A/N: Sweet chapter, I hope it lives up to your expectations!
The Pittsburgh show had finally reached them, marking the point that was almost two thirds of the way through the tour.
Knowing her family and all the kids from her gym were in the crowd, JJ had gone out and put on her best show for them. She was a little more eager for the show to end than she would care to admit; she wanted to go home, even if it was just for one night, and shower in her own bathroom, and sleep in her own bed.
The end of the final performance landed upon them with a euphoric bang, the Pittsburgh crowd seeming to generate twice as much noise as they screamed and cheered for all the girls.
"Alright, alright!" the event announcer exclaimed over the microphone as the girls gathered in a huddle on the floor. The guys, who had been over on the high bar, started to head towards them.
"Thank you all very much for attending this performance of the 2016 Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions! It's been a great evening! But now, before we can let you all go, there is one more thing we would like to do tonight! We have a special guest joining us tonight, so let's give them a round of applause!"
"I am so tired. I hope this is quick," JJ sighed, getting a giggle out of Simone and a nod of agreement from Aly.
The applause began to lift, prompting them to turn their attention to the floor entrance to the arena.
JJ was extremely surprised to see that it was Will walking towards them.
"Uh... what is he doing?" she hissed, turning to Aly. Aly smiled, wheeling her back around and giving her a gentle push forward as Will walked up the steps and joined them on the floor.
"What are you doing?" JJ asked softly, her heart racing as a smile fought its way onto her face. Will grinned, toying with the microphone in his hands before lifting it up to his mouth.
"Who else absolutely loves this girl?" Will called out, gesturing towards JJ with a huge grin on his face. The arena erupted into rapturous cheers and applause, which made JJ smile even though she was still seriously confused.
Taking a deep breath, Will kept his gaze fixed out on the crowd as he continued to speak. "I first met JJ when we were eight years old, and we were in the same class at school. My first ever class at that school was gym class, and we were doing rope climbs. Obviously, if you're a gymnast, rope climbs come to you a little more naturally than it does to others"
He chuckled as quiet laughter filtered through the crowd. "Anyway, I stood with the kids at the bottom and we watched as the first two went to have their turn. One of them was JJ. She was the tiniest kid in the class but had these serious muscles, and I remember thinking 'wow, she looks really strong'. So off they go, and JJ zips up to the top of the rope and slides back down before the other kid has even managed halfway. A little while later, we had to race, and of course, she beat me. Being an eight year old boy, I got pretty upset about it and decided I would retaliate by calling her the incredible hulk"
Laughter rippled through the crowd as JJ chuckled at her partner.
"What I failed to foresee was that she wouldn't cry, she wouldn't get upset about it... no, she stamped on my foot as hard as she could and broke my toe"
The laughter grew louder as Will turned and gave JJ a grin.
"Even then, I didn't dob her in. I told the gym teacher, and my parents that I kicked a wall. Guess I had a little bit of a crush, even then"
He took another deep breath, smiling at his girl before he looked out to the crowd again. "She's an incredible gymnast, but she's an even more incredible person. She's had her fair share of hardship in life, but not once has she ever given up on her ultimate dream. In the leadup to Rio, she worked so hard through so much heartbreak that when the time came, she exceeded her own goals and expectations by far. She never fails to amaze me with her fierce determination and the passion with which she approaches everything she does. Not only that... she is so kind hearted... so down to earth... she truly makes everyone feel as if you could be her friend"
Turning directly to JJ, Will smiled, now speaking directly to her. She noticed that his hands were starting to shake, mirroring the racing feeling in her chest.
"You are truly the most beautiful person I've ever known, inside and out," he said, his voice softer but still projected by the microphone. "Your life is crazy, jam packed, yet you've always loved those around you with a fierceness I can't even describe. Every day since I've known you has been so happy, and so... fulfilling. I am so proud of you... for achieving everything you have, even when things at home have been falling apart faster than you can put them back together"
By now, JJ had tears in her eyes and a hush had fallen over the arena.
"You make me so happy... I love getting to see your beautiful smile every day, and I love being there to support you and cheer you on... and I want to do that for the rest of my life," Will said, his voice softening as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny velvet box.
JJ let out a soft gasp, one hand coming up over her mouth as Will slowly dropped to one knee and opened the box to reveal a gorgeous diamond engagement ring. People around the arena made a multitude of noises, but none was more prominent than Simone's gasp from behind JJ.
"Jennifer Jareau... will you marry me?"
With the last few months on her back, all JJ could do was burst into tears, managing to nod before the crowd broke into deafening applause. Behind her, she could hear Laurie and Simone screaming with excitement, Aly and Madison joining in the cheers with the crowd.
Beaming from ear to ear, Will set his microphone down on the floor. He stood up, pulling JJ into his arms and kissing her temple.
"I love you," JJ said through tears, her voice muffled by his shoulder. "I love you so much"
"I love you too," he whispered, his voice catching in his throat. Pulling away, he couldn't stop smiling, tears cresting his eyes as he removed the ring from the box and placed the box back in his pocket. Taking JJ's left hand, he gently slipped the ring onto her fourth finger, sending the audience into another raucous round of applause.
Giddy, excited, overwhelmed, and everything in between, all JJ could do was throw her arms around him again, half laughing, half crying as he spun her around off her feet.
They were engaged. After all this time, after all the ups and downs, after the extraordinary circumstances... he wanted to marry her.
Deafened by continuing applause, they finally broke apart, turning to face the ensuing hugs from the group. Aly was the first to reach them, throwing her arms around JJ in a tight squeeze as Simone ran over to hug Will.
"You totally had something to do with this, didn't you?" JJ exclaimed, wiping the tears from her cheeks as Aly laughed.
"I totally had everything to do with this," she admitted, hugging JJ tightly again.
Nearly ten minutes later, after they'd been congratulated by all the other tour members, they finally made their way out of the performance floor to excited applause.
Just half an hour of signing autographs, and then JJ could get Will all to herself.
She couldn't keep her eyes off the gorgeous diamond on her finger as she signed poster after poster for the excited fans coming through the line. Will was sitting up on a stool behind her, watching with a smile as she interacted with her young fans.
JJ looked up as a little girl came through the line with her mom, smiling nervously as she approached JJ.
"These are for you," the little girl said sweetly, reaching up and over the table to hand JJ a bouquet of roses.
"Oh thank you so much!" JJ beamed. "They're beautiful!"
She took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet scent of the flowers before setting them down beside her as she picked up her pen to sign the little girl's poster.
"Congratulations on your engagement JJ," said the girl's mother as JJ handed the poster back to the little girl. "You two make a beautiful couple"
"Thank you," JJ beamed, waving at the little girl as she and her mother left the line. Turning to look at Will over her shoulder, she gave him a happy smile.
Not too much longer.
After leaving the meet and greet area, JJ and Will walked hand in hand back to the main foyer, where she had been told her mom was waiting for her.
What she hadn't expected was her mom, her grandmother, Jason, Katie, Nick, and Will's parents, all waiting to greet them with smiles bigger than life.
"Oh JJ, congratulations!" Sandy exclaimed, throwing her arms around JJ as they reached her. JJ beamed, holding on tight to her mom as Janine pulled her son into a tight hug. She held on tight for a few moments, wanting to express so much in such a short time.
Pulling back, she laughed when Sandy immediately grabbed her hand to admire the ring.
"Did you expect that?" she asked with a sly grin.
"No," JJ replied, shaking her head. "But something tells me you knew about it"
"I had an idea," Sandy teased, letting JJ go as her grandmother pulled her into a hug.
She made her way through the members of her family, getting hugs and congratulations from each of them. She had to laugh when Jason gave Will a stern warning, before dropping the serious demeanour and pulling his future brother-in-law in for a squeeze.
"So," Nick said with a grin as JJ eventually reached him. "Not really a kiddo anymore, hey?"
"Not really," JJ laughed. "I feel like that won't stop you though"
Nick chuckled, putting an arm around her shoulders and giving her a squeeze. "Not on your life. Seriously though JJ... congratulations. I hope Will continues to make you as happy as he has done for the last four years"
Beaming, JJ pulled back, unable to express just how much the simple sentiment meant to her.
After a few more congratulations, hugs, and then goodbyes, the newly engaged couple headed towards the hallway that led to the dressing rooms. JJ reached out, opening the door and pulling Will just inside.
The hallway was completely deserted, but the laughter and chatter of the tour group was echoing down to them. Stopping just inside the door, JJ grabbed Will, looping her arms around his neck and smiling lovingly up at him.
"You're perfect," he murmured, making her giggle as he wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned in for a kiss.
Their lips met, a soft, loving kiss that seemed to communicate everything they had wanted to say to each other since that moment. JJ's heart was racing excitedly in her chest, the love she had for Will seeming to grow exponentially with every second.
Will pulled back, gazing down at her as he brushed a strand of her hair from her eyes.
"Why don't you go get your things? I've booked us a place for the night to celebrate... somewhere special," he whispered.
"Ok," JJ breathed back, stretching up to kiss him once more before pulling away and heading down the hallway. Letting out a giddy laugh as she walked to the dressing room, her eyes fell to the ring on her finger.
It was like a dream. A beautiful, wonderful dream.
When she pushed open the door to the dressing room, she was nearly knocked off her feet by the excited shrieks of her friends and teammates. Almost immediately, she was swarmed, with Simone being the first to get to her and throw her arms around her.
"I can't believe it, you're ENGAGED!" she squealed, squeezing JJ hard before pulling back and grabbing her hand to admire the ring. "Oh my GOD!"
"Did you know?" Mykayla asked.
"No," JJ said with a laugh as the other girls started getting closer to have a look at her ring. "I mean... we had talked about it. Nothing serious, but we said like three years ago that we wanted to marry each other, I just... didn't expect it right now"
"How come you knew and I didn't?" Simone asked Aly pointedly, catching JJ's attention.
"Because you have a big mouth and you one hundred percent would have spilled the beans to JJ and spoiled the surprise," Aly shot back, making all the girls laugh as Simone looked at her in shock. Aly grinned, turning to JJ and giving her another tight hug. "Will was so nervous. That's who I was talking to when you came into the room this morning. He needed some last minute reassurance"
JJ giggled. "Why was he nervous? Did he think I would say no?"
"I think part of him thought you might say no because you've had so much going on, but the other part of him was terrified of doing it in front of hundreds of people"
JJ laughed. "Trust him to grandstand and then get cold feet"
"Come on, let's get your stuff so Will can whisk you away and sweep you off your feet"