I hope you all enjoy this story. It's a little holiday fun. :) Well, this chapter doesn't have anything too exciting happen, but I promise the story gets better. haha. :) I will be posting a chapter a day until Christmas so, let's begin!

Walking into her warm, fresh baked cookie scented kitchen, Reba Hart stopped at the calendar, putting an 'x' through the twelfth of December. Her birthday had come and gone, and she sighed in relief. She turned to the sink, turning on the water to start a load of dishes. She smiled when her family's laughter could be heard from the other room, and shook her head as she chuckled about the dinner they had all surprised her with when she returned home from work. She slipped a few dishes into the sink, glancing upwards when she heard footsteps.

"Reba, what are you doing?" She stared back at Brock, silently giving him a sarcastic remark. He sighed, rolling his eyes as he moved to her side, and took the dishes out of her hands. He nudged her gently out of the way with his hip, watching as she took a few steps to the side. "You shouldn't be doing dishes on your birthday. I'll do them. Go enjoy the kids. They're here for you anyways." Reba took a deep breath, pushing her way next to Brock.

"We can do them together. Besides, Barbra Jean's in there and ever since the two of you got divorced she's been forcing me to go out to bars with her. She's been trying to corner me all night." Brock chuckled, shaking his head when Reba shuddered at the thought of another late night out. "I'm trying to keep my man-hunting days down to the weekends. Hangovers plus work never mix very well…especially for Van." Brock's chuckle turned into a soft laughter before silence took over the kitchen for a few minutes.

"So, Reba, did ya have a good birthday this year?" Reba smiled sweetly, nodding her head yes. "I would have warned you about their gifts had I known what they were." Reba's eyes widen before she started to shake her head.

"Well, next year…I'm gonna make it a rule that they have to okay the gift through you first. Barbra Jean's sweater alone is going to embarrass me to death!" Brock bit his lips as he tried not to laugh at her soon-to-be misery. Reba caught his attempt and elbowed him in the side. "It's not funny!" Brock held up his soapy hands in defense. Reba took a deep breath, turning around to put away a few plates.

"What about Van and Cheyenne's gift?" Reba's cheeks blushed instantly, and she turned quickly on her heels to glare at him. Brock smiled at her, shrugging his shoulders as he waited for an answer.

"All I have to say is...Van better not expect me to wear that outfit to work…ever!" Brock burst out in laughter, causing Reba to fold her arms across her chest and glare at him. He tried to calm down, watching as she walked back to the sink to rinse the soapy dishes he'd set in her side. "I don't even care if he says it'll sale every house on our list in a week!" Brock shook his head, trying not to laugh again. "If you're gonna keep laughing then we're not talking about this anymore."

"I'm sorry, Reba. You have to admit their gifts were hilarious." Reba glared at him for a few seconds before softening her look and smiling slightly.

"Yeah, I guess. Those people in there…they're crazy." Reba nodded her head, turning around again to put away dishes. Brock nodded his head in agreement.

Hours later, Reba sat on the floor in her room, wrapping a few Christmas gifts. She looked up when someone tried to open her bedroom door, but found it was locked. She smiled when Barbra Jean knocked loudly on the door before calling out for her. "I'm asleep!" Reba yelled back, and shook her head when Barbra Jean believed her.

"Ok, then I guess, I'll talk to you tomorrow. Happy birthday. Goodnight. Sweet Santa dreams." Reba rolled her eyes, shaking her head again as she finished the present in front of her. As she reached for the next one, her cell phone started to ring. She sighed before looking at the caller id. She pressed answer on the screen, placing her phone to her ear afterwards.

"Hey, Brock." She grabbed the next present, a bag, and a pack of tissue paper. "Did you need something?" Reba held her phone with her shoulder as she attempted to neatly and beautifully wrap her gift for Cheyenne.

"Oh, I was just wondering if you have any tape I could borrow. I don't feel like driving all the way to the store just for tape when your house is so much closer." Reba chuckled, turning her head to the small bucket of tape sitting next to her. "Plus, I know you always buy a bucket full around this time of year." Reba rolled her eyes.

"Do you need wrapping paper, too?" Brock's guilty voice confirmed her suspicions. "Just bring your gifts over here. We can wrap together. I'm in my room. Come on up when you get here." Reba paused her task of wrapping presents as she stood up, walking to her door to unlock it. She could only pray that Barbra Jean had gone home to the condo where she and Henry were staying. Reba opened her door slightly, sticking her head into the hallway to look for any crazy tall blondes. She sighed in relief when she didn't see one.

"Let me guess…you just checked for Barbra Jean?" Reba jumped slightly when she heard Brock's voice, and closed her eyes as she realized that he was still on the phone. "I'll be right over, my little Christmas elf." Reba narrowed her eyes, growling slightly into the phone. She opened her mouth to argue with him, but Brock hung up before she could say a word. She glared at her phone before returning to her nightly task of wrapping presents.

Five minutes later, Brock was knocking softly on Reba's bedroom door, opening it shortly afterwards. He held two bags out to his sides and smiled big at her. "So, who's ready to get some wrapping done?" Reba raised an eyebrow at him, and shook her head when he laughed at himself. He closed the door behind him, locking it to keep out nosey children, and sat down on the floor in front of Reba.

"I have one thing to say to you." Brock stared at Reba, unsure if he should have locked the door so soon or not. He swallowed his fears, smiling tentatively at her. "I am SANTA, and you are MY LITTLE ELF! Got that?" Brock's smile relaxed and he nodded his head as he held back a chuckle. "Good." Reba threw a roll of paper at him and then a roll a tape, smirking at him when he missed the tape and it smacked him in the forehead.

"It was a joke, Reba. Jeez, you don't have to be so mean about it." He stuck out his tongue before pulling out a carton of eggnog and two cups from one of his bags. "Would you like some?" Reba narrowed her eyes at him.

"You aren't gonna get buzzed on eggnog and play with all the toys while I wrap everything, are you?" Brock gave her his famous smile, tilting his head to the side quickly.

"Some traditions shouldn't be broken." He winked at her before laughing as her mouth fell open and she searched for something else to throw at him. "I'm only kidding, Reba. We didn't do that until Christmas Eve anyways. Seriously, I was just asking if you wanted some." She took a deep breath before nodding her head and apologizing for being so quick to judge. Brock shrugged his shoulders. "Ah, it's your birthday. You can do whatever you want." Reba smiled sweetly at him before silence overtook them as they both began wrapping presents again.

The next morning, Reba walked into her kitchen to find Van sitting at the table with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk. She shook her head as she made her way to the calendar, marking off another day and counting down the ones that were left before Christmas. "Thirteen more days until Christmas." Reba smiled when Elizabeth walked into the kitchen, cheering at her announcement. Van slipped her a cookie as Cheyenne and Reba both poured themselves a cup of coffee. Elizabeth giggled as she ate her cookie, smiling at Van before every bite.

Reba's attention shot to Cheyenne when the young blonde asked if she still had shopping left to do. Reba took a deep breath, thinking for a moment. "Yeah, I still have a few items to get. I'm still trying to figure out what to get Jake this year. He won't tell me anything!" Cheyenne chuckled, knowing how frustrating Jake could be lately.

"What kid doesn't know what they want for Christmas?" Van asked through a mouthful of cookies. Cheyenne and Reba turned their heads to look at him, and both frowned when they saw Elizabeth eating one as well. Cheyenne quickly scolded him, turning around to find Elizabeth something healthier for breakfast.

"I don't know, Van. I guess I'll just have to let him run loose in the mall, and anything he looks at longer than two seconds I'll get him for Christmas." Cheyenne nodded her head at her mother, swallowing the coffee in her mouth.

"Oh, yeah, I remember when you did that with me one year. I practically got the whole store!" Reba narrowed her eyes at Cheyenne, thinking for a minute. The blonde smiled at her, moving to her daughter's side to set the bowl of cereal in front of her.

"Did you happen to tell Jake that story?" Cheyenne thought for a minute before a shocked expression flashed across her face. She nodded her head, saying he thought it was awesome. "Oh, Cheyenne, you gave him the idea! Now he's just playing me so he can get everything on his list. Ugh, my children are so mean to me." Reba shook her head, stomping out of the kitchen to wake up Jake for school. Cheyenne and Van both shrugged their shoulders after she'd left and continued with their breakfast.

"Jake! Get up! You have school today, and if you don't have a list of gifts you want by the end of the day you aren't getting anything for Christmas." Jake sat up slowly, staring at his mother through sleepy eyes. He stood up, sighing as he realized she'd caught on to his plan. He stumbled out of his room, looking over his shoulder to see his mother following him. He shook his head, noticing she still walked him to the bathroom in the mornings to make sure he didn't run into anything on his way. "Now, hurry up. We're late."

Reba walked away from the bathroom when Jake shut the door and she heard the shower turn on, and went back to her room to get ready for her long work day. She stopped at the end of her bed, looking at the chest that sat on the floor covered by a blanket. She glanced over her shoulder before setting her coffee cup on her dresser and shutting her door quietly. Easing to the large box, she fell to her knees and smiled. This year she was getting what she wanted most for Christmas, and she had a very well planned out way to get it. She pulled the key out from under her bed, unlocked the chest, and opened it to glance at all the unwrapped presents inside. There were still a few more gifts she had to buy later tonight, but for the most part she was ready for the next twelve days of Christmas.

Closing and locking the chest, she finished getting ready, gathered her work items, and met Van at the bottom of the stairs. "You ready finally? I've been waiting here for like ever, Ms. H." Reba rolled her eyes, moving past Van to leave the house. He sighed before following her, grabbing both their jackets off the coat rack on his way out of the house.

Hours later Reba was finally pulling into her driveway, and as she turned the car off, she smacked a sleeping Van on the chest, sending him into an upright position. "We're home. Go get the mail." Van groaned before running down the driveway to quickly get the mail before the cold wind could chill his bones. Reba darted to the front door, shivering as a huge gush of wind wrapped around her. She unlocked the door, pushing her way inside. She smiled when Jake handed her a piece of paper before leaving to go to a friend's house. She folded the paper, sticking it in her pocket.

"Man, Ms. H, if it gets any colder out there…we might get snow this year." Reba nodded her head, taking the mail from him and flipping through it. Van sat down on the couch, turning on the television. "What do you think Barbra Jean's gonna get everyone this year?" Reba sat down next to him, thinking for a minute.

"Hopefully, something we all like, and not anything itchy or full of beads." Van chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Anyways, I'm gonna go shopping for a few hours. Finally got Jake's list." Van nodded his head, telling her to have fun. Reba ran upstairs, switching her heels and black slacks for more comfortable choices. She waved to Van as she walked out the door. He waved back, his eyes only leaving the television for a few seconds.

Later that night Reba slowly opened her living room door, glancing around the room. When she saw it was empty she raced upstairs, locking her bedroom door behind her. Leaning her back against the door, she dropped all but one of the bags to the floor. She took a deep breath before easing to the mini fridge in the corner of her room. She had planned on giving it to Kyra for when she left for college, but she was certain Kyra wouldn't mind her using it for a few days. Reba carefully set the brown paper bag in her arms down on top of the fridge, opening the door before easing the contents out of the bag. She smiled at two six packs of beer, slipping them quietly into the cold fridge. She closed the door, locking the temporary lock.

Her excitement grew as she thought over her plan once again. Tomorrow, she would take her first step, and it would be the easiest one. She took a deep breath, moving to the pile of shopping bags by her door. She still had several presents to wrap, and one very long night before she should even start thinking about her twelve days of mystery and fun.