saw there was a close up of Kristoff warming up.  She shoved the earbud in her ear to catch what was being said.

Kris Bjorgman from Chicago is getting loose.  He’ll be the 6th pitcher tonight for the National League.

“He’s okay,” Anna said to herself after getting a good look at him.  “He’s ready!” she exclaimed to Cliff with relief in her voice.  

Cliff put his arm around Anna.  “Come on bud. Show’em what you can do,” he said, looking out to the bullpen

The next outs dragged on until finally there was a pop fly caught ending the inning and the teams switched.  Anna’s hand flew up to her mouth when she saw Kristoff jogging from the back of the outfield. She was transfixed on his every move, searching for any signs that this outing would be good or not.  This was supposed to be a fun game designed to entertain the fans.  But Anna knew all eyes from the team owners, managers, coaches and GMs were on Kristoff and they were ready to pick apart every pitch.

Everything went quiet when Kristoff stepped over the baseline.  It was a good sign.  Lately, he could hear the crowds when he pitched, his mind unable to tune them out. All the noise got to him, distracting him from his pitches.  He didn’t hear anything in the stands now; only the voices from the infielders and dugout were in clear focus.  Every subtle movement, kick at the dirt, shift of feet off the bases were in focus, waiting for him to react.  Kristoff took a few last warm up throws to get settled before the hitter stepped into the batter’s box.

“You got this Kris! You got this!”  Sven yelled at him from the dugout.  He was out of the game now, leaning against the railing intently watching Kristoff with the rest of Kristoff’s teammates.

Kristoff’s vision tunneled at the catcher’s glove.  He watched for the signs nodding yes at the second one.  One last deep breath and he felt the monster come alive again as he wound up for the pitch.  All the energy exploded from his body, hurling the ball toward the plate.  The curve ball came in; spinning so fast that Sven would later swear he heard a sizzling sound before it made contact with the catcher’s glove.

“Filthy!”  Sven yelled from the dugout as soon as the ump called the strike.  “The spin on that ball could rip a shirt!”

Kristoff threw again, getting the count to two strikes and a ball.  Everything felt right.  His body was strong and fluid and he quickly built up a nice rhythm in his throws.  The next balls flew in and the batter foul tipped three pitches in a row.  

Sven continued his comments after each pitch.  “He’s running scared now!”  Sven said, turning his attention to the hitter.  “How many times you gonna foul those pitches?  C’mon take a real swing!”

Sven’s antics reminded Kristoff of how much he missed playing with his friend.  Sven talked to anybody and anyone in a 25 yard radius of him during a game.  He’d have entire conversations with catchers at the plate over the course of a game. During their time playing together in college, Sven had gotten into the habit of yelling over to Kristoff in between pitches, just like he was doing now.

Another pitch headed for the plate that sounded like a pissed-off bumble bee.  The batter barely managed to tip the ball again to send it into the net.  Kristoff paused. He watched the signals coming from the catcher.  Slider.  He shook it off.  Curve ball.  Fuck no.  When the catcher finally signaled for a fast ball, it only took a slight nod of his head to confirm.  Like a missile, the ball shot towards the catcher only to be met with the whoosh of a bat.

The ump raised his right hand into a fist and pumped it forward with authority.  “Strike!”

The next two batters were up and down with barely any pitches.  The sound after he threw his last curve-ball of the inning was music to his ears; the sharp thud of the ball making contact with the catcher’s glove for a swing and a miss.

Kristoff walked out of the infield with his head down the same way he walked on.  He stopped in front of the dugout, finally letting out a shaky breath.  He lifted his head, searching again for the one face he had to find.  It didn’t take long this time for him to find Anna.  She was standing with his cheering family, hands covering her mouth.  She dropped them down when she made eye contact with him giving him the most beautiful smile.  Kristoff quickly touched his finger to his nose, getting the same response back from Anna. It was their private communication to each other when they were surrounded by crowds.  “I love you,” was all it meant, but it carried the weight of the world for them.  

In the dugout, Kristoff was greeted with excited high fives and pats on the shoulders from his teammates. He walked past everyone looking for a place to sit, but was enveloped in two large arms as Sven picked him up and twirled him around.  He didn’t let go of Kristoff, opting to give him a kiss on the cheek.

“You know we’re on TV,” Kristoff deadpanned, still locked in Sven’s arms.

“Of course.  Why else would I be doing this?  Maybe we’ll make the highlights!”  

“I hate you so much right now.”

Sven let out a bawdy laugh, putting Kristoff down.  “You know you love me.  Don’t even pretend you don’t.”

 Kristoff and Anna said their last good nights and confirmed the time to meet in the morning.  The door closed quietly in front of them and they went to walk down the hall.

“That was so nice of your parents to offer to take Karoline.”

“Offer?” Kristoff raised his eyebrows at Anna.  “They didn’t really give us a choice.  Practically pulled her out of my arms.”

“They did nothing of the sort.  But you know how insistent your mom can be.”

“That’s one of the biggest understatements I’ve ever heard.”

Anna yawned.  “Why does their room have to be the farthest from the elevator?  I’ve been on my feet all day, I think I can feel them swelling- “There was a surprised yelp from Anna as Kristoff went behind her and gathered her up.

“I can walk, you know,” Anna said, trying to sound as annoyed as possible.

“I know, but I wanted to carry you.”  Kristoff came to a halt.  “Unless you really want me to put you down.”  He started to lower the arm that cradled her knees.

“No!  No, that’s not necessary.  I’ll let you carry me this one time.”

Kristoff smirked at her. “Didn’t think so.”

They made it to the elevator and once inside, Anna let out a sigh.  “This was a good day.” She rested her head on Kristoff’s shoulder.  After a few moments, she sensed Kristoff looking down at her.  “What?” she asked, looking back up at him.

“I was thinking about that kiss from earlier today.”

“Which one?  The first or second.”

“Both.”

“No favorite?”

“I can’t choose.”

“How about a tie breaker?” Anna teased.

“Mmm, yes good idea.”

Anna wrapped her arms tighter around Kristoff’s neck as she felt Kristoff’s lips meet hers.  It was sweet and soft and they both were so lost in the moment that they didn’t hear the door open or notice the two couples waiting on the other side.  A cough from broke them apart.  Kristoff quickly exited the elevator while Anna gave them all a wave as they walked past.

He slowed his gate when the door closed again.  “Know either of them?” Anna asked.

“American Leaguers,” Kristoff grumbled.

“Oh my god, I wonder what they were thinking when they saw us.”  Anna giggled again at the thought of their reactions.

“They probably think we’re on our way to have sex,” Kristoff answered, not giving much thought to his response.

Anna tilted her head up at Kristoff giving him a mischievous grin.  “Well, we wouldn’t want to disappoint anyone.  And we do have the room to ourselves.”

Kristoff looked at Anna unconvinced.  “I didn’t think you were really up for that much anymore.”

They came to their door and Kristoff put Anna down so he could find his key.

“We haven’t done it in San Diego before,” she said running her finger up his chest.

“Anna-“

Anna pulled Kristoff down closer to her.  “Kristoff, when a pregnant woman offers you sex, you do not try to turn her down.”

Kristoff’s grin widened at her.  “Well in that case, I suppose I should take you up on it.  For moral support.”

“Don’t push your luck, buddy,” she said before kissing him again.

“Come on,” Anna exclaimed after Kristoff finally opened the door.  They both tumbled in the room in a fit of laughter ready to enjoy the rest of their evening alone.