A/N: I was pleasantly surprised that we got to see the first episode early, thanks to its early release in Canada last night. Thank God for the internet. (I saw it on WatchSeries dot ag). I was both insanely gratified and disappointed by this episode. First, the disappointments: The case was boring, in my opinion. I wasn't impressed with Agent Vega. There was no kissing. Then again, all the Jisbon moments, especially the "key" scene, the origami swan, Jane's over protectiveness with Lisbon toward the FBI guy, the final scene—made me swoon with delight. But still, there could have been at least a kiss—even on the cheek, for crying out loud!

Okay, end of rant. Here, I will try to explain the sometimes painful awkwardness as these two damaged people attempt to forge a new relationship.

Episode Tag: Nothing But Blue Skies, 7x1

Two weeks later, and it was still awkward, thought Lisbon morosely.

Two weeks.

They'd been friends for more than a decade, you would think it would be easy to transition to a romantic relationship, a natural progression.

But it hadn't been.

Outside of the bedroom, they were still friends. They joked and laughed. They bickered and bantered. But it was not the same, and a strange discomfiture pervaded their interactions now, an unusual tentativeness almost verging on fear.

She didn't know whether it was her or Jane at the heart of it. She suspected it was both, but for different reasons they had yet to either fathom or admit to themselves.

Inside the bedroom, on the other hand, the awkwardness faded away. It was as if once he removed his old, familiar suit, Jane became a different man. He made love to her with a passion she had never known before, giving her sensual fulfillment she only thought possible in novels. It was wildly emotional too, cathartic even—especially that first time. Afterward, he had held her tightly to his body, whispering his love for her as he nuzzled his tear-stained face into her hair.

They'd spent a glorious week in Florida, Jane having been given two weeks suspension for his hijinks at the airport; Lisbon given two weeks leave to get her life back together and move back into her house in Austin. She thought often of that day after she picked him up from the TSA detention office…

"So," he'd said reluctantly in the rental car as they drove back into Miami. "I suppose we should talk about what happened back there."

Her eyes flitted briefly over to him on the passenger's side where he sat, shifting his injured, sock-clad foot uncomfortably. They had kissed, and it had been sweet and beautiful and perfect. Her lips still tingled, her face pink with the memory.

"We don't have to," she said, flushing anew. "I mean, I'm still trying to process everything that happened in the last eighteen hours."

"Yeah," he agreed.

And that had been that.

They'd driven the rest of the way in silence, though Jane had held her hand across the seat, his thumb soothingly massaging her knuckles.

Later that night, after they'd napped and showered in their separate chain hotel rooms, then eaten quietly together in the downstairs restaurant, he'd walked her back to her door.

"Would you like to come in for awhile?" she'd asked, and then she'd smiled a little, while her heart pounded behind her breast. "There's a great mini bar."

"Sure," he'd said. She would never forget how his green eyes had widened, how he had swallowed nervously before replying. He knew what she was offering.

He'd followed her inside.

"Nice room," he'd said. "Looks oddly familiar."

She squatted down by the mini fridge where the small bottles of alcohol were stowed. "What a coincidence," she said wryly. "What would you like to drink? There are the usual suspects—cheap wine, domestic beer—"

"Teresa," he said, and her eyes flew up to his where he still stood uncertainly, just inside the bedroom.

She shut the refrigerator and rose to her full height, her entire body trembling when she saw the sudden determination in his face. Jane closed the distance between them in two long strides, his hands swallowed up by her soft hair as his mouth took hers. There had been none of the hesitant tenderness of their first kiss. This time, there was no restraint at all, and he ravaged her mouth with an intensity that made her legs weak and her pulse deafeningly loud in her ears.

She still couldn't remember how their clothes had disappeared, but she suspected it was Jane's magical sleight-of-hand that had them naked on the queen-size bed in record time. His mouth and hands had been everywhere at once, and she felt loved and cherished and more aroused than she'd ever been in her life. She should have known he would be good at this. The graceful way he moved—his walk, his gestures, the way he held his tea-indicated a man with a complete understanding of his own physicality. That understanding had translated seamlessly into the bedroom, his elegant movements designed to bring them mutual and complete pleasure. He had more than succeeded—three times-before she cried mercy and sank into exhaustion, her stomach on the mattress, his breath rasping into the back of her neck.

Their days in Florida were spent taking long walks on the beach where they spoke of unimportant things, ate wonderful food, and made love in their room (he'd cancelled his own after the first day). Lisbon felt sore, sated, and wonderfully in love. She got used to seeing him without his suit jacket, shirtsleeves rolled up along with his trousers, his feet bare. She tried not think of all the years they had wasted, tried not to fear that this would all melt away when they returned to the real world.

It wasn't until they were back in Austin that Jane began wearing his suit jacket again like it was emotional armor. It was as if the Texas sun had brought his fears back into the light, and the closer the end of their two-week's reprieve, the more distant he became. He was preparing himself, but for what? Reality? Disappointment? She couldn't tell. But Lisbon wondered if his change in demeanor was merely reflecting her own misgivings.

Though Jane had reassured her their hiatus from work was completely by design on Abbott's part (their boss had proven to be quite the romantic), she still felt embarrassed at the perception people might have that she'd flitted from one man to the next in so willy-nilly a fashion. And so, while they drank their morning beverages on her front porch a week and a half after their first kiss, after years of being secretly, hopelessly in love with him, she'd asked if they might keep their relationship private. Jane acted as if he didn't want to, but Lisbon also sensed his relief. Acknowledging their new relationship to the outside world made it more…vulnerable, more susceptible to the whims of fate and its unknown dangers.

And so the armor.

And so the almost Victorian civility.

Jane ended his call with Abbott and smiled sadly at her.

"Well, this was nice while it lasted."

Her eyebrows shot up and her heart skipped a beat.

Jane sensed her panic immediately, and he set down both their cups and drew her into his arms.

"That's not what I meant," he said, and he squeezed his eyes shut as she slowly relaxed. "I'm not going anywhere. At least, not until you finally wise up and kick me out."

She didn't laugh. Her arms tightened around him, and she blinked back tears, her face in his neck as she inhaled the scent of her own soap.

She heard him sigh deeply, felt his kiss on the top of her head. "I'm not going anywhere," he said again. "I just don't want to share you with anybody yet."

She smiled then, and she was sure he felt it against the warm skin above his collar.

"So my plan is a good one," she said.

"I suppose. But the way you look at me will give it away in no time."

She pulled back in feigned offense. "What about the way you look at me?"

His face was all innocence, except of course for the worshipful gleam in his eyes. She blushed.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said. "I'm a master of deception, remember?"

She thought about the way he'd awakened her that morning. "Among other things," she said suggestively, and his eyes grew dark.

"We're going to be late our first day back," he said matter-of-factly.

"Hmm," she said, her tongue sneaking out to lick the foam her cappuccino had left above her lip. But she wasn't protesting the delay. Abbott, the case, the whole world could wait just a little while longer.

She looked into his eyes, his golden head framed by the blue sky above.

As he leaned in closer, his face blotting out the sun, there was no awkwardness at all.

A/N: I'm still not getting the lack of kissing, though I suspect it has a lot to do with the real life friendship of Robin and Simon. How awkward would it be, kissing a married friend, even though you are both consummate professionals? Just my instinct, of course. I hope things heat up soon, though, but I will continue to enjoy their sweet moments too. I'm just so glad we got this season, and their love is truly canon now!