Chapter One: 2007
April 4, 2007 3:32am
Dear Journal:
I did it! I finally did it! I asked her to marry me, and she said yes. I thought she might get mad at me for waking her up in the middle of the night but she was thrilled, she smiled and cried and so did I. I can't believe how happy I am at this point in my life. Back on the island we were all afraid for our lives, and I never imagined I would ever be happy again, even though she was with me the entire time on the island. She understood how I felt during the difficult times, which is why I believe we are a perfect match. I hope Aaron is happy about the idea when we tell him tomorrow.
I'm gonna have to cut this short. Kate is begging me to come to bed.
-Jack
June 24, 2007 2:13pm
Dear Diary,
Jack and I have finally set a date for the wedding! September 8th of this year, in beautiful Santa Barbara! It's been a hassle preparing for it but it's also been fun. I'm so lucky to have the nanny around to take care of Aaron whenever I need her to, she really is a blessing.
Sun and Cassidy are going to be my bridesmaids, Hurley and Sayid are going to be Jack's groomsmen and Clementine and Ji Yeon will be double flower girls who will escort my little ring bearer Aaron down the aisle! It's going to be the best day of my life. I'm so glad Jack was able to open his heart to Aaron and I after all we've been through on the island. I had my baggage as well, but I was so lucky to get off with only probation during my trial. If I had to do jail time and lose Aaron as well as Jack, I don't know what I would have done.
Every time I look at Aaron I see Claire and I constantly wonder if she is alright. I've kept Aaron safe for her like I knew she would have wanted, and I also wonder if Sawyer is doing okay and if he ever found her. I try not to dwell on these thoughts and look forward to my future with my son and my fiancé and try to imagine how great the rest of our lives together will be.
Always,
Kate
July 16, 2007 7:18pm
Dear Journal:
I got an unexpected call from someone today. Ben wants all of us who left to go back to the island. He tried his hardest to convince Kate and I to return but we didn't give in. Neither of us want to return, we are happy here living our life together; plus it's a hell of a lot better since we returned from the island in early 2005 and began dating.
The same thing happened when Bentham visited Kate and I separately last month. We both refused the offer and so did Sayid and Hurley. We called Sun to see if he came to see her but she was unaware that Bentham was even off the island in the first place. I was jealous of her, because she was the one he had chosen not to bother.
I have officially moved into Kate's house and my old apartment has a new tenant; everything is going well for us. Tomorrow I'm going to see a lawyer about adopting Aaron. Kate was so happy when I asked her if I could do that, and the way she explained it to Aaron made him ecstatic about it too. I couldn't help but smile when he began calling me Daddy instead of Jack.
Sometimes, and it isn't often, but I have the urge to just pick Aaron up and tell him I'm his uncle, not his dad. Adopting him goes against this revealing this information, so why do I have this urge? I think it's because I feel bad about not looking for Claire before we left the island. Whenever I let my thoughts drift to her, they go to Juliet as well. She wanted to get off the island more that I did, and I sometimes wonder if she is doing okay even though she is still stuck there.
I just know that I'm glad I left.
-Jack
September 8, 2007 9:40am
Dear Diary,
I just finished getting my hair and make-up done. I am so nervous, it's insane. I love my dress, it's beautiful. This wedding is turning out to be everything I've ever wanted. For our ideal wedding we would have gotten married and spent our honeymoon in Hawaii but I can't leave the state of California for another eight years or so. So we had to limit our options to just inside California. We chose to get married in Santa Barbara near the beach because it's gorgeous there. For our honeymoon we are just going to San Diego and spending a week laying on the beach and going to the spa in our hotel. Jack told me he would give me a second honeymoon anywhere I wanted once my probation is lifted. I can't wait for that!
We've changed Aaron's last name from Austen to Shephard last month, when the adoption was finalized. I'm so happy Jack wanted to become Aaron's father. He has no idea how much this means to me. Aaron and Jack are my world, and we will finally be together at last.
We've also given Aaron a middle name; Charlie. Aaron Charlie Shephard. Jack and I loved the sound of it, and we also miss Charlie terribly and we knew how much rescuing Aaron and Claire meant to him. Unfortunately the part about Claire didn't come true.
Margo is driving me to the ceremony. Jack has Aaron and it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding. Margo has been a big help with everything from helping me with the seating charts, the cake and the flowers, and looking after Aaron of course. I know she is excited to finally be a grandmother. Jack told me she used to always ask him and his ex wife if they were ever going to have children. I hope Jack and I will have at least one more child, I would love for Aaron to have a younger sibling.
I am also grateful to have Margo as a mother in law, since my mother and I no longer talk. Last I heard she was getting better, but I don't want to see her since she bribed me during my trial just to see Aaron. What kind of mother bribes her own daughter?
We're here, Margo just parked the car. Everything outside of the window looks amazing! Oh, I can't wait to marry the man I love!
Always,
Kate
October 2, 2007 7:13pm
Dear Journal:
This past month has been the best month of my life. Our wedding was beautiful. Kate was breathtaking in her Vera Wang dress. Thanks to our settlements, we could afford everything we wanted. We had a beautiful ceremony. Kate's bridesmaids looked gorgeous in their pale pink gowns and my groomsmen looked great in their tuxedos. We were blessed with beautiful weather, and the reception at a nearby hotel was so much fun. Everyone ate, drank and danced the whole night. Aaron looked adorable in his tuxedo I picked out for him. I told Kate it was a surprise and she couldn't see it until the wedding, and when she saw him waiting at the altar with me she had the biggest grin on her face. In that split second I knew she was blissfully happy and I am lucky to be a part of that happiness for the rest of our lives.
By midnight it was over, and people started to leave. Sun and Ji Yeon had to get back to their hotel and rest for their flight back to Korea the next day. Aaron was cranky, and my mother took him home with her. He was spending the week at her house during our honeymoon. Hurley was pretty wasted and Sayid and Nadia had to help him to their car and drive him home. I thanked them as I turned to say goodbye to Cassidy and Clementine.
It took me awhile to get used to them being around. At first Kate told me Cassidy was an old friend of hers and whenever they would come over for dinner I noticed how Clementine looked like Sawyer, it was so uncanny. I mentioned this to Kate several times but she always ignored it. By the third time I knew something was up. We had a pretty big fight that night and she finally confessed to me that Clementine is why Sawyer whispered in her ear before jumping out of the chopper. I was angry that she didn't trust me with this information but we got through that part of our relationship together. We vowed to never keep secrets from each other ever again. About a year later, everything was going well for us and I knew it was time to propose.
Our week in San Diego was fun. We had a good time at the beach and spa together during the day and dancing and drinking at clubs late at night, which would always end with sweet lovemaking in our hotel room. I can't wait for our second honeymoon which I promised to Kate, and it will be ten times better than our first one.
It's already been a month and everything is going great. I'm happy with where my life has taken me and I know that everything that happened was meant to be. I'm happy we spent 108 days on the island, because without that terrifying but wonderful experience, Kate and I, and Aaron, would have never met.
-Jack