((Author's Note: I was VERY nervous with this chapter, as it's Spike's chapter. He is my favourite anime male in the world, and I didn't want to lose him with my humble writing. But I actually think it turned out pretty okay. Perhaps not as 'silly' as he sometimes can be, but then he's alone and he does tend to get serious when he's alone.))



Chapter 4 'Reindeer are Tapping'





He'd left the bar with no true purpose save one; to see the reindeer. He'd heard about them, the noble, placid creatures. They were from earth, he knew that, but he'd thought most of the wild animals had died on Earth when the Gate incident occurred.

But it seemed that here it was a thriving business, one of the only ways of survival here. With his rambling, lanky grace he moved through the streets, following the smell.

A scarf wrapped about his face, protecting it from the cold, and the majority of his ears, but he wore no toque. His navy-blue jacket was large and did much to hide his form.

His shoes crunched eerily against the snow covered ground, and he cast his dual-coloured eyes about. This was one of the few places pock-marked with craters, as one got farther from town small craters began to appear, and he peered at them with mild curiousity. Within those holes little snowmen had been build, and through flecks of white, continually falling snow he stared at them.

They were snowmen, he could tell, by the three different bumps that comprised the body, but no coal, no carrots and no sticks announced them as anything but three lumps of snow compacted together.

So busy was he, peering into those craters, that it wasn't until he nearly ran into the metallic fence that he realized how far out he had come.

A soft snort drew his attention and he twisted his head to come face to face with large, knowing eyes and a soft nuzzle.

He took a surprising step back, and he watched as the reindeer turned away from him and began to walk boredly away.

No no! This was the chance that he'd been waiting for. Excitedly he clambered at the fence, squeezing through two of the bars.

In his haste his grace failed him, and he landed onto his back, his jacket, thankfully, pillowing his landing.

He lay there, staring up at the sky, and listening to a distant ringing of bells and the tapping of reindeer feet against the cold, hard ground.

Lying there he fumbled into a jacket pocket and withdrew a cigarette and lighter. Straightening he flicked the light and could but stare in confusion as no flames flickered up from the lighter.

He'd forgotten how cold it was here, and now his lighter had stopped working because the liquid had frozen.

With a hint of frustration his teeth gnawed on the filter, and he climbed to his feet, and his hands curled with aggravation into the soft flesh of his palms.

His fingers curled into his fist and it wasn't when there was a loud CRACK that he recalled the reindeer.

What had that sound been? Curiousity drew him like a moth to a flame, and his dual coloured eyes focused on the distant outline of dark bodies, lit up with a gentle red colour from Jupiter above their heads.

He slowly ambled towards the animals that had grouped together, but the flash of red drew his attention and made him pause.

"It's alright; your lighter fluid's frozen, isn't it?" Came a deep laugh, and Spike couldn't help but freeze in shock.

"How'd you know?"

"I heard you flicking the lighter and then noticed your cigarette wasn't lit." Came the bland answer. Spike almost wanted to hit his head off of something.

"You wouldn't happen to have...." He began, but then was suddenly cut off by a flare of light that hurt his eyes, but he quickly ducked down, sticking the tip of his cigarette into the flame and lighting it.

"What are you doing out here? You're trespassing," the voice came from the lips that were only placeable from the position of the cigarette.

"I wanted to see them. I've never seen Reindeer before."

"Ah, well not too many people come here for tourist reasons," the man chuckled low and deep, and Spike's eyes were drawn to his shadowed belly, large, rotund, and jiggling gently as he laughed.

"Well I just remember this old story about an old man who used to ride in a sleigh pulled by reindeer....that's all that I remember," Spike's eyes wandered out across the sea of reindeer, idly grazing on the hay that had been placed for them to feast upon.

"That is an old story. I wouldn't expect and young man like you to know it."

"I know a lot of weird things. It's what I get for listening."

"Well it's always a special talent, one that's slowly being lost."

"I know, I work with people who seem to have a problem of listening." Spike took a deep drag of his cigarette and cast his eyes at looming Jupiter, the snow coming and buffeting his face gently.

"Why's it always snowing here?" He asked eventually, after the silence had passed on for a little while longer.

"Magic, supposedly." Came the response.

"I doubt that."

"The winds on the other side of Callisto are so strong that they chip away at the ice. It comes over this way and, getting close to Jupiter, it melts slightly and comes back down as snowflakes." The old man offers with a tired sigh, as if disappointed.

"Doesn't the ice ever run out on the other side?"

"No, because the snow never stays for long. At most we just have a foot or two. The rest gets down, and is too dry to stay and gets blown to the other side. And it starts all over again." Spike watched the old man take a deep drag of his cigarette, the red glow lighting up, slightly, his white beard.

Spike finished the last bit of his cigarette, but not wanting to harm the reindeer, he gently sucked the butt into his mouth and swallowed it, casting his eyes around him, feeling at peace, here with the reindeer.

"I suppose you must be off now, Spike." Came his companions old, tired voice, and he startled.

"How did you....." Spike began, but was cut off by the beeping of his pager. He dug in his pocket, and pressing down on a button, Jet's voice burst out.

"Get back here Spike. It's a dead end, and I can't find Faye. I did see a bunch of beat up looking guys though. Let's find Faye and get out of this frozen dump."

"Alright, I'm coming." Spike turned around, but the old man had left, his reindeer following after him. He watched the rotund body waddle off, his gait slow and weary, his shoulders stooped.

'Maybe not such a dead end,' he mused to himself, and he dug his hands into his pockets, whistling an old melody as he walked away, his crunching feet slowly over-shadowing the tapping of the reindeers hooves.