A/N: Y'all are gonna die over this one!

Instead of the sunlight waking Will up the following morning, it was the distant sound of rolling thunder that pulled him from his dreams. Rubbing his eyes as he tried to orient himself with the living world, he sighed, settling back under the covers for just a moment as he listened to the typical summer storm rolling through in the distance.

Turning his head to the right, his eyes fell on JJ. She was curled up on her side, her hair splayed across her bare shoulders, still deep in the land of dreams. One arm was flung across his bare chest, holding him close even as she slept. Smiling, he lifted a hand and covered hers.

This. These sweet, silent moments. These were what he had missed. These were how it used to be. Before everything had blown apart.

His eyes roamed over her sleeping face, seeing for the first time just how peaceful she looked. He would never forget Aly telling him that when JJ had gone with her to Melbourne, even in her sleep her face had been fraught with hurt and sadness. But not today. Today, she was relaxed, the corners of her mouth even quirking ever so slightly into a smile.

Reaching out with his free hand, he gently brushed her hair out of her eyes. She shifted at his touch, but she never stirred, much to his relief. After the awful few months they had had, he wanted to let her sleep, basking in the happiness of the previous evening.

She let out a sigh, turning onto her back, but keeping her face towards him. Her hand slid back across his chest, coming to rest between them as she let out a deep breath. As he watched her, he could feel his heart swelling exponentially in his chest.

He loved her so much. He always had, from almost the moment he had laid eyes on her. Not a day was ever going to pass where he didn't count himself the luckiest son of a bitch on earth for having had the chance to get to know JJ on a much deeper level. So she had made a mistake in LA… deep down, he'd always known she was searching for a way to mend her broken heart, unintentionally catching himself and Aly in the crossfire. She had shown him her sorrow over those decisions… she had done everything possible to show him how much he meant to her.

And now, when he looked at her, he no longer saw the heartbroken girl who'd been screaming blue murder at him in the Californian hotel, or the girl who had done nothing but cause him pain… he saw the girl who had fought through it all to stand above the torrents of bullshit life kept throwing at her… the girl whose heart was twice the size of her, the girl who loved everyone around her fiercely and unconditionally.

Rolling onto his side and wrapping an arm around her midsection, he blinked back tears.

Never again would he let them get that close to fracturing down the middle. Never again would he chance losing possibly the greatest thing he'd ever had. They had been through hell and back, but from today onwards, they would stand stronger than before.

As he lay there, watching her in her peaceful haze of sleep, he realised just how much he had missed all the little things. In the last few months, he'd missed out on the everyday nuances of their life together, and now, he wanted to make up for lost time. He wanted to hear about her training sessions, what had put Nick into a bad mood, the funny things Simone had texted her, and most of all, he just wanted to laugh with her like they had used to do all the time. Whether it was laughing at an inside joke, their current Netflix show, or at something stupid one of them had done… he just wanted to laugh with her again, and mean it. He wanted to enjoy every day with her again like he used to.

He wasn't going to mess this up.

JJ let out a soft groan, screwing up her face against the weak sunlight as she started to stir. She brought her hand up, rubbing her eyes before turning back towards Will and burying her face in his chest.

"Hey," she mumbled, her sleepy state catching the word in her mouth. He chuckled, bringing a hand up to rest on her bare back.

"Hey sleepyhead," he replied, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"You smell nice," JJ sighed, making Will laugh.

"Do I?"

"Yeah. Like… I don't know. Just nice," she said sleepily, punctuating the end of her sentence with a yawn.

Running gentle circles on her back with his thumb, Will smiled as he watched her fight off wakefulness for just a little bit longer. "What are we going to do today?" he said softly, bringing his hand up to run his fingers through her hair.

"Stay right here," JJ yawned.

"You mean we have this whole cabin and all the woods around it all to ourselves, a beautiful lake to swim in, and you want to stay in bed?"

"Yep"

Laughing again, Will shook his head. "Whatever you wish"

Wriggling around to get more comfortable, JJ tucked her head beneath Will's chin. Before long, she had her left arm slung across his bare chest, and one of her legs in between his. His left arm was wrapped around her, holding her close to him, his hand resting on the curve of her hip.

Never had she felt a love so intense before. Their relationship had been dragged over the coals and back again, but right here, in the calm, still morning of Conneaut Lake, they were reconnected right down to their very soul.

"You ok down there?" Will asked softly after they'd been laying in comfortable silence for some time.

"Yeah," JJ breathed, lifting the hand on his chest and beginning to gently trail the tips of her fingers across his skin. His muscles rippled beneath her touch, and she felt as though she were mapping out long walked trails that only she knew. "I'm so sorry for everything I've put you through this year," she said quietly. "I never meant to hurt you like that"

Will took a deep breath. JJ had apologised many times since their original reconciliation; he was starting to sense it was a feeling of guilt that wasn't going to go away quickly.

"I know," he said gently, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I'm sorry too"

JJ suddenly giggled, surprising Will into a grin as he looked down at her. "What?"

"I just remembered you falling in that hole yesterday when you weren't looking on the trail"

The two of them started to laugh as the image came rushing back to them, the sombreness that had been threatening to settle over them suddenly being pushed away.

"Yeah, well what about you? Walkin' into that tree?"

JJ dissolved in giggles, burying her face in the curve of his neck as they laughed together. It gently subsided, JJ still tucked away beside him as they listened to the gentle lapping of the lake in the distance. They fell silent for a little while, listening to the patter of rain against the roof, watching through the window as dark storm clouds rolled overhead. Cozy beneath the blankets, Will was perfectly happy to stay right there, his girl wrapped safely in his arms.

"How has your training been lately?" he asked gently after a little while, when he was sure JJ was a little more alert.

"Pretty good," JJ said softly. "Some days were… kinda rough for a little while. Days when I was missing Dad… or you"

His heart gave a little gallop in his chest.

"Sometimes I question what I'm doing. But they're getting better. And I still love gymnastics, so to me, that's the most important thing," she said with a smile, lifting her bright blue eyes to look up at him. "I have a new floor routine too"

"Do you like it?" Will asked.

"I'm not sure yet… Teagan picked it to tell a story… of everything I've been through since Rio, and… it's intense, but I think it'll be good when I get it out on a competition floor"

Will drew his arm a little tighter around her.

"I can't wait for you to see it"

He felt a familiar warmth spreading through his chest. All throughout their relationship, she had actively involved him in her sport. Knowing she was eager to show him what she had been working on meant more to him than anyone could have guessed.

"You know… the last time I saw Jason… I noticed something funny about him and Katie"

"Yeah?" Will asked, hardly even noticing the sudden change in subject.

"I think they might be trying to have a baby," JJ said softly, but a glimmer of excitement crept through. Absently, she traced circles on Will's chest as she talked.

"What makes you think that?"

"Just little things I noticed when I saw them. I don't know if they actually are… but if they are, I'm happy for them. They deserve this"

"And you get to be Auntie JJ. Even though you'll always be Auntie JJ to B-Rose," Will said knowingly. JJ giggled.

"That too"

He fell silent for a moment, his eyes drifting up to the ceiling. "And I'd be Uncle Will," he said softly.

JJ lifted her head, looking at him in quiet surprise. More than continuing on her joke, his quiet proclamation was a gentle affirmation from Will that he was truly all in for their relationship once more.

"Yeah," she said, a small smile creeping across her face. "The best"

Will chuckled, lifting his head just enough to press a kiss to her lips.

What a perfect morning.

He couldn't take his eyes off her.

The storm had cleared by midday, and they had spent the day roaming around the trails, laughing and talking the entire time.

Now, they were taking in the sunset by the edge of the lake. Will had posted up a little way up the shore, watching as JJ made her way down to the water. Submerging her bare feet in the water, he watched as she tipped her head up towards the glowing pink sky, taking deep breaths of the fresh air. Standing down at the lake shore, the water lapping at her ankles, she looked so peaceful. He could see her smile, silhouetted by the rays of the setting sun.

She was happy.

It had been such a long time since he had seen her happy. Up until this weekend, many days had seen her face graced with a frown, her eyes often showing that she was on the brink of tears.

Now, he would give anything to go back and take all that pain away.

He watched her, leaning back on his hands as she turned and gave him a small smile. He smiled back, his heart fluttering away in his chest as she turned back towards the water.

And then, as he watched her taking in the beauty around her, the decision he'd been toying with for nearly a month suddenly solidified. Whereas uncertainty had clouded his thoughts for months, right now, all he could see was blinding clarity.

Slowly, he pulled himself to his feet, brushing himself off lightly as he started to walk forward. He reached into his pocket, pulling out the little box and closing it in his hand as he came to stand beside her at the edge of the water.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" JJ asked quietly, looking at Will with a little smile.

"Very," he breathed, pulling himself around to face her. She looked up at him curiously, still smiling. "Being back here is so peaceful. The last time I was here with you… we were so head over heels. And I think, being back here has helped me realise that feelin' again. I never… ever want us to be torn apart like we were again"

Taking a deep breath, he reached for her hand with his free hand. He lightly ran his thumb over her knuckles, squeezing her hand gently as he did. "JJ… these last few months have been… the hardest thing I've ever been through. And sometimes I still feel that hurt… but through it all, I've come to realise that my life just isn't complete without you in it. We might have hurt each other… but the way I feel about you… that's always been stronger. It's just taken me a long time to see it"

Slowly, he knelt down on one knee, letting go of JJ's hand and bringing it to the ring box in his other hand. Locking eyes with her, he opened the box. JJ brought a hand to her mouth, her eyes filling with tears.

"Jennifer Jareau… I want you to marry me," he said softly. "More than anythin' in this world… I want to be your husband. I want to be by your side for the rest of our lives, helpin' you through the tough times and smilin' through the good. JJ, I love you… and I'm sorry if I haven't shown you that these last few months, but I've always loved you. I promise that's never going to change"

Tears ran down JJ's cheeks as Will lifted the ring box towards her.

"I'm gonna marry you, Jennifer Jareau," Will said thickly. "I'm gonna marry you, and I'm gonna love you… with my whole heart, for the rest of my life"

"Yes," JJ breathed, tears spilling down her cheeks as she leaned down to press a kiss to Will's lips. "Yes you are"

Unable to contain himself, Will broke into a huge smile as he stood up, wrapping his arms around JJ and sweeping her off her feet. She threw her arms around his neck, clutching onto him tightly as the tears began to flow freely. A few moments later, he was setting her back on her feet, his hands shaking as he pulled the ring from the box. JJ could barely keep her hand steady as she lifted it to allow him to put the ring back on her finger. But as soon as he had, she dissolved, clutching at him as her body shook with tears.

"I never should have taken it away from you," Will said softly as he pulled her right up against his chest and kissed the top of her head. "But now it's back where it belongs"

"I love you," JJ said tearfully, lifting her face so she could look properly into Will's eyes. "I love you so much it hurts. I can't wait to be your wife"