A/N: Happy New Year everyone! I had hoped to upload this yesterday, but the twelve year old boy that lives inside me spent 9 hours playing Fortnite instead.
January 1, 2025 marks seven years since I began publishing this version of Undying Champion, and so much has happened in that time! Back in 2017, I met Jordon online through , where she was an avid reader of this story in it's previous version, and we started chatting almost every day. With her help, I ended up deciding to re-write this story and fully flesh out some of the aspects I had missed in the first (technically second) iteration. January 1, 2018 was the date I uploaded the first chapter of the re-written version of the story, and it has become an incredibly rewarding labour of love since then. Back then, the plan was for JJ to compete up until the end of 2017, but as the real life events portrayed in this story have unfolded, the plans have adapted, grown, and soared from there - so without spoiling more, I can only promise that there is SO much more to come!
Of course, in real life, a lot has happened as well! I travelled to the USA for the first time in 2018, where I not only met Jordon in person, but also met the WONDERFUL AJ Cook (still a pinch me moment!). I have changed jobs into the travel industry where I've really found my feet, I toughed through the pandemic in 2020 and went back to work towards the end of that year. I have qualified to my company's global conference two times running, getting the opportunity to travel to Las Vegas (2022) and Bali (2023) for a weekend of fun with some of my best work pals. I then travelled to Rhode Island in February 2023 for Jordon's wedding, which was SUCH a privilege to attend - even though this poor Aussie almost froze. I've travelled to many places, with more adventures planned, and I flew all the way to Texas in May 2024 for the US National Championships, where I not only saw Simone Biles in the flesh (and she waved at me because I was holding a sign saying "WE FLEW FROM AUSTRALIA FOR YOU SIMONE", but I also met Jade Carey at the airport on the way home!
2025 will be another year of adventures both in this fic and out, and I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who has stuck with it over the last seven years, those who've been around since the very first iteration (we don't talk about Mind Over Matter), and those who are new to my favourite alternate universe. An even bigger thank you to my new friend El ( jcreav on Twitter), who has been there to help me brainstorm and muse over ALL my ideas, whether they be for my current chapter, or ideas that are years ahead in the timeline. You have helped reignite my muse for this fic, and I'm determined that in 2025, we will at least make up to 2020 - I would ideally say we make it to the Tokyo Olympics, but I work full-time, so we'll take it day by day.
Thank you again to everyone! I would love it if you could leave a comment if you love this fic, I adore seeing who has enjoyed my story so far. Here's to a great 2025, wishing everyone only the best ahead!
Training had concluded for the day, with a couple of hours of rest ahead of them before they returned to TD Garden for the second night of competition. And just like clockwork, as soon as they had started putting their warmups back on, the media had swooped in for another round of interviews.
"Hi JJ, how are you today?" said one reporter as he walked up at the front of the group that was heading her way.
"Yeah, not too bad," JJ said with a smile while she zipped up her jacket, before using her hands to pull herself up to sit on the edge of the podium. "Training was good today, so I'm excited to get out there tonight and finish up a good competition"
The first reporter smiled, holding out a little handheld recorder. "JJ, you've had a pretty crazy couple of years, but this year you got married, and yet you're still competing as the best of the best. Do you find it hard to balance your life outside the gym with your gymnastics?"
JJ shook her head. "No, it's kind of second nature now. I train six hours a day, five days a week, and four hours on a Saturday. So I have a three hour practice in the morning from seven am, and then a three hour practice in the afternoon from one. When I'm not in the gym, I'm either catching up with friends, spending time with Will, or doing my online courses. I've been doing this since I graduated high school, so I don't find it difficult at all now"
"Do you change the hours you train as you head into competition season?"
Frowning, JJ thought for a moment. "Um… not really? Maybe. I don't know," she said, making the reporters laugh. "I guess I always scale it down during the off season, I usually only come in once a day to condition, but during competition season we stick to pretty much the same schedule. Unless I'm nursing an injury, or not feeling well, and then we might scale it back a little just to preserve my health"
"And how's married life treating you?"
JJ laughed. "Married life is… great. I mean, we've been together for six years, so by this point it's actually not too different to what it used to be, but being able to call him my husband now is really special"
"How did you manage to juggle a relationship and a return to the Olympics after 2012?"
"Will has always supported my gymnastics. He loves watching me compete, and over the last few years, he's loved learning about the sport and all the different skills. He's as passionate about it as I am, so he has always understood my dedication to it. He really is my better half. He makes me a better person and builds me up in so many ways every day"
Another lady stepped forward, her recorder cutting between the two people in front of her. "Obviously on Friday, we saw your Olympic teammates Kyla Ross and Madison Kocian come forward as victims of Larry Nassar's abuse. How did that make you feel, and what do you think about the way this whole situation has been handled by USA Gymnastics?"
"It's… quite honestly, I think it's disgusting," JJ said shortly. "The whole point of removing the people in charge was to bring transparency and change into the organisation and they haven't done that at all. At every turn of this case, for every person who comes forward, there have been more copied and pasted PR announcements and lies and deceit. It has to stop. I don't know when it will, but it has to stop. I had the joy and privilege of competing with Kyla and Maddie in London and Rio respectively, and seeing them come forward absolutely broke my heart. Not one girl who has been a victim of this deserves to have experienced this, and I'm heartbroken for them and disgusted in the way USA Gymnastics has handled it. We go out to Worlds, to the Olympics, we bring them home medals, we put USA on the map with gymnastics, and they just… don't give a shit about us as people, as human beings? I really feel like they only care about how many medals we bring back and how much money we make them. Which is… ugh. I love gymnastics, I love competing, so to anyone listening to this and panicking that I'm about to pull the pin on this sport, don't worry, I'm not going anywhere - but if I had an avenue other than USA Gymnastics to be able to achieve what I want to achieve… I'd take it"
"You've said yourself that you are not a victim of Nassar, but you surely experienced the culture of the organisation firsthand"
"Absolutely"
"What do you think about the way Martha Karolyi ran things, about the environment she created within the national team?"
JJ took a deep breath, carefully considering her words before she spoke. "It was an extremely convoluted situation to be in, especially as an impressionable teenager. I didn't even realise many of these things until last year after Martha had retired, and I'm 24, so it goes to show that it's not just young girls who are being pushed into this twisted mental game, it carries over as you get older too. The biggest lightbulb moment for me was actually just after the 2016 Olympics. Now I'm sure this has been hashed over a thousand times, but for anyone who doesn't know, my dad passed away the day after I was named to that team. And I still went to the Olympics, but it was only after someone asked me to compare my two experiences at the Olympics that I realised… I felt free, in Rio. I wasn't happy, I was drowning in grief, but I wasn't going into the Games feeling like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. For the first time in my entire career, I felt free to go out there and just give the best performance that I could do. Because for the first time in my career, Martha basically left me alone, no-one really knew how to handle me when I was as much of an emotional wreck as I was, so they just… left me alone. And it's actually sickening to me that the culture has gotten to this point, that the only way I could actually feel free to compete to my best at the Olympic Games was for me to lose my dad in a very tragic way at just 22 years old. Because, yeah, I wasn't a victim of Nassar's abuse, but I still was thrown headfirst into that culture, I was always stressed, always doubting myself, never truly believed I was good enough, and I shouldn't have felt that way. I was supposed to be enjoying this sport - I did enjoy it, I always have and always will love gymnastics, but the culture is the reason so many promising US talents have burnt out"
"You made an offhand comment last year at Worlds about the way Martha handled the 2012 team selection?"
"Yes, I think it was handled terribly," JJ said shortly. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I was a part of that team, it's what I had trained my whole life for. But Marta let Jordyn Wieber believe she was a lock for that team the entire season, and I honestly don't think Marta was ever that convinced she was going to take Jordyn. To break her heart like that in such a public spectacle, when she knew it was going to get a very visceral reaction, I think it was cruel, Jordyn deserved so much better than what she got. I genuinely think Marta should have pulled her aside at Nationals, or before Trials, and told her what the likelihood of her going to London was, because then she wouldn't have had her heart broken in front of the 15 girls that competed at Trials, and then still have to put on warmups and walk out to a screaming crowd because she was an alternate"
A lady near the front of the group spoke up next. "How has your recovery been after your injury at Worlds last year, you're looking really strong, has there been any setbacks along the way?"
"No, my care team is really happy with how I've been healing, and I've been so religious about my physical therapy, making sure the tendon is nice and strong again and can withstand everything I'm putting it through. It's been really good, I feel strong, I'm not in any pain, it's all gone really well"
"We've got time for one more question and then we'll let JJ go," said the USAG media official standing off to JJ's left. She gestured towards a gentleman standing over to the side, directing JJ's attention towards him.
"JJ, any upgrades planned for the remainder of this season, and what are your goals tonight as we conclude the national championships?"
JJ smiled. "Um, look, no upgrades are planned at this stage. We've been playing with some new skills in the gym, but none of them are quite competition ready yet. If they're ready for Worlds, maybe, but I'm not pushing myself to upgrade considering it's been less than 12 months since I ruptured my Achilles, our biggest focus has been getting back to the level I was at last year and feeling confident and comfortable in all my skills. So far that's all gone to plan, so I'll keep playing with the new skills and hopefully next year I can start seeing if we can upgrade some things. As for tonight," she said, trailing off with a grin, "I just want to retain my title from last year, and my beam title. Simone is definitely going to give me a good push for it, but that's what I like the most about competing with her, we push each other and challenge each other. But yeah… I just want to have a really confident, clean competition tonight, I'm excited to get out there and finish it up"
"Thank you JJ, best of luck tonight," said one of the male reporters at the front.
"Thank you," JJ said sweetly, sliding off the podium and making her way out of the group of reporters towards where Nick was waiting with her bags.
"Simone's just finishing up over there, did you wanna wait for her and we'll Uber back to the hotel together?"
"Works for me," JJ replied with a shrug, sliding her water bottle out of the side of her bag and taking a long swig as they walked a little closer to where Simone was being interviewed by an equally large group of reporters, some of whom had just joined after finishing with JJ.
"Simone, last week you tweeted after the congressional report came out, about being… continuing to be disappointed," one reporter was asking.
"Yes," Simone said with a nod.
"What are your feelings about that specifically and why is it so important for you to continue using your voice on this?"
Simone took a breath, choosing her words carefully before she spoke. "I think it's important because we have a platform, and I think when we tweet, it obviously goes a long way, so we're blessed to be given a platform so that people will hear and listen. But you know, it's not easy coming back to the sport, coming back to the organisation that has failed you, um, but you know, at this point I just try to think, I'm here as a professional athlete with my club team and stuff like that, because it's not easy being out here, because I feel like every day is a reminder of what I went through, and what I've been through, and what I'm going through, and how I've come out of it, but you know, i just try not think about it? But it is hard. Once you see that the FBI was on it, and he like… drank with Steve Penny and stuff, it's like, did you guys really not like us that much you couldn't just do your job?" she trailed off, pulling a face as she spoke. "And at the end of the day, it's really sad for us because it becomes a problem whenever we work with future people, how can we trust them? They bring in new people all the time and I automatically put my foot up because the people that I had known for years had failed us, so it's hard for them to bring anyone up to us, I don't know… it's hard to talk about. It's really hard to talk about, I just feel like…"
Breaking off, Simone visibly teared up, her lower lip quivering as she brought her hand up to wipe beneath her eyes. "I don't know, I don't mean to cry, but it's just… it's hard coming here for an organisation and having had them failed us so many times. And we had one goal, and we've done everything that they asked us for, even when we didn't want to and they couldn't do one damn job, you had ONE job, you literally had one job and you couldn't protect us. Even when you talk to JJ about her experience with this organisation, no she wasn't abused by Nassar, but she's gone through so many other things and she's still shown up year after year, meet after meet, she's put in the work and brought them back medals from every single meet she's gone to, and like, they don't even show that they care about her, I mean, we went to Rio two years ago and she was grieving because her dad had just passed away and there was literally one USAG official who asked if she was ok… and that's literally what they asked, 'are you ok?', like don't be dense, of course she wasn't ok. And it's just really sad for all of us, because now every time I go to the doctor or training, I get worked on, it's like, I don't wanna get worked on. But my body hurts, I'm 22, and at the end of the day, that's my fifth rotation, and I have to go do therapy, but it's just hard and we try to work through it, but it will take some time. I'm strong, I'll get through it, but it's hard"
"I think we'll leave it there for Simone if that's ok," the media official said gently, getting nods of agreement from the throng of reporters. Still wiping away tears, Simone pushed away from the podium she was leaning on and walked over to where Nick and JJ were waiting, Cecile having now joined them.
"You ok?" JJ asked, concern showing all over her face for her friend.
"Yeah, I will be," Simone said sadly. "I hate talking about it, I just get so fucking angry, but nothing's gonna change if we don't actually say something"
"You did good," Cecile said, looping an arm around her gymnast's shoulders and giving her a loving squeeze. "I'm proud of you"
"Can we go back to the hotel now? I'm keen for some food and a nap," Simone said wearily.
"My thoughts exactly," JJ replied, smiling at her friend.
A couple of hours later, JJ was roused from her nap by the sound of Will moving quietly around in their hotel room. She fought it off at first, burying her face in her pillow and tugging the blankets up towards her face.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" came Will's soft voice from the other side of the room.
"Mfgh," JJ mumbled into the pillow, earning a laugh out of Will. She felt the bed dip behind her as he clambered up onto the mattress and leaned over the top of her. A cheeky grin spreading across his face, he gently tugged the blankets down until he could see her face, dipping his head and nuzzling her ear.
"You should probably get up soon anyway, you'll need to start gettin' ready," he said softly. "I got you somethin' to eat for when you woke up"
"No. Tired," JJ groaned, trying to tug the blankets back up again. Will laughed.
"Come on babe, you've got a national title to defend"
"Simone can have it. I'm gonna sleep"
Chuckling, Will slid an arm down beside her, his hand resting against her side where he knew she was particularly ticklish. "How are they gonna explain that one? 'Sorry folks, Jennifer Jareau won't be defendin' her title tonight, she's sleepin'"
"William LaMontagne Junior, if you tickle me-" JJ started to say, having realised where Will's hand was, only to break into hysterical laughter as Will dug his fingers into her side and began tickling her relentlessly.
"Will… WILL! Stop!" she cried, laughing as she tried to shove him off of her. He relented right as she flipped herself onto her back beneath him, chuckling as he lifted a hand to brush her hair back from her face.
"I love you," he said gently, his hand lingering against her cheek for a few seconds. "I know I tell you all the time, but I'm so proud of you"
"I know you are," JJ said, her face softening into a smile while she caught her breath. "I love you too"
Leaning down, Will pressed a kiss to her lips, passionate, but chaste. JJ smiled as he pulled away, reaching up and tousling a hand through his hair.
"You need a haircut," she said with a chuckle. "It's getting really long"
"I know," Will said with a grin, finally sitting up so she could disentangle herself from beneath him. "I keep forgettin' to book it in"
They were interrupted by a knock at the door, signalling the arrival of their room service. Will rose up to answer it, while JJ dug her phone out from beneath all the pillows. Barely two minutes later, Will returned, carrying a room service tray with two plates covered with warming dishes, placing it down on the table near the window.
"Teriyaki chicken for m'lady?" he said, lifting the cover off of her plate. JJ beamed, clambering off the bed and joining him at the table. Before she sat down, she stretched up on her toes, pressing another kiss to his lips.
"Thanks babe. I appreciate you"
Will smiled, taking the seat opposite her and removing the cover from his own plate. He found himself watching her as she dug into her meal, filled with so much pride at just how far she had come.
The Jennifer Jareau of just 18 months earlier was practically a distant memory.
There was a little over an hour left until they were due to get underway for the final night of the national championships. JJ and Nick had just arrived at the arena for the senior warmup, and JJ had come with a plan. She would be starting on vault and finishing the night on floor, so her plan was to warm up each event in order, just efficiently enough to get her mind into the zone for her plan of attack.
As she dropped her bag by the vault podium and shrugged off her jacket, Simone came up to her, a look of sheer glee on her face.
"What?" JJ asked, watching her friend curiously as she reached for her water bottle.
"I wanted to talk to you earlier but I forgot and then all the reporters had questions and it totally slipped my mind," Simone said with a giggle. "You have a look"
"A look?" JJ replied, quirking an eyebrow at her friend and raising her water bottle up to her lips.
"Yeah. You look like someone who got laid last night"
JJ snorted, accidentally spitting out her water as Simone burst out laughing. "I do not"
"Yes you do," Simone giggled. "You practically floated in here. And you can't deny it Jennifer Jareau, don't you remember that I'm in the room next door? We share a wall!"
JJ felt her cheeks growing hot, but this was Simone; she wasn't judging. She was going to have to force herself to see the funny side of it. "Ok, so my Saturday night was… productive," she mused, her lips quirking into a smirk as Simone started to laugh.
"Is that what we're calling it now?"
"Well, all I'll say is that my 2013 and 2017 day 2 of nationals were great meet days for me…"
Sniggering, Simone sat down beside her. "So basically what you're saying is that you get dicked down on the Saturday and then perform really well on the Sunday?"
JJ grinned. "Stay tuned to find out"
"As the surprise superstar of the Rio Olympics, Jennifer Jareau captured three gold medals, a silver, and a bronze, bringing her total Olympic medal count to ten, but she hasn't stopped there. Back from injury and better than ever, tonight, the athlete many consider on her way to being one of the greatest female gymnasts of all time looks to wrap up a second national all-around championship here in Boston, with her equally great compatriot, Simone Biles, nipping at her heels!"
Warmup was almost over. JJ was more than ready to kick her night off with a strong showing on vault. She felt refreshed from the rest she'd had after training, and now, standing on the arena floor, wearing a fiery black and red leotard that seemed to be adorned with a thousand crystals, she felt unstoppable.
If she just competed exactly as she did on night one… she knew she had a great shot at winning this title.
The first few competitors seemed to pass in the blink of an eye - perhaps because she was so focused - and before too long, she was climbing the stairs and approaching the vault display card at the end of the runway. While Nick adjusted the springboard for her, she flipped the numbers to display the indicator for the Amanar, her preferred all-around vault. Once they were correct, she turned, dipping her hands into the chalk bucket as she did, and coming to stand beside the end of the runway.
"That ok?" Nick called from beside the springboard, drawing JJ's attention to the equipment. She stared at it for a moment, before lifting her left hand and gesturing over to her right.
"A little more this way!" she called back, watching as Nick nudged it with his foot. Only a small adjustment was required before she was happy with it, nodding once at her coach to indicate she was ready to go. And then only moments later, the judges had raised the green flag.
"Very focused expression from Jennifer Jareau… she is here tonight to win, by all accounts"
She saluted the judges quickly, stepping right into the centre of the runway and taking a deep breath as she stared down the table. Then she launched off, running full pelt towards the table. Her timing into the round-off was perfect, and her block off the table was extraordinary. She let her hands clear the table, wrapping in two and a half twists in quick succession, her feet coming down on the mat on the other side with only the smallest hop forward to absorb the landing.
The smile on her face as she saluted the judges said it all.
"Incredible! Oh wow, that is an Amanar to rival McKayla Maroney and Simone Biles, what a vault!"
Still beaming, she bumped her fists against Nick's as he came up onto the podium to readjust the board for her second vault.
The fire inside her was burning brighter than ever.
Already, she could almost taste the gold.
Halfway through her competition, she was feeling confident and strong.
Her second vault had been just as stratospheric as the first, having a stuck landing and a great score to round out her efforts for another vault title - even so, she had a feeling Simone was going to pip her on difficulty in the last rotation.
Bars had been an almost carbon copy of night one, clean and smooth with fantastic execution and great amplitude. Her score had been reflective of that; exactly what she had scored on Friday, putting her comfortably in the lead as far as bars was concerned.
But now, the two most important events - beam, her signature, and floor, her final effort for the national title. Staring down the end of the beam, she placed a hand on her stomach, taking a deep breath as she focused her mind on the task ahead. Even though she was currently leading the pack after the second rotation, nothing was over until it was over. She had to stay focused right to the very end.
"Now on balance beam for Romero's, Jennifer Jareau!"
Rapturous applause filled the arena as she lifted her arms up to salute the judges, a smile gracing her face as she did. Lowering her arms, she turned back to the beam, ready to make it bend to her will once more.
"Two more routines, and she could very well secure a second straight national all-around title"
Springing off her feet, she ran towards the springboard, punching hard off the end of it and flipping easily onto the end of the beam. The second her feet found the suede top, she straightened up, bringing her arms up above her head to hold her centre of gravity completely steady. Immediately into the first section of choreography, she swung her arms down, taking a step forward on the beam and jutting her chin up, before steadying herself for the next skill. Her arms came up once more, swinging down and then up again in quick succession to throw herself into her standing Arabian. The half turn was tight, and her feet found the beam again easily on the other side. She straightened up, knowing she was balanced, and then swung back again, executing a tight half turn before her hands hit the beam, the rest of her body following in motion. Upright, she kicked herself straight over into the first front aerial… then the second.
"That was fabulous. Even cleaner than night one, and that's saying something because her routine on night one was exceptional"
She'd executed it so efficiently that she hadn't quite used the entire length of the beam, so she quickly improvised, flaring her arms out and posing her leg out in front of her before taking a step forward, bringing her feet back together just inches from the end of the apparatus as her arms found their centered position back above her head. She barely paused for a second before swinging back into her second series… backflip… backflip… the punch into the layout full was hard and powerful, allowing her to wrap the full twist in perfectly before nailing her feet down at the other end of the beam.
"Phwoar… absolutely phenomenal!"
Tightening every muscle, she kept herself grounded as she spun into her full turn. This time, there wasn't a hint of a wobble… she was so secure that she decided to connect it directly into her side aerial, landing it perfectly on the other side.
"She didn't connect that on night one, but she was bang on just then, so she should see a slight increase in her difficulty score tonight"
Her leap series was clean, every muscle working overtime to push her legs above 180 degrees of split, and before she knew it, she was readying herself at the end of the beam just as the bell rang to indicate she only had ten seconds left. Completely in the zone, she swung back, flipping twice down the length of the beam and punching hard into the air. The full twist was wrapped in almost before she'd even started tucking, and she was so high that she almost would have had room for a third tuck… but she kicked it out and stuck her feet firmly to the mat, inciting ecstatic applause, and prompting a wide smile to cross her face as she turned to salute the judges again.
One more to go.
"Last up… the reigning national champion. Only needs greater than 13.650 to pass Simone and hang on to her national title… she scored almost a 15 on night one, so if she does exactly what she did on Friday, she will secure that title by just about a point ahead of Simone Biles"
Surprisingly, she really wasn't that nervous. A national title on the line, competing against the most dominant all-around athlete in gymnastics history… but all she had to do was go out and perform a floor routine that she loved, a floor routine that had drama, energy, and intensity.
Simone had already finished up on vault, and while she had eclipsed JJ on vault for the event title, it was going to take a disaster on floor for JJ to miss the recapture of her 2017 all-around title.
"On floor exercise for Romero's, Jennifer Jareau!"
Saluting as the crowd cheered for her, JJ stepped out onto the floor, taking up her starting pose and allowing herself one more deep breath as she focused in for the next 90 seconds.
"A great performer on floor… the reigning world champion"
Iridium by The Sidh began, booming dramatically through the arena, spurring her into motion immediately. She moved with ease, fluidity, and a lightness that couldn't be taught, locking her heels together in the corner of the boundary line before she took off across the diagonal. Her double double layout at the other end was powerful, punched triumphantly into the floor with a wide smile as the crowd roared with appreciation.
She got so caught up, flourishing through every movement, nailing every beat, punching every landing, that before she knew it, she was swinging her way into her final pose, freezing on the final beat as the arena filled with deafening applause.
"And that should absolutely secure a second consecutive all-around title for Jennifer Jareau! What an incredible weekend she has had, she'll be so excited to get to the world championships later this year and work off the back of this performance!"
"Incredible," Nick chuckled as she came down the stairs, pulling her into a tight squeeze.
"Having Simone around again lights a bit of a fire," JJ said with a grin.
"You don't say!" Nick said sarcastically, laughing as he turned to shake Laurent Landi's hand.
Barely a minute later, her score was up, confirming her as the reigning national champion by just over a point ahead of Simone. Morgan Hurd, who had been standing nearby, was the first to reach her and give her a hug, before Nick was back by her side.
"Well done kiddo," he said, positively beaming as he wrapped JJ in a tight hug while the crowd cheered for the confirmed champion. "You competed beautifully this weekend, you should be really proud"
"I am," JJ replied, her smile stretching from ear to ear as she pulled back, bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet while Nick laughed. "I felt so calm… I don't think my headspace has ever been this good for a meet before"
Nick chuckled. "Let's hang onto it for Worlds then"
As if materialising from nowhere, as she was apt to do, Andrea Joyce appeared to JJ's left, microphone at the ready, accompanying NBC cameraman just behind her.
"Hi JJ, have you got a couple of minutes?"
JJ beamed, leaning back against the floor podium with a smile. "Of course"
"And now we're going to go down to the floor with Andrea Joyce, who has found a few minutes spare with the reigning national champion, Andrea, over to you!"
"Thanks Terry, I'm here with Jennifer Jareau who has just won herself a second straight national all-around title ahead of the ever challenging Simone Biles, JJ, you remain the only person in history to have beaten Simone on the world stage, was there a bit of competition between the two of you this weekend as you battled it out for the national title?"
JJ grinned, leaning into the microphone, fully aware that it was about to be sounded out for the entire arena. "There's always competition between us, but I think that's also what makes us such good friends, because we are really good friends, I mean she was a bridesmaid in my wedding in May. There's a lot of respect between us for the things we are both capable of, and we love being able to push each other to be better competitors, better athletes, and she's definitely pushed me to achieve more than I thought was capable. I really love the challenge of competing with her, it keeps it interesting"
The crowd cheered as she finished speaking, making her laugh as she waited for Andrea to speak again.
"You've had a really difficult couple of years, obviously you lost your father in 2016 right before the Olympics, and you've been very open about the struggles you had with mental health last year, and then you got injured in Montreal… yet every time you step out onto a competition floor, you are so joyful and look like you're having so much fun. How do you constantly find it in yourself to rise above all the challenges that get thrown at you?"
"Honestly, I just… really love what I do," JJ said with a smile. "Through everything that's ever happened to me, gymnastics has been my escape, my safe space, and being able to come into the gym and put in a good workout helps me so much with my mental and my physical health. I also have the best support network, my husband, my mom, my brother, friends like Aly and Simone who completely understand this crazy journey we're on. It's invaluable to me, I can't thank all the people around me enough for all the love and support they've given me over the years. I've also found in the last 12 months that being open about my mental health and the things I've gone through has been so important to my recovery, because I can come out here and be my authentic self and not feel like I'm hiding anything from the world. I have a platform, and I want to use that as much as I can to help other people, to make other people feel heard and understood, but also to be as genuine as I can - what you see with me is what you get"
An even louder cheer erupted, amidst which Simone came bounding up, popping up beside JJ and giving her a tight squeeze.
"The dynamic duo, Simone, she's beaten you again!"
Simone giggled. "I know, she's really making me put in the work, but as JJ said, we love that challenge, we love being able to push each other to be better, you never want to get comfortable at the top, you always want to be pushing and striving for more, and I think we help each other do that"
"Lastly, JJ, you posted on your Instagram a couple of weeks ago, but just in case anyone here hasn't seen it… what's the goal going forward?"
JJ laughed, leaning forward towards the microphone again. "The goal is to make the Tokyo Olympic team and defend my all-around and beam titles!"
The applause that erupted was deafening, making both girls laugh as Simone gave her another squeeze.
"Congratulations on another national title JJ, and hopefully we will see both of you at the World Championships in a couple of months!"
"Thank you!" JJ said, beaming from ear to ear as Andrea and the cameraman left.
"You really are making me work, you beat me by a point!" Simone exclaimed as they walked away from the podium and towards the throng of gymnasts who were getting ready to exit the competition floor.
"Next time, it'll be two," JJ teased. Simone laughed, playfully punching her shoulder.
"I'm so coming for you at Worlds!"
Dinner at a nearby restaurant with both JJ and Simone's families had been filled with good food, plentiful drinks, and even more laughter. Thrilled that she had gotten to spend the weekend watching her aunt become national champion again, Bailey-Rose had sat herself between JJ and Simone, chatting away happily about all the cool skills she had seen.
After dinner, the group had made their way back to the hotel, where Sandy and Paul, Nellie and Ron, and Sam and Bailey-Rose had retired to bed quite early, leaving the two young couples and Aly to enjoy a few more drinks in the cosy space of the hotel bar.
"I have earned this," Simone said gleefully as the waiter brought over a massive margarita and placed it in front of her.
"You sure have," Aly laughed, taking a sip of her glass of wine and placing it down on the little side table. "You guys were amazing. I didn't think either of you could get any better than you were in Rio, but you've proved me wrong because you just keep upping the stakes"
"It's the only way JJ knows how to function, just constantly one-upping everyone," Will teased, earning a poke to the ribs from JJ as she cuddled into his side while the others laughed. He chuckled, looking down and pressing a kiss to her temple. "I'm only teasin' babe, you know I'm proud of you"
"Well, don't celebrate too loudly, we are sharing a wall you know," Simone said, wiggling her eyebrows. Aly snorted as Will's face changed to confusion, while JJ grinned and picked up a peanut from the snack dish on the table, launching it directly at Simone's head. Simone giggled, ducking and leaning into Stacey as realisation dawned on Will's face.
"Oh dear," he chuckled, his cheeks blushing ever so slightly pink.
"You two are horrendous," Aly laughed.
"It's all JJ," Will said with a grin. "JJ and her big dick energy"
"Hey!" JJ exclaimed, slapping his chest again as the others laughed. "That would be you, buddy"
"Is that why you threatened to spank her into next week?" Simone asked with a grin. Aly choked on her drink as JJ's jaw dropped, while Will burst out laughing. "Don't look so surprised JJ, I TOLD you we were sharing a wall!"
"That doesn't mean you need to quote it verbatim!" JJ said, unable to fight back the smile that was working its way onto her face.
"Well, you weren't quiet," Simone giggled.
"You are such a shit stirrer babe," Stacey laughed, draping an arm around her shoulders.
"Only to JJ, JJ can take it," Simone replied, still giggling as she leaned into Stacey's side.
"She's never quiet, it's just a side effect of my sexual prowess," Will crowed, effectively dissolving the group into near hysterical laughter as JJ jabbed him in the ribs again. Defeated, JJ laughed, relaxing and cuddling back into Will's side.
"I can't deny it, he IS pretty good. But only because I'm good"
The group laughed, Will taking a swig of his beer and setting it down on the table.
"I might add at this point, we've only ever slept with each other… so we could actually both be terrible, we just don't know any better," he chuckled, getting more laughter from their friends.
"If it keeps feeling like that, I'm down for terrible sex," JJ teased.
"You guys crack me up," Simone laughed, sipping her margarita and settling back on the couch. "All that aside, I say we cheers to a successful Nationals… and here's to Worlds!"
"Hear hear!" they all chimed together, glasses clinking together to celebrate yet another successful notch in both of their careers. Amidst it all, JJ felt an incredible sense of calm, of joy, of contentment. For all the indecision she had experienced earlier in the year, more than ever, she was assured that she had made the right decision. Her sport brought her an incredible sense of achievement and joy… and she would keep chasing it for as long as she was physically able.