A/N: Bit of filler to come, there's some time to kill before WORLDS!
It wasn't often that JJ was up before the sun in summer, but on her first morning of training after Nationals, she found herself wide awake at half past five.
She could hear someone moving around downstairs, and knew immediately it was her mother. Sandy was the queen of the early risers, even in the winter when it was cold and dark and the world wanted to stay in bed.
Figuring she might as well start her day, she kicked back the covers and pulled herself out of her bed. She made her way down the stairs, stretching her neck and yawning as she did.
"Good morning," Sandy said with a surprised smile as JJ shuffled into the kitchen. "I wasn't expecting you up for at least another hour"
JJ shrugged, sliding onto the counter stool as she ran a hand through her hair. "My body had other ideas. Where's Dad? Isn't he usually up by now?"
Sandy sighed. "Some emergency over at the DA's office. He got called in at two, so it can't be very good"
JJ grimaced. "He'll be complaining about how little sleep he's had when he gets home"
Chuckling, Sandy slid a mug under the coffee machine as she primed the settings. "No doubt about that. Now, since you're up so early today, how about I make you breakfast? I never get to make you breakfast anymore, you usually cram down a granola bar and a banana on your way out the door"
JJ grinned. "Sure. Eggs on toast?"
"Coming right up. Might even slip a bit of bacon in there for you"
They fell into a comfortable silence as Sandy set about making them some breakfast, and JJ found the lull in the conversation making her want to tell her mom what Will had said to her. She wondered whether Sandy would freak out; they were only nineteen after all. But she also knew that her mom knew Will well. He was sensible. He wouldn't rush anything.
"Hey Mom, Will said something interesting to me while we were at Nationals," she said softly.
"Hmm?" Sandy said, turning her head slightly but keeping her eyes on the stove as she cracked an egg into the frypan.
"He told me he wants to marry me one day"
Sandy turned around in shock, the empty eggshell still clutched in her hand. 'What?"
JJ broke into a nervous smile. "He wants to marry me"
"But-but you're nineteen!" Sandy said, her face clearly showing how baffled she was.
JJ rolled her eyes. "He obviously doesn't mean right now, Mom, it's not like we're going to the courthouse this afternoon to sign a marriage license. He just said... he said that he knows we're only young, and there's a lot of things we need to focus on first, like getting me to Rio... but he knows that one day, he wants to marry me"
Sandy let out a breath, setting the eggshell down on the edge of the sink and moving the pan away from the burner before wiping her hands as she came to stand across from JJ.
"Well that's... a lot to take in. How did that make you feel?" she asked softly.
"I mean... when he first said it, my first instinct was honestly to panic. But then I saw the way he was looking at me, and I just... I know how much he loves me. He's so much more mature than most guys our age. I know he truly means it, and that... it makes me feel amazing. I just... felt so confident, and like nothing could stop me"
Sandy smiled. "Did he say that to you on the Saturday night?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Because your dad and I both commented while watching you on Sunday that you looked like you had a real fire beneath you"
JJ giggled. "Yeah, I guess that was probably why"
"I know it's not a now thing, JJ, but it's still a big thing. Do you think you want to marry him one day?"
JJ thought for a moment, before breaking into another happy smile. "Yeah... I think I do. And that's... to me that's crazy because he's my first boyfriend and we're nineteen and we haven't even been together for a year-"
"But you guys have a bond and a friendship going back over ten years," Sandy cut in gently. "Don't count that at. What you guys have does not just start in October 2012... it goes way beyond that, and therefore, I think your feelings aren't that crazy after all"
JJ took a deep breath, pondering her mother's words with a smile.
"You know, there was a time not so long ago where a comment like that would have sent you running for the hills," Sandy teased. JJ laughed.
"Yeah. But it doesn't scare me. Not coming from Will"
"He's a wonderful boy," Sandy said with a wink, pulling away and moving back to the stove. "Your dad won't admit it because he wants to keep up his tough dad persona, but he really likes Will. He thinks he's good for you"
JJ had to laugh. "Dad? Tough? Since when?"
"I know right," Sandy scoffed. "Alright, fried eggs on toast coming right up, side of bacon to follow!"
"Push!"
With ferocity in her eyes, JJ threw her hands towards the low bar, catching it nearly perfectly before swinging into a smooth and controlled kip.
"Good! Now slow down, keep it controlled!"
Half turn, shoot to the high bar. And...
THWACK!
Her outstretched fingers had barely grazed the bar, sending her crashing onto her knees.
"Ugh," JJ groaned, staying on the ground for a moment and hanging her head.
This bars routine was going to be the death of her. She'd messed up her Pak at Nationals, and now she was not getting anywhere near enough height to catch her shoot up to the high bar. This was the second time in the last half hour that she had fallen on it.
"Take a deep breath," Nick said gently as she pulled herself up off the floor. "Think back to the last time your bars felt amazing"
That was easy. The Olympics.
"Before you remount... imagine that moment. Allow it to fill you up," Nick continued. "Take your time. There's no time limit for bars, which means there's no reason to rush. Extend through every motion before you move onto the next"
Nodding, JJ wiped her brow with the back of her hand, taking a deep breath just like Nick had told her to.
While her bars in the Olympic event final had been the best of her career, her all-around routine had felt incredible from start to finish.
Closing her eyes, she took a moment to calm her racing heart, allowing her mind to sink back to that day in early August. She focused on the pink that had surrounded her as she stood waiting to be given her green light, on the calm support Gabby had offered from the sidelines, the crystal studded purple leotard that had made them feel like nothing could touch them.
The routine that had followed had been nothing short of incredible. She had felt weightless... like she could soar over the bar as if gravity couldn't touch her.
As if gravity couldn't touch her.
Opening her eyes again, she honed in on the bar in front of her.
'I'm going to own you,' she thought determinedly, before holding her hands to bar, jumping off the ground, and remounting with a glide kip.
She went through the first parts of her routine, fully extending each skill before moving to the next. Her Tkatchev was high and flighty. Her Pak soared, her hands grasping the bar as she pulled herself down into the kip.
"Nice! You got it!" Gabby called as JJ moved fluidly from her Pak into her kip.
"Breathe and control it JJ!" Nick called.
Half turn. Underswing. Push the legs to straddle and shoot!
"Push it up!" Aly's voice rang out from somewhere in the crowd, acting like the wind beneath her wings as she stretched out for the high bar.
She caught the bar so easily that she nearly let go in disbelief. But never one to falter for no reason, she grit her teeth and swung through, continuing up into handstand.
A giant swing into a single flyaway flip, put to her feet with a smile on her face. Turning around, she grinned at Nick.
"I'll make an Olympic bars champion out of you yet," Nick laughed. "Good job! Your form is really improving on bars, I'm impressed. We just need to hammer that kind of consistency into your head forever"
"We'll get there," JJ said optimistically.
Nick nodded. "We sure will. Alright. I want ten pit crawls, and then you can go home. I'll see you at three"
"Aww, my sweet shy little JJ is off to Worlds camp to be one of the big girls!"
"I will fly to Boston just to smack you," JJ laughed, running her fingers through her damp hair.
Aly laughed along with her. "Sure you will"
"Don't underestimate me Alexandra, your sweet shy 'not a great all-arounder' JJ has five medals in case you've forgotten"
"Haha, you're going to be rubbing that one in the haters' faces for years, aren't you?"
"You bet I am," JJ chuckled.
"So... how's things with loverboy? Is he gonna miss you while you're away raking in the hardware?"
"I'd hope so," JJ laughed. "And I wouldn't be so sure about raking in the hardware, I mean, have you seen Simone? That kid has no fear. She just throws herself in the air and somehow finds the ground again. Do you know what would happen if I threw a double double Aly? I would DIE"
Aly laughed. "She is pretty awesome, but she's got a long way to go in terms of form and control. I could see her being world champ on floor this year though"
"Yeah"
"And you'll be world champ on beam"
"Can you like, not jinx it please? I haven't even left for the freaking selection camp yet!"
Aly chuckled. "Ok, ok"
"You still doing those classes at Babson?"
"Yeah, I've been using my spare time to further my business prospects... rather than tying up a boyfriend in my bedroom"
JJ's jaw dropped as she burst out laughing. "Can you keep it down, my mom is like two rooms away. And we do not tie each other up"
Aly giggled, a cheeky grin on her face. "I'm just joking, what you two get up to in the bedroom is not my concern. And I thought you said your mom knew?"
"Yeah, of course she knows, but that doesn't mean she needs to hear you suggesting we're into BDSM or something like that," JJ laughed. "God Aly, you're a loose cannon"
"You're just easy to tease, and I'm bored," Aly said with a laugh.
Looking at her watch, JJ sighed. She hated cutting their calls short.
"I gotta go Aly, I've got training at three"
"Go be amazing like I know you are. Break the beam! Own the bars! Don't die!"
JJ laughed. "Great pep talk. I'll text you later"
"I love you and miss you!"
Beaming, JJ made a heart with her hands. "Love and miss you too!"
And with that, yet another of their conversations was over.