Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Genre: Romance/ Family

Shipper: Jate/ Sana

Summary: Sequel to "A Lost Christmas Carol". Kate Austen is back to the States years later to see again the people who she loved once more than anything. However, this new meeting could change completely her "perfect" life.

Thanks to Doublell!

Reviews are welcome!

My Best Friend Wedding Day

Chapter 1

Jack thought that there was nothing else on earth that compared to a gorgeous sunrise at The Shephard Ranch. Jack had never witnessed a more beautiful and serene scene. Could it be because he was finally happy for the first time in a very long time?

Jack opened the window in his old bedroom. The hair on his chest bristled because a cold gust of wind from outside had just blown in. Jack quickly closed the window and fell back into the bed again.

It was still very early in the morning. Jack had decided that he wasn't going to return to work that day. He relished the thought of not having to be anywhere. No agenda! He really wanted to stay at the ranch and enjoy some long overdue time with his family…. and especially Kate.

Suddenly, there was a soft knock on his bedroom door. Jack smiled because he knew who would be there. "Come in!" He quietly called.

Claire entered the room holding her sleeping baby cradled in her arms. She smiled at Jack and lay down on the bed beside him. Claire gently placed little Aaron between them and Jack smiled down at the boy and caressed his silky hair.

"Jack, do you remember when it used to storm and I'd come to your room because I was terrified of the thunder?" Claire asked.

"Of course I remember." Jack said as he touched the blond curls of his baby sister.

"I used to come to your room because I knew if I went to Sawyer's he'd send me away, but you were different. You were always so sweet and patient with me. I've missed you so much all these years." Claire said.

"Me too. I'm so sorry, Claire." Jack quietly said. "Your son is so beautiful, Clairebear. How old is he now?"

"He just turned eight months on the tenth. He's my pride and joy. You know, Daddy freaked out when I got pregnant, especially when I told him that I was going to marry a rock star." Claire explained.

Jack just laughed and Claire continued. "But after Aaron was born, Daddy accepted my wedding, including me moving to England."

"I'm so happy for you, Baby Sister. Are you happy there?" Jack asked.

"Yes! I'm so happy over there! Happier than I've ever been, Jack. I love this ranch, you know, but now England is my home. Even so, I've never stopped coming here… especially at Christmas time. What happened to you, Jack? Why did you leave us for so long?" Claire softly asked.

Jack folded his arms behind his head and lay back in the bed and said. "I'm not sure…I think I've been asleep all these years, but suddenly now I'm wide awake and I'm planning to catch up on everything I've lost."

"Does this include Kate?" Claire mischievously asked.

"What do you mean?" Jack innocently replied.

"Don't play dumb with me, Big Brother! You know exactly what I'm talking about. After all of these years… Kate suddenly calls Mom out of the blue and says that she's coming back to The States and wants to see everyone. Well Jack, to me it sounds like an excuse… to see you! She also asked Mom for the phone number to your office."

Jack's heart jumped with joy at hearing this information, but he wouldn't admit this to his sister. "Claire, Kate is and always will be a wonderful friend… but that's all."

"You're such a liar!" Claire baited him. "Listen to me Jack. You and Kate only dated for a short time before she left. You both just need some time together again… to get to know each other again….to make things happen… you know what I mean?"

"Okay, okay!" Jack said laughing, but in his mind he was thinking about the passionate kiss on the road he'd shared with Kate the night before. After they arrived at the farm they never kissed again, but Jack spent the entire night wishing he could kiss her again.

"Okay, Jack. If you say so." Claire imitated him and smirked. "If you want to sit here… pretending that you don't want to kiss Kate again, hold her and do other things with her that I can't even talk about….then I'll pretend to believe you!"

Jack playfully punched her on her shoulder and said. "Ok, you win. I do want to kiss Kate again, and hold her in my arms… but I don't know if she wants to do the same…"

"Of course she does you silly!" Claire said kissing her brother's forehead.

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Sawyer moved quietly within the room. He didn't want to wake his sleeping children. They huddled in their parent's bed next to their mother. Everybody was exhausted after going to bed so late waiting for Santa.

Sawyer quietly approached his sleeping wife and gently touched her long dark hair before whispering in her ear. "Honey Bunny, wake up. I have a surprise for you!"

Ana moved lazily in their bed and moaned gently pushing away Monica's little face from her chest. "Mmm…"

"Hey Sleepyhead, please wake up!" Sawyer insisted. "I want to show you something."

Ana-Lucia opened her eyes and held her hand out to Sawyer. He helped her to get up carefully so as not to wake their children. Ana was still sleepy and leaned against him and closed her eyes again.

"Ana-Lucia!"" Sawyer gently demanded as he became slightly annoyed. Ana just smiled and said. "Okay, okay….I'm awake, Man!"

"I told you… I want to show you something." Sawyer repeated again.

"Yeah ok, stop being so impatient…what's so damn important that you need to show me now?" Ana asked and then yawned.

"Come with me and see for yourself, Baby." Sawyer replied as he gently tugged on her hand and led her out of their bedroom.

"Baby, I'm in my nightgown! At least let me get my robe." Ana said. Sawyer waited impatiently for her at their bedroom door. He was becoming increasingly frustrated as each minute passed. When Ana finally arrived dressed in her robe he quickly led her down the hallway.

The rest of the house was still quiet, but in the kitchen Margot and Teresa were quietly talking as they prepared breakfast for the family. The pleasant aroma of coffee and breakfast coming from the kitchen made Ana's stomach growl and she whispered. "Sawyer, the smell of breakfast is making our baby hungry…" Ana touched her baby tummy. "…and I'm starving. Why don't you show me your surprise after I eat something, Darling?"

"Oh no, I need to show you now, Lulu." Sawyer insisted. "Baby, please!" Ana whined. "No way! Stop playing the whiny little princess… because it's not working!" Sawyer grinned.

"Okay, okay!" Ana gasped, resigned to her husband's insistence. "Go ahead and show me what's so darn important that you need to haul your sleeping wife out of her warm bed so early on Christmas Morning already! Your baby and I… we're so hungry and you won't even let me eat my breakfast…"

Ana continued complaining but Sawyer just ignored her and gently dragged her out of the house. Once they were out on the front doorstep, Ana-Lucia became speechless. There was a brand new and shiny red minivan parked in the front driveway with a giant golden bow wrapped around it.

"You Son of a B*tch!" Ana gasped as she placed both hands over her mouth. "I can't believe you did that. You B*stard!"

Sawyer had a big grin on his face. Ana turned to him and hugged him tightly. Ana-Lucia filled his face with little kisses until she finally kissed his lips passionately.

"You said you'd get me a new car after the baby was born. You're always so good to me, Baby, I don't know what to say…" Ana muttered between her tears.

Sawyer placed the car keys in Ana's hand. "You don't need to say anything, Baby. A van isn't nearly enough of a gift for you…because you're about to give me another gift…the gift of a child."

Ana-Lucia kissed him again and walked to the van, never letting go of his hand. She couldn't stop smiling. "Let's go for a drive, Baby!" Ana said.

"Hey Bunny, you mean that you want to go out in the van right now?" Sawyer grinned. "What about your breakfast?"

"Forget breakfast, Sawyer! I want to drive my new van!" Ana laughed.

"But Ana, the road is covered with ice and snow, it's too slippery…" Sawyer protested as he got into the passenger seat of the van. Ana-Lucia was already behind the driver's wheel and fastening her seatbelt.

Ana turned on the ignition and looked over at her husband and grinned. "Let's ride, Cowboy!" She said as she pressed down the accelerator, just giving her husband enough time to put on his own seatbelt.

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Kate had been watching them from the window of the guest room. She thought it was so beautiful seeing Sawyer and Ana-Lucia together. They'd started dating when they were just teenagers and Kate had always dreamed about having a relationship as wonderful and as strong as theirs.

In fact, Kate once thought that she would share a life like that with Jack, but her father's career transfer to Germany had changed their plans. Kate went to college and became a businesswoman and she was now living in Australia.

Kate lived a successful life working closest to the one thing that she thought would never happen to her personally….marriage. Kate had developed and operated a well renowned catering company, specializing in weddings, anniversaries, corporation mergers etc…

Kate's business specialized in multimillion dollar weddings, including designing clothes, decorations, selecting the venue/Church, catering the food, managing the photography… everything that someone needed to have for their most perfect wedding day.

Kate met Boone at one of her wedding functions several years previously. Kate and Boone were going to be married on the first day of The New Year. Boone was one of the most wonderful men that Kate had ever known, and now he was her partner in their multimillion dollar catering and entertainment business.

When Kate had first met Boone, they had became fast friends which only grew stronger over the next several years. Slowly things began to change until Kate realized that she was falling in love with the irresistible charm of Captain America…. as her future sister-in-law called him.

Even so, Kate had never thought about marriage for herself before meeting Boone. After Kate had left the small town where she had been raised, she became an educated, strong, independent, assertive, and visionary woman.

Kate just couldn't imagine herself as a farmer's wife anymore… raising kids at The Shephard Ranch like she had dreamt about during her youth.

However, when Kate saw the place that she had grown up at again, she'd realized that she missed that most precious time of her life….when life was so happy and simple.

The feeling was so strong that she couldn't resist kissing Jack when they'd met on the road after so many years, even though she was engaged to Boone. What could Jack be being thinking about her now?

After Christmas Dinner had finished, Ana-Lucia had informed Kate that Jack had divorced about 1 year previously. Kate couldn't help but wonder, "What if the kiss that they'd shared last night meant as much to him as it meant to me?"

Could it be possible that that the love that they had experienced in the past was returning….or had never even disappeared at all? Or was this all just wishful thinking on Kate's part?

"No!" Kate said to herself. The real reason that had caused Kate to return to The United States was to get married at the chapel in the town where her parents had gotten married years ago. Kate had wanted to invite Jack, her best friend from her youth, to stand up with her and give her away at the ceremony.

Mr. Eko, a Nigerian priest, who worked with her wedding company and was one of her closest friends, was flying in from Sydney to celebrate her wedding with Boone.

"Nothing is going to go wrong!" Kate quietly said to herself. "I came to The Shephard Ranch for one reason and one reason only… and nothing is going to change my mind. I love Boone! We've been living together for almost two years now and we're going to get married on January first. My life is going to be perfect!"

To be continued...