A/N: But wait, there's more!
With JJ's concussion under close watch, the medical team had been reluctant to clear her to fly home. As luck would have it, however, Will had driven from Pittsburgh to Chicago after leaving it too late to get himself sorted and on a flight, and so it had been decided that JJ would travel home with Will to give her head a little more time to come clear.
Having left Chicago late in the afternoon, they had driven some three and a half hours to Toledo, Ohio, where they had found a cheap motel and rented a room for the night. JJ, not wanting to spend all their time cooped up in a ramshackle motel room, had suggested they go out to find something to do.
As they were driving through the outer areas of the city however, Will had spotted a sign for a lookout over Lake Erie, and hence, they were now headed up a large, wooded hill, on their way to the lookout.
Before too long, they had reached a small clearing that had been laid with gravel to act as a parkup bay.
Swinging his truck around, Will reversed it up to the edge of the clearing, so that they would be able to lay in the back of it, relaxing under the stars which were just coming into full view.
While he set about rolling out a thin camp mattress he always kept in the back of the truck, JJ walked just beyond the end of the vehicle to admire the view over the lake. It was breathtaking to behold, yet incredibly peaceful and inviting.
"You gonna join me?" Will called out a few minutes later. Turning, JJ grinned, walking back over to the truck and climbing into the back. Will had set up the mattress, two cushions, and a blanket in case it got colder, so that they would be completely comfortable as they took in the view.
Cuddled up beside each other, they sat for what felt like hours, watching the moonlight reflecting off the shimmering surface of the lake, listening to the rustle of the trees in the breeze, accompanied by the chirping of crickets all around them.
"Will?" JJ said softly after a long yet comfortable silence.
"Mm?" Will replied.
"When did you first know... that you loved me?" she asked quietly.
Will turned to look at her, a happy smile crossing his face as he tightened the arm wrapped around her. "Remember in tenth grade, we went on that overnight camp with school? We had to do a heap of team building activities, and one of them was that pool game where two people sit on people's shoulders and try to knock each other over-"
"Yes! And you and I had to verse each other"
Will laughed. "It's probably the only physical activity I've ever beaten you in"
JJ laughed as well, draping an arm across his stomach.
"Well, that was when... that was when I first realised I had feelings for you. I'll be perfectly honest and say that a lot of it was probably spurred on by the fact that you spent that entire camp parading around in your bathing suit"
JJ giggled. "It was hot!"
"Yeah, the weather wasn't the only thing that was hot," Will said, his voice growing husky as his hand brushed a little higher on her stomach, sliding beneath her shirt. "But as for when I knew I truly loved you... that was when you got home from London, when I saw you for that first time at the airport. That was when I knew... I'd missed you so much, and when I saw your face again, I almost couldn't control it. I would've kissed you right there in the terminal if it weren't for the hundreds of people and the crippling fear of rejection"
JJ chuckled, looking up at him with nothing but love and admiration in her eyes.
"You were a little slower on the uptake though," Will laughed.
"I think I'd had feelings for you for a long time, but I didn't fully realise it until London," JJ replied. "It was only after your phone calls and Aly's constant teasing that I started to realise my feelings for you, and it was almost straightaway that I knew I loved you, but I refused to admit it until you told me you loved me the first time"
Will simply responded by smiling, before pulling her into a deep kiss. Immediately, JJ reciprocated, easily moving so she was straddling Will's lap. He was a little surprised, but receptive none the less.
The quiet sounds of nature around them were soon joined by soft moans of pleasure, their bodies humming with excitement. One by one, their clothing was discarded, the stars twinkling above them in the darkness as they made love to each other with vigour. A show of gentleness and appreciation, it all culminated with guttural cries that broke through the darkness of the night.
Sometime later, they were cuddled up beside each other, breathless and sweaty, but content.
When a distant sound reached his ears, Will turned his head, looking over the side of the truck tray and out towards the road. Two pin pricks of light were weaving their way up the road towards the lookout, darting between the trees with every winding curve.
"Someone's coming!" he exclaimed, stifling laughter as he ducked down out of view of the car he'd spotted coming up the road.
"Oh my god," JJ gasped, looking down at their naked bodies, then back up at Will. As the absurdity of the situation hit her, she started to laugh. "Can you imagine if someone finds us like this? They'll probably be quite shocked," she giggled, cuddling right up close to Will as he attempted to cover them up with the blanket.
"Let's just hope they don't know who you are," Will chuckled. "Because I don't think it would go down well with USA Gymnastics"
JJ snorted, burying her face in Will's shoulder as the car pulled up a short distance away from them with a crunch of gravel. The engine continued to run, and from what she could hear, no-one was yet exiting the vehicle.
Laughter bubbled from her chest again, despite her attempts to stifle it with her hand.
"Shh!" Will chuckled, playfully covering her hand with his to try and keep her quiet. "You'll get us caught"
It seemed to take forever, but eventually, the car pulled out of the parkup bay and slowly drove away. For the young couple in the truck, they hardly dared to breathe, let alone speak, until the sound of the car's engine had well and truly disappeared into the night.
Lifting her head to look at Will, it only took one glance for them both to dissolve into uncontrollable laughter.
After all, all they could do in life at times was laugh.
What happened to JJ at the Classic? I haven't seen the meet yet but she got a really low score on floor and then scratched vault and bars?
She had a seriously scary fall on her opening pass. She was going for her double double, and somehow punched extremely high, got lost on the second flip, and landed smack on her back on the floor. It was pretty scary to watch, she actually seemed to just drop like a rock out of the air onto her back. She was ok, but the medical team were concerned she had a concussion, so she decided to scratch the rest of the meet. It was later confirmed by JJ on her Instagram that she had a minor concussion as a result of the fall, but she seems eager to get back in the game for Nationals.
Is JJ seriously going to keep the double double after today?
Marta got hounded with questions about it following the competition, but she seems extremely confident that JJ will get this skill. No-one is quite sure what happened today, it was a very bizarre fall she had... but both Marta and her coach have stated in the past that the skill looks fantastic at camp and in the gym, it's just the competition aspect of it she seems to be struggling with. As far as I'm aware though, if she doesn't nail it down for Nationals, it's not going to Scotland.
"I would stay away from your dad today," were Sandy's cautioning words as JJ heaved her bag up from the floor onto her bed.
"Why?" JJ asked, turning around with confusion written all over her face.
"I think he's got a stomach bug... he's been throwing up all day, I don't want you catching it with Nationals next week," Sandy replied.
"Well... I'm going to at least go and tell him I'm home," JJ said stubbornly. Then, with a huff, she spoke again, this time, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "But I won't go past the door"
Sandy rolled her eyes, stepping aside as JJ left the room and headed around the landing to her parents' room. Pushing open the ajar door, she poked her head into the room with a smile.
"Hey Dad. I'm home," she said sweetly.
Lifting his head, Michael broke into a smile when he saw JJ standing at the door.
"Hey peanut. How was the drive? How's the head?" he asked tiredly. As he spoke, JJ noticed for the first time how pale his skin was. Even in the summer sunshine coming through the window, he looked ashen and exhausted.
"The drive was good. And my head's ok... still a little dizzy. Mom says you're not well though?"
Michael shook his head. "No, I think I ate something funny, or caught someone's bug. I should be ok by tomorrow... just have to sleep it off"
JJ nodded, smiling again. "Well, I won't disturb you any longer, I just wanted to let you know I'm home"
"Alright kiddo. Go rest that head, I'll rest... everything... and then we'll both be fighting fit by the end of the week"
Chuckling, JJ nodded, giving her father one last smile before she turned and exited the room, pulling the door closed behind her.