A/N: A short one, but still, tissues! I feel like her eulogy could've been much better, but I couldn't get it to flow properly.

Will's hand was resting against the small of her back, keeping her grounded and calm as she reached the wooden lectern and lay her printed speech down on it.

The room was a sea of black, packed to the brim with people from all over whose lives had been touched by one Michael Jareau. In the very front row, Sandy sat with her mother, Jason and Katie, and Michael's parents, who had finally managed to fly in from the United Kingdom. It was very rare that JJ saw her paternal grandparents ever since they had moved back to Sheffield when she was five, and the hug her grandfather Harry had given her earlier that morning had nearly reduced her to tears.

Behind her immediate family, Nick, and Will's parents were sitting beside Aly, Lynn, and Rick; the Raismans had wanted to pay their respects, having been close friends with the Jareaus for the length of Aly and JJ's careers, and so it had been arranged that Aly would fly to Houston for camp with JJ and Nick the following morning.

Taking a deep breath, JJ swallowed thickly, glancing down at the paper before her. Here she was, standing in front of all these people, ready to bear her heart and soul and be the most vulnerable she had ever been in a public space. Feeling her tongue wanting to tie up in her throat, she went straight into it.

"My dad was the world's greatest dad," she started, speaking steadily and slowly to allow her voice to remain calm. "I know… everyone says that about their dad… but to me, he truly was"

Pausing for a moment, she took a breath, grounding herself once more through the gentle circles Will was tracing on the small of her back.

"The life I've led has been one that's far from normal, but I've always been so blessed to have the support and love from my mom and dad to continue on the path I've chosen. Throughout my entire life… my dad was always my biggest cheerleader. It wasn't uncommon for me to hear him going completely crazy in the stands at a meet. But it wasn't just me he supported with all his heart… my brother and sister always had him at their backs as well, whether it was with their grades, dance classes, soccer, or football… no matter what, we always knew that Dad would support us"

Her eyes were starting to fill with tears, prompting Will to put his arm around her a little tighter.

"It says a lot about his character, the size of his heart, and how much love he had for us, his three children, that no matter how well we performed in our endeavors, he was proud of us no matter what. I'll never forget what he said to me when at Worlds in 2010, I got injured on the first event in the first round of competition and was unable to compete. He told me that it didn't matter that I had fallen and gotten hurt, because I had gone out there with my country's colours on my back and given it everything I had. In my dad's eyes, it was a stepping stone to greater things, and he couldn't have been more right"

Swallowing back a sob, she slipped her free hand down into Will's, searching for some comfort and reassurance. "Dad, you brought joy and love into everyone's lives… the world is at a great loss without you"

A glance up told her that most of the people congregated before her were in tears, prompting her to start losing her composure just a little.

"I promise that I'm going to continue on this path you've proudly supported me on… Dad… I'm going to go to Rio, and I'm going to make you proud… and no matter what happens… I know you'll be somewhere up above me… screaming and cheering until your throat is hoarse"

People were sniffling all around the room, making JJ's heart ache terribly.

"I love you Dad… we all love you. Thank you for always supporting us"

|tactiledysfunction|

Gymternet… I live in Pittsburgh, and there was a posting today for a funeral service for Michael Jareau…

|jareaumanar|

Oh no, nooooooo. I'm gonna sob, no way.

|catalinaponors|

Oh my god, poor JJ. After all she's been dealing with this year… shit. This is horrible.

|tkatchevmeifyoucan|

God, I hope she's ok… that she has the support to get through this. My heart goes out to her entire family.