Disclaimer: I don't own the Millennium trilogy characters
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Chapter 23
That Friday Mikael, Lisbeth and Aaron headed to Hedestad. Mikael decided to rent a car instead of using public transportation. They were packed and ready to go, Aaron was playing with his white teddy he was talking to the toy. Lisbeth put the baby in his car seat and went to the front seat next to Mikael who took over the driving responsibilities.
It was early afternoon when the small family arrived to Hedeby Island. They drove to Henrik's house. Mikael lifted Aaron from his seat while Lisbeth grabbed his diaper bag. Aaron was a little cranky and wanted to be out of the car. They parked outside the house and went in to meet with Harriet and Henrik.
Mikael knocked and Anna let them in, Lisbeth asked for a room in which she could change Aaron and nurse him. Mikael went with them; Aaron fell asleep after nursing. Mikael and his family met with Harriet, Henrik and Erika who were in the library.
Henrik was the first to notice them, "You must be Lisbeth Salander and Aaron Blomkvist." The older gentleman approached Lisbeth who was carrying a sleeping Aaron.
Lisbeth sort of smiled at Henrik, if it weren't for him she would not have met Mikael.
"Nice to finally meet you." She answered. Mikael was delightfully surprised; Lisbeth generally did not do small chat. She was improving at social conventions.
"Mikael, I hope you find the cottage to your liking, I just refurnished it last month." Harriet addressed some of his concerns about the cottage. Aaron woke up and saw all the people around him and rubbed his eyes. He liked people; Aaron was a very curious child and loved interacting with new people.
He saw a man with white hair and giggled, he wanted to touch that white hair. Henrik noticed that the baby was seeking him out and humored him. Vanger lifted Aaron from Lisbeth's arms. Lisbeth was surprised and was about to object when Aaron let out a guffaw, the baby touched Henrik's white hair and tugged. The older man made a funny face.
"I'm sorry Henrik, he's very friendly and has a tendency to explore his surroundings, am afraid that includes people's body parts." Mikael attempted to take his son from Henrik's arms.
Henrik who was very amused by the baby moved away from the journalist. "It's been so long since a baby was here, I don't mind this young boy's antics. You leave him be." Henrik and Aaron continued playing; Aaron kept pulling white hair while Henrik made faces.
Mikael politely greeted Harriet and Erika; Lisbeth nodded at Erika and glanced over to Harriet. That was all the recognition she planned to give to Harriet Vanger. Little by little the Millennium guests arrived. Christer and Arnold arrived by train at around 5:00. They greeted the Vangers and went to their room to freshen up. Malin Eriksson and her boyfriend; Richard called to excuse themselves. Due to family issues they would not be able to attend the vacation.
By 6:30 Aaron grew tired and sought Lisbeth's attention. The mother picked the baby from Henrik's lap and left the library.
"That's our cue to leave, we'll get settled and will be back for dinner." Mikael said and followed his partner and child.
"I do think that he has a beautiful family, the girl is truly a beauty." Henrik mused out loud. Harriet and Erika looked at each other, both clearly disagreeing with his latter assertion. They would not call Salander a beauty per says.
Henrik Vanger liked the girl; she was quiet and doted on her son. It was very evident, he saw how she soothed the little tyke and Mikael was very besotted with her. The look the journalist gave Lisbeth Salander spoke of deep affection and intimacy. Anyone who had ever experienced love would certainly see it in Mikael's eyes.
When they got to the cottage, Aaron was napping again. They entered and saw that indeed Harriet fixed the place. There was a crib in the bedroom, the fridge was full with products and there was an AC installed just in case the temperature rose.
Lisbeth placed Aaron in the crib and then took a shower. Mikael distracted himself by reading a magazine he brought, when Sally came out he showered.
He was drying his hair when he saw her; his Sally was wearing a black cocktail dress, very simple. She was not wearing her studs nor was she wearing her usual make up or her hairstyle. Mikael saw her applying eyeliner and mascara, which was all she wore. She applied lip-gloss and was ready to go. Lisbeth was always ready, she never made him wait, and he loved her for that.
"You look stunning," Mikael was truthful, her hair was framing her face, she looked uninterested but her eyes were bright.
"Hurry up, why are you still staring at me?" Mikael smiled and kissed her in the cheek. He went all black too. Except for the tie, he chose a dark blue.
Aaron was dressed in a stripped white and blue shirt with dark jeans. He woke up from his nap and looked around. Mikael picked him up and they headed to Henrik's house. They walked the short distance and were escorted by Anna to the living room where the other guests were already assembled.
"Lisbeth and Aaron how great to see you," Henrik approached the baby and his mother. Lisbeth half-smirked, Mikael just shook his head and handed Aaron to Henrik who motioned to leave the room. Lisbeth looked a little alarmed.
"Do not worry dear, I'll play with him until dinner is served. I will take care of him and put him to sleep." Henrik kissed her cheek and left with Aaron.
Lisbeth glanced around the room and saw the new faces around her. Two women chatting about teenagers and their acts of rebellion, they were both good looking. The older woman was a brunette with graying hair. She had a kind face, and was on the plump side, the younger woman had strawberry blond hair that fell to her shoulders and a slender body.
Erika was talking to a man who could be around Mikael's age. Harriet and Dirch Frode were discussing the latest merger for Vanger Industries. Lisbeth suspected the other two men were the Americans.
Harriet saw the couple and approached them. "Mikael, let me introduce you to our guests." She motioned to the three men who were now talking to each other.
"Russell White, and his wife Elizabeth." The older couple smiled, Mikael answered, "Nice to meet you, I am Mikael Blomkvist and this is my Lisbeth."
Lisbeth remained quiet through out the introductions. The Montgomery's children stayed at Isabella's house. This couple was very laid back; Marianne was thrilled to be in Sweden, her grandparents were Swedish. This was the first time she visited the country.
"This is Ryan Brown," Erika said, Brown was a very handsome guy. He appeared to be in his early thirties and had black hair and hazel eyes.
"Nice to meet you, I hear you personally recommended your partners to invest in Millennium." Mikael said.
"Yes, my ex-girlfriend was Swedish and she brought a copy of Millennium. I happened to read it and became interested." Brown addressed Mikael but kept looking at Lisbeth.
Lisbeth felt uncomfortable, Ryan Brown was unsuccessfully trying to make eye contact. She glanced around the room and decided to approach Erika who was on the other side of the room. She wasn't fond of blondie but it would be a good excuse to move away from Brown.
"Hey Berger, I hear you arranged this social gathering." Lisbeth started.
"Yes, it was me, Lisbeth could I say something?" Erika asked and Lisbeth nodded.
"You look fantastic, that being out of the way I am glad you came with Mikael." Lisbeth lifted an eyebrow; that was the friendliest gesture Berger was getting from Lisbeth Salander.
Erika tried to engage Lisbeth in a conversation about Millennium's latest editorial when Brown approached them. He complimented Erika "I have said this before Erika but you look gorgeous. "
They resumed their earlier conversation about art. "Greger just went to a conference in San Francisco. He brought a beautiful piece by a new artist. I can't remember his name but I will get Greger to call you and talk to you."
They continued with their conversation, Lisbeth was about to leave but Ryan spoke up.
"Can I talk to you for a minute Lisbeth?" Lisbeth did not say anything; Erika left her side and suddenly Brown spoke again.
"I followed your story through Millennium magazine. I know this is incredibly indelicate but I believe we could be great friends. There is just something about you that attracts me." Ryan Brown said. He was smiling and throwing all the possible charm.
Lisbeth never had someone approach her so directly. She was usually the one to make advances at men. The girl with the dragon tattoo felt out of place. She stayed quiet until Mikael rescued her.
"I see you've met Lisbeth" Mikael said smiling, he was glad his partner was socializing.
"I was just telling her that we could be great friends and more if she wanted to. I read about her in your magazine and she became something of an enigma to me. I would like to get to know her better." Brown said
Mikael politely answered, "Sally could certainly use more friends I don't know about the 'more part'."
Mikael was amused. His Sally was definitely uncomfortable. She was glaring at him and Brown.
"Do you think you have time to get together tomorrow and spend the day together?" Brown was persisting. Lisbeth merely glared at the investor.
Mikael finally intervened, "you would have to make plans for Lisbeth and our son."
Ryan Brown blushed and almost spilled his drink, "you guys are together?"
It was the first time Lisbeth spoke directly to Brown, "about 3 years now." She continued glaring at the investor and the journalist. Lisbeth left to look for Henrik and Aaron.
Once the men were alone Brown excused himself, "I am completely embarrassed, I never thought she could have someone already."
Mikael just laughed and patted him in the back. "You did not have a chance with her anyways." The journalist left a dumbfounded investor. Mikael made his way to the Montgomerys.
Lisbeth found Henrik and Aaron playing by the stairs. "I think I should take over now" the young mother picked up her son from Henrik's arms.
"Dear, you have a delightful son, he is a charmer." Henrik truly enjoyed Aaron and his liveliness.
The adults and the baby made their way to the living room. Harriet bought a baby high chair for Aaron; Lisbeth settled Aaron and waited for the others to show up. They did, in less than five minutes the dining room filled with people.
The women were the first to notice the baby boy. Aaron gave them a laugh and a blown kiss. Mikael taught him how to do that. As many other females they were goners.
"And who is this little prince?" Elizabeth White asked, Marianne Montgomery cooed at Aaron and the baby blew her another kiss.
"His name is Aaron, he is my son." Lisbeth said; Marianne was completely taken with the baby. "He is such a handsome boy, look at those blue eyes. They remind me of your eyes Mikael."
Mikael had just entered the room; he sat next to Lisbeth. He laughed and simply said, "Well, he is my son after all." Marianne smiled and continued playing with the boy.
Elizabeth examined Lisbeth and said; "she is so much younger than you" the older woman was curious.
Mikael took Lisbeth's hand and said "She is perfect for me, and she is the love of my life." Mikael smiled and tenderly kissed Lisbeth's hand.
Lisbeth subtly glared at him, he knew she hated those public love declarations. Mikael just shrugged. Henrik broke the somewhat uncomfortable silence by ordering the food to be served.
The guests ate, Lisbeth tried to feed Aaron but he was more interested in the new people. He giggled and stretched his hands to Russell who in between bites waved at the boy.
After the dinner was over the guests broke into groups again. This time the American wives approached Lisbeth. Mikael murmured to her, "you are on your own love." He left her and went for Henrik and the three Americans.
Elizabeth spoke first, "Dear I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable. I am learning to be more open minded" Lisbeth nodded. Thankfully she did not have to make small talk, the women went directly for Aaron who was on Lisbeth's hip. "May I hold him?" Elizabeth asked; Lisbeth was about to say no when Aaron went for the woman's pearl necklace.
Lisbeth sighed softly; Aaron was terribly trusting around strangers. Elizabeth caught the baby and held him.
Marianne started chatting about her own experience with babies. Lisbeth politely listened and also talked about Aaron whenever the other woman asked about him.
Needless to say Ryan Brown did not approach her anymore that night. Lisbeth could see that he was still embarrassed about his earlier advances. Aaron started to fuss; Lisbeth excused herself and looked around for Mikael. He noticed and also excused himself; the young family left the Vanger house.
While they were walking Lisbeth finally spoke "I felt so uncomfortable around those people, especially around Brown."
"I thought it was funny that he believed he had a chance with you." Mikael laughed and poked Lisbeth on the ribs. She laughed and tried not to wake Aaron.
"I cannot believe that woman just blurted out that you were too young for me." Mikael said.
"Blomkvist everyone knows you're an old pervert." Lisbeth seriously said, Mikael tried to look offended but he failed and ended chuckling with her.
He hugged her and the baby while they walked. When they entered the cottage Lisbeth put Aaron on his crib and undressed.
She tried to undo the zipper but was unable to. "Mikael come and help me with this thing."
Mikael delicately undid the zipper and peppered kisses along her neck and back. He turned her around and kissed her on the mouth. He was being very gentle; Lisbeth was in the mood for gentle tonight.
"This is the same bed where I made you mine for the first time. I remember that night you seemed vulnerable but were so forceful at the same time."
"I almost turned you down but your eyes made me change my mind. I wanted you, I am so happy I went for it." Mikael said and kissed her.
Lisbeth rested her head on his chest and drifted, she was also glad she decided to risk herself that night. She remembered the anxiety she felt moments before going into this same room. Lisbeth tightened her hold on Mikael and kissed his chest.
That next morning, Lisbeth woke up and started breakfast. She wore Mikael's black dress shirt. She poured herself a cup of coffee when someone knocked on the door. It was Cecilia Vanger, Lisbeth knew about her through Mikael.
Cecilia was surprised to see the young research assistant in Mikael's cottage. Cecilia was not aware that Mikael had a family now. She left the country and stayed with Anita for about two years and she was not really fond of Harriet. Whenever she visited Henrik they focused on gardening or talking about trivial things.
"Is Mikael here? I heard he was staying for the week." Cecilia came to talk to him; she wanted to have a good time with him. Cecilia was sure the girl was one of his conquests. Well they could always get together; she was ready to have a physical relationship with him again.
Lisbeth went back to the bedroom and woke Mikael up. "Wake up, Cecilia Vanger is in the living room."
Mikael yawned and tried to reach for her, "tell her to come back later, then come back to bed." Lisbeth pouted and pinched him in the shoulder.
Mikael yelped and stood up. He put on his robe and went outside, "hello, sorry I'm still a little sleepy."
"Well I see you had company last night. I will be direct and say that I am here out of curiosity. I wanted to see how you were doing." Mikael always admired her forwardness. He was hurt when she cut ties with him but decided that it was better for both of them.
"I am doing well, I can't complain. Millennium is doing great and for about two years no one has tried to kill me." He half smirked, Cecilia looked surprised and he briefly summarized his stint with The Section.
"So you have been busy. What about your love life? I see you are still womanizer. This girl I know, she was doing research with you when Henrik hired you." Cecilia wanted to know about the girl.
"Actually she is more than an affair. We live together." He wanted to continue but he heard Aaron giggling. Lisbeth came out; she put Aaron on his high chair and gave him a bowl of cheerios.
Cecilia looked at the baby and said "you have a son with her?"
Captain obvious, Lisbeth thought. "His name is Aaron, he is eight moths old." Mikael took over feeding Aaron while Lisbeth returned to the bedroom.
Cecilia kept glancing at the baby. "He has your eyes and your personality." She thought the girl was incredibly rude. But she did not judge. After all, most of the people Cecilia Vanger knew considered her a bitch.
Cecilia saw Mikael handling Aaron and perceived that he would not be receptive to continue their pseudo relationship. "I am glad to see you are well and happy. I must leave; I will be here until the day after tomorrow. I plan to go back to England and visit Anita again."
Mikael nodded at walked her to the door. He had an idea as to why she had come. He also knew that Cecilia recognized that her offer would not tempt him. That was why she kept quiet.
Lisbeth emerged from the room once again, this time for good. She settled next to Mikael and put herself a cup of coffee. "So she is going back to England. I wonder if her relationship with Anita is so great as it seems." Lisbeth stated; she listened to the earlier conversation. Lisbeth respected Cecilia, she did not know her well but from what Mikael told her and how she approached Mikael today Cecilia was a decent person.
"What do you think we should do? Harriet is taking the Americans to Hedestad so they tour the town." Mikael had a hunch Lisbeth would rather eat dirt than tour Hedestad.
"We are staying here, we should show Aaron the lake and then visit Henrik." Lisbeth voiced her thoughts. The couple and the baby lazed around until early afternoon. Aaron woke up from his brief nap and his parents decided to take him down to the lake.
Lisbeth wore jean shorts and a black t-shirt; Mikael wore khaki shorts and a white shirt. Aaron who was only wearing a baby summer hat and his swimming trunks, he loved the water and Lisbeth was sure once he saw the lake he would want to get in it. Mikael brought a book and towels for all of them.
Aaron was indeed excited by the lake, he kept pointing at it and saying "wa, wa, wa." Mikael took Aaron from Lisbeth while she unpacked Aaron's bath toys. Lisbeth also took off her shorts and shirt. She had black underwear, which could pass as a bathing suit. She stayed close to the edge of the lake. Aaron immediately reached for her when he saw her in the water
Mikael gave her the baby and watched them from a distance. Lisbeth gave Aaron a plastic boat and a small disk. He threw them around and giggled. The baby splashed in the shallow water, he kept giggling. Lisbeth watched over him, carefully pulling him back whenever he wanted to move farther from the edge.
Lisbeth and Aaron played in the water for about an hour. He heard someone behind him say, "they are truly beautiful." Henrik was there. It amazed Mikael how the old man bounced back. He had suffered two heart attacks but Vanger was still alive and kicking.
"I didn't see you there, Henrik. Decided to take a walk around the property?" Mikael asked, Lisbeth noticed Henrik and nodded his way.
"She is a sight, an unconventional beauty of sorts." Somehow this man's observations of Sally's beauty made Mikael a little uncomfortable. He was used to being the only person who recognized her as a stunning woman but Vanger was aware of Lisbeth from the moment he met her.
"Yes, she definitely is beautiful; not many people understand it." Mikael answered. Henrik agreed and waved at Aaron who also saw him and giggled some more.
"I see your son has taken a liking to me. Forgive me but I must take him to the house, he is such a joy to be around."
Mikael saw Lisbeth and their son coming toward him. He dried Aaron while Lisbeth dried herself. "Hello Henrik" Lisbeth said to the older man, Henrik greeted her and tried to convince her to let Aaron go with him to the house.
"You will see him again by dinner, wouldn't you like to have some time for yourselves?" Lisbeth did not comment, she was reluctant and did not want Aaron to be away from her or Mikael for such an extended period of time. She was about to decline when Aaron stretched his arms to Henrik.
She made her decision, "He will want to take a nap in about 30 minutes, please do not give him any sweets. If something happens have someone come to the cottage and look for us."
Lisbeth kissed Aaron and gave him to Henrik who went happily to his home. Mikael looked at her and asked "Lisbeth are you sure? Henrik would have to babysit Aaron for about 3 or 4 hours. I just never thought you would let the old guy take care of our son by himself."
Lisbeth glared and him and pouted, "well, he seems like a decent person plus Aaron did not cry. In fact he wanted to go with Henrik."
Mikael opted to let her be and peeled off his shirt, he went to the dock. Lisbeth looked at him and asked, "What are you doing?"
"I am going to take a dip in the lake. Come with me." Lisbeth smiled and looked around
"Ok, but you won't try anything funny." Mikael came closer and pecked her on the mouth. He grabbed her and pulled her over his shoulder, he then ran and jumped into the lake. Lisbeth laughed and wrapped her legs around his waist. Mikael laughed and tickled her back.
"I thought you said no funny business." He chuckled when she tried to dunk him down. "You little vixen, you tricked me into a false truce." Mikael went for her as she tried to swim away.
This was an old game for them. When they first went on vacation Mikael splashed her, this started a playful water war game between the two of them. Lisbeth was winning by a small margin.
Lisbeth was a very good swimmer but Mikael was stronger and could tickle her into submission. "Sally you come back here and finish what you started." He taunted her as she tried to put distance between the two of them.
He managed to grab her and splash her as he went for her middle. "Blomkvist, you behave now and leave me alone," she giggled as he hugged her and tried to dunk her again.
She tried to kiss him and placate him but he was relentless. In between kisses he said, "give up, or you're going down again." Mikael held her tight and they both went down. Lisbeth managed to kiss him and breath in his oxygen. They both went up again Mikael laughed and kissed her neck; "that was clever, just because I see you're willing to make a compromise and reward me, I will call this particular instance a draw. Now, you have to be very convincing and please me." Mikael tried to undo her bra but Lisbeth was faster; she grabbed him by the shoulders and dunked him. He was under water for about a minute when she let him emerge. "I admit defeat." He laughed and kissed her, Lisbeth grinned and wrapped her legs around his waist again.
"That wasn't so hard was it?" Lisbeth said as Mikael unsnapped her bra; his kisses felt so good. He definitely had a way with his hands; Mikael was touching her thigh and was making his way to her core when she moaned and bit his earlobe. Lisbeth chuckled when Mikael tried to finger her. "You really are an exhibitionist, you do know someone could come and see us." Mikael smirked and replied, "I know you Lisbeth Salander, you like it as much as I do."
He was touching her breasts and was about to relieve her of her underwear when they heard people talking.
"How did you like Hedestad Ryan?" Erika asked Brown
"I thought the town was beautiful. I'm not surprised the Whites and Harriet stayed back. I think Elizabeth fell in love with the little shops." Ryan replied
"I wanted to stay too but I feel like the kids needed supervision. I don't feel right when I leave them alone. Those kids can get in a lot of trouble." Marianne said.
Erika was about to say something about teens and some crazy story about her youth when something caught her eyes. Mikael and Lisbeth were in the lake; by the looks of it his hands were busy with Lisbeth's bra. Erika tried to walk the other way before everyone else saw them but Ryan also noticed the couple.
The Montgommerys smirked when they saw Mikael and Lisbeth. Charles said, "See Marianne, that's the way to live life." He laughed quietly and his wife joined him. Ryan seemed very flustered and uncomfortable. Erika was just glad Russell and Elizabeth stayed back in town.
The group saw Mikael hastily snapping Lisbeth's bra back, they also saw Lisbeth smirk a little and Mikael hide his blushing face in her neck.
Erika and the Americans kept walking, when they were not longer in close vicinity Mikael and Lisbeth shook with laughter.
"That was certainly embarrassing." Mikael said while Lisbeth just shrugged. The couple swam around a little more then they went to the cottage. Lisbeth showered before picking Aaron up from Henrik's.
"Lisbeth, we are very early; maybe we should wait another half hour."
"No." was her monosyllable reply. She was not waiting anymore, she felt anxious without Aaron. Lisbeth knew her son missed her, if experiences were something to go by then Aaron Blomkvist was crying his heart out by now. Last time when they left him with Annika he had cried most of the time he was with his aunt.
Mikael resigned himself and they went to Henrik's house. When they entered the living room they saw Aaron playing with paper. He was ripping sheets; and giggling. The baby saw his mom and crawled to her "mommy, mommy up, up." Lisbeth smiled and picked him up.
She kissed the baby's belly and blew raspberries on his skin. Aaron squealed while Henrik and Mikael gazed adoringly at Lisbeth.
"Mikael, Lisbeth; I thought that you were coming later for dinner." Henrik said, he was amused; this woman amazed him. She was so giving, he sighed wishing he were younger.
"I wanted to see how Aaron was doing; check up on him. I wanted to make sure he is alright." Lisbeth said nonchalantly, she did not want to lie to Vanger.
Henrik laughed, "you do not trust me with your son."
"I only fully trust Mikael around Aaron. Do not take offense." Lisbeth knew Henrik was kidding her but she wanted to be truthful.
Mikael and Henrik talked about the magazine while Lisbeth and Aaron played with the paper.
When it was time for dinner they moved to the dinning room where the rest was assembled. All of the guests made small talk; Christer and Arnold were present; the Montgomery's children were were also there. Lisbeth found the teenagers to be ordinary. She talked to Christer who engaged her in a software discussion.
Mikael was on feeding duty. He fed his son while talking to Elizabeth and Russell White; they discussed Hedestad's different attractions.
"Yes, the town's newspaper is amazing. They keep very detailed records; it is like visiting a museum." Mikael was making small talk; Russell asked the inevitable.
"How is it that a magazine like Millennium gained Vanger Industries as partner?"
"Well that is simple." Mikael replied, "As you are aware, Millennium was going through a rough patch. I was sued for libel, and decided to distance myself from everything. Henrik approached me; he wanted me to write his Memoirs. I agreed and came here. We became friends and he lent us a hand."
Harriet looked a little uncomfortable but she managed to recover; the conversations rolled around. Lisbeth, who was discussing something with Marianne, looked up when she heard Erika say, "Lisbeth truly is an incredible researcher. She's helped us a lot at Millennium."
"So that is how you guys met, was she a writer at the magazine?" Charles asked.
"No, actually I met Lisbeth because of Henrik; I needed help with some of the Vanger's history. Henrik suffered a heart attack and was unable to give me details about the family so I asked for a research assistant." He grinned at Lisbeth.
"I am being nosy but how did you guys get together?" Russell asked.
"I don't…" Mikael was about to cut him off but Lisbeth jumped in. She just took the leap and answered for the two of them.
"We worked together and we had to live at the cottage. By the end of the book we became friends and saw each other on and off for a while. When I got back to Stockholm we lost touch and reconnected about three years ago. Things just picked up after we reconnected."
Mikael was proud of her; she managed to share something about them with other people. He smiled and kissed her hands; he then looked at the Americans and told them something else.
"What my Lisbeth is not saying is that she disappeared on me for about a year and made me miserable. I am serious, she did not contact me for about a year before we became a couple."
The men laughed but Elizabeth and Marianne gushed about how romantic all of it was. Lisbeth was annoyed; Mikael knew he would have to make it up to her.
The party moved to the library where the usual discussion groups broke up. Ryan tried to make conversation with Lisbeth but she refused to acknowledge him, there was something about this guy that made her ill at ease.
"I know that is not how you two met. I read about your case, my partners might not know it but I do know that you went through a trial for murder."
Lisbeth looked uninterested and said "and you're saying this because…"
"Well Lisbeth I wanted to get to know you. I think you are a very interesting individual and I am attracted to you. I think you should give me an opportunity."
"No, I don't like you." She plainly replied. This man was a little creepy. She looked around for Mikael and found him talking to Arnold. She approached him and told him she wanted to leave.
They went upstairs and took Aaron, Mikael noticed that Lisbeth seemed strange and out of sorts but he did not push the issue. He learned early on that she would eventually tell him what was bothering her.
Lisbeth nursed Aaron and put him to sleep. Mikael hugged her and they dozed off.