Title--Easter Baskets Rating--G Pairings--None Category-Humor Disclaimer: Ray Vecchio, Benton Fraser et al are property of Alliance. All other characters are mine. No infringement of any copyrights is intended. This story is written for the private enjoyment of Due South fans and not for monetary profit. Permission to use this story for profit is not given. There was a hint of spring in the air as Ray parked his Riviera in front of Fraser's apartment. Easter was only a week away and it seemed that Mother Nature was not going to disappoint. Taking the steps two at a time, Ray hurried to the third floor and rapped impatiently as his friend's door. He knew it wasn't locked but hanging around with the Mountie had reminded him that manners were still practiced in some parts of the world. So he chose to do the polite thing. Fraser opened the door; a plastic bottle with a spray pump in one hand and a pair of needle noise pliers in the other. "Ray," he exclaimed. "I'm surprised to see you." "Yeah, I would've called but..." his sentence drifted off in reference to the well known fact that Fraser didn't have a phone. "Come in. I apologize for the mess. I was just doing my spring cleaning." Ray looked around the apartment and couldn't find a single thing out of place or discern a speck of dust. It appeared to him that the cleaning was already done. Then he noticed a toolbox sitting out on the kitchen table and wondered if the Mountie even cleaned his tools. "What's that?" he asked referring to the item Fraser held. "Liquid spray on latex. I'm using it to insulate some of my hand tools." "Really? I didn't know you had a hardware store in the neighborhood." "Actually, I found it at a shop called Priscilla's. They seem to specialize in lingerie and novelty items so you can imagine my surprise when I saw this in the window." Ray knew the store his friend spoke of. Priscilla's was reputed to be *the* store on the south side for those who practiced S&M, B&D, and D&S. He struggled to keep a straight face as he replied. "Yes, I can see where you'd be surprised." "So what can I do for you?" "I need to stash some chicks here." "You want to hide girls at my apartment?" Fraser asked. "No, not girls, chicks." He held up the plastic shopping bag he'd carried in. "See I'm makin' an Easter basket for Frannie and I can't take the stuff home, 'cause she'll find it before Easter morning." Fraser took the bag from Ray's hand and looked at the contents. "Hollow chocolate rabbits, speckled jelly bird eggs, Peeps. What are Peeps, Ray?" "They're colored marshmallows that are shaped like baby chickens and then dipped in super fine sugar. Personally, I like the ones that are shaped like bunnies, 'cause when you bite their ears off, they look like squirrels. You know, kinda like you get two animals for the price of one. But that always makes Frannie upset so I got her the ones that look like little baby chicks." "Ray, you're welcome to keep them here. But if you're worried about Francesca, why not just buy the items the day before Easter and then make up her basket?" Ray rolled his eyes at his sister's preferences. "Frannie says the Peeps don't taste right if they're fresh. They have to be stale and chewy. So I buy them weeks ahead, poke a strategic number of holes in them and let them set until they're the proper degree of staleness. Usually, I do this down at the station, but now that she's workin' there, I just lost my best hiding place." "Well, it seems like you're putting a lot of effort into this." "Yeah, well, she's my sister. I make Easter baskets for everybody in my family. It's a tradition. It's just that, like everything else that has to do with Frannie, this always take a little extra effort." "I'll be glad to help you, Ray." THE END Woe to you with dirty minds who thought the latex would be used for some nefarious purpose.... And for those of you who want more information on Peeps, check out this website. Warning, it's hysterical but in a sick and twisted sort of way.