A/N: Faves!

Wiping her forehead as she locked her car and turned towards the front door, JJ let out a heavy sigh.

Training was taking everything she had. Deep down, she still loved the sport of gymnastics, but on the surface, she was wondering why the hell it was so much harder trying to come back after the Olympic Games.

As she turned the handle and crossed the threshold, a flicker of worry shot into her stomach.

Was this a sign of her burning out by the end of the quad?

'No,' she scolded herself firmly.

She had promised to take it all one day at a time. And that was exactly what she was going to do. Besides... half the battle was overcoming her own expectations. She was a five time Olympic medallist, meaning she had a reputation to uphold. And that meant that she was probably being much harder on herself in her quest to regain her skills and strength.

"I'm home!" she called out as she closed the door behind her.

"It's about time!"

JJ froze; she knew that voice, but it didn't belong to any of her family.

Dropping her bag on the floor and her keys on the table, she made a beeline for the kitchen, rounding the frame so fast she nearly ran into it.

Standing with her mom in the middle of the kitchen, was Aly.

JJ let out a shriek of joy, throwing her arms around her best friend as her mom watched with a smile that went from ear to ear.

"Oh my god!" JJ said as she let go and stepped back. "Look, you're making me cry"

Aly grinned, putting an arm around JJ's shoulders as JJ wiped away a stray tear.

"Nice surprise?" Sandy asked with a chuckle.

"The best," JJ agreed, looping her arm around Aly's waist, her smile never leaving her face.

Seeing Aly seemed to be just the lift she had needed.

As it turned out, Aly was staying until the day JJ flew out for the May national team camp, meaning they had a little over a week together. After that, they likely wouldn't see each other again until Nationals.

"Are you competing the Classic?" Aly asked that night, tossing back a handful of popcorn as their cult favourite movie, Stick It, played on JJ's TV.

"Yeah, but not to qualify, since I'm already qualified from the Olympics. I'm using it to test out my routines, so that if anything doesn't work so well, we can change it before Nationals," JJ replied, taking a bite out of her apple.

"What are the new seniors like?"

"Oh my god, Aly, they're tiny. And so cute," JJ laughed. "I remember being that little and scared of all the older girls back in 2010. There's this one girl though, Simone, she is something else"

"How so?"

"She's got boundless energy, she's always laughing, and once she's been introduced to any of us older girls, she has no problems talking our ears off," JJ laughed. "She's a sweetheart though, and the funniest thing is, she gets along with Kyla like a house on fire"

Aly had to laugh; from the sounds of it, Kyla and Simone were like polar opposites. Imagining Kyla trying to keep up with Simone was enough to make anyone giggle.

"What about the other girls?"

"Well," JJ started, "you know Katelyn Ohashi already, and then there's Lexie Priessman, the junior all-around champion from last year. Katelyn actually wasn't at the last camp, apparently she's injured her shoulder, but hopefully she's back for the Classic. Then there's Madison Kocian?"

"I think I've met her, but it was only briefly," Aly said softly.

"She's so sweet, but she's so quiet. Gorgeous on bars though"

"What about the girls from last year, who's still around?"

"Obviously me, Kyla, and Mac. Ebee Price and Brenna Dowell are still kicking it with us, Mykayla Skinner is taking a shot at Worlds. Sarah Finnegan came back as well, she's not too fussed about Worlds but is gonna see what happens"

"Is it weird without me?" Aly asked with a grin.

"Yes! When are you coming back?" JJ exclaimed.

"Not sure. I'll see how I feel. I know I'm not done though, that's for sure. I'll just live vicariously through you for now"

Silence fell once more as they watched a little more of the movie. Barely five minutes had passed before Aly spoke again.

"So, Miss I Won Two Bronze Medals That I Was Only Expected To Get When Hell Froze Over... are you Marta's favourite this year?" Aly teased. JJ laughed.

"I'd say that's Kyla to be honest," she replied with a smile. "Which is fair, because Marta has always loved Kyla"

"Everyone loves Kyla, she's an adorable ray of sunshine," Aly mused.

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation.

"Come in," JJ called. Moments later, the door swung open and Will poked his head into the room.

"Hey you," he said, a handsome smile crossing his face. JJ beamed, hopping off the bed and going over to him, greeting him with a quick kiss. Still smiling, she stepped back, giving him room to come in.

"Will, I don't know if you've met Aly?"

"Don't believe I have. Will LaMontagne," Will said warmly, holding out his hand.

"Nice to meet you," Aly replied. A cheeky grin had crossed her face, and JJ knew she was thinking back to all the conversations in London.

"So tell me JJ, is it going to become customary for me to be surrounded by world class gymnasts?" Will asked jokingly.

"Most likely, so get used to being the least special person in the room," JJ replied with a giggle.

"Now that's just mean," Will pouted, pretending to be hurt. The girls laughed, moving over so that there was room for Will to sit down.

Their night was wasted away with movies, chatter, and plenty of laughter, even after Will left to go home.

Even though she had to be up early for gym in the morning, JJ was thrilled. Her best friend was right at her side once more, ready to cheer her on through the next chapter of her gymnastics life.