The 13th Egg

All around Sunnydale people were just sitting down to a wonderful Easter dinner with her families. No one was out in the darkness to see a swirl of white dance through the shadows.
Drusilla toyed with the bow that tickled her throat, looking around. She loved her beautiful new hat, all white like her dress, broad-brimmed and trimmed with crimson and black flowers of the finest silk. She tied the ivory ribbons securely under her chin, lest it blow away in a slight wind, never to be seen again.
She’d found the hat on her lap when she woke up that evening. She’d cooed over it and looked around for the one she knew had left it there. When she picked it up a single plastic egg fell out of it. She popped open the pink shell and giggled in delight as she read the note that fell from it, then caught sight of a large white basket with pink trim and a red bow on it sitting on the bedstand. It was filled with garish green plastic grass. So it was to be an egg hunt!
Another egg, this one blue, lay in the hallway. Another clue directing her. The next was on the stairs. Another by a fountain. She tucked each egg neatly into her basket as she went. A violet egg lay nestled snugly behind one of the jungle gym bars. Inside was a red-stained note and a treat for her.
‘Thirteen in all.’
She giggled again as she nibbled on the bit of human liver that had been in the egg. She danced through the park, searching every nook and crook, finding every egg but one. She scoured the playground, inspecting the sand with her toes. She checked every place she could think of, growing frustrated and angry at the errant egg.
“The Thirteenth egg is a naughty one, he… he won’t come out to play with his friends.” She hissed softly, rechecking tree branches and bushes. She wondered what could be in it. She already had two eyes and thumbs, bits of kidney and lungs, brains, ears and tongue. Where was that last egg?
“Looking for something, pet?” a soft voice purred from the bushes.
“It’s still hiding! Where is it hiding?” she turned to Spike, pouting.
“Where’s what hiding?”
“The Thirteenth egg! It’s being horribly bad! It knows I will have to punish it and won’t come out.”
“Thirteenth egg… You mean this, luv?” Spike reached into the bushes and pulled out a large, intricately painted ostrich egg. It had been carefully sawed in two and resealed with a red ribbon.
“Oh! I was looking for a tiny egg instead! No wonder I couldn’t find it!” She clapped her hangigggiggling, as he gave it to her, “Can I open it now?”
“Of course, princess.”
She carefully pulled off the ribbon and lifted the top off the egg. Inside, resting in a pool of crimson was a human heart. Her eyes sparkled and she rested it carefully in the basket among the other, smaller eggs.
“Oh, I love it! I shall keep it always!” She smiled at him. He pulled a second basket from behind the bush, this one the negative of hers, black with dark blue trim and white grass, and handed it to her. This one was filled with less gory, but more expensive treats. Her favorite chocolates and sweets, and in the center, something small and moving.
“Now, you’ll remember to feed this one, won’t you, pet?” Spike smiled as she lifted the little gold and black chick from the basket.
“For me?! Look how sweet it is!” She laughed up at him as the tiny animal hopped and stumbled across her arms and skirts.
“Just for you, luv.” Spike knelt beside her, poking at the little bird with one finger. It fluffed and pecked harmlessly at him, “What will you name it?”
“Is it a boy or a girl?”
“Got me. Pet store owner didn’t have much to say…” he clicked a nail against the egg containing a tongue.
“I think it’s a boy. It’s going to grow up to be a lovely, vicious little rooster…”
“I think you’ve got the vicious part right, pet,” Spike half-laughed as he watched the chick hop over to the bloody basket and begin to peck at a the meat in an open egg, then stretch its tiny neck to pick loose bits of flesh from the heart. Drusilla laughed.
“I shall name him Hart, then.”
“That’s a good name, luv. Now, let’s go home. I’ve got dinner all laid out for us, and n’t n’t want her squirming out of her bonds before we get there.” Dru nodded her agreement and they headed home.

After dinner they both sat close together on the sofa, leaving the body of the young girl on the table to ealtealt with later. Spike got up for a moment to scrape the marshmallow gook out of the microwave and reload it. This time the Peeps were pink and purple and he placed them a little closer so the toothpicks didn’t have to reach as far. He’d balanced the microwave on top of the TV so they could watch this particular sport from the comfort of the lounge. He found Peep Jousting more entertaining than she did, but it was still fun to watch the marshmallow birds puff up and pop. After the first box of Peeps, they’d begun wagering on the winners.
“I think the Purple will win this time.”
“Luv, a Purple Peep hasn’t won yet!”
“It’s about time then, I think,” she smiled knowingly. He returned with his own fox-sly grin.
“If you win?”
“You’ll feed me a truffle…”
“And if I win?”
“I’ll feed you a kiss with a kiss…” she purred, unwrapping one of the chocolates and rolling it around in her mouth before swallowing. He watched her hungrily and turned on the microwave, coming to sit by her. She rested her head on his shoulder, not caring which bird won, really. She threw a slight glance over at the body on the table. Hart was clambering all over it, leaving tiny red tracks over the girl’s pale face as he pecked mercilessly at her dead eyes. No, she wouldn’t have to worry about this one starving to death.
Smiling, she picked up her hat from where it rested beside her on the couch and placed it on Spike’s head before making good on a bet she hadn’t even lost yet.
“Happy Easter, my darling.”