A/N: Very up and down from here on out.

"Hey Will, is it alright if I have a minute to chat with JJ?" Jason asked, looking over his shoulder at the young couple in the backseat.

"Sure. I'll get our bags out," Will obliged, opening the door and exiting the car. Jason put the car in park and turned to face JJ, who had now sat forward, her elbows resting on her knees as she waited to see what Jason wanted to say.

"I know you're putting on a bit of a brave face about what's going on with Dad," he said gently. "Not that it's a bad thing, but... I know what you're like-"

"Jase... I'm fine," JJ replied, holding out a hand to her brother to stop him. "I had my meltdown at Worlds... I've seen that Dad is doing ok. Really... I'm fine"

"Ok, but I just want you to take care of yourself," Jason said sincerely. "It won't do anyone any good if you just push away anything that isn't a smile"

Reaching forward, JJ patted her brother's shoulder. "It's ok, Jase. Don't worry about me"

Sighing, Jason managed a smile. "Just promise me something, ok?"

"Ok," JJ said softly.

"Everything that's going on... please don't keep your feelings about it pushed way down inside you... it's not healthy. Have enough trust to open up to someone... it's the only way you of all people are going to keep it together," Jason said.

Smiling, JJ leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her brother's cheek.

"I'll be ok. Don't worry about me"

And with that, she slid out of the car, waving to her brother as she joined Will on the path. Pulling her jacket tighter around herself against the bitter wind, she took her case in her hand, turning and heading into the terminal with Will at her side.

jenniferjareau94
Aloha Hawaii! Super excited to explore this beautiful place!

They had arrived in Maui the following morning, and headed straight to their resort, the Four Seasons. Wanting to splurge on the accommodation after everything she had been through, JJ had convinced Will to let her book the Four Seasons after much debate. They had managed to get a last minute deluxe ocean view suite, and from the minute they had seen it, they'd been over the moon.

The sun was shining as the water lapped over the edge of the adults only private infinity pool. Gazing out over the horizon, the view of the Pacific Ocean was simply stunning. The hills of West Maui Forest Reserve sat serenely across the open water, and JJ felt completely relaxed and at ease as she and Will cosied up at the edge of the pool.

Will's hand danced up the outside of her thigh, making her smile and tip her head towards him.

"I'm so glad we did this," she said softly. "It's so beautiful"

"Not as beautiful as you," Will said sweetly, lifting the hand on her thigh out of the water and gently tipping her chin up. JJ rolled her eyes, before letting out a giggle as he leaned in to press a quick kiss to her lips. She reciprocated, bringing a hand up behind his head to keep him close for a few more seconds.

"You really shouldn't have worn a new bikini on the first day of the vacation," Will murmured as he broke the kiss.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" JJ teased softly, biting her lip through a smile.

"Because all I can think about is getting you back to our room and taking it off you," Will breathed in her ear, gently nipping at the lobe with his teeth before pulling away.

"Don't say anything that's going to make it awkward for you to get out of the pool," JJ said with a giggle, reaching up to push his hair back with a wet hand. He chuckled, shaking his head and spraying her with water droplets as she laughed and pushed him away.

"God I love your laugh," Will said sweetly, grasping her hand and pulling her back towards him.

"You have it so bad today," JJ teased.

"I just love you, JJ"

Smiling, JJ cupped his cheek.

"I know," she said warmly, leaning in and pressing a quick kiss to his lips. "I love you too"

Shivering slightly as a cold gust of air blew through the foyer of the gym, Nick turned to see who had come through the front doors. The familiar sounds of kids training in gymnastics filled the air around him, creating a sense of warmth despite the wintery air.

When he turned, he found a young woman looking around curiously, a small smile on her face. She looked to be no older than thirty, with long dark hair that was pulled back neatly into a ponytail. He was waiting for a coaching candidate to arrive for an interview... maybe this was her.

"Hi," Nick said warmly, walking towards her. "Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Nicholas Romero?" she replied, confidence in her voice. "I'm Teagan Carter, I have an interview today"

Nick smiled, extending his hand. "Nice to meet you Teagan. I'm Nicholas. Or just Nick"

Teagan beamed. "Nice to meet you too"

"Why don't we head into my office and then we can discuss the position?" Nick suggested, gesturing towards the offices. Teagan nodded, following as he led her down the short hallway to his office, situated at the end.

"Take a seat," Nick said as they entered the room, closing the door behind them before heading over to his desk and taking the seat behind it.

"So, you're interested in the level 10 and elite coaching position?" he asked once they were both settled.

Teagan nodded. "Greatly interested"

"Have you ever coached elite before?" Nick asked.

"Not properly, if that's the right word. I have worked in gyms in the past that have great elite programs, but I've mostly worked with level tens, with a little bit of elite coaching every now and then. I'm a quick learner though, and I'm looking for something new in terms of my coaching," Teagan replied honestly.

Nick nodded, scanning the file before him. "You've worked at GAGE, that's great, Al Fong is a brilliant person to learn from. Short stint at Texas Dreams... Liberty Gymnastics in Jersey... that's a lot of moving around"

"I know. My husband's job required us to move quite a bit. However, this position and location he is in is now permanent. I wouldn't have applied otherwise"

"I like to hear that," Nick chuckled, setting the file down and leaning forward, his hands clasped together. "What made you want to apply for this position?"

"I've been looking for a position that requires some elite coaching for some time. I like a challenge, and I want to push myself as a coach to produce better results for the kids I'm working with. And that aside... you have a great reputation, and I think I could learn a lot from you"

Nick broke into a flattered smile.

"Your experience is great, and I think you would do really well with my current group of level 10s. I personally think you'll do very well if I give you the position, but before I do, I want to give you a trial week with the level ten girls... just to see how you go and how they respond to you. I also want you to meet with JJ, my senior elite, before we go any further. Seeing as you will eventually be working with the elite program here as well, I want to make sure you and JJ work well together before I make anything final. The next year is going to be pretty stressful for all of us, and I want to make everything as easy as possible," Nick explained.

"I completely understand"

"Great," Nick said, smiling warmly. "JJ's in Hawaii at the moment, but she'll be back in Pittsburgh at the end of next week, so I'll arrange a time that works for all of us when she's back, and we'll go from there"

"Sounds great!" Teagan said enthusiastically.

"Do you have any questions?" Nick asked.

"Two... what would be your expectations of me if I were given this position?"

Sitting back in his chair, Nick allowed a small smile to creep onto his face. Teagan was on the ball already, and he liked that.

"At Romero's, our biggest value is that we always provide a safe, happy, and healthy environment for the kids to learn in. It is our biggest expectation of you that you work to exemplify that in every aspect of your work. Having a kid who's capable of going to the Olympics is great... but if they're miserable, it's not worth it. We also expect you to present yourself well, be committed to your athletes and to us, and to work hard. Judging by your resume... you enjoy what you do, so none of that should be a problem"

Teagan nodded, smiling in agreement.

"What was your other question?"

"What's JJ like?" she asked warmly. "I've never worked with a senior elite gymnast... I mean, I've worked at gyms with amazing reputations for producing elites, but I've never actually worked with a girl who's been elite"

Nick smiled. "JJ is actually pretty easy to coach. Sometimes she can be a handful, but it's not very often. She comes across quite shy, but she's headstrong and stubborn when she wants to be. She knows what she wants and she'll put in the work to get it... at this level, she has all her skills. She really only needs a motivator at this point"

Taking a deep breath, he sat up a little straighter. "This year has been rough for her, which has made things a little difficult, but nonetheless... she wants Rio and she's worked her ass off to get this far. I think you'll find it an easy transition from coaching level ten to coaching elite if you work with JJ first off"

Teagan smiled. "Well, I'm looking forward to hopefully going further"

As they both rose up from their chairs. Nick extended his hand again, which Teagan accepted.

"Thanks for coming in and making this the easiest interview yet," Nick chuckled as they walked towards the door.

"The pleasure's all mine," Teagan replied, stepping through the door and out into the hallway. Nick followed just behind, walking her back towards the front door. Thanking her again, he bid her goodbye with the promise that he would be in touch, before turning back to the gym floor to rejoin his group.

Teagan was a promising candidate. He only hoped she and JJ would work well together, because from what he could tell, she was going to be a wonderful addition to his coaching team.

They were wrapped up in each other, every movement of their bodies creating more heat, more passion despite the cold air in the room. Letting out a breathy moan as Will bent his head and kissed her neck, JJ lifted her legs, wrapping them around Will's waist to pull him even closer. Slowing for just a moment, Will pressed a deep kiss to JJ's lips, which she briefly reciprocated before a quiet gasp of pleasure escaped her.

Entwined together, skin slick with sweat, they moved with passion... hunger... intense need.

It seemed almost perfect.

What felt like just moments later, Will was thrown completely off guard when JJ burst into tears, her body going totally limp beneath him as tears flooded down her cheeks with vigour.

She'd shed tears post coitus before, something Will was now quite accustomed to, but this was completely different. They had still been in the middle of the moment... and something about these tears screamed to Will that it wasn't the overwhelming emotion of the moment making her cry.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she sobbed as Will slipped out of her and pulled her hurriedly into his arms. Almost immediately, she tried to push him away, choking back sobs as she turned away from him and grabbed her shirt and her underwear from the end of the bed.

"JJ," Will said softly, incredibly concerned about her sudden change of state.

Ignoring his words, JJ pulled the shirt over her head with shaking hands, her head bent down towards her lap as her body trembled with the sudden onslaught of emotion.

"JJ, talk to me," Will said, pushing himself all the way up until he was sitting just behind her.

Once she had her underwear on, JJ made to get up and head for the bathroom. Quick as a flash, Will reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Don't do this," he said, gently pulling her back down to sit on the mattress.

"Do what?" JJ asked through her tears.

"Go all quiet. Push me away," Will replied, shuffling closer to her. "You're hurting, babe, what's going on?"

"I'm fine," JJ said as defiantly as she could manage while tears were still dripping down her cheeks.

"No, you're not," Will pushed gently, moving to her side so he could see her face. Putting an arm around her shoulders, he brushed her hair out of her face. Her cheeks were still flushed with pink from their lovemaking, but her skin was now wet with tears.

"I'm sorry," JJ breathed, starting to cry even more as Will pulled her into a tight hug. She folded, relaxing into his arms as he held her and comforted her in the way only he knew how.

"Please don't apologise for being upset," Will said softly, his voice cracking slightly as he gently rubbed her back. "If you need to cry, I'm not going to judge you for it"

Silence fell between them. Sensing that JJ's defenses had weakened, Will carefully guided her back beneath the sheets, pulling the blankets over the both of them as they lay down, all the while keeping a comforting, protective arm around JJ.

It felt like forever they spent laying there in silence before JJ spoke again, her voice muffled against Will's chest.

"I hate my life right now," she said, her tear filled voice barely louder than a whisper. "It just fucking sucks"

"Oh JJ," Will breathed, his heart aching as the pain of JJ's words hit him. "Is this about your dad?"

"Everything," JJ choked out. "It's about everything"

"You've had a shit year, I get it," Will said, tenderly kissing her temple. "You have to try and see the silver linings wherever you can, beautiful. Especially when it feels like you're drowning in crap. So it's been ten years since Rosaline died… look at everything you've achieved in those ten years. She'd be so proud of you Jay, I know she would. And your dad, well, I know it's hard to find a silver lining when someone you love has cancer… but I feel like cancer absolutely has picked a fight with the wrong person, because your dad could be in hospital, in a coma, on life support, and he'd still get up to watch you compete"

JJ had to manage a laugh; as Nick had said in the past, the house could be burning down around the TV set, and her dad would still be watching the gymnastics. By now, her tears had mostly subsided, aided by Will's comforting words and gestures. Sometimes, she wondered where on earth she'd be without him.

"It just… for some reason, the reality of the fact that Dad is sick… hit me just now. It all just hurts, it's painful and exhausting and I feel so broken and messed up all the time… I don't feel like… me anymore"

"You're still you," Will reassured her. "You're still the insanely talented girl who has a heart of gold and a killer sense of humor that would make even the stoniest of people laugh. You're still you… you've just experienced a huge range of emotions in the span of a few months, and I'd imagine it's changing how you react to things"

JJ said nothing, cuddling even closer to Will as he traced gentle circles on the back of her shoulder with his thumb.

"I'm sorry I started crying," she said after a short silence.

"I've told you not to apologise for what you feel," Will replied softly. "So you started crying in the middle of having sex… I'm sure you're not the only person who's ever done it. And we'll be able to laugh about it in a few months time"

JJ fought back an embarrassed grin, burying her face in the pillow as Will chuckled.

"Get some sleep my girl," he said warmly, kissing her temple again. "Try not to worry about your dad, or any of the other shit that's been piling up on you. These few days are for you to escape all of that and just enjoy yourself for a while. So get some sleep, and then tomorrow, it's a new day"

"I love you," JJ breathed, lifting her tear stained face up to look at Will.

He smiled, kissing her lips briefly.

"I love you too"