It's a Wonderful Life Chapter 4: First Date, a reba fanfic

Title: It's a Wonderful Life

Chapter 4: First Date

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- Brock was talking to John. "She's human just like the rest of us. She's bound to make mistakes because everyone does. It will take her time to let go of the idea of a life with Mike. She's got to do that in her own way. I would like to help her with that. Your mother is warm, funny, impulsive, passionate, and a real survivor. She's the greatest friend that anyone has ever known."

"Does she know that you've got feelings for her?"

"No, she's got a one track mind. She always has. She'll cling to the thought of being with Mike until there is no hope left. Someone needs to make her see how wonderful and fulfilling her life can be, even without Mike. She could get married again and have more children."

"Believe it or not, she's talked about that to Aunt Paige."

"See? She just has to choose a different path in life for herself. She'll do it. Just be patient with her."

"Well, I guess that she could do worse than dating you. But if you hurt her, you'll have the four of us to deal with."

"I wouldn't dream of it. Hey, thanks for the talk. It was nice to meet you. I've heard so many good things about you. Your mother loves you very much."

"Yeah, I know. I just like to give her a hard time sometimes. I love her, too. Even though you're a friend of Mike's, I guess you're not so bad."

"Thank you. I'm gonna tell your mother to break a leg before she gets on stage." Brock smiles and goes in search of Reba.

He was thrilled to have help, even if it came from John D. For Reba, he'd promising to be a better man. He wondered if he'd ever get the chance to talk to Reba about what happened in Vegas. He was suddenly nervous about this date. He had so much riding on it. He'd hoped to be well on the way to winning Reba's heart by the end of the evening….

What will happen now? What will happen on Reba's date with Brock? What is Brock's life going be like in this other reality? Will he stay on in Oklahoma or return to Texas? What will happen when Reba gets on stage to sing with Mike? 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 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-
Brock found Reba talking with her sister near the stage. "Hey, break a leg. I've heard that you've got the voice of an angel."

"Well, that a pickup line if I've ever heard one. My sister already has trouble with two other men in her life. She doesn't need anything from the likes of you. You smell like trouble too."

"Paige! This is Brock Hart, my date for tonight. He's Mike's friend and BJ's ex-husband."

Paige started laughing. "You mean to tell me that you're goin' out with the guy who's friends with your ex-husband and who used to be married to the bimbo." Reba nodded. "Score! Reba- one, cheating airheads-zero." Paige slapped Reba a high-five. They shared a laugh.

"Is this even a date at all for you?" Brock asked. He was a little thrown off by Reba's excitement at the prospect of dating someone who would make Mike and Barbra Jean jealous. He wasn't fooled. He knew how Reba operated by now. He was being used as bait.

"You seem like a really nice guy. I hope that we get a chance to get to know each other, but right now it would be nice to get some sort of reaction outta those two. Don't you feel the same way? Have you ever wanted to see Mike suffer for stealing your wife out from under you? Your child has been taken from you across state lines. You can't see him anytime like you could before. Everything is being handled her way because she's swept away by her feelings for him and she can't see straight."

"Is that what happened to you? With your first husband, I mean? I heard that you were married to Max and the two of you broke up so you could be with Mike."

"Yeah, that's true. Max is a great guy. He didn't deserve any of that to happen to him. He's just not the right one for me. That's all. We've managed to stay friends and that's always good."

"With benefits," Paige added.

"Shut up, Paige! Why don't you go find your husband? It's almost time to start." Reba glared at her sister.

"He's not my husband."

"According to the state of Nevada, he is. And that's legal in the rest of the 49 states in the U.S. too. If you're not careful, I'm gonna tell Dad and then you'll have to stay married to him for a lot longer than six months."

"You wouldn't!"

Reba grinned. "Just watch me! Now, be a good girl and run over there. You've got a devoted man who hangs on your every word. Take advantage of it while you still can. Besides, I know that you've got the same arrangement going with Michael that I've got goin' with Max. It's a pity that Greg doesn't know a thing."

"Aw, come on, Reba. Please don't do anything. I'm sorry. I'll stop teasin'. I was only kiddin' around. After all, you don't have anything left to lose and I do."

Reba hugged her sister. "I love you and I would never wanna hurt ya. Your secret is safe with me."

Reba picked up her sister's purse and ran her hand over it. She whispered some words and then set the purse down. Cheyenne saw that and hurried over to Reba. "Ma, what did you just do?"

"I just gave her a chance at a normal life. It's in God's hands now. Let's just say that she won't be practicing safe sex tonight."

"Ma, that's so wrong. How would you like it if Kyra did somethin' like that to you?"

"If I did what to Mom?" Kyra said, as she came by the group. Cheyenne whispered in Kyra's ear.

"Oh! Well, that sounds like fun."

"Kyra Eleanor Thornton, I forbid you to use magic that way."

"Sure, Mom. Hey, did my father just wave you over?"

"I wonder what he wants. I remember. I forgot to give him the name of the last song that we're singin' tonight. Excuse me for a minute." Reba leaves the others to talk to Mike.

"Hurry, Kyra, before Mom comes back!"Cheyenne urged.

"I know. I know."

"Excuse me. What are you girls doin' to your mother?" Brock asked.

"What should have been done a long time ago. She needs help and she needs a dose of her own medicine for her meddling. Do you mind givin' us a hand?" Cheyenne explained.

"As long as it isn't anythin' that will hurt her."

"It's just a simple love spell. Every time Mom sees or talks to Mike, she'll think of you. Every time Mom sees or talks to our dad, she'll think of you. We're just gonna bind you two together temporarily, of course. Shocking, isn't it?"

"No, I've heard about your mother's special skills before. I just didn't realize that it got handed down to you."

"Yeah, but only some of us have it. Cheyenne doesn't, but she's a carrier so her daughter, Elizabeth got it. Jake doesn't, but John does. That's how it works in our family. I'm gonna need a strand of your hair, a personal item of yours like a handkerchief, and some of your cologne."

"I'll look in Mom's purse for her hairbrush. We can collect some of her hair from there. She usually has some of her perfume in her purse."

Brock handed them the handkerchief and Cheyenne pulled a strand of hair from his head. He was curious about what the results would be and worried about facing Reba's wrath, if things went wrong. He decided to take the chance. Playing it safe hadn't gotten him very far with Reba in the twenty-eight years that he'd known her. He'd hoped that the girls would be this resourceful in helping him win Reba back in his own world. Reba wiped her face and neck with the handkerchief before handing it back to Cheyenne. Kyra intertwined the strands of Brock and Reba's hair together.

Cheyenne sprayed the handkerchief with Brock's cologne and Reba's favorite perfume. Kyra placed the hair inside the handkerchief undetected. Kyra slowly said a few words before stuffing the handkerchief inside a compartment of Reba's purse that she barely used. Cheyenne giggled. "I hope that you don't mind. The spell tends to influence the other people involved, too. Have fun."

"I hope that you girls know what you're doin'. I really don't want to start things off with your mother in a negative way."

"Relax. It will wear off before she suspected a thing. Why don't you ask Mom to dance while we get a song on the jukebox?"

"I can do that." Brock walked over to Reba. "Hey, Reba. Would you like dance? You've a few minutes left before you have to get on stage."

"Okay. That would be nice." Brock took Reba hand and led her over to the dance floor. Cheyenne selected 'The Things We Do For Love' on the jukebox. Brock remembered the first time that they danced to that song back in 1983 at Reba's birthday party. That event didn't happen in this reality, but Brock cherished the memory and found himself thinking of it as he held Reba in his arms and glided her around the dance floor. Kyra selected 'After All' as the next song. Brock wondered how much Kyra knew since she was blessed with Reba's gifts.

Did she see John D's spirit during the times that he had appeared in the room? Could she see what was going on inside Brock's head? Could she see his memories? Brock tried not to focus on that. He decided to take a wait and see approach to that. His focus was supposed to be the woman in his arms. He tried to focus on the here and now, but his thoughts kept drifting back to memories between them.

Reba could see what was going on in Brock's head a few times. She was hit by images of his thoughts every time her hand touched him. Brock listened to the lyrics.

Well, here we are again
I guess it must be fate
We've tried it on our own
But deep inside we've known
We'd be back to set things straight
I still remember when your kiss was so brand new
Every memory repeats
Every step I take retreats
Every journey always brings me back to you

After all the stops and starts
We keep comin' back to these two hearts
Two angels who've been rescued from the fall
After all that we've been through
It all comes down to me and you
I guess it's meant to be, forever you and me, after all

When love is truly right
(This time it's truly right)
It lives from year to year
It changes as it goes
Oh, and on the way it grows
But it never disappears

Always just beyond my touch
You know I needed you so much
After all, what else is livin' for?

Brock had so many memories flood his mind. He remembered the first time that he kissed her on the night that they met. He remembered two times that they made love on the beach at Lake McAlester. He remembered how she looked in her vision of her upcoming wedding. He thought back to moments from their romantic weekend in June and their recent encounter in the Holliway apartment. He thought about Reba's dream of her two future children. He thought about how he was in her dream at the park, playing with the kids.

Reba put her hand on his shoulder and caught a glimpse of his thoughts. Every time they changed positions and she had to touch him, she saw something else. Reba started to feel warm inside when she saw the images. She was filled with hope. She'd been so lonely for so long. She ran from her feelings for Mike into a casual fling with Max. Her decisions lately hadn't been good ones.

She'd hoped that her luck was changing. She wondered if it has anything to do with Brock's recent entrance into her life. He seemed like a good guy. The only drawback was the fact that he was Barbra Jean's ex-husband and Mike's friend. She was filled with hostility at the two of them and was still actively planning revenge. After the two songs, it was time for Reba to get on-stage with Paige, Mike, Michael Davis, and the band. Reba and Paige started singing their set. The set began with The Tide is High, Roll on Down the Highway, and I Love Rock and Roll.

Reba pulled Kyra on-stage to sing Respect with her. Kyra sang a solo with the song- It's a Long Way to the Top. The crowd cheered and Reba was so filled with proud at her talented daughter. The circumstances surrounding her birth was still whispered about around town. Reba still refused to feel even once ounce of shame over her actions. Her marriage to Max was practically dead when she turned to Mike. It was a miracle that her marriage to Max lasted long enough for them to have Jake. Reba looked at Mike, who was looking at their daughter with the same sense of pride.

His eyes connected with hers. "I love you, Sal," he mouthed. Reba's heart soared in the moment before reality set in. He wasn't her husband anymore. He belonged to someone else. She couldn't shake her feelings, but she was filled with an urgency to rid herself of these feelings for Mike. She looked over at Brock. She wondered if it was possible to move on with him.

She wondered how it would work. She lived in McAlester and she was not uprooting her kids for any reason. He lived in Texas. She just didn't see how it would work. She decided to focus on tonight. If anything, she would always have the memories that she made with him tonight. Even if he wasn't Mr. Right, he was someone special.

Mike joined Reba in a duet. They sang together for a few songs. They sang Give in to Me, Like We Never Loved At All, Break Each Other's Hearts Again, Remind Me, Don't Go Breaking My Heart, and You Make Me Feel like Dancing. Brock was experiencing déjà vu at that moment. They were singing in the same set of songs that he'd seen before in his reality. His only consolation was that Reba was his date for the evening, instead of Mike. Reba performed 'Somebody to Love' as a solo with Paige singing backup.

Mike pulled her into a dance right in the middle of the song during the instrumentals. It was the kind of spontaneous thing that he used to do when they were together. She was conflicted. She was mad at him for moving on with Barbra Jean, happy that he was being so sweet, and sad that it was happening after 'Happily Ever After' got hit with an expiration date. She still had feelings for him, but she'd learned to channel them into a plan to teach him a lesson. During a break, he took her upstairs to talk to her. The apartment was once their home, where they first came together as a family and where they began to raise Kyra and John together as parents and as husband and wife.

This was the apartment where they'd been so happy in the time before they were torn apart by Kim. This was the apartment where Kyra was conceived. This was the apartment where Reba almost died. This was the apartment where they lost their baby. This was the place where Barbra Jean decided to comfort him, usurping her place as his wife. Reba would not allow herself to feel warm and sentimental. It was simple and clear that Mike was a conflicted man.

He still had feelings for his ex-wife, despite BJ's role in his life. Reba was the love of his life and the mother of his children. They talked and reminisced. Before long, Mike started kissing her. Reba found his kisses hard to resist. She was melting into him. Just as he released her mouth to kiss her neck, she found the words coming out of her mouth before she could think and before she could stop them. "Oh, Brock!"

"What? What in the world is goin' on around here? I'm confused. You've only known Brock for a couple of hours. You don't even remember meeting him before."

"I'm just as confused as you are. I don't know why I said it. I think that it's obvious that I'm attracted to him. What's the matter, Mike? Does Barbra Jean say his name in bed, too? Does she call his name out in her sleep?"

"What's wrong with you? You've never acted this way before."

"You've never tried to foolin' around with me while you're with another woman. Oh, wait! Yes, you have. Last time, it was Kim."

"You're not so innocent. You did the same thing to Max."

"I don't know what I'm doin' here. I'm not bein' fair to anyone, especially not Max."

"So, are the rumors true? Are you sleepin' with Max again?" Reba nodded and he continued. "Why, baby? Why would you do somethin' like that? You said that you didn't love him anymore."

"I'm tired of bein' lonely. I need to be held, kissed, and comforted in a man's arms like any other woman. We're not gettin' back together. It's exes with benefits. Before I started this thing with Max, I was in bad shape. The doctors were worried about my blood pressure and my heart. It turns out that sex is a good treatment for that because I'm doin' much better now."

"I could've done that for you. BJ has only been back for two months."

Reba laughed. "With you, I want all or nothing. I can't accept anything less. I want marriage and more children and if that's not what you want, then that's okay. You have someone that you want. You have BJ. I've got to learn to let go and move on. Brock might be a good place to start."

"Are plannin' on sleepin' with him as one of your way of movin' on?"

"I don't know, maybe. Deal with it. You set up this date, now eat your heart out." Reba flashed him a confident smile and strolled out the door, leaving Mike with his mouth open and stunned by her recent uncharacteristic behavior. Reba went downstairs to Brock. They had a couple of drinks. Brock ordered Passion Margaritas and Reba wondered just how much Brock really knew about her. She was dancing closely with Brock, pressing herself up to him while dancing. She wondered what was makin' her act so bold in front of everyone. "Do you wanna get outta here?" she asked him. Brock nodded. "Did you have plans for our date?"

Brock didn't answer that directly. "How about somethin' different? There's a Winter Festival at Lake Texoma. We could go there. I saw it on the way up here. It's less than two hours away," Brock asked tentatively. He didn't want any more conflicts or intrusions to ruin this date.

"Lead the way!" she declared wholeheartedly.

Two hours later, the festival was still in full swing. People were dancing and Brock and Reba joined in. Alcohol was flowing freely. Reba seemed so carefree and relaxed. The next morning, Reba was in bed asleep. She was dreaming of a wedding. A man put his ring on her finger and Reba was filled with happiness, knowing that this was someone who would cherish her for the rest of her life.

The minister announced them man and wife. She turned her head to face her groom for their first married kiss and she saw Brock's face. People were tossing flowers at them. She put her head to the back of his head to bring him towards her quickly. He was grinning as he approached her. She matched his kiss with passionately enthusiasm. She put her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

She woke up startled. She put her hands to her face. She felt so hung-over. When was she going to learn not to drink so much? Her head was throbbing. She thought that she might throw up soon. That's when she noticed the small gold band on the ring finger of her left hand. She heard a groan next to her in the bed. She cautiously looked over to see Brock lying next to her in bed asleep. He had a gold band on the ring finger of his left hand also. Reba noticed that she was naked under the sheets. She wrapped a sheet around herself and stood up from the bed, putting distance between herself and Brock.

"Okay, wake up! Wake up, you mo-ron!"

Brock drowsily raised his head and lifted his body to lean on his elbows. "'Mornin'." He looked around at his surroundings.

"Would ya look at your left hand, please?"

"Good mornin' to you too, Sunshine."

"Just look at your left hand."

Brock examined his left hand. "Oh, would ya look at that."

Reba covered her mouth and tears threatened to fall. It appeared that she married a stranger. Her exes and her children was going to have a field day with this one.

Brock looked over to Reba and saw a similar ring on her hand too. "Oh, you got one too."

"Brock, did we get married last night?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes, I have a feeling that we did. The details are a little bit fuzzy, but you were a beautiful bride in that dress that you wore last night. You've been the object of my fantasies in that dress. You don't seem happy."

"Do I look happy, you mo-ron? Honestly, look at me. I just woke up hung-over and married to a stranger."

"We're not exactly strangers. That may have been true in Vegas, but it isn't now. It's hard to say because you displayed a variety of emotions last night, but I seem to remember how serene you looked after we got here. You did look happy then. You looked shocked now, but this is our first morning-after so it would feel different."

"It's all comin' back to me. We've got to find the guy who did this and tell him that we didn't mean it."

"But honey, what if I did mean it?" He smiled at her.

"On a first date? Of course you didn't. How could you? You don't wanna be married to me. You don't even know me. We need to find out where we are. I need to get some clothes on. You need to stop sneakin' a peek under this sheet. I need to call my kids. They don't even know where I am. I need to get home to them." Reba ranted as she scooped up her clothes off the floor and rushed towards the bathroom. She slammed the bathroom door shut.

Brock was left to think about what had just happened. "How do you know?" he asked her softly, but she didn't hear him. He was left to wonder just what made Reba think that he didn't want them to be married. That's when he remembered that his Reba wouldn't have presumed that. His Reba! There wasn't such a way like that to distinguish between the two of them anymore because this Reba was his Reba too. He smiled when he realized that this Reba was his wife.

This alternate reality was wild, but really great. He couldn't move this fast with Reba in the real world. Reba was in a hurry to get home to her kids. They decided to straighten everything out legally when they returned to McAlester. That's when she figured that she and Brock would part ways. She figured that Brock would be on his way back to Houston in the next day or so. She thought wrong...

What will happen now? What will happen when they get back to McAlester? What is Reba's loved one's reaction to her marriage? Will Brock stay on in Oklahoma or return to Texas? What will Barbra Jean have to say about Reba marrying her ex-husband? What will Max say about Reba's new marriage? Reba doesn't want to stay married to him. Will Brock get the chance to win her 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!

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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.