Title: It's a Wonderful Life

Chapter 2: Don't I know you from somewhere?

Time: December 2008 (after the sixth season of Reba and beyond)

Characters I don't own: Reba McKinney, Brock Hart, Barbra Jean Booker, Kyra, Jake, Cheyenne Montgomery, Van Montgomery, Elizabeth Montgomery, Barbra Jean Booker, Henry Hart, Mike Holliway, Terry Holliway, Lori Ann Garner, JV McKinney, Helen McKinney, John D. Hart, Liz Hart, and any other characters from the Reba cast.

Characters I do own: Anyone not part of the Reba cast – original characters developed for this story include: Max Thornton, Cheyenne McEntire-Smith (Nana), Vince McEntire (Papa), Kenneth Smith (Gramps), Paige McKinney, Michael Davis, John McKinney Thornton, Barbara Ann Grant, Kim Campbell-Holliway, Sam Holliway, Jenny Miller, Terry Holliway, Jr., Josh Holliway, Madeline Mitchell (Maddi), Greg Brooks, Jason Holliway, and Maggie.

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Now on with the story-

This chapter will consist of scenes that will be in regular font, not italicized font. I use the italicized font to distinguish between author's notes and regular scenes. I use bold font when things need special emphasis.

Previously- "So that's John?" Brock asked John D.

"Yep, Reba raised a fine boy there."

"So, who's the father? Come on, I've got to know."

"Like the lady said, it's complicated. I'll let Reba tell ya later."

"I get to talk to Reba? But why would she tell me somethin' like that? Aren't we strangers?"

"It's time that you and Reba met officially."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll figure that out sooner or later, Brock."

Brock couldn't wait to find out more. He was so excited to get to meet Reba. He wanted to know all about her and her new life. Right now, he was just thrilled that Reba wasn't datin' anyone serious right now. She wasn't with Mike anymore and she wasn't really with Max so he hoped that the field was clear for him to try to win her heart. He just wanted to be a part of her life. He missed her every minute that they weren't together. He missed their closeness and friendship. He stopped to think about his own life. How did his life turn out in this alternate reality? He still had so many questions...

What will happen now? What is Reba's life like in 2008 in the alternate reality? What is Brock's life like without Reba? What was Reba's relationship with Mike? What was her relationship with Max? Will Brock get the courage to keep fighting for his future with Reba or will he give up and let her have a life that makes her happier with someone else?

What happens next? Stay tuned to find out this chapter!

The answers to these questions will be revealed as you read the story. Here is the latest installment of It's a Wonderful Life.

Now on with our next chapter-
Reba was standing behind the bar, serving drinks at Holliway's. Unfortunately, she was forced to talk to Barbra Jean Booker. It was important to Mike for Reba to act civil to his girlfriend. Reba cringed at the thought. This was the homewrecker who broke up their marriage. She then left Mike and moved on with someone else. Just as Reba and Mike were repairing their fractured relationship, Barbra Jean reappeared with her child in tow. Reba was astonished at the woman's nerve. She ripped Reba's family apart, walked away, and then came back to do further harm.

Reba's children were thrilled at this latest development because they hoped that it would bring Reba and Max towards reconciliation again. Max was always handy to come in and pick up the pieces when Reba was hurting. He still loved her, but she wasn't sure if she ever truly loved him with her whole heart. She wondered if it was even possible for her to actually give a man that type of love. She tried to give Mike that type of love and it didn't end well. She and Mike had an amicable relationship now. They were always great friends and they shared two children together. Reba inwardly cringed at how poorly John and Kyra sometimes treated their father.

They frequently chose Max over Mike. Reba blamed herself for allowing herself to be married to Max when they were born and allowing Max to raise them as their father until their eventual divorce. She was at least grateful that Kyra had a better relationship with her biological father than John did. It was a small consolation because it gave her further reason to have to wear her polite mask. Kyra actually liked her father's girlfriend. Reba was desperately trying to help Kyra forge into a father-daughter relationship with Mike so it would be hypocritical of her to be negative towards Mike and his choices right now. Her only choice was to stand there and carry on this ridiculous conversation with this Barbie doll tramp. Why did she have to come back to Oklahoma? Mike ran into her in Tulsa when she moved back to take a job as a weather girl at the KOKI Fox23 television station.

She despised her ex-husband's taste in women. She was the only woman that Mike had ever dated that wasn't a big haired brainless blonde. First, Kim Campbell came between them and then there was Barbra Jean Booker or BJ, as she insisted on being called. Reba sometimes despised herself for having any feelings left for Mike at all. It was a habit that was hard to break. She'd loved him for a long, long time. She sometimes wondered if they could've made it work. She'd wondered if they could've worked out if they hadn't lost the baby or if she hadn't gotten pregnant the last time.

She dismissed those treacherous thoughts that snuck up on her. Of course, she wanted their baby. She wanted so much to have a child that they could raise together to bind their newly blended family together and straighten Mike's paternal ties with John and Kyra. Reba forced back the tears that threatened to fall. She would not cry in front of her rival. She would not show weakness.

"As I was saying, you'll love the guy that Mike and I are settin' you up with tonight," Barbra Jean explained.

Obviously, Reba had missed something. "What guy? BJ, what are ya talkin' about?"

"My ex-husband, Brock. He's your blind date tonight."

"BJ, are you crazy? Of course, you're crazy. You own over 700 Beanie Babies."

Barbra Jean smiled. "Reba, you're so silly. I owe over 800 Beanie Babies and that doesn't make me crazy. That's an Oklahoma state record."

Reba flashed her condescending smile. "My mistake. Why would I want to go out on a blind date with your ex-husband? How about this? I'll go out on a date with my ex-husband and you can go out on a date with your ex-husband." Reba's voice was dripping with sarcasm, but she secretly hoped that BJ would be dumb enough to accept that offer.

"No way! Reba, you're so funny. I told the kids that you'd come up with something funny like that."

"And what did the kids say about this idea of yours?"

"Kyra thought that it was a great idea!"

"And Kyra's somewhere right now laughin' at my expense," Reba thought to herself. "What about John? I really don't want to upset our children," she said to BJ.

"Our children are fine with it."

"They are not our children. They are mine and Mike's. I like to get their approval before I date anybody."

"Is that because you're seein' Max?"

"Where would you get an idea like that?"

"I heard the kids talkin' about it. By the way, I heard that Max went out on a date with Kim Campbell two weeks ago."

"Thanks for the tip."

"Anytime, buddy. You and I are just gonna be best friends before long."

"Barbra Jean."

"Yeah, Reba?"

"Back away before I slap the blonde right off of ya."

Barbra Jean just laughed. "Yeah, sure, Reba. You're hilarious."

Reba flashed her fake smile again and stormed off into the office to talk to Mike. "You've got to get rid of that woman. She's drivin' me nuts."

"That's too bad because she's a part of my life now. Come on, Reba. She's not that bad once you get to know her."

"She's crazy enough to think that I'll go out on a blind date with her ex-husband tonight."

"That's because you agreed to last week."

"No, I didn't. I just heard about this today."

"No, I talked to ya about this last week. Remember I told you that my buddy, Brock was comin' into town and I asked you if you'd take him out and show him around. You agreed. You said that you'd do it as a favor to me."

Reba chuckled. "You mean to tell me that your old buddy, Brock from Texas is Barbra Jean's ex-husband?'

"And Henry's father."

Reba laughed even harder. "This is funny. Barbra Jean's ex-husband, the guy that she left you for, is your old buddy, Brock? This is too funny. That woman is dumber than a ten pound sack of stupid. And she wants to set me up with him? Is she outta her mind?"

"Watch it, Reba. She doesn't mean any harm."

Reba crossed her arms in front of her. "Really? Did she mean any harm when I caught you two makin' out in the upstairs apartment? How about when John walked in and caught you red-handed in the act with her in the office? And you wonder why he's hostile towards you."

Mike started to rub his temples. "Reba, will ya or won't ya do me this favor?" he asked gently with pain in his voice from his obvious migraine headache.

Reba replaced his fingers with hers and gently rubbed his temples for him. Mike began to relax. "You're lucky that we're life-long best friends," she commented.

"What would I ever do without you? You're the queen of exes. You're a life-saver. Don't worry. Just relax and have fun. Brock's a great guy. I've told you about him before."

"I remember. You owe me one, Jack. I mean it!"

Mike smiled at the use of the familiar nickname. She hadn't called him that in awhile. "I know, Sal. You're the best."

"Try to remember that. I'm gonna clock out early and get ready for my date. I'll be back in a couple of hours."

"I'll pick up Jake from basketball practice. He can hang out here with me and John until Max comes by to pick him up. Cheyenne will be by with Elizabeth soon. She's gonna stay here and play with Terry and Henry for awhile. Max is supposed to take her back to his house, too. I hear that Cheyenne has a date with Van tonight."

Reba groaned. "Perfect. I don't wanna hear anything else or I'm gonna start gettin' a migraine myself. I'll see ya later."

Reba was at her house later, getting ready for her date. Cheyenne was also getting ready for her date with Van. "I'm so excited for you!" Cheyenne squealed.

"I'm goin' out with BJ's ex-husband on Mike's insistence that I cooperate. I'm in for a fun evening," Reba deadpanned.

"Come on, it's a blind date. He could be hot, Mom. He's BJ's ex-husband, which means that at some point she found him desirable. Right now, she finds Mike desirable. Maybe you and Barbra Jean share the same taste in men."

"Shoot me now. Just the thought of sharing the same taste in men as Barbra Jean is disgusting. Wait, I think I threw up a little bit in my mouth."

"Okay, Ma. Relax. I'm just saying that you've always found Mike attractive and he's her type, too. Maybe you might be attracted to this guy, Brock too."

"Remind me again why I should take advice on my love life from you. Aren't you goin' out on a date with your ex-husband? You two couldn't make your relationship despite two previous attempts. What makes you think that you can make it work now?"

"Because the sex is even better than it was before. That part is working really well this time."

Reba groaned. "Ugh, Cheyenne. I do not wanna hear about that. I don't wanna hear about your sex life. Understand?"

"What's the matter, Ma? We can talk about that kind of thing. I'm a grown woman. Aunt Paige is havin' an affair with Michael while datin' Greg and she's twenty-five years old. I know that you've discussed sex with her. John is twenty-four and I know that he's had sex before. I've been havin' sex since I was seventeen. The only man that I've ever slept with is Van. And I'm pretty sure that even Kyra's had sex. After all, she's eighteen. Then there's you, you're forty-two and I know that you're still havin' sex with Dad and you're not married to him either. Spare me the lecture on premarital sex."

"Cheyenne, what your father and I do is private and not up for discussion, especially with our child."

"Ooh, I knew it! I was only speculating about that. John did tell me about it last week, but I wasn't sure if it was true. It's true. You're still sleepin' with Dad."

"Cheyenne, it doesn't mean anything. We're not back together. It happened because I'm lonely and he and I still care about each other. I don't go around havin' sex with just anybody. The truth is that I still have feelings for Mike. Your father knows that."

Cheyenne put her arm around her mother. "You've got to get over that right now. That ship has sailed. Mike's with BJ now."

"Barbra Jean could always drown in a giant vat of Crisco oil," Reba said, smiling gleefully at the thought.

"Mom!"

"Well, Mama's got a darkside."

"I'll say. Do ya know what might make you feel better? Let's play Mirror, Mirror."

"We haven't played that game since you were younger. Okay, Cheyenne. Let's havin' some fun with this one," Reba looked into the mirror. "Mirror, mirror on the wall. Look at our dreams, big and small. Show us Cheyenne's dream man. Who's her soul mate supposed to be? Please try if you can."

"Ooh, I like this one. Okay, Mirror. Show us what you got." An image of Van Montgomery appeared in the mirror. Cheyenne's hands flew to her mouth in surprise. The mirror had never shown them that before. "I knew it. I knew it. I'm right, Mom. See? Your turn." Cheyenne's face lit up with excitement.

Reba looked into the mirror again. "Mirror, mirror on the wall. Look at our dreams, big and small. Show us my dream man. Who's my soul mate supposed to be? Please try if you can." It was Reba's turn to be surprised. The mirror revealed a tall man with golden blonde hair, luminous blue eyes, and a tan complexion. Reba had never seen a man like this before in any premonition. She smiled at the thought of having such a good looking man in her future. Her thoughts were interrupted by Cheyenne.

"Looks like you've got a new type, Mom. This guy doesn't look anything like Dad or Mike." Cheyenne remarked, playfully teasing her mother.

Reba couldn't take her eyes off the image in the mirror. Her cheeks turned red as she became embarrassed of the x-rated things that came to mind as she looked at the mirror in front of Cheyenne. She couldn't help it.

"Come on, Ma. It's time to finish gettin' ready for our dates." Cheyenne said as she steered her mother away from the mirror.

A hour and a half later, Reba was standin' in Holliway's again. She was nervous and Barbra Jean kept tryin' to make conversation with her. Jake was in the upstairs apartment with Kyra and Josh while the three babysat for Henry, little Terry, and Elizabeth until Max arrived to pick them up. Josh agreed to help BJ and Mike out for the night by babysitting for little Terry and Henry while the others went to Max's house.

John walked over to where Cheyenne was standing near Barbra Jean and their mother. He pulled out a box of condoms. "Better safe than sorry," he said, smirking at her.

"John, don't tease your sister like that."

"What's the matter, Ma? Do you need some yourself for tonight?" John teased.

Barbra Jean oblivious to the gentle natured teasing in the McKinney-Thornton-Holliway clan turned to Reba and added, "Do you need some because I've got some in my purse?"

"No, BJ. I don't. But thanks anyway." Reba shuddered at the idea of Barbra Jean using the condoms in her purse with Mike. Barbra Jean having sex with Mike was not an image that Reba wanted to keep in her head. Reba turned to glare at her son. John stood there with a big grin on his face.

Just then, a tall man about six feet, one inch tall with golden blonde wavy hair and intoxicating blue eyes walked into the bar. He was wearing a white cotton shirt, a blue-gray silk tie, white sharkskin pants, and white dress shoes. "Hey, Ma. That's the guy from the mirror," Cheyenne remarked.

Reba stood there, motionless. Mike greeted the man with a hearty handshake and a hug. Barbra Jean greeted him nervously. Mike brought the man over to meet Reba. "Reba, this is my buddy, Brock Hart. Brock, this is my ex-wife, Reba."

Brock was so thrilled to be face to face with Reba. He found it ironic that she was wearing the same clothing from their June date back in his reality. She was wearing the same Indian/Gypsy dress. The square-cut, strapless bodice was made of lavender silk and the three tiered skirt was fashioned of row upon row of different bands of silk ranging in color from lavender to mauve to palest pink. A huge black chiffon rose with lavender and gold center was nestled at the waist. She also had on a pair of high-heeled, strappy black sandals to match the dress.

Brock handed Reba a large assortment of pastel and hot pink roses and peach toned spray roses. Nervously, she moistened her dry lips. He strolled forward and extended his hand in a friendly greeting. She met the smile and the hand that was offered. His smile sent her pulse racing. Her smile was eager and alive with delight. Her eyes brightened with pleasure. He felt as if he had been transported back to the first time that they met before in his version of 1981.

Her alabaster face had a musk-rose flush on her cheekbones. He drank in the sight of her. Her bright copper hair gleamed with shadows of rich red, which hung in long graceful curves over her shoulders. Wispy bangs fell across her forehead. He was momentarily speechless as he looked at her gentle, overwhelming beauty. While Brock held his gaze on Reba, Reba couldn't help but take in the sight of Brock. There was a glint of humor in his eyes.

Reba saw something else in his eyes that she couldn't quite identify. He stood there, devilishly handsome. She took in his tempting, attractive male physique. His smile was wide, his teeth strikingly white in his tanned face. He had thick goldenrod hair. She took in the tantalizing smell of his musk-scented cologne. Lightly, he fingered a loose tendril of hair on her cheek.

"Hi. They're lovely. Thank you, Brock." Reba said softly. She tried to find her voice to begin talking again before she looked as foolish as she felt. "You look familiar. Don't I know you from somewhere?" Reba began again nervously.

Mike looked at her in surprise. "Honey, I know that it's been years, but Brock was at our wedding."

"I think that I would've remembered if he was at our wedding. Everyone in town came to our wedding," Reba responded.

"Not that wedding, Sal. The one in Vegas."

Brock grinned at that information. John D had said that he'd figure things out sooner or later. He wondered if the events in 1983 in Vegas from this reality happened the same way that they happened in his reality back then. He was still figuring out bits and pieces about his new life in this reality. He still had a lot of questions, but things looked very promising so far...

What will happen now? What will happen on Reba's date with Brock? What is Brock's life in this other reality? What will Max's reaction be when he sees Reba with Brock? How much longer will she keep seeing Max? Will Brock get the chance to win Reba's heart again in this other reality or will he fail and wind up back in his reality alone?

What happens next? Stay tuned to find out in the next chapter!

Thanks for the reviews, make sure you review this chapter and give me your thoughts and comments….

I'm so bummed out about Lifetime TV changing their TV schedule. They dropped their Reba marathon from their Friday night schedule. I loved watching that. Even if I missed one episode, I was about to watch it again. The marathon ran from 7-10 and then it was changed to 9-12 and re-ran from 12-3 a.m. It was great! I loved watching it all the way through. As a Reba superfan of the show, I loved watching it all the way through so I would watch each episode twice. I missed one episode of Working Class so I could watch the Reba marathon back in March. Now I feel guilty because they're both gone. I'll have to substitute my ritual by watching episodes on YouTube or on DVD. I love watching because it helps spur my imagination for writing.

There are some websites advertising Working Class on DVD. I am wondering if this DVD comes with extras because the official boxset is expensive. iOffer has advertised the series on DVD-custom made, no artwork for $15.00 with free shipping. At least, this seller is honest about it. I checked out Walmart and Amazon with no success so I have to wonder if the boxset is official or not.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

If anyone has any suggestions on them I'd love to hear! Review or Send me a P.M with your suggestions! Please feel free to make any comments that you wish. I may just decide to include it in the story. If I do include one of your suggestions, then I will give you full credit.

I want to express my special thanks to the following people who have given me valuable support.

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Without you, the story wouldn't be continued every week.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Reba or any of the characters in this story from Reba. They belong to the writers of the REBA TV show. I also do not own the rights to any of the songs and lyrics that I use in this story. Those are the property of the artists involved. I also do not own the rights to any television show or movie reference that I use in this story. Those are the property of the Hollywood creative teams involved in their production. I will be changing some release/airing dates of the titles used to fit in with the story.