"So this is it." Sawyer said with a sigh. "The end of an era."
"Looks like we're loosing our leader." Sayid observed.
"Jack can't do it any more." Charlie agreed. "Now he's - I can't even say it." He said defeated. "It's too serious for us."
Jack stopped adjusting his tie and grinned at his reflection. He looked at them in the mirror. "Guys, I'm not going to the moon, I'm getting married." He told them.
That day had finally come. It was Christmas Eve, as both Jack and Kate decided that Christmas was coming sooner than Valentines day, so they wanted to get married then. As it was Christmas, Jack had got into the spirit by not wearing a white shirt, but instead wearing a red one with his black tux. When getting fitted for a suit, he felt more like he was going to a funeral when it came to the shirt being white, so he had decided to add a little colour to the outfit, and he had to say, he looked a bit more than presentable. It was only an hour away now, and the four men were upstairs, above the church in a chamber that overlooked the seats.
Kate had wanted a church wedding, but it was mainly going to be friends there. Of course, her mother couldn't be there, seeing as she had passed away shortly after the plane crash, but she had gotten back in touch with her step-father, Sam Austen, and he was going to walk her down the aisle. It was the other way around with Jack; his mother was coming but not his father. His two sisters and other relatives were coming, but for Kate, there were only a few relatives, such as her father, her younger brother Luke, and a few cousins, but other than that she was just inviting friends. Personally, he didn't mind whether half the world turned up or if there were only two other people, as long as he was there, and Kate was there, and there was someone to marry them, he didn't mind.
"You'll never be the same again." Sawyer assured him. "Marriage changes a man. It's all about the three rings."
"What three rings?" Jack asked.
"The engagement ring." Sayid began.
"The wedding ring." Charlie continued.
"And the sufferring." Sawyer ended.
Jack laughed. "Come on, guys, this is Kate." He reminded them, and then whispered to himself. "If she hasn't run for the hills."
The rest of the men laughed. The pre-wedding jitters, which Jack had spent the past two weeks assuring them that he didn't have, had officially begun. Unlike other couples though, that hadn't begun with the money spent on the dress. They had plenty of cash now. Unfortunately, Jack hadn't been able to see the dress yet.
"Jack, you've had months to panick." Charlie said, "And you wait an hour until it starts. Nice."
"Well," Jack reasoned. "What if she goes back into her 'I never want to see you again' phase?"
"I might not be one on romance as much as sex," Sawyer started, "But I think that proposing infront of a sunrise with a pink sapphire ring which I know for a fact cost you $12,000, and the amount of flowers and 'lovely little romantic suprises' as she calls them, would make her go back into that phase."
Jack continued staring at his reflection. "Ok, you may have a point there."
"I can't believe the person who spent years saving peoples lives on a deserted island being chased by monsters and mad men is nervous." Charlie laughed.
"Charlie, I can't wait until you get married and I can taunt you as well." Jack said, turning to face them.
"You think it's bad now?" Sayid asked Charlie. "Just wait until Kate gives gets pregnant. We'll be stuck in a corridor with him begging him to sit down.
Jack frowned at him. "What?"
Sawyer laughed. "It's only a matter of time until there's a mini Doc running around. We ain't stupid."
"Well, I'm not gonna be pacing in a corridor." Jack assured them. "When the time comes, I'll be right at Kate's side." He said proudly.
He got a few sarcastic 'Aw's from the boys, and held up his arms. "Ok, how do I look?" He asked.
He got a thumbs up from them all, and sighed. "Now, we've just gotta wait for Kate."
Sawyer frowned. "Just out of interest, Doc. But, who'd Freckles pick for bridesmaids in the end?"
"Um...Sun, Shannon, Claire's being maid of honour, and Libby."
"Well thats that problem solved." Charlie said.
"The best man decision didn't go as smoothly." Sawyer reminded them.
"Come on guys, you're all my best men." He said. "I'll need all three of you in case I forget what I'm going to say up there."
This wasn't a joke, as some people thought it might be. When he was talking to anyone and saw Kate over their shoulder, he had a funny habit of forgetting what he was saying and trailing off into nothing. It happened every time, garaunteed, and was the guys main source of amusement to arrange for Kate to 'coincidently' walk in on where they were drinking just to try and keep Jack distracted from her - but it never worked. He found it hard to sit still for five minutes once he knew that she was in the room.
"You've written your own vows then?" Sayid asked.
"In a way." Jack said awkwardly.
"What does that mean?" Charlie asked.
"It means that he's going to stand up there and improvise because he didn't have a clue what to write down." Sawyer explained.
"Yeah, thats probably about right." Jack agreed.
"Unbelievable." Charlie said, shaking his head.
"Well whenever I wrote something down it sounded corny and the bits that were good I knew I'd never remember, so I'm hoping that the words will come to me when I'm up there." He explained.
In her room at home, Kate was sitting with her father and Claire, waiting for their car to arrive, having her own pre-marital jitters.
"What if he doesn't turn up?" She said frantically.
"He'll already be there." Sam assured her.
"And he's probably just as nervous as you." Claire added.
"You think so?" Kate asked, getting up and pacing again.
"I know so, now sit down!" Claire said with a small laugh.
Kate ignored her. "What if I do something stupid and trip?" She asked. "Or forget my vows?"
"You won't forget your vows." Claire assured her. "It would be easier to make them up on the spot anyway."
"It would?" Both Sam and Kate asked together.
"Of course, that way, the words come naturally and from the heart." Claire explained.
Kate smiled. "Good idea." She said, trying to forget everything she had prepared to say.
"And stop worrying, angel, you look beautiful." Sam said softly.
Kate stopped at his comment and looked in the mirror again. Althought white was a traditional colour for getting married, she had chosen to wear red, seeing as it was Christmas Eve. The dress reached down to the floor, concealing the red strapping sandals that she had spent hours choosing. It was a bustier at the top, and she had a small, cut of desinged jacket that she was wearing because of the cold, but was decorated in the same diamonte fashion as the dress itself. The patterns of jewels ran along the dress's skirt hem, and above at the top of the bustier, along with the edges of the sleeves of the jacket. Around her neck was a delicate but elegant diamond necklace, which matched the diamonte on the dress and jacket, along with delicate matching earrings. Shannon had twisted her hair up into an elegant knot on the back of her head, and the five women had spent an entire day shopping for the silver tiara that was placed upon her shining brown hair. She had never seen herself look so wonderful, so beautiful, but there she was, in the dress of her dreams, an hour away from marrying the man she loved.
"There's the car." Claire said, hearing the honk of the horn outside the window. "You ready?" She asked.
Kate spent another moment looking into the mirror, wishing that her mother was there to see her in this dress, and there to walk her down the aisle like he should be, before turning away from the glass and taking her fathers arm. "Absolutely."