A/N: This chapter is one of my faves. So much fluff!
Swamplands broken up only by the expanse of the highway whipped past them as they drove west towards the Texas border.
With Worlds over and her full-time training regime reduced significantly for the off-season, JJ had taken advantage of the downtime by taking Will's parents up on the offer to join them for a trip to Louisiana.
After a week exploring the French Quarter and seeing where Will had spent the earlier years of his childhood, they were now on their way to Toledo State Reservoir, one of the LaMontagnes' favourite places to go camping. It was almost five hours out of New Orleans, but JJ was enjoying the drive. Louisiana was considerably warmer at this time of year compared to Pennsylvania, and she was eager for the chance to soak up some extra sun.
"You look very relaxed," Will said with a smile as he glanced over from the driver's seat. They were the last car in the family convoy, with everyone electing to bring their own vehicles. It had paid off, with each of them being able to ride in comfort and pack everything they needed for the week long camping trip.
"I am relaxed," JJ replied, tipping her head back against the headrest as Will reached across and rested his hand on her thigh. "I had a great competition season, and now I get to have some time off and breathe... it's been a good year"
"We're gonna have a great week. We'll take ya out fishin', we can swim in the lake... just get out of the city and get some fresh air"
JJ looked over towards Will with a cheeky grin. "If your accent gets any deeper, we're gonna have to figure out how to soundproof the tent"
Will laughed. "Always happens when I come down here"
They had arrived at the reservoir around four, giving them enough time to set up their camp. They had picked a semi secluded spot further up the bank and away from the other holiday campers, and set everything up in a wide circle, with Janine and William's RV parked at the head of the camp, closest to the shoreline.
After a long day of driving, everyone was tired, but they had still managed an easy dinner of hotdogs and a few stories and songs around a campfire. Eventually though, everyone had trickled off to bed.
There was nothing around them but the gentle lapping of the water on the lake and the chirp of insects in the trees above their heads. Somewhere nearby, they could hear Sam snoring, occasionally interrupted by the sound of Lisa thumping him with a pillow. But while the camp slept on, JJ and Will were wide awake, tucked away in their swag as they shared their first moment of relative privacy since they had all arrived.
JJ was completely lost in Will, one of her hands leaving gentle trails all over his abs as he kissed her so softly she thought she would melt. It was so slow and gentle, neither of them in any hurry, simply enjoying every moment as it came.
It felt like time stood still as they slowly shed their clothes, their hands and mouths exploring every inch of each other's bodies as the wind rustled through the trees above them. It was cozy, and private, and completely perfect. Before too long, they were completely naked, their sleeping bags pushed to the bottom of the swag as Will rolled them onto their sides, pulling JJ so she was right up against him. Breaking into a smile, she brought her hands up to cup his jaw as his fingers danced along the outside of her thigh. Their lips met in the darkness, this kiss much deeper than all those that had preceded it. Will slid his hand down to her knee, pulling it up so her leg was resting over his hip. At that moment, they broke apart, JJ lifting her eyes up to meet Will's as she looked at him with nothing but love. She felt Will lodge at her opening, and instinctively opened her hips to allow him into her.
"I love you," he breathed, earning a near silent gasp from her as he pushed in and pressed his hips to hers. Ever so gently, he began to rock against her, one arm looped around her to hold her close to his chest. His other hand found its way between them, his fingers working their way into her slick folds and easily finding her clit.
"Oh," JJ gasped, fighting to keep as quiet as possible. She tipped her head down, burying it in the crook of Will's neck as she wrapped her arms around his muscled torso and pulled him as close to her as she could get him. Instinctively, she rolled her hips in time with his thrusts, feeling the release slowly beginning to build between her legs.
"Gotta stay quiet," Will breathed in her ear, before bringing his lips to the spot beneath her ear that he knew drove her crazy. Her breath hitched, an almost silent whine escaping her lips as his fingers fluttered against her clit in perfect rhythm with the slow rocks of his hips.
"I love you… I love you," JJ breathed. Will brought the hand on her back up to her head, brushing her hair out of her eyes as he dipped down and captured her lips in a deep kiss. They remained that way, an endless entwine of arms and legs, skin on skin, their lips locked together as if they were each other's oxygen. JJ felt like her entire body was on fire, filled to the brim with love for this wonderful man, so much that it was almost overwhelming. She had never thought it possible to love someone this much. Every touch of his skin against hers sent electricity racing through her, while every thrust of his hips was purposeful, placed just so to push her closer and closer to the edge.
"So close," JJ whispered, gasping again as Will hit her G-spot. He kept the same pace, tilting his hips up ever so slightly to keep stimulating the same spot.
And then, with the release of a breath she didn't know she had been holding, JJ fell over the edge, her orgasm washing over her like a gentle wave. She kept rocking her hips, begging Will's fingers to coax her through it. He kept his hand between her legs, even as he thrust one last time, reaching his own climax with a barely audible groan. He rolled his way through it, before they both became completely still, surrounded only by the sound of the breeze rustling through the trees above.
With a gentle sigh, Will clutched JJ to his chest, rolling onto his back and pulling her into his side. Smiling, he tipped his face towards her, dipping down and pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"Hope we didn't wake anyone up," he murmured, getting a giggle out of JJ. She shifted around, reaching down to pull the covers back up over them, before settling back up against his side. This time, she flipped over so she was laying on her stomach, one arm folded up against his chest with her chin resting on the back of her hand. Will looked up at her, his gaze filled with nothing but love as he lifted a hand and tucked her hair behind her ear.
"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me," JJ breathed, a small smile playing around the corners of her mouth. "This has been one of the most incredible years of my life, and you've been a huge part of that"
Will smiled, cupping her cheek and stroking her soft skin with his thumb. "Somehow, darlin'… I think the best is still yet to come"
"JJ! JJ, look!" four year old Bailey-Rose shrieked as she held out a shell she had found on the shore of the lake. The sun was high in the sky and the temperature well into the warmer end of the range, and so the kids had eagerly taken to the water, JJ and Will's older sister, Juliette, following them in. Juliette was in the early stages of her third pregnancy, having only recently passed the 12 week mark. Even with her early life being spent in the heat and humidity of Louisiana, moving to New York City had softened her considerably, and now, even in the cooler months of the year, she was feeling every degree. This was the first time JJ had properly met Juliette, and she already admired her immensely. Her first two children, Samson and Zachary, were four and eighteen months respectively, yet even while pregnant, she wrangled the kids like a pro.
"Oh wow, that's a pretty one! Shall we see if we can find some more?"
"Yeah!"
Will couldn't tear his eyes away from his girlfriend as she crouched at the edge of the lake with his niece. The kids had taken an immediate shine to JJ, and JJ was equally as adoring with them.
He chuckled as Samson came running past, splashing both of them as he bounded through the shallow waters at the shore of the lake. Bailey-Rose shrieked, while JJ laughed and pulled the little girl behind her.
She was so natural with them, it made him love her even more, if that was humanely possible. It was like he was watching her ten, fifteen years in the future, with their child.
"Whatcha thinkin' about?" came Sam's voice, startling Will from his thoughts. "You were so lost in thought there, I nearly had to send a search party for you"
Will grinned, shaking his head as Sam pulled up a chair and dropped down beside him. Sam was twelve years older than Will, and as the closest aged brother he had out of his siblings, the two had grown fairly close as Will got older.
"JJ's a peach, hey?" Sam said, tipping his head over towards Will. "The kids love her"
"She's the best," Will said softly, a happy smile crossing her face.
"God, you're still just as lovesick as you were when you were ten," Sam teased. "But I get it… when you meet that person, that one person who you just click with… it changes your whole world"
"Did you have that with Lisa?" Will asked.
Sam nodded. "Within a few weeks o' meetin' her, I knew. I was just like you are now. Head over heels"
Will looked back over to the lake, just as all the kids ran towards JJ at once, all of them toppling into the water, not quite two year old Pippa toddling determinedly at the back of the pack. He burst out laughing as JJ surfaced a few moments later, sopping wet but grinning from ear to ear as she grabbed Samson around the middle and dunked him with her.
"You already know, don't you?" Sam said knowingly. Will turned to look at him, expecting to see a teasing expression on his face, but all he found was a knowing smile and a look of understanding.
"She's my soulmate," Will said softly, somewhat nervous to vocalise the thing he had already known for years. "And this is gonna sound so cliche, but… I swear she makes my heart beat differently. I feel like the biggest sap in history, but she genuinely makes my life the happiest it's ever been. Part of me hates how pathetic I've become… but the reality is, JJ makes me practically weak at the knees. She's just… the most wonderful person. I mean, she's stunning as well, but the way I feel about her goes so much deeper than her looks"
"I get it," Sam said simply. "That's usually how you know. That you've found the person you want to spend the rest of your life with"
"I've already told her that," Will admitted, looking over at his older brother as the kids shrieked in the background. "I told her while we were away for the national championships that… I want to marry her one day"
"Did that freak her out?" Sam chuckled. Will grinned.
"No, but I was very surprised that it didn't. I love her to bits, but she gets a little panicky around the topic of commitment"
Sam laughed. "I think a lot of girls are like that. Just ask Charlie. Mads was the same"
"It just seems crazy to me that I'm nineteen and I already know who I want to settle down with, like… I feel like there's so much doubt in society around falling in love in your teens"
"Eh," Sam said with a shrug. "When you know, you know Billy. Ain't nothin' gonna change that. And to be fair, I feel like you and JJ are a little different. You've known each other for years. If you were gonna get sick of each other, it would've happened by now"
They were interrupted by the sound of their dad letting out a playful roar, rushing down to the shore of the lake and sending all the kids scattering with a squeal. The two boys laughed as they watched Samson get scooped up by his grandfather and tossed into the deeper part of the lake. Without any hesitation, all the kids swarmed back in, playfully pushing their grandad as he feigned defeat and collapsed into the water.
"I think I'm all tuckered out," came JJ's voice, seconds before she plopped herself down in Will's lap. The boys had been so caught up watching the commotion down by the water that they hadn't noticed her coming back up to the camp.
"Ugh, you're soaking!" Will exclaimed, making Sam laugh as JJ purposely wrapped her arms around Will and gave him a squeeze.
"I know. I'm just sharing," she said with a giggle.
"You know, you wanna be careful, you might break this chair," Will teased.
"Yeah, somehow I think that's going to have more to do with you than me, seeing as I weigh about as much as one of your arms," JJ said with a smirk. Will gave her a playful swat on the knee, earning another laugh out of her as she draped one of her arms across the back of his shoulders. For a moment, they locked eyes, making JJ smile as she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips.
"Ugh, get a room," Sam groaned, pretending to shield his eyes as Will lifted a hand and flipped him off. "Young love, ick"
"Billy, did I just see what I think I saw?" Janine called from across the campsite where she and Madeleine, Charlie's wife, were going about organising their lunch.
"Naw, you saw nothin'!" Will hollered back. Janine raised an eyebrow at her son, but she was smiling nonetheless.
"Well, I better round up the rugrats and slap some more sunblock on 'em," Sam said with a sigh, pulling himself out of his chair. "Dad duties call"
And then it was just the two of them, afforded a moment of relative quiet, despite the fact that they were sitting out in the open as the fun of the day carried on around them. JJ turned back towards Will, finding him looking at her with a soft smile on his face. His expression was somewhat dazed, yet even so, his eyes seemed to be completely lit up.
"What?" she said quietly, laughing ever so slightly. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
'You're my soulmate' he thought, moments before breaking himself from his thoughts.
"Nothin'," he said happily, his thumb stroking gentle circles on the bare skin of her lower back. "I just love you"
JJ let out a little laugh. "You tell me every day"
"I know. I just don't ever want you to forget it"
Smiling, she brought her hand up to his cheek, leaning in and pressing a kiss to his lips, before pulling back and resting her forehead against his. "How could I ever forget it when I love you just as much?"