Jonas was mildly taken aback when Cat told him that she missed him. It was not often that he was missed. Mostly he was scolded for either missing a meeting or being late to one. He was so used to being in the spotlight that this moment, right here, right now felt like a dream. He felt an intense burning sensation in his chest. He reached up and placed the small amulet of the hammer Mjolnir in his fist. It was a token he always carried with him. He was not a religious person, but something inside him burned with rage when religious people approached him and tried to convert or speak to him about religion. Mjolnir was a way for him to connect to his ancestors, to the land that he felt was his and that was taken away by the Christians centuries earlier. Of course, these were thoughts he kept to himself and only shared with a select few people. He was thinking about the conversation he had with Cat on the phone and here she was getting into his car. He knew about Nicholas being evil, he remembered the weird vibes he got from him when they had met years prior. He was determined to help Cat separate from him.<br/><br/>After she had gotten in the car. He turned towards her and turned the actual heat on in the car. The snow was falling in thick flakes and was quite heavy. The streetlights emitted a faint orange glow as the car windows frosted up. He leaned in and hugged Cat intensely. “What you told me, that took courage and I respect you for that” He wondered if this was strange. The two of them had only met hours earlier and here they were in his car acting like they had known each other forever. Perhaps they had in some past life. Jonas’ mother was always going on and on about the cycle of death and rebirth as mentioned in the Icelandic Sagas.<br/><br/>These were tales of old Viking Raiders and heroes that made their homeland famous and the story that was most famous of them all was the story of Ragnarök. The death and rebirth of the gods after their heroic battle against the Jotunn. The giants. Jonas could never understand it. He always tried, but perhaps he never would understand his mother’s ramblings. But it always seemed that his parents knew something he did not. Why was he always feeling like he was missing out on something?<br/><br/>He smiled at Cat. She looked beautiful. He felt that she was a bit better from the night before. The permeating sadness he felt from her had abated a little bit, but it was understandable now that he had known what was going on in her head to a small degree. In time, he would win her heart he thought. “Breakfast and coffee?” he said laughing as he put his car in drive and started driving. He took the back streets out of Wasilla and drove for almost an hour and a half along the coast until they reached a small restaurant that unless you knew it was there, would be completely oblivious to anyone driving by. It had a small flag above the door three to exact. Representing Norway, Sweden, and Finland. These lands represented the Karelian Union, which had been united under the Swedish banner centuries ago. He got out of the car and motioned to Cat to follow.<br/><br/>“I’m sure you have never been here before, but I promise you, you will like it. He had to somewhat yell as the wind was picking up and the waves were crashing against the distant cliffs. To anyone else, this would have seemed scary, but Jonas was calm, like nothing bothered him at all.<br/><br/>He entered the restaurant and the owners smiled at him. He had been here before and the owners knew him and his family well. They had come from the same neighborhood that his parents did in Stockholm and watched Jonas grow up. The matron approached with a gleeful look in her eyes as they had not seen Jonas in a long time. “Ung mästare Jonas! du pryder oss med din närvaro, hur lång tid har det gått sedan vi har sett dig?” Roughly translated, that meant “Young master Jonas! you grace us with your presence, how long has been since we have seen you?” They spoke to him only in Swedish. He was used to it. Everyone he had met in the United States that was from Scandinavia spoke to him in their native tongue. Jonas was used to it and responded in kind. It was mandatory for the Akerlund’s to speak the other Nordic languages fluently. So, it was natural that he spoke Norwegian, Finnish and Danish with ease. In his father’s mind it would make Jonas’ life easier once he became involved with the business on a deeper level.<br/><br/>He sat down at a table in the corner. The table was practically there for him. The matron looked at Cat as well and back at Jonas. “Hon är en bra match för dig Jonas. Äntligen en bra kvinna för att hålla dig ärlig.” “She is a good match for you Jonas, finally a good woman to keep you honest” She turned towards Cat and in the faint light in the restaurant she smiled. In heavily accented English she directed herself towards Cat. “You take good care of this young man he deserves it.”<br/><br/>Immediately she took the menus off the table and insisted that she serve them a traditional breakfast to start the day off right. “Gustaf, en traditionell frukost för dessa unga älskare.!” She bellowed to the kitchen. She poured them coffee and left them in peace. It was the same coffee that Jonas had at the café, so Jonas hoped Cat liked it without the energy he had imbued into it earlier. He sipped on the coffee and looked Cat in the eyes with his piercing gaze and blushed a little bit. “I’m terribly sorry about all Swedish Cat. These folks know my family and have known them for a long time. In fact, this lady’s sister used to babysit me when we’d vacation in Stockholm over the summers as a boy.” He let his guard down a little bit and sat back into the hard chair. “She just told her husband that we were lovers and to cook us a traditional breakfast. It’s not what you are thinking in terms of American bacon and eggs, so I do hope you like it.<br/><br/>Some time later, which seemed like an eternity, the woman returned with all the fixings of a traditional Swedish breakfast with some contemporary items as well. She placed Knackebrod, mackerel fillets, tomatoes, cold cuts and piping hot eggs on the table and asked the young couple to enjoy the meal. Jonas inhaled the coffee deeply and took a sip. He liked his coffee black, so he never added cream or sugar to it. “I hope you like it; this is the same coffee that we had at the café” he said taking a piece of the bread and spreading what looked like pink paste on it. “This is Kalles Caviar, essentially fish eggs, I know it sounds gross, but it is an essential part of any Swedes breakfast, so I encourage you to try it. He sent some adventurous energy into Cat’s mind so that she would be willing to try it. He took a bite and sighed with delight. “This reminds me so much of home, I cannot wait to go back there permanently” he remarked without thinking.<br/><br/>He did not want Cat to think that he hated her, and he truly did not, but the dullness of life here in this town could be numbing at times, which was one of the reasons he was taking frequent trips abroad. He liked Cat, deep down maybe he loved her, and one thing was for sure, did not want to make her seem unimportant to him. He leaned forward after a few bites. “So tell me about your night terror and all about Nicholas, I’d like to know more.” He said softly as the sun began to rise outside the window. The timing was perfect.<br/><br/>He was determined not to let Nicholas hurt Cat anymore.