AN: Thanks for the lovely reviews and fav/story alerts! Enjoy!

Chapter 8-On Our Way to the I Do's

After Cole's funeral, nothing was ever the same at the hideout. People didn't laugh as much, the kids didn't play as much; it seemed as if the Paladins had sucked the life out of everyone.

Griffin and David agreed to continue training the Jumpers with Kyle and Mr. Benson, but to everyone's displeasure, the training intensified. Even little Ruby started her own training, mostly learning how to jump before being attacked or overpowered.

Anna didn't continue her wedding plans for a while, and no one blamed her. She wanted to do it, to give everyone something to be happy about, but she couldn't. To her, it was as if she was spitting on Cole's memory. Griffin didn't have anything to say on the subject, but Anna suspected that he agreed with her.

One day, Mrs. Benson came up to Anna while she was studying in the living room and dropped several bridal magazines in her lap. Anna huffed, and pushed them onto the floor. She really needed to study for her finals, which were next week. She couldn't fail; it was bad enough that she couldn't go to class without a 10-person security detail.

Mrs. Benson was taken aback by the action, so she decided to use another approach. She sat down on the coffee table and said, "Anna, I know that you feel that you don't deserve to have a wedding, but I think you should go through with it."

Anna looked up from her notes. "Why? Why would I even think about doing that?"

"Because all anybody does around here is cry, fight, or mope. I'm tired of it. These kids need some hope, something to look forward to. You can give them that, and help yourself in the process."

"I-I can't. I can't do that to Cole. It's too soon," Anna mumbled.

Mrs. Benson nodded, "I understand. I miss him, too. After all, he was my son. But we're still here. We have to pick up the pieces and put ourselves back together now. I'm not saying that you have to get married tomorrow, but it would be nice to see the kids smile again."

Mrs. Benson left the room, leaving Anna to her thoughts.

Xxx

That night, Griffin plopped onto the bed, exhausted from today's training session. Several of the teenaged Jumpers nearly beat him to a pulp in the sparring session, and he was sure that one of them might have broken one of his ribs. But it also made him happy that they were getting better. After a while, he wouldn't need to train them anymore.

He winced as he tried to breathe, but the pain was terrible. He couldn't even sigh in relief when Anna entered with an ice back, bandages, and painkillers. He sat up best he could as she started to work on him.

Anna was getting better at this, and had even started helping out in the hospital room. But she hated that she had to attend to Griffin almost every night now. She understood that he didn't want any of the other kids to have Cole's tragic fate, but it also seemed as if he was punishing himself in some way. But she couldn't stop him; it was something that he was going to have to move past on his own.

"Griff, can I ask you something?" Anna asked as she patched up the bandage on his bruised rib.

Griffin sighed, "Can it wait until tomorrow?"

"You've keep saying that, but it is tomorrow. I need to talk to you, now," Anna replied in low voice.

"Fine."

"I think we should move the wedding date to August, no later than September."

Griffin looked at her intently. "Where did all this come from?"

Anna put the medical supplies aside and tried her best to cuddle up to him without touching his side. "I'm tired of being sad, Griff. I'm tired of being scared that we might not ever get married because I'm scared shitless that you might die. I want to get married to you as soon as possible. Plus, it would be nice to give the kids something to look forward to, other than their possible deaths."

Griffin was silent for a while until he looked down at Anna. Her eyes were hopeful, but terrified that he would shoot her down.

He sighed, "I guess I should start looking for a tux sometime soon then."

Anna smiled and kissed him. He let out a tiny whimper of pain as Anna's body leaned onto his. But he figured he would just put up with it for now until the pills kicked in.

Xxx

So, the wedding was back on, and there were only 3-4 months to get everything ready. Griffin and Anna were hesitant on setting an actual date just yet, in case another "Cole situation" occurred again.

However, the U.R. was buzzing with excitement for the upcoming nuptials. Millie, Naomi, and Mrs. Benson had presumed their positions as wedding planners, and were constantly bombarding Anna with questions about cakes, decorations, wedding dresses, guest lists, and the question she dreaded the most: her honeymoon.

To her surprise, David stepped in and told Anna that he would take care of it. Anna worried as to what that might entail, but she and Griffin were in the dark about it. Even Millie was sworn to secrecy.

At the beginning of June, Anna received her bachelor's degree and had registered for medical school in the fall. The kids' training also began to decrease and Anna welcomed it.

By July, Anna and Griffin bought a small apartment outside of New York to get some privacy from all of the chaos at the U.R. To Anna's surprise, David and Millie moved in downstairs 2 weeks later.

Soon, it was a week into August, and Anna smiled as she went in for her second fitting. The form-fitted dress still needed to be nipped in the waist, but overall, it still looked beautiful on her, and she couldn't be happier with her choice.

Finally, Griffin and Anna set a date for September 5, two weeks before Anna started medical school.

A week before the wedding, Anna received a package from her mother.

AN: I know. Realistically, you can't really set a wedding date, like a month prior. But in this situation, it's understandable. Please Review!