A/N: Um, all I'll say is you are definitely going to need your tissues.

She was home by the early hours of Monday morning.

When she crossed the threshold in the pale light that came just after sunrise, an overwhelming sense of dread filled her to the core. The house was quiet and still, save for the muffled sound of her mother's voice floating down the stairs. Dropping her bags by the door, she took a deep breath, starting up the stairs towards her parent's room.

As she reached the landing, the kind hospice nurse, Olivia, came out of the room. Olivia had been Michael's case manager nurse since the day he had entered hospice care, and both JJ and Sandy had grown very fond of her. She was kind and reassuring in everything she did, and had provided a great deal of much needed support for the family.

"Hi JJ," she said, a tired smile crossing her face. "Congratulations on making the team. Your dad is really proud of you"

JJ found herself unable to speak at that moment, but Olivia reached out, gently squeezing her hand to let her know she completely understood. Then she stepped aside and headed downstairs, leaving JJ alone on the landing, staring blankly at the door to her parents' bedroom. Behind that door was the reality she now had to face, a reality that had been lurking in the back of her mind since April, but she had refused to fully accept.

Her dad wasn't going to see her compete in Rio.

Steeling her nerve, she stepped forward and pushed open the door.

"Oh JJ!" her mom gasped, leaping up from the edge of the bed and racing over to her daughter, throwing her arms around her in a tight embrace.

'Don't cry, don't cry,' JJ begged herself as tears burned in her eyes.

"We are so proud of you, I can't believe you're going back to the Olympics," Sandy said tearfully, pulling back and cupping JJ's face in her hands. "You were beautiful last night, really, I couldn't be more proud of you"

"Thanks Mom," JJ said thickly, smiling even through the tears welling in her eyes. "How's Dad?"

Sandy bit her lip, her eyes growing awfully bright in the low light of the room. "We don't have long left… his body is giving up on him"

Without another word, Sandy put her arm around JJ's shoulders, guiding her over to the bed where Michael lay, quiet and still, the hint of a smile playing around the corners of his mouth. He looked, to put it simply, terrible. His skin had purple undertones that it hadn't had before, and looked as thin as paper. He'd lost so much weight even in the time JJ had been gone that she felt as though she hardly recognized him anymore.

Moving around to the other side of the bed, JJ slowly sat down on the edge of the mattress. Michael seemed to register her presence, turning his head ever so slightly towards her.

"JJ?" he mumbled, his eyes remaining closed.

"Yeah Dad… it's me," she said softly, reaching over and placing her hand on top of his.

"You made the team," Michael breathed, his whisper just loud enough for JJ to hear. "I couldn't… be happier"

Too tired of holding it all in, JJ allowed the tears to fall unashamedly down her cheeks, the droplets landing to leave little patches on her USA sweatshirt she'd worn home.

"Don't speak Dad… you should save your energy for Jason… he's nearly home," she said tearfully.

The rest of the day seemed to fade away. JJ whiled away the time sitting by her father's bedside, holding his hand and recounting her version of events from the Olympic Trials while he rested peacefully before her. Jason and Katie had arrived in from San Jose sometime in the early evening, allowing Jason to join them and also spend some time with his dad. Nandy had come in for a short while, mostly to offer comfort and support to her daughter, before leaving them in privacy and retreating downstairs, with the assurance that she was there if they needed her.

When Michael's breaths started to rattle and grow shorter, JJ was struck with fear. She cried until her eyes stung, until she could barely see through the tears. The light outside faded away ever so slowly, leaving them wrapped in nothing but the soft light emanating from the lamp in the corner of the room.

The hardest part for JJ was watching her brother break down in tears. He had always been so strong, the protective big brother she had always been able to run to, but now, he was vulnerable, scared, and heartbroken. The sight of her brother crying for his father was a sight that slowly tore JJ's heart in two.

Michael's labored, rattled breathing turned to gasping, like he was suffocating from the inside out. With her mother collapsed over the edge of the bed, her shoulders shaking terribly as Jason kept his arms around her, JJ kept a hold on her father's hand, fighting the urge to run out of the room in fear.

"You're ok Dad," she sobbed, placing her other hand on the top of his head. "You're ok, we're all here"

Turning to Olivia, who was hovering nearby in case she was needed, JJ had no words, but the fear in her eyes spoke volumes.

"It's alright," Olivia said softly, approaching JJ and placing a hand on her shoulder, her voice soft and reassuring even in the tragic circumstances. "His muscles aren't helping him swallow or cough to clear his throat anymore… he's not in any pain, his lungs are just fighting a little bit longer"

"You're ok," JJ breathed as tears tracked relentlessly down her cheeks. "It'll be over soon, I promise"

Slowly, the terrible sounds gave way to slowing breaths, the rise and fall of Michael's chest becoming few and far between as his entire body relaxed.

"I love you so much Dad," JJ sobbed, her eyes stinging painfully from all the tears. "Thank you for always believing in me… I promise I'll go to Rio and make you the proudest you've ever been"

She paused, fighting against the tears as she squeezed her father's hand. "You're going to see Ros again… you won't be suffering anymore, and she's going to be there waiting for you"

As the last of the sunlight left the evening sky, dipping below the horizon with the sun, Michael became very still, and very quiet. The only sounds were the heartbroken sobs of a family left behind, the gentle rustle of the sheets as Olivia checked for a pulse, and the somewhat distant chattering of birds in the summer night.

It was just before nine.

"Eight fifty nine," Olivia said softly, confirming it to the room.

All too soon… he was gone.

I need you

Those three words in a text had immediately pulled Will into action. Even though the excitement of the previous evening had left him exhausted and ready for bed, he had not had a good feeling about JJ's dad. Therefore, he had forced himself to stay awake, and surely enough, it had paid off. After reading the text, he'd thrown on some clothes and a pair of shoes before driving the short fifteen minutes it took to get to JJ's.

Entering the house through the unlocked front door, he found it quiet, save for the sound of a kettle boiling in the kitchen. He recognized the huge bag that was JJ's travelling companion for meets sitting off to the side, her backpack perched precariously on top of it.

Looking over towards the kitchen, he could see Nandy leaning on the counter, waiting for the kettle to boil for a much needed cup of comfort tea. She caught his eye, managing a small smile and a nod, before pointing towards the stairs as if to say 'she's up there'.

Nodding once to show her he had understood, he slipped quietly through the entrance. He kept his tread light on the way up the stairs towards JJ's room, not wanting to disturb anyone else in what was clearly a difficult time.

He reached the landing relatively quickly, crossing it and slowly pushing open JJ's bedroom door, expecting to find her curled up on her bed, or maybe in the chair by the window.

But the room looked completely untouched, apart from JJ's phone lying discarded on the bed. Frowning, Will stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. As he did so, he immediately spotted JJ out of the corner of his eye over to his left, huddled in a ball against the bathroom wall, her face buried in her knees as her shoulders shook terribly. She looked so vulnerable… so weakened by despair. Even on the worst nights of the nightmares about Roz, Will could never remember seeing JJ in as much emotional pain as she clearly was right now.

His heart thumped painfully in his chest as he slowly entered the bathroom and knelt down in front of JJ, his hands coming up to rest on her arms. His touch never frightened her, instead, warming her to his presence.

Seamlessly, she opened out, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her tear stained face in his shoulder as he looped his arms around her back and held her as close as he possibly could. She was shaking with sobs, every hiccoughed breath just driving the devastation further into Will's heart.

"I've got you," he whispered in her ear, rubbing gentle circles on her back. "I've got you babe… cry as much as you need to… there's no shame in tears"

He knew. Michael had passed away. And from this moment on, he knew his beautiful girl was never going to be quite the same as what she once was.

It was the middle of the night before Will managed to coax JJ into bed; she was completely cried out and so exhausted that her eyelids had been drooping for the better part of an hour, but she had shown no inclination to move from the bathroom floor. Eventually, with some gentle guidance, she had followed Will back out into the bedroom and allowed him to help her change into her sleep clothes.

They had sat there on that cold bathroom floor, listening as the funeral home came to take her father's body away, as Jason holed himself up in his old room with Katie and cried, as Nandy came upstairs to comfort her grieving daughter. JJ hadn't uttered a single word all evening, remaining eerily silent, even as they changed their clothes and climbed into bed.

With the house in near silence, Will was starting to doze off, his exhaustion from San Jose and the emotional toll of the last few hours finally catching up with him. One arm looped over JJ's side to keep her grounded, he settled in, ready for some sleep. His eyes were heavy, and he was grateful for the soft pillow beneath his head.

"Will?"

He snapped his eyes open, finding JJ looking straight at him, her eyes red and swollen, her cheeks flushed pink. She looked an absolute wreck, but it didn't matter to Will. It never did.

"Thank you… for being here," she continued softly, her voice hoarse and raspy from all the tears. "You didn't have to do that"

Giving her a reassuring smile, Will brought his hand up to cup her cheek, his tender touch almost bringing tears to her eyes again.

"You said you needed me," he said softly. "I wouldn't be anywhere else"

Biting back the tears his sweet comment tried to stir up, JJ moved even closer to him, tucking her head beneath his chin and breathing in his scent as he kissed the top of her head.

"I'll be ok… given time," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "I just… keep thinking about him"

"He isn't suffering anymore… he's not in pain," Will breathed, his thumb tracing gentle circles on her hipbone.

"I know… but it hurts… I miss him… I want him to be here… it hasn't sunk in yet that he's…"

She trailed off, but Will knew where she was going.

"We don't have to talk now," he said gently. "It's too raw for you babe… try and get some rest… then in the morning, we'll tackle a new day"

But he never got a reply, for, completely exhausted and emotionally drained, JJ had already fallen asleep.