Predictably, Lisbon grew skittish after the whole handholding thing. She watched Jane suspiciously when he did things like lie on his couch, cook dinner or her, or venture within ten feet of her. Especially when they took Lily out for walks together.

When they watched dog movies with Lily, Lisbon sat on the far end of the couch with her knees pulled up against herself in a distinctly uninviting manner. The only time she relaxed was when they were out on a case or if he was busy playing with Lily. In these moments, however, her gaze turned soft and speculative in a way he found encouraging. After some internal debate, Jane decided not to do anything to disrupt the status quo. Better to allow Lisbon some time to adjust to his increased presence in her life before pressing her for even more.

"So," Lisbon said one evening when they were eating dinner together at her kitchen table, Lily at their feet. "Have you made any progress on the Red John case lately?"

Jane paused with his bite of pasta halfway to his mouth. "Ah—no," he said, finishing his bite. "Not really."

Lisbon fiddled with her fork and addressed her plate. "You…you haven't spent much time in the attic lately."

Now that she mentioned it, he realized he hadn't set foot in the attic in weeks. "No," he agreed.

Lisbon continued to find her plate fascinating. "S'pose we haven't really had any new leads lately," she muttered.

"True." Of course, that had never stopped him from spending hours obsessing in the attic before. "Guess I've had other things on my mind."

She looked up at him sharply. "What things?" she demanded.

This was the hard part. How to signal his shifting priorities without causing her to shut down on him entirely, whether due to outright disbelief or by spooking her even more than he had with the whole handholding thing.

"Well, we've been pretty busy taking care of Lily, haven't we?" he ventured at last.

"Yes," Lisbon said warily. "But she's much better now."

"I know," Jane said, dropping his hand down below the table to stroke Lily on the head. "But her rib is still healing, and then there are the puppies to think about…"

"So you're just here until the puppies come?" Lisbon challenged him. "And then you'll head straight back up to the attic?"

Ah. "I imagine the puppies will take some looking after, especially at first," he said carefully.

"But once we find them new homes?" Lisbon persisted.

"Well, I wouldn't want to abandon Lily right after she's had her litter," Jane said, watching Lisbon closely. "She'll need some extra attention when that happens, don't you think?"

Lisbon frowned, as though she wasn't quite sure what to make of this response. "I guess," she said grumpily, hunching her shoulders and taking a bite of her pasta.

This wasn't getting him anywhere. He sighed. He'd hoped to avoid any weighty emotional declarations until he was prepared to let her know exactly what he intended to offer her. Which in his case, was by necessity going to have to include a list of things he was willing to give up to be with her. He twisted his ring on his finger distractedly. How was he supposed to tell her what he was prepared to give up when he hadn't fully resolved that for himself in his own mind?

Her gaze fell to his ring. She darted her eyes away, but not before he saw a cloud of unhappiness pass over her face.

"Hey," he said, alarmed. Without thinking, he reached his hand out and took hold of hers.

Her eyes flashed back to his, startled. Then she stared at their joined hands as though they belonged to two other people, and she wasn't quite sure they could be trusted not to commit some dangerous act without warning.

He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. "I've been working through some things," he told her. "I've been trying to get some things straight in my own mind before I start…cleaning out the attic."

Her mouth parted softly. "Cleaning out the attic?" she repeated uncertainly.

"It's a big change," Jane said. "I'm trying to sort out what's worth keeping and what makes sense to let go. But the letting go isn't easy. I'm trying to…to be sure of what I'm doing."

Lisbon tightened her hold on his hand reflexively. Suddenly, she was squeezing his hand so tightly he feared she might break a bone. "Take—" she drew in a shuddering breath and blinked rapidly. "Take all the time you need."

"Thank you, Lisbon," he said softly.

She let his hand go. Lily sighed and put her head on Lisbon's knee. Lisbon busied herself petting Lily's head with both hands. "Jane?" she said, addressing the top of Lily's head.

"Yes, my dear?"

She swallowed hard. "You'll let me know, won't you? If you need help with your spring cleaning project?"

"You'll be the first one I'll call," he promised.

She nodded, satisfied.

That night, she insisted on making popcorn.

She sat next to him so they could share it.