A/N: Stay tuned!

"When are you coming home?"

The urgency in her mother's voice made her feel like ice had settled in her stomach. The entire time she had been in San Jose, she had felt slightly nauseated, sick with worry that something was going to happen to her dad and she wasn't going to be with him when it did.

"We're ticketed to fly out Monday afternoon," JJ said softly.

A hesitant silence fell between them. Over on JJ's left, Aly was lounging on the floor at the end of her bed, gently stretching and working out the knots in her sore muscles from that morning's practice. They had two more practices before the final night of competition the following evening, and everyone was starting to feel the pressure.

"Do you think there's any possibility of changing it so you fly out sooner?"

Ignoring her mother's question, JJ swallowed hard against the lump in her throat, tears threatening to spill over. Anxiety was welling relentlessly in her stomach and the nausea had suddenly reared its ugly head.

"Is Dad ok?" she asked in a choked whisper.

When she heard the unmistakable sound of her mother fighting back a sob, she couldn't help but start to cry as well, hardly noticing when Aly, without making a fuss, got up from the floor and moved to sit beside her. The gentle arm her best friend put around her shoulders offered some comfort, but nothing could take away the pain she was feeling.

"He's had moments of lucidity… but the hospice nurse says he only… only has a few days… a week, if we're lucky. He's too sick, JJ, his body's getting tired. He's holding out as long as he can because he wants to see you compete, but he's just exhausted"

Her mom drew in a shaking breath, her voice now thick with tears.

"I'm sorry baby girl… I know that's not what you want or need to hear right now, but you of all people deserve to know the truth. I just… I think you should get home as soon as you can, so we can all be together"

Her hands shook as she clutched the phone, tears dripping down her cheeks and onto her T-shirt.

"I will, I'll be there as soon as I can… just please tell him that I love him"

"I will," Sandy breathed.

With hardly anything and yet everything left to say, they ended the call, leaving JJ stunned and tearful on the edge of her bed. The silence in the air was palpable, nothing filling the room but for JJ's devastated sobs.

"I'm so sorry this is happening to you Jayje," Aly whispered sincerely, squeezing her friend comfortingly around her shoulders, tears of her own building in her eyes. Even with their distance, JJ's family was like hers as well. It hurt her terribly to see the tragedy unfolding in the Jareau family; she had always admired and respected Michael for the way he conducted himself and the pride and values he had instilled in his family.

JJ started to speak, but was cut short by a horrible churning sensation in her stomach. Dropping her phone to the floor, she clapped a hand over her mouth.

"I'm going to be sick," she choked out, leaping off the bed and running for the bathroom. She only just made it to the toilet in time, falling to her knees on the pristine tile as she violently upended the contents of her stomach into the bowl.

Moments later, Aly's hands were gently gathering her hair away from her face, holding it back as she coughed and gagged.

When she stopped vomiting, she fell weakly to the side, resting heavily against the wall with her head in her hands as Aly stood up and moved over to the sink. She took deep breaths, listening as Aly turned the faucet on for a few moments before turning it off again. A few seconds later, she was kneeling down in front of her, holding out half a glass of water.

Shakily, JJ took the glass, raising it to her lips and sipping from it as Aly reached over and flushed the toilet.

"JJ… your family is the strongest family I know… you are one of the strongest people I know," she said softly, looking JJ directly in the eye. "If I know you at all… you're going to go out there tomorrow night and absolutely kill it, because it's what your dad would want you to do, and it's what you want to do"

"I just… I felt like I was coping," JJ said tearfully. "But I'm not. My dad could be gone in less than a week, and I'm not ready for that, Aly, I can't do this without him"

"Yes you can," Aly said, her voice cracking as she pulled JJ into a hug. "I don't know what it's like to lose a parent, JJ, but I know that losing someone you love sucks like hell and you just want to curl up and hide from the world. But you're not going to do that, I know you're not, because going out there and killing it and making this team for your dad means more to you than you would ever let anyone know"

JJ let out a sob, burying her face in Aly's shoulder. Aly squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to keep her emotions in check, if only so she could be JJ's support person.

"You can do this, Jayje, I know you can," she breathed, letting the tears slip out as she finished speaking, holding JJ's shaking body tightly. "Do it for your dad"

She'd been almost numb throughout the first three rotations, moving robotically through her routines. A few slightly nervy mistakes had docked her some extra tenths on vault and bars, but she was still holding strong. There were only two gymnasts left to compete, and then the worst part of the night would begin; the twelve minutes waiting in the room in the depths of the arena.

First, she would go on floor. And then Laurie would follow on beam to close off the competition.

She couldn't believe her four year journey from London was reaching its close. It felt like just yesterday she had arrived home from the UK, gung ho that she was going back, itching to be back in the gym. That same passion was still burning inside her, even beneath the damper that was her heartache. She was ready to stoke the fire. She was ready to put the finishing touches on that plane ticket that would hopefully read RIO DE JANEIRO.

"On floor for Romero's… Jennifer Jareau!"

"Yeah JJ, let's go!" Will called out encouragingly from the stands.

Biting back a smirk at the crystal clear yell, JJ saluted the judges and walked a little way out onto the floor into position.

"Come on JJ, you got it!"

"Drive it home girl, let's go!"

The cheers of her teammates were doing all the good in the world, lifting her out of the shaky pit of nerves she felt like she'd been dropped into, and putting her up on a pedestal of confidence.

Her music began, making her take a deep breath as she awaited her cue.

'Dad is still watching at home,' she reminded herself. 'Make him proud. Make that team'

The next ninety seconds were a complete blur. She knew, given time, she'd recall it fondly as one of the best moments of her life, but as she sank into her final pose on the floor, tears glistening on her cheeks, all she knew was the screaming applause of the rapturous American crowd.

She'd finished off her bid for the Olympic team.

Pushing herself up, she saluted the judges once more, not even trying to fight back the emotion that had pushed through as she walked off the podium, down the stairs, and straight into Nick's arms. Right behind him was the entire US national team, bar Laurie, all clamoring to get to her.

"You killed it kid, I'm so proud of you," Nick murmured, holding her tightly as she let the tears flow. He pulled back, giving her half a smile as she wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand.

"You ok?" he asked gently.

"Yeah," she said shakily, managing a smile back. "Just… overwhelmed. I did it"

"You certainly did, and after everything that life has thrown at you this year, I couldn't be more proud of you right now if I tried," Nick said, beaming down at her. "You better go hug your teammates before they skin me alive to get to you"

Laughing through what was left of her tears, JJ ducked around him, only to have Simone throw her arms around her immediately.

"I'm so proud of you!" she shrieked, grinning from ear to ear in typical Simone fashion, before pulling away to allow the others in.

There was enough time for quick hugs and congratulations before Laurie was up on the beam. They watched, eagerly calling out encouragement as she worked her way through her fabulous beam routine with the precision, focus, and carriage of a veteran elite.

In stunning pink and white, a leotard which JJ now remembered as the leotard in which Simone won her first world title, Laurie tumbled seamlessly across the beam for her dismount, finishing off the meet with a strong double pike and a smile that had become her trademark.

As the excited crowd screamed and cheered, the girls all hugged tightly, congratulating Laurie on a beautiful routine. Not to anyone's surprise, Aly was already crying.

"Stop crying, you're gonna ruin your makeup," Simone ordered as she hugged Aly tightly.

"Yeah, Aly, stop, you're gonna make me cry, and I've already cried enough for one day," JJ teased as Aly pulled away from Simone and turned to her.

"Shut up," Aly said tearfully, making the two girls laugh.

Pulling together as a team, through smiles, laughter, and tears, they all reached into the middle of their huddle, putting their hands together as one.

"USA!" they cried, throwing their hands into the air and getting an even louder round of applause from the watching crowd, before slowly starting to dissipate to collect their gear to be taken to the room underneath the arena.

For the selection committee was being led from the arena floor to the conference room deep in the building.

Which meant, all they had to do now was wait.

|olympichampion|

uuhhh, I don't know which of you are watching trials right now… but JJ just finished second in the all-around by less than a tenth behind Simone *shocked emoji* think I'm going to have to watch that space

|simone-anar|

I don't know what sorcery is going on in the US women's gymnastics team right now that means Simone isn't lightyears ahead, but I kinda like it

|krhuger|

I still think Simone is gonna be Olympic champ, but I think that AA final isn't gonna be as clean cut as we thought it was, I'm down for a battle