meridian_rose

Title: Easter Surpise
Fandom: Haven
Pairing/Characters: Audrey, Nathan, Duke
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 990
Prompt: For the

100_tales prompt #014 'blue'
Summary: Easter in Haven; of course there's a mysterious egg to be found.
Content Notes: No standard warnings apply.
Also @ AO3

The Haven Easter Egg hunt was well underway, with children and their parents darting around looking for the hidden treasures. Nathan watched with pride, for he and Parker had organised the hunt, and he was enjoying seeing the excitement and glee the event was causing.

Duke had made plans of his own, a sort of adults-only Easter Egg hunt with a raffle aspect thrown in. For a small entrance fee, patrons could search the bar for plastic eggs with numbers on them. They could then exchange the egg for a prize, ranging from a free drink to a bottle of wine or a pitcher of beer.

Audrey Parker, looking resplendent in a pastel green ensemble, watched the children's activities for a while, glad it was a warm spring day and that the threatened rainstorm had moved on. She wandered over to Nathan.

"Everyone looks like they're having fun." She nudged him with one shoulder and gave a smile. "Even you."

"Even me," he agreed. A few minutes later the hunt was over. Nathan handed out a few prizes for best costume, most eggs, and a few "best effort" treats for those who'd not found many eggs. He waved as a child called, "Thank you," on their way past.

Audrey checked her watch. "Do you want to go and see Duke's Easter Hunt? The lunch rush should be over but he promised to keep putting the eggs out until three pm."

Nathan agreed and they headed off.

#

"Cheating," Duke said, sipping from a beer bottle. "That's what I call it."

Nathan scowled. "I didn't know the pink even numbered ones were the best prizes."

Audrey poured herself a beer from the pitcher. "We're cops, Duke. We can sniff out a clue a mile off."

"Sniff out a freebie," Duke retorted. He tossed a cap into the air, but a stray gust of wind caught it before he could. "Dammit."

Duke stood and searched near the water's edge for the lost cap. He came back to the table with the cap, and an egg cradled in his palm. The eggshell was bright blue with wavy lines. "Not mine, seems too real. This one of yours?"

Nathan shook his head and held out his hand. "It's prettier than the ones we had," he said, examining the egg when Duke handed it over. "Do you think it's a bird's egg?"

Duke shrugged. "Not one I've ever seen. Should I put it back?"

"Just randomly on your decking?" Audrey shook her head. "Poor little thing. You didn't see a nest?"

After some discussion, Duke, against his better judgement, found himself making a nest in a chip bowl lined with bar towels. He put the egg inside and placed the bowl by a radiator. Then it was almost time for the evening trade to pick up and he forgot all about the egg.

#

Audrey yawned and reached for her phone. What time was it? "Hello?"

"Audrey, you have to get down here!"

She sat up, wide awake. "Duke? What's wrong?"

"Just get to the Gull. And bring Nathan."

#

Audrey and Nathan dashed into the Grey Gull, each imagining terrible scenarios. None of their fears involved Duke with a spatula in hand, staring at the bar.

"Duke?" Audrey asked, She lowered her gun, while Nathan kept his up.

"It's behind the bar." Duke glared at her. "This is your fault. Next time you find an egg take it back to your place."

"What are you talking about?" Audrey took a step forward. There was a swish and a squeak, and a tiny scaled head poked out from behind the bar. "Oh."

Nathan came forward to see. "What the hell is that?"

"How should I know?" Duke shook the spatula at it. "When I opened up this morning the egg had hatched and this…this thing was drinking all my vodka!"

The creature burped and blinked dark eyes. Its iridescent scales glittered blue and green as it stretched its neck forward. Small pale yellow fins were visible on its back and it had webbed feet.

"I tried to shoo it and it tried to bite me! And then it made this awful noise like a bagful of cats!"

Audrey bent down. "Hey, little fellow," she said. The creature skittered forward, all shiny marine colours, a bit like a rainbow fish, though it was the size of a small dog, but with an elongated body.

"Careful, Parker," Nathan said. The creature leaned up and rubbed against Audrey's leg as if it were a cat.

"Oh, perfect," Duke said, tossing his spatula aside in disgust. "It tries to eat me, but for you it's tame."

Audrey smiled. "Maybe it likes me because I didn't try and hit it with a cooking implement." She reached down and it flicked out a forked tongue to caress her finger.

Nathan holstered his weapon. "I'm guessing this is one of those things that only happens in Haven," he said. "Maybe Vince and Dave can shed some light on it." He took a photo on his phone.

"Sea serpent," Duke said. "That's what I'm thinking. It's cute now but in a few months or years it'll be sinking ships!"

Audrey sighed. "Don't listen to him," she purred. "You're so cute, yes you are. You need a name. Easter? Too obvious. Spring? Hmm. I don't know if you're a boy or a girl."

"Don't name it!" Duke protested. "We can't keep it."

Nathan glanced over from his phone call. "Aqua," he suggested.

"That's stupid!" Duke scowled. "What about Kai? Gender natural. Hawaiian, meaning 'sea'. I dated a Kai once."

"Kai," Audrey said and the sea serpent gave a squeak and rubbed up against her again. "I think he or she likes it."

"Not keeping it," Duke said. "And how isn't it drunk? Stupid sea dragon."

Kai rolled out their tongue at Duke which looked like the sea serpent version of blowing a raspberry and Audrey laughed.