On the other side of the door, Xander listened to Buffy walk away. "Nice one, Xander," he said to himself when Buffy had gone far enough not to be heard. "She just gets rid of one cryptic guy, and you go and try to take his place."

The fact that that was exactly what he was trying to do wasn't lost on Xander either. When Cordy had told him that she was moving to Los Angeles, he had known that any chance of reconciliation with her was hopeless. They had parted friends, or as close to friends as two people with their kind of history could be. After she was gone, Xander had taken a long look at his life. He was unimpressed. Sure, he had done his part to save the world. He'd saved Buffy's life a couple of times. Helped save Sunnydale from the Mayor. All well and good, right? But it wasn't stuff you put on a résumé or a job application. With his grades and SAT scores, any hope of post- high school education was a pipe dream. Oh, he could go back to school, retake his SATs, and maybe next year he could apply to UC Sunnydale. Yeah, and maybe monkeys will fly out of his butt! If Xander got anything from his years of public school, it was that he hated school. Hated it with a fiery passion! Actually paying to go to school seemed almost evil!

That left only one other option. Work. Now, despite popular belief, Xander had no problem with the idea of actual work. What bothered him were the jobs that he had any hope of getting. Add that to his being a Slayerette, and a nervous breakdown seemed to lurk in his future. Wal-Mart associate by day, demon slaying sidekick by night! And it wouldn't even be the dual identity that killed him, he had handled it during high school just fine. No, what would drive him nuts would be being around the people he cared the most about in the world, and knowing without a shadow of a doubt, that they were getting ready to leave him. That's what college is for. Getting you ready to go out and take the world by the horns and crap like that. You don't go to college just so you can stay in your one horse town and become the manager at Burger King. No, whether they knew it or not, Willow, Oz, and Buffy were getting ready to leave Sunnydale, just like Cordelia did. Only difference is that they were going to take 4 years longer then her. Either way, that would leave one Xander Harris alone. Buffy might stay longer, with the whole Hellmouth thing and all, but eventually she would leave too.

Or die.

That thought made Xander's blood run cold every time he thought it. He had seen her dead once, and he would fight heaven and hell together to make sure he never saw it again. And that was the main reason that, despite everything else, he would stay in Sunnydale. He would work an unfulfilling job, watch as his friends drifted further and further away from him, and ultimately leave him. He would do all that and more, just to avoid the pain of seeing Buffy dead again. Besides him, no one but Angel had had to deal with seeing her dead. He didn't know about Angel, and frankly didn't care, but he still had nightmares about it.

Xander would die, kill, destroy and basically do anything from having to live life knowing that Buffy wasn't out there somewhere. For the past 3 years, she had been the only constant thing in his life, except for maybe vampires. Even when she had run away, she had been in his thoughts almost all the time. Cordelia had known that, which is why she had become uber- affectionite when Buffy came back. Xander also knew that he was doomed to live life alone, because any woman he became involved with, would always be second in his heart and thoughts.

Which bummed him out to no end.

Well that and the fact that Buffy still couldn't see him as anything more then a friend. Which was probably just as well, because Xander knew that with his history with women, he would screw it up with her if he ever got the chance. Yet Xander thought, that for a moment outside, she had seen him as something other then a goofy guy. Something other then just 'one of the girls'.

Then like the genius he was, Xander had to bring up Angel. Why did he do that? "Because I'm an idiot," he muttered to himself as he threw his keys on the table by the door. It was with these confidence-inspiring thoughts that Xander went into his living room. Putting down his bag of gifts and the stereo carefully, Xander turned, saw an old man and a younger woman sitting on his couch, then walked into the kitchen. It took him a one whole minute to realize there were strangers in his living room, sitting in the dark. Pulling a stake out of his back pocket, Xander sighed and went back to the living room. "You people better be from Publisher's Clearing House, cause I'm in no mood for anything else," he said as he advanced.

Both the man and the woman rose slowly, apparently doing their best to look non-threatening. "Alexander LaVell Harris?" the old man said, his words accented by an.accent.

"Who wants to know?" Xander asked cautiously. He guessed that they weren't vampires from the fact that they were already in his house when he came in, and the fact that he was still alive.

"I am Gregory Kalugin," the old man said gravely and then motioned to the woman. "This is Sonja Kosgin. We have the honor of informing you that you are the designated Heir of Stefan Ivanovich Razkov, Head of the Razkov Family."

Xander stared dumbly at him.

The young woman beside the man cleared her throat, causing both Xander and her companion to turn towards her. "If I may? Alexander, what we have to tell you will sound.rather like a bad joke I imagine. But please, let us finish before you make any decisions. This is very important and, quite frankly a great many things will be effected by what you decide."

Giving both Gregory and Sonja long looks, Xander finally sighed and sat down in a chair on the opposite side of the room. "You got 5 minutes. The only reason you have 5 minutes is because you guys are weird and haven't tried to kill me. Yet."

Gregory grunted in what might have been amusement and sat back down. Sonja followed his lead. "We have watched you since you were a child," the old man said once he was seated. "We knew from the moment you were born that you were destined to be the Heir. Over the years, one group or another has watched over you, recorded your development, and generally kept you safe."

Xander's face held a puzzled and amused look. "Wait a minute. If you two have been 'watching over' me since I was a kid, how come I've never seen you before tonight. As for protecting me, that's quite the load of shit ya got there. Is it heavy?"

Gregory frowned for a moment, not understanding Xander's words exactly. After Sonja whispered a quick translation in Russian, the old man's eyes widened. "It is the truth! We have had many groups in Sunnydale, watching over you during the years. I have just arrived, so there is no reason for you to recognize me. Sonja has been here for the past 4 years, and you do not recognize her because she is good at her job. You were not meant to see your guardians and observers." Leaning back into the couch, Gregory's eyes narrowed slightly. "As for protecting you, you would be surprised at how often the your Family has stopped harm from being done on you."

"I'd be completely amazed," Xander replied sarcastically. "Let me tell you something, no one, and I mean NO ONE protected me from anything when I was growing up. Especially not my family, considering that they were the ones I needed protecting from! So spare me the knight in shining armor routine, cause I know it's bullshit."

"You mean your parents, correct?" Sonja asked gently from beside her companion. "When we say 'Family', we are not referring to the people you were raised by. We mean us. We are your Family."

Raising an eyebrow, Xander looked at both of them for a moment. "You're my family. Riiiight. You guys have really been jipping me on birthday presents for the last 18 years, you know?"

"We are your Family, in more ways then you can imagine right now." Gregory leaned forward on his cane, looking intently at the boy sitting across from him. "Through blood and through centuries of tradition. I myself am you're great uncle!" the elderly man said almost proudly. "Sonja is a distant cousin. We are your blood, Alexi. You must hear us."

"He always this intense?" Xander asked Sonja, his eyes still on Gregory. "Cause, I gotta tell you, this whole talk of blood and centuries of tradition is starting to freak me out."

Sonja smiled nervously, her eyes darting to Gregory for a moment before coming back to Xander. "I understand your skepticism. But we are telling the truth. I have been watching you for the past 4 years, and I am proud to say that we are related, though somewhat distantly." Moving forward slightly, Sonja looked at Xander almost sadly. "We know that you have led a.difficult life. We know about how Jovan and his wife treated you, and we are partly to blame for that I am sorry to say. We also know about your friendship with the Slayer."

Again Xander gave them a confused look, briefly thinking that he should just keep it on his face so he wouldn't have to keep changing expressions every time they told him something. "I don't know who 'Jovan' is, so I really think you have the wrong guy. As for 'the Slayer', you leave her out of this conversation if you want it to continue."

Gregory and Sonja exchanged a few quick words of Russian before addressing Xander again. "Jovan was your father," Sonja said gently. "Your father's real name was Jovan Stefanvich Razkov, and he was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. He had a.disagreement with his father, your grandfather, and left his family home with your mother, to start a new life in America."

"No way," Xander declared confidently. "My folks were Americans, born and raised. My entire family is. I know for a fact because I had to do a family tree project in the 8th grade, and I traced them all the way back to 1784, when the first Harris's came over from Scotland." Grinning in triumph, Xander leaned back in his seat. "So, now I know that you got the wrong guy."

Sonja sighed, reached into a briefcase at her feet and removed a large, and apparently very old book. Opening it, she skimmed a few pages until she found what she wanted. Without saying a word, she passed the open book to Xander. After a minute of silence, she finally spoke. "That is your parents wedding in St. Petersburg," she stated simply.

Xander stared at the photograph in utter shock. In it, smiling people surrounded his parents, dressed in a formal suit and a wedding dress. Scanning the picture, Xander saw a mildly younger looking Gregory standing beside a man that looked like an older version of his father. That man had the largest smile of all, one of his hands resting on Xander's father's shoulder. "This.this is my family?"

"We are your family," Gregory answered, his face no longer intense or smug. Now it showed an almost tenderness for the boy that sat across from him. "Alexi, you are of us, just as we are of you. Your grandfather is the Head of our Family. He leads us, directs us and controls the Family's fortune and business. You are his Heir, designated by God and Fate."

When Xander simply stared at the picture again, Sonja touched him on the knee and smiled at him. "Alexander, I know this has all been quite a shock to you, and I wish we had the time to answer your questions until you knew everything, but we are being forced to rush."

"Why?" Xander said softly. "Why didn't they ever tell me?" Looking up at the two people in front of him, his eyes became hard. "Why didn't YOU people ever tell me? Why now?"

Sonja looked embarrassed for a moment, shot a look towards Gregory, and then smiled at Xander slightly. "I was just about to mention that." Taking a deep breath, the woman stared at Xander. "Your grandfather is dying. He has been dying for a number of years now, but he will finally die within 30 days from tonight."

"You see," Gregory said from the couch, both hands atop his cane. "Our Family's history is very old. It was founded over one thousand years ago by Mikhail Razkov, a tribal chief in the area what is know known as St. Petersburg. Mikhail was a good chief. He ruled his tribe with wisdom and kindness, defeating enemies and making alliances when it suited their needs. When the Normans came to Russia, looking for a land route to Constantinople, they crossed Mikhails' land. He traded with them and spoke to their leaders, trying to understand the foreigners that had crossed his path. From them the embers of some kind of unified state arose, fanned by thoughts of wealth and glory. Razkov, knowing that the times were changing, indorsed the unification of the tribes, and through him and others like him, the state of Kiev-Rus was born." Taking a breath, Gregory saw the rather indifferent look in Xander's eyes. "Yes, yes, I know this is holds very little interest for you, but it is important that you know the history of your people. Razkov was a great man. He was wise in a number of magicks, and through him his tribe flourished as a member of Kiev- Rus, helping and advising the Grand Princes that ruled the state. What saddened Mikhail was the almost constant state of civil war that ensued at the death of a Grand Prince, his heirs fighting amongst themselves for control. When Mikhail Razkov learned he was dying, he took the steps necessary for his tribe, his Family, to survive these dangerous times."

Picking up the older man's lead, Sonja leaned forward again, her eyes almost afire with intensity. "Mikhail cast a spell," she said with excitement. "The spell would give his Heir all his knowledge, experience and wisdom. His Heir was his son, Stefan, and from this spell, the Legacy of Razkov was born. With each passing generation, the Heir of the Razkov Family would inherit not only the leadership of the Family, but all the knowledge, experience, memories and wisdom that the former leaders of the Family had learned. From the Golden Age of Kiev-Rus, to the birth of the Muscovite aristocracy and the beginning of Czarist rule. From the birth of the Russian Empire, to the Revolution and the rule of the Communists. Through over one thousand years of history, the Razkov Family has flourished. Helping the motherland, and the people. With wisdom and experience, the Head of our family has influenced and helped guide our homeland."

Xander listened to this.story.with a solemn expression, not interrupting the two tellers. When it appeared that they were waiting for some kind of response from him, he looked them both in the eye. "That was quite possibly the biggest, most outrageous story anyone has every tried to tell me. It totally beats out the time Willow tried to convince me that clouds were angels cotton-candy." Rising from his seat, Xander shook his head. "Sorry, but if all you got is some old picture and some story about magick and crazy Russians, then I'm going to ask you to get the hell out of my house." Walking toward the front door, Xander gave them a small smile. "Go sell crazy someplace else. We're all stocked up here. You have no idea how long I've been waiting to use that."

"Alexi!" Gregory almost shouted, causing Xander to freeze in mid- stride. "We have spoken only the truth to you! You are the Heir! You will be the Head of the Family! Nothing can change that!"

"Listen Ivan! I don't give a monkey's hairy butt about you, your 'Family' or anything else you've said." Stalking toward the old man, Xander felt a rush of strength flood him, making him clench his fists. "Now, if you and her don't get the hell out of my house in five seconds, I'm going to throw you out, and maybe break your hip in the process."

Stepping in between the two angry men, Sonja put a hand on Xander's chest. "I know you do not believe us. If two strangers had come to me on my 18th birthday and told me all of this, I would have probably reacted much as you have." Stepping closer to Xander, Sonja's dark eyes looked up at the boy with mixture of concern and kindness. "But what we have told you is true. Tonight the first phase of your inheritance has begun. You perhaps felt it a wave of dizziness or a fainting spell earlier tonight?"

"At the Bronze," Xander whispered without thinking, his mind replaying the episode at the club. "I was dancing with Buffy. I blacked out for a minute."

"That was the start of the first phase," Gregory said, his tone now more or less back to a civil tone. "It will be finished by morning."

With sudden clarity, Xander realized that at least part of what they had told him was true. Something was happening to him. He could feel it. If he concentrated on it, it was like fire in his veins. Realizing that he was still clenching his hands, Xander opened them. For some reason, he wasn't surprised to find blood tickling out from where his nails had cut into him. "Am.am I going to turn into some kind of freaky.freak? I don't want to be a freak. I've been a geek and an outcast most of my life, but a freak might be too much."

"No, Alexi," Sonja said gently, the hand on his chest rising to caress his cheek. "You will be yourself, only more so. The first phase of the inheritance will bring out the potential of your body. You will be stronger, faster, and more flexible. Your senses, stamina.all of the resources of your body will be heightened, strengthened. You will, simply speaking, be the best Alexander Harris you can be. Physically."

Xander took a moment to comprehend this information, his eyes staring off into space. "You said this is the first phase. How many more are there?" he asked, brining his attention back to Gregory and Sonja.

"There are four phases in total," Gregory said, reaching into his coat and withdrawing a yellow envelope. "This letter will explain it better then either of us could at this moment. It is from your grandfather." Handing the letter to Xander, the old man straightened somewhat. "Read it when you awaken in the morning, after the first phase has finished."

"This is where we are staying," Sonja said on the coat tails of Gregory. "We have a place where we can help you prepare." a warning glance from her companion cut off what she was about to say. "Where we can help you grow accustom to the changes." Handing over a slip of paper with the address on it, Sonja stepped back from Xander. "Please, come by tomorrow. I'm sure you will have many questions." Taking Gregory's arm, Sonja escorted the older man toward the front door, giving Xander one last smile before leaving.

Sitting down on his couch, Xander stared numbly at the front door for what seemed to be an eternity. Now that he knew what was happening to him, Xander could feel the changes in his body. The darkness of the house didn't seem as dark as usual. He could hear the crickets outside, when before their symphony of chirps had been silent.

Realizing that he still held both the paper with Gregory and Sonja's address on it, and the envelope the old man had given him. Looking at the address, Xander thought that is was in the same area of the city as Angel's mansion. "Ritzy," he muttered, looking at the paper one last time before putting it on the coffee table. That left the envelope. It was a creamy yellow in color, the texture of the paper giving Xander an approximation of it's cost. Expensive, was the word that came to mind as he ran his fingers over the envelope, marveling at how it felt under his fingers. Turning it over, Xander saw the name 'Alexi' written in a large and bold handwriting.

"That's me apparently." The name felt odd, but not wrong. He'd never cared for Al, or Alex. And only his father would call him Alexander and only when really mad. Alexi sounded so.exotic. Placing the envelope on the table as well, Xander smiled almost bitterly at the thought of it all. Rich, powerful Alexi Harris. If he couldn't do something with his life, then Xander Harris had no hope