Itty, bitty crossover-ish with Pushing Daisies.
If there was one thing Victor Creed hated killing, it was time. Which was how he and Birdy wound up sitting in some cutesy pie shop in Massachusetts two weeks before Christmas. The décor was too bright, the air was too sweet, the canned Christmas tunes were too loud and the petite waitress was too squeaky. Still, if stuffing food into her pie hole, in an honest-to-God place called The Pie Hole, kept Birdy from yakkin' his ears off, well then, he'd sit a spell and sheeple watch. An obscene moan came from his tablemate and Creed shot Birdy a look.
"God, Boss. You have got to try this pie! It's like," Birdy paused to lick the back of her spoon, "Christmas in food form. Just cinnamon and pepperminty and crisp winterness all warm and toasty with a touch of cool frost on top." She didn't even bother him with a look, just dove back in for more, making noises he only got from her when they were in his bedroom.
"Whatever. Just hurry up 'n finish. Somethin' about this place ain't right." Creed scanned the restaurant for whatever was raising his hackles, but couldn't find any particular thing. That was, not until he spotted a tall, brooding character in an apron pass by the kitchen window.
Birdy, too, caught sight of the man. "Well, h-e-l-l-o. Ain't he a tall drink of water? Might need a sip of that to wash down my pie."
Creed snorted at Birdy before narrowing his eyes at the man, who was now rolling out a pile of dough. Instinct had always served Victor damn well in the past and it seemed to be telling him something now. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the something he didn't like about this cutesy little pie shop seemed to be the pie maker himself. Just as that thought came to him, the man looked up and scanned the shop before meeting eyes with Creed.
Caterpillar eyebrows shot up and the pie maker froze but just for a beat and broke eye contact. He set his rolling pin down, moved one way, then turned and went another, leaving the open kitchen and disappearing into the back.
Shrugging off the oddball's behavior, Creed turned back to see that Birdy had finished her pie and was nearly ready to lick the plate clean. He reached a hand over to stop her. "That's enough for you. Sheesh…can't take you anywhere."