A/N: Writer's block is kicking my assssss. But also, I just got an iPad, so once I get my drawing skills up to scratch, I'm keen to make some fanart of UC for you guys!

Weak light filtered through the kitchen window as JJ pressed the button to run the coffee machine on her chosen setting. It was quiet, the world outside still in a sleepy haze as the sun just barely started to peek above the horizon. The only sound breaking the silence was the gentle whir of the coffee machine as it brewed her morning cup.

Taking a deep breath, JJ brought her hands to the edge of the counter, leaning against it as she allowed herself to relax for a moment. Her mind cast back over the events of the year, still reeling as she tried to comprehend just how much had happened.

But for the first time in a long time, she felt... content. Her body didn't ache with the imagined weight of the grief and sadness she was carrying. Her shoulders were no longer tense, constantly knotted up right into her back. Her stomach was settled, able to take food and drink, no longer churning after every meal to the point where she would vomit everything back up. Even though it had only taken place over a few months, everything that had happened had made her feel as though she had aged years

"Well, well, well, she's awake before me"

At the sound of her mother's teasing voice, still raspy with sleep, JJ turned, casting a soft smile over her shoulder as her mom grinned at her from the doorway. "I wanted to start my day early. Start creating better habits"

Sandy gave her a smile, folding her arms across her chest as she shuffled into the room. She let out a yawn as she sidled up onto a counter stool, running a hand through her hair. "What has you up so early?"

Sliding her mug out from under the spout of the coffee machine, JJ turned so she was completely facing Sandy, her back resting against the edge of the kitchen counter. "I just felt like starting my day early... I've got therapy this morning, and then I'm training all afternoon"

"How's training going?"

"It feels good. My skills are there, I just need to get the strength back. I'm at a high enough level to be competitive this year, but I want to be a little higher than where I am right now," JJ said matter-of-factly. "We're just trying to be careful because I'm still having some trouble with my ankle, Nick doesn't want me breaking my old lady body before Championships"

As she looked up from her coffee mug, JJ noticed how bright her mom's eyes had gotten in the dim light of the kitchen as she was speaking.

"I don't know if I've told you this since everything that's happened, but JJ... I am so fucking proud of you," Sandy said softly, her voice wavering ever so slightly. The weight of her words hit JJ immediately; her mom didn't curse often, and when she did, there was always genuine meaning to it. "And not because you're talented and determined and a champion, I mean, of course I'm proud of you for those things... but these last few months have been horrible for you. And I know how many times you wanted to give up, I know how close you came to just letting everything else win... but you didn't. You might not have realised it at the time, but more than once, you told me you needed help, and I know how goddamn hard that was for you to do. It's never easy to admit that you need help, but you did"

As her mom spoke, JJ could feel tears welling in her eyes, but she swallowed hard, forcing them back as much as she could.

"You may not have wanted to, but you took every option we gave you to help you get better, and it's a testament to how much mental strength you have that you're where you are today. I know things are looking better with Will, but I think even without that reconciliation, you would still have made so much progress from where you were in February," Sandy said shakily, taking a deep breath. "Right now, I... I see the old you... you're still you. You're just stronger, tougher, and you know yourself better than I bet you ever thought possible. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise"

Biting her lip, JJ smiled, the sentiment seeming to warm her to her very core. "Thanks Mom... that... that really means a lot"

"A lot has happened since I last saw you"

Looking up at her therapist, JJ couldn't help but blush as she saw the knowing smile on Melissa's face. "I... yeah, I guess"

"Why don't you walk me through everything?"

It took nearly ten minutes for JJ to recount everything that had happened, from the late night phone call from Will, all the way up to the kiss they had shared on her last morning in New Orleans. Melissa sat there, unmoving, patiently listening as JJ talked through it all, breaking her concentration every so often to make a quick note on her notepad.

"... I think we're going to be ok," JJ finished softly, unable to help the smile on her face. "I know we still have a long way to go, but... it was nice. This last week"

Melissa smiled, setting her notepad down and leaning forward slightly. "It definitely sounds like you're on the right path. So I think... going forward, we should focus on some strategies to help you communicate... because at it's very core, the breakdown between you and Will happened because of a lack of communication. Would you agree with that?"

JJ paused for a moment, before nodding slowly.

"Then that's what we are going to focus on. But for today, there's actually something else I wanted to discuss with you, just to get an idea of where you are physically and emotionally after everything that's happened," Melissa said warmly. "I just want you to remember this is a safe space, ok? There's no judgement, and anything you say will stay in this room"

"Ok," JJ said with a frown.

"Now... in the last couple of months, have you noticed a difference in your sex drive?"

JJ chuckled. "I haven't exactly been having a lot of sex"

Melissa grinned. "No, but you're still a twenty two year old woman. Just because you haven't had a sexual partner doesn't mean you don't still have needs"

Ignoring the heat creeping into her cheeks, JJ shrugged. "I don't know, I... I guess I haven't really felt like it lately"

"Which is completely understandable," Melissa said gently. "You were diagnosed and medicated for complex grief disorder, depression, and PTSD. And one of the side effects of anti-depressants that isn't talked about as much is a lower sex drive... in combination with the hit libido can take when you're struggling with your mental health"

JJ nodded in agreement, absently picking at the side of her fingernails.

"I guess what I'm trying to say, JJ, is that you and Will used to have a very healthy and active sex life. And as things start to reconnect between the two of you, you may find that you're not as up for sex as you used to be. But that's completely ok. You just have to make sure you communicate with Will about how you feel in the moment," Melissa said. Sitting back in her chair, she shot JJ a small smile. "But in the meantime, remember you're allowed to take care of yourself as well. I think it's a really important part of healing"

"Tighter, TIGHTER!"

Rebounding hard off the tumble track, JJ pulled herself into a tight twist as her body whirled through a double layout. One twist... one and a half... THWACK! With a loud thump, she hit the crash mat in the foam pit, her body barely all the way around through all her twists.

"That wasn't a great set, kid," Nick called as he sauntered over to the edge of the pit. "You whipped back rather than letting your momentum carry you up. Hence why you didn't have enough height to get the twists around"

JJ heaved a sigh, hauling herself out of the pit and shaking herself out. As she settled her weight onto her right leg, she let out a wince as her Achilles tendon gave a protesting ache.

"That ankle still giving you grief?" Nick asked knowingly as he glanced over towards where Kate was lining up at the end of the track.

"My whole body hates me," JJ groaned, flopping onto the nearest foam block. Nick chuckled, walking a few feet away towards Kate.

"Alright Kate, keep it nice and tight! Let your whole body leave the track before you start twisting!" he called out. JJ watched as Kate nodded, before stepping up to her line marker on the track and taking a deep breath. In the quiet of the afternoon, the sound of the foyer door opening echoed through the gym, but none of them reacted; Elliott and Teagan were both around, and they often moved throughout the gym for various reasons.

And then the little blonde was powering down the track, flipping with such ease that JJ was almost jealous. She watched as Kate rebounded high off the track, her body rotating through a clean double twist before she dropped down elegantly into a stuck landing on the crash mat.

"Nice Kate!" Nick said, clapping in approval as Kate started to clamber out of the pit.

"Hey, JJ," Kate said as she reached the edge. JJ lifted her chin, watching as Kate pointed towards the front of the gym. She turned, her eyes scanning the front of the gym for what Kate was pointing at.

And then she saw him.

"Oh my god!" she gasped, breaking into a grin and leaping off the foam block she was sitting on. Dodging over and around bits of training equipment, she sprinted across the gym, letting out a happy squeal just seconds before she had jumped into Will's arms. "What are you doing here?"

Will chuckled, his strong arms looped beneath her butt as she locked her ankles around his waist. "I told you I'd come back, didn't I?"

JJ was sure her face would crack with how hard she was smiling. "Is it ok if I kiss you?"

"That's always ok," Will replied, only to have JJ's lips crash against his moments later.

Back at the end of the tumble track, Kate giggled as Nick rolled his eyes.

"This is why you're not allowed to have boyfriends," he said with a teasing grin as he shot the fourteen year old a look. "They distract you"

"But girlfriends are ok, right?" Kate replied with a mischievous smile. Nick laughed.

"You trying to tell me something?"

"You said it, not me!" Kate protested, making her coach laugh again.

"I said nothing"

Breaking away from their kiss, JJ couldn't stop smiling as she looked into Will's face. Whereas just a couple of months earlier, his face had been fraught with anger and pain, today, he looked relaxed... happy, even.

"Are you back for good?" she asked in a small voice. Will chuckled, his lips quirking into a handsome smile.

"Can't keep workin' on fixin' what we broke if I'm down in New Orleans, can we?"

Her heart swelling, JJ clutched him tightly, overjoyed at his words.

"Thank you," she breathed, only to get a brush of his lips against her temple before he spoke once more.

"We'll get there, Jayje. I promise"