A/N: Well I'm back! It's been a hot minute. My anxiety is finally under control. I'm going back to work as a travel agent in two days and I am so excited. My model plane collection has nearly tripled. And I have to get a root canal. But our lovely JJ and the world of UC has not changed!

Enjoy!

"Humor me for a minute"

JJ looked up at her coach as she climbed out of the foam pit. It was now mid May, and everything was starting to come together for her return to the competitive stage.

"Your vaulting is looking really strong, and it got me thinking. If I stack up some mats behind the vault table, how would you like to have a go at a Yurchenko half-on entry?"

JJ raised her eyebrows. "I… I guess. You think I should do two vaults?"

"It's just an idea, and I wouldn't even have you compete two vaults for another two years or so, but… you're coming along really strongly on everything, honestly better than I expected. I feel like you might need an extra challenge along the way," Nick said with a smile. "Obviously, if it doesn't work, it doesn't work, but it never hurts to try"

"Sure," JJ said with a grin, brushing off some of the dust from the pit as Nick turned and dragged a huge stack of mats over to the vaulting table.

What he said was true. Even though she came home every day absolutely exhausted, she was feeling strong. Despite the fact she had grown a couple of inches since the Olympics, she had managed to adjust the majority of her skills to suit her changed physique, and while it was still early days, she quietly felt as though she was already on track to be stronger than she had been in London by the time they got to Worlds.

"Alright kiddo!" Nick called, breaking her from her thoughts. The mats were stacked up, sitting just above the level of the table, ready for her to attempt the next challenge of her gymnastics career. "First one, I want you just to do a normal Yurchenko, blocking straight up and landing on your knees on the mats. Just to get a feel for the table and mats, since we haven't used mats like this for you in a while"

JJ nodded, looking down at the runway for her tape mark. It was worn out, her name barely visible since it had been placed way back in 2009, but despite that, she knew which one was hers. She lined up her toes with the mark, looking up at the table and taking a deep breath. Then, as was her usual, she stepped back with her left foot, before taking off down towards the springboard.

Her roundoff was strong, and she rebounded hard from the board. Her hands contacted the table firmly, sending her up and over with height she definitely hadn't had the previous year. She tucked her knees in, swinging around to an easy landing on top of the mats.

"Good!" Nick said cheerily. "Ok, so this time, you're going to twist. I'm going to tell you when to turn for the table. Nothing should change, except for the turn, but as always, whenever you add a twist to a skill, it becomes very difficult"

JJ grinned as she climbed down off the mat stack. It was a known fact of gymnastics – no matter how good the base skill is, as soon as you tried to twist, the original skill tended to go awry.

As she made her way back to the end of the runway, she noticed her dad taking a seat up in the mezzanine. As always whenever he drove her to and from training on his days off, he was eager to catch the last fifteen minutes of her practice. She smiled, giving him a small wave before she turned back to face the table once more.

"Alright, everything the same as before kiddo, just listen out for my voice, ok?" Nick called out. JJ nodded, lining herself up on her mark again.

With a deep breath, she took off towards the vault, hurdling easily into a strong roundoff.

"Turn!" Nick yelled as the springboard recoiled underneath her. She swung her arms around to the right as she flipped through vertical off the board. It was a wild attempt, and while her hands did manage to contact the top of the table, she realized a split second later that she was about to come peeling off the side.

"I got you!" Nick called, as she flew over the side of the mat stack with a shriek. Nick's strong arms wrapped around her waist, stopping her from toppling to the floor. Even so, her forward momentum carried her chest over his arms until she was hanging folded over from his hold.

There was a moment of silence before Nick started to laugh. Easily setting her back down on her feet, he ran a hand through his hair. Up in the mezzanine, Michael was also laughing.

"I wish we had that on camera"

JJ laughed as well, leaning back against the mat stack as she caught her breath. "That was… interesting"

"I mean, look kiddo, it wasn't actually bad, your turn onto the table was really good for a first attempt, but when your legs came over your head, you flew off to the side," Nick said with a grin. "There's potential there for you to get that quite easily"

"I think I've had enough for today though," JJ said with a heavy exhale.

"Yeah, I think so too. Go stretch out, then you're good to go"

Just like always, Michael had taken JJ straight from the gym to get ice-cream. From there, they made the short drive up to Grandview Overlook, the city skyline gracing them as they got out of the car and walked over to a deserted park bench.

"Jayje, I have to confess I had a bit of an ulterior motive for bringing you up here," Michael said with a chuckle as they sat on the bench. JJ turned her gaze away from the picturesque view of their city, looking expectantly at her father.

"I wanted to talk to you. And I felt it was a conversation we should have somewhere where we're not likely to be interrupted"

"O...k?" JJ replied, confused. "What about?"

"About… the fact that you and Will are having sex," Michael said calmly. JJ immediately felt her cheeks grow warm, but she could sense that her dad wanted to be honest and calm. She had to push away the embarrassment and talk about it like an adult.

"Everything I said to you a few weeks ago is true. I want you to feel comfortable coming to me if you need something and your mom isn't around for whatever reason"

"I know Dad," JJ said gently.

"But I also just… I wanted to ask you, and make sure you're being safe," Michael replied, looking at her pointedly.

"Of course we are Dad," JJ said with a smile. "Mom got me on the pill not long after we started dating. Just in case. And we still use condoms, because you can never be too safe. I mean, isn't that how I happened?"

Michael laughed. "Yes, yes it is. You were obviously just very determined to be in the world. We should've known then that you would go on to do something as big as the Olympics"

A silence fell between them as they continued to eat their ice cream.

"Have you thought about the possibility that even with all the protection… you could still get pregnant?" Michael asked gently after a few minutes.

"Yeah," JJ said softly. "Our chances are slim, but they're there. I don't… don't really know what I would do. I guess I would just cross that bridge if I came to it"

"Well, should that day come, you know your mom and I will support whatever decision you make"

"Thanks Dad"

"And Will is… respectful? Careful?"

"Yeah," JJ chuckled. "He's a complete sweetheart. I couldn't have asked for a better first experience. He's got a heart of gold"

Michael smiled, nodding once. "I wouldn't have expected any different from him, but I had to ask. You're my baby girl, I want to make sure you're being looked after and respected"

JJ took a deep breath, turning towards her dad with a small smile.

"Do you know what Will said to me… a couple of weeks before?"

Michael looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue.

"We were together, and we… well you know how it goes," JJ said softly, getting a chuckle out of her dad. "And when I thought we were heading towards having sex, I… panicked, a little. And Will was so sweet… he just took my hands… and told me that we didn't have to go any further than I wanted to. That if I never wanted to have sex, that that was ok. Because he just likes being with me"

Michael smiled, placing a hand on JJ's shoulder.

"He's a good guy, JJ. Almost too good to be true"

They sat in a comfortable silence, looking out over Pittsburgh as the breeze rustled through the trees around them. JJ finished up her ice-cream, cleaning her hands with the napkin before hopping up off the bench and walking over to the trash can. Dumping the empty cup inside, she turned back to find her dad watching her with a sad sort of smile on his face.

"What?" she asked softly, stopping a few feet short of him.

Michael shook his head gently. "Nothing… I guess it just hit me all of a sudden how much you've grown up"

JJ smiled, taking another step towards him.

"It's hard being a parent. You start out thinking that your kids will always be little, that they'll always need you. You want to protect them forever… and then one day you realise that they've grown up, and they're ready to face the world and everything that comes with it. And you can't protect them from everything because some things have to be experienced to learn from them." Michael sighed sadly. "I've got three children. But I've only had two of those days"

Swallowing hard, JJ closed the distance between them, dropping down onto the bench and wrapping her arms around her dad's body. He responded by dropping one arm around her tiny frame, resting his head on top of hers.

"I remember when you were little, I would always carry you around on my shoulders," Michael said softly, a little chuckle escaping. JJ giggled.

"To be fair Dad, I'm probably still small enough for you to do that"

Michael chuckled, nodding in agreement as he squeezed her a little tighter. "I just want to be sure that you're going to be happy. And safe. That you're in a relationship where you're both as equally important as each other and that you both have a voice. And I know you have that with Will… I guess just… after everything Ros went through… it's been a little harder to let you go"

JJ smiled, tipping her head up towards her father's face. "You know… just because I'm having sex… it doesn't mean I'm not going to need you for anything ever again. You're my dad, and I don't know what I would do without you. You give the best pep talks… I mean, look at the night before the Olympic team was announced. You calmed me down. I would have completely headcased the next day if it wasn't for you. I'm always going to need you in my life. I'm still your little girl… that's never going to change, Dad, I promise"

She could've sworn Michael had tears in his eyes as he swooped her into another tight hug, making her smile and squeeze her eyes shut as she buried her face against his chest.

"I love you Jaybird. Please don't ever feel like you can't talk to me, because if you ever need anything, I'll do everything I can to help you"

"I know Dad," she said softly. "I love you too"