A/N: Please let me know what you think of the updates!

Also I've changed the Skill Guides into Terminology Guides, to better explain any gymnastics terms that you may come across in the story. I have included the skills from the first chapter in this one.

Three of the medals she had earned hung proudly around her neck as she stood atop the podium in the center of the arena. She couldn't stop the smile that had found its way onto her face from the moment the gold medal was placed around her neck.

For the third year running, she had won the senior national title on balance beam, her standout event. In addition to her gold medal for beam, she had also managed two bronze medals; one in the all-around competition, just a few tenths ahead of Aly, and the other on the uneven bars. Another result she had achieved, but was yet to be awarded for, was finishing second behind Aly on floor.

Looking to her right, she broke into an even bigger grin as Aly beamed up at her from the adjacent podium. It always felt good to share the podium with her best friend. But in a season like this one, heading into the Olympic Games, it felt even better. Like she could handle anything that the year decided to throw at her.

So long as she had her friends at her side.

"Hey peanut, good job!"

Her father's excited voice met her ears as she walked through the crowded foyer in search of him and her mother. Looking in the direction of his praise, she spotted them waiting near the kiosk, breaking into a beaming smile as she quickened her pace towards them.

She got to her dad first, throwing her arms around his middle as he wrapped her in a warm hug. He was beaming from ear to ear, love and pride radiating from every inch of his body as he held his youngest daughter in a tight hug.

Michael Jareau was by no means a small man. Standing at just over six feet tall, he projected an air of confidence about himself by the very way with which he walked. But as intimidating as he may have looked, those who came to know him would quickly learn he had a golden heart, and a nature as gentle as they came.

"What did you think of my bars?" JJ asked with a smile as she pulled away and turned to her mom.

"They were great! They're looking so much better!" Michael praised as Sandy pulled her daughter into a hug.

"You looked fantastic out there JJ... we're so proud of you," Sandy gushed, before pulling back and glancing down at the medals hanging proudly around JJ's neck. She lifted a hand, lightly fingering the gold medal that read 2012 NATIONAL CHAMPION – WOMEN'S BALANCE BEAM.

"So," Michael said, letting out a breath. "Olympic Trials next, hey?"

Slowly, JJ nodded, a small smile creeping across her face.

"Yeah... but let's just get through the next two weeks first"

"How's my favourite gym bugs?"

Both Nick and JJ turned at the sound of the familiar voice. Nick's face lit up as he recognised his wife, Tasha, walking towards them. It was only the day after they'd arrived home from St Louis, but already, they were back in the gym for the daily grind.

"Hey sweetheart. What are you doing here?" he said warmly, setting down the chalk he'd been breaking up and heading across the floor to meet her. JJ stayed seated on the edge of the floor, taping her fingers up in preparation to do her bars drills for the day.

"I was passing by... thought I'd drop in and see how you're going. Hey JJ, great job at nationals by the way!"

"Thanks!" JJ called back, flashing Tasha a smile.

"Don't you come near me with those chalky hands Nicholas," Tasha scolded lightly as Nick approached her with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Or what?"

"You can make your own dinner tonight, that's what," Tasha said with a grin.

"I'll get my mom to bring him a plate," JJ chimed in, getting a laugh out of Nick.

"Oh, so that's how it's going to be now?" Tasha replied, a flirtatious smile hanging around her mouth as she looked pointedly at her husband.

"Yeah," he chuckled, reaching around her and slapping her ass playfully, leaving a bright white chalk handprint against the denim of her jeans.

"Nicholas!" Tasha exclaimed as Nick and JJ howled with laughter. "God, you're like a child"

"You love me," Nick replied with a grin. Tasha rolled her eyes in defeat, grinning as she leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.

"I'll see you tonight. JJ, keep him in line for me!" she called out as she turned and headed back for the foyer.

"Always," JJ laughed, pulling herself to her feet as she buckled her grips around her wrists.

Nick chuckled to himself, before turning back to his gymnast. "Alright kiddo. Let's drill this routine until you can do it in your sleep"

Later in the evening, after she'd showered off the chalk and had something to eat, JJ was spending some of her free time unpacking her bag from nationals, and repacking it with the things she would need for Trials.

She carefully laid out all her national team leotards from the past three years. She would have to pick two (and a spare, just to be safe) to take to the meet... but she had so many favourites, it was just a decision she couldn't make straightaway.

"Excited?"

JJ jumped, whirling around to find her mom standing in the doorway. Sandy held out a hand to her, chuckling. "Sorry... I didn't mean to frighten you"

JJ softened, her face relaxing into a smile. "I'm nervous... it's a lot of pressure... but yes, I am excited"

Smiling, Sandy stepped forward, putting an arm around JJ's shoulders as they both turned to look down at the leotards spread across her bed. Even at almost eighteen years old, JJ was so much smaller than her mother, standing at just four feet, ten inches tall.

Considering JJ had arguably matured and grown up a lot quicker than her peers thanks to her life's devotion to her sport, Sandy sometimes forgot that technically, her daughter was still a child. She was such a strong and independent girl at times, well beyond her seventeen, almost eighteen years of life.

"A little bit of nerves is always good," Sandy said with a smile. "I think you've always performed better when you're a little nervous"

JJ nodded, lifting a hand up on top of her mother's, which was resting on her shoulder.

"I just want you to know... no matter what happens in the next couple of weeks, your dad and I are incredibly proud of you. You've worked so hard for this opportunity... we're supporting you all the way," Sandy said warmly, pulling JJ into a hug.

"Thanks Mom," JJ replied quietly, wrapping her arms around her mom and holding on for a moment. No matter what was going on in her life, there was always time for a comforting hug from her mom.

Pulling back, she gave her mom one last smile before moving over to her closet as Sandy took a seat on the edge of the bed, carefully lifting a few leotards out of the way so as not to crush them.

"Ready for the meet?" Sandy asked as JJ rifled through the contents of her closet.

"I think so. It's going to be kind of weird though... like I know in a way, it's no different to worlds selection... but competing knowing that five of us will be going to London and the rest won't is a little sad," JJ replied, selecting a few items and carrying them over to her bag.

Sandy didn't reply. Now that the number of days until the Olympic team was decided had dropped under twenty, the reality of it was hitting home. Her daughter was an exceptional gymnast, a World Champion who could hold her own amongst the best of the best... but in Martha Karolyi's eyes, was JJ part of the package she wanted to send to the Olympics?

Years and years of hard work and determination had culminated in a real shot at the ultimate dream, but what would they do if JJ was relegated to alternate, or left off the team entirely? Of course, they would still be proud of her for all she had achieved, but they had put in all the time over the years with the hope of it resulting in an Olympic berth.

Sandy couldn't help but feel like they would flounder if JJ didn't make the team. Floating in transition from Olympic hopeful to the one who didn't make it.

She was broken from her thoughts by JJ placing a hand on her shoulder.

"No matter what happens," she said softly.

"No matter what happens," Sandy replied with a smile, feeling a sense of relief flood through her at the realisation that regardless of the outcome of the Olympic Trials, JJ would be ok.

If all else failed, surely, her determined girl would fight onwards for Rio.

"Knock knock," came a familiar voice, followed by a tap against the doorframe. JJ broke into a happy smile as the head of her closest friend, William "Will" LaMontagne Jr. poked around the frame.

"Hey you. Come to bask in my championship glow?" JJ teased. Will laughed, strolling into the room and dropping himself down in JJ's desk chair.

"Always. Hi Sandy. Hope you don't mind me coming in, Michael let me up," he said warmly.

"You know you're always welcome here Will," Sandy replied with a smile, rising up off the bed and heading for the door. "Have you eaten? Michael made lasagne"

Will's face lit up. "I have... but there's always room for lasagne"

Sandy laughed. "I'll make you a plate," she chuckled, heading out of the room and down the stairs as JJ shook her head at her friend.

"You're such a guy," she laughed, picking up one of her leotards and examining it closely.

"Gee, JJ, I wonder why," Will replied dryly, making her giggle again as he pulled himself out of the desk chair and crossed the room. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to decide which leotards I want to take to Trials," she sighed. "It's so hard. I love them all"

"Why can't you wear the blue one from nationals? You looked really nice in that one," Will asked.

The compliment sent a warm feeling through JJ's chest, making her bite back a smile. She shook it off, picking up the red leotard with the white sleeves they had worn in the team final the previous year.

"It's not a national team leotard. I can pick any of the leotards I've worn while representing the USA, but I can't wear any of the ones I've worn while representing my gym. Does that make sense?"

Will nodded. "Well, I'm a guy, as you so perfectly pointed out, so my fashion sense isn't fantastic-"

JJ laughed.

"-but that one you're holding is really nice, I remember I liked it when I was watching you at Worlds... and maybe... this pink one? Isn't this the one you wore when you won your title last year?"

JJ nodded, picking up the metallic pink garment and running it between her fingers.

"I like that," she said softly, setting them aside before clearing her bed of all the other leotards. "Thanks"

"Anytime," Will sighed, flopping onto her bed with a dramatic fall. "I do my best"

Laughing, JJ held out her hand to him. "Come on. You need to come and eat your lasagne"

TERMINOLOGY GUIDE

Pike/pike down – one of the three body shapes in gymnastics movements. The gymnast's torso and legs are straight, with a bend of at least 90 degrees in her hips. From the side, it is very much like an 'L'. In execution deductions, a move that is supposed to be laid out may be considered piked down if the gymnast displays a significant bend in the hips.

Layout – one of the three body shapes in gymnastics movements. The entire body is completely stretched out from head to toe, in a straight line. An angle of wider than 90 degrees in the hips will be considered laid out and vice versa.

Tucked – one of the three body shapes in gymnastics movements. The gymnast bends her hips as if she is piking, and also bends her knees to as to draw them in to her chest. This is considered the easiest position in which to rotate.

Round-off – a fundamental of gymnastic tumbling. A round-off is a cartwheel during which the gymnasts legs come together and her hands leave the ground before her feet touch the ground on the other side. Her feet will take off separately as in a cartwheel, but land simultaneously, and she will land facing back towards the way she started. Gymnasts can tumble directly out of a round-off, but the vast majority will continue the movement into a back handspring.

Back handspring – a move in which the gymnast swings her arms backwards and jumps from two feet, flipping backwards and landing on her hands as her feet come over her head, before quickly springing from the floor onto her feet. Usually used as an intermediary skill for high level tumbling.

1.5 step-out – a popular skill in the 2009-2012 floor code, when combination passes were a requirement. From a round-off, the gymnast launches up and back into a single laidout flip. At the same time, she twists around her longitudinal axis one and a half times, landing in the direction which she is tumbling and immediately stepping out into a connecting skill.

Double Arabian – from a backwards landing (i.e. a round-off or a back handspring), the gymnast launches into the air, immediately executing a half turn once her feet have cleared the ground. This changes the tumbling direction to forward, as she will rotate forwards in a tucked position about her lateral axis, before landing on her feet.

Punch front – from a two footed jump, the gymnast executes a single forward flip in the body position of her choice. Commonly executed at the end of tumbling passes to gain connection bonus, but can also be seen on the balance beam.