The four stepped outside the Auror's offices into the dark. Xander turned back to look at the log cabin and was only slightly surprised to find that what had surely been a multi-roomed building appeared on the outside to be a small cabin, barely bigger than the first level of the library and lit only with a lantern on the outside. He could appreciate the usefulness of the building and idly wished he could have one of his own.

"Before we begin," Matilda spoke, "Xander Harris, you may be a legal-aged adult in the no-maj world, but as far as I'm concerned, you're a minor. I'm allowing you a phone call of your choosing, provided I can monitor it. You may not inform them that you are with wizards, but you can give them a number to contact in the event that you are not heard from within 48 hours."

Xander nodded dully, not quite sure what else to do. It made sense, but at the same time, he wondered how much use it would be. If they had to be so secretive, then surely they would make up a story to cover what happened to him.

Matilda seemed to pick up on his thoughts, "The number goes to a travel agency in Nevada. If they call before the 48 hours, the low-majs on staff will say they don't know you. After 48 hours, they'll be connected to another auror in the muggle abuse and neglect office who'll inform them of your situation while leaving out the magical bits."

"We have an office like that in Canada," Robin provided, "I had to train there for a month. We were a travel agency too."

"It's pretty common," Matilda agreed, "Often no-majs may need to travel somewhere to reconnect with their loved ones."

"That's convenient," Xander muttered.

"Alright, so we've got that out the way," Charlie spoke, "We need to figure out what to do first."

"Luna, will you explain what happened up to now?" Robin suggested.

"Oh, certainly," Luna smiled before taking a breath and saying, "It all started in the Great White North-"

"Ugh, I meant to Matilda," Robin grinned.

"Oh! Even better, a private audience!" With an even wider smile, Luna grabbed the American's hand and ran off with her a few feet, earning a surprised look from Matilda.

"Bless," Charlie whispered to Robin, a smile on his lips.

Robin's gaze followed Luna and Matilda for a moment, a small frown on her lips. The frown dissipated in a moment as she turned her mind to the problem at hand.

"Ok, so what do you suggest, Xander? This is your area of expertise, after all."

The Sunnydalian had to admit, Robin had a point. He wasn't a wizard or anything, he'd grown up in the normal world, or at least as normal as the Hellmouth could be. He withdrew the card again and considered it.

"It's a company and it's clearly known to...muggles?" Charlie and Robin nodded, "Muggles, alright. It's involved in poaching magical animals. It's a company, though, so there's gotta be some kinda money in it. So we should start by figuring out what it does to earn money. Then we should get inside somehow, start finding out everything we can about the layout."

"That'll be a challenge," Charlie muttered, "Beastie like that? Be warded like Hell."

"He's a muggle, though," Robin reminded him, "Muggles can pass through anything but a muggle ward."

"But I can't just walk into a company without any reason," Xander said, "In the movies, there's always all sorts of security. It'll be the same with this one. Anytime there's a heist, there's always some kind of inside man scoping the place out. If I'm gonna be the same, I'll need a reason to be inside."

"How about you're applying for a job?" Robin suggested.

"Not a bad idea, except to say I was a crap student," Xander explained with an embarrassed look on his face, "No way would a company like that ever interview me, let alone show me the secrets."

"Maybe not as an applicant," Charlie spoke softly, his eyes wide and a smile on his face, "But what about as an investor?"

"An invest-..." Robin paused, a look of comprehension dawning on her face.

"What?" Xander asked, confused, "I'm missing a thing. What's the thing?"

Charlie and Robin shared a knowing look.

"What? Guys, wha-" Xander stopped, his mouth wide as it finally hit him, "Oh. OH!"

"HE'S A MILLIONAIRE!?!?!" The three heard Matilda practically scream from several feet away.

XXX

Rupert Giles was a man of practicality and routine, a routine which served him well in his duties on the Hellmouth. He would wake up at 6, make himself a warm pot of tea before driving to work. He'd read his books on demonology or the vampire/watcher manuals or, occasionally, a trashy romance novel until one of his young charges joined him for lunch. After lunch, he'd check to see if there were any books overdue (there rarely were) and send Buffy to get them if there were. At night, he and Buffy (along with the rest of the gang if need be) would begin training and patrol preparations. He'd go with Buffy on patrol then, sometime around one or two, he'd drift off to sleep and get up at six to do it all over again.

It was a hard existence but a noble one. He did what he needed to do to keep his Slayer and her friends safe.

But since the destruction of the high school and the death of Mayor Richard Wilkins III, the Englishman found himself adrift in the sea of leisure. He would sleep in till noon, drink tea and read all day and indulge in his secret guilty pleasure: Days of Our Lives.

It was after dark and, very soon, his Slayer would be here to begin discussing the patrol routine. She would be filled with stories about her day with Willow or Dawn or her mother, or perhaps all three. She would ask how his day went (or not, as the case may be) and he would reply 'very well, thank you.' He'd ask if another postcard from Xander had come in, and she'd say yes or no as the case may be, and she would bid him farewell as she left to start her patrol. He'd ask at the last minute if she'd like him to join and, depending on her mood, she'd say yes or no. Then he'd either assist her on patrol or heat up another cup of tea then go to bed.

Tonight, however, offered the self-proclaimed 'gentleman of leisure' a reprieve from his routine in the form of a phone call.

"Rupert Giles speaking," he answered as he picked up.

"Hey, G-man!"

"Xander," he greeted the young man warmly for a moment before groaning, "I've asked you how many times not to call me that?"

"I dunno, try again. Maybe you've hit the magic number." Xander chuckled, "Listen, I'm going to be doing some stuff for a little bit and I need you to do me a favor."

"Stuff?" Giles inquired, "What kind of 'stuff?'"

"Can't tell you, Giles," he said honestly, "But if you don't hear from me in 2 days, I need you to call this number. Got a pen?"

The former Watcher picked up a black ink pen and piece of paper, then proceeded to write down the number.

"Xander, what is this all about?"

"You'll see, Giles." As Xander spoke, Giles heard his door open and looked up to see Buffy and Willow enter his house. They waved at him and dropped their bags off on the floor.

"Pick those up, please," he requested politely before turning his attention back to the phone call, "Xander, I must insist you tell me what's going on."

At those words, the two girls made their way over to Giles, each holding their hands out and insisting on talking to him.

"Sorry, Giles, don't wanna spoil the surprise," the young man grinned over the phone, "Oh, and be sure to watch the new at 7 o'clock! Give my love to the girls! Bye!"

"Xander!" Giles called out, only to hear a dial tone in reply.

"Giles, that was Xander? Why was he calling? He's in trouble, isn't he? Oh my God, he's in trouble!! Where is he? We need to find him! A spell, I know, a-"

"Willow, please," Giles interrupted the redheaded whirlwind, "He didn't say he was in trouble, only to call this number if we don't hear from him in two days. I daresay it's nothing too serious, though. He said he didn't want to spoil the surprise. Apparently, he's to be on the news tonight at 7."

"That's in 40 minutes!" Willow exclaimed, "What channel?"

"He neglected to say," Giles stated.

Buffy, however, simply picked up the piece of paper with the number Xander had given to Giles on it. She picked up the phone and dialed it.

"West Coast Travel Services, how may I help you?" An overly pleasant voice answered.

"Yes, I'd like to speak to Xander Harris, please." Buffy said.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, I don't have anyone with that name in our office," the woman explained, "Is there-"

"How about Alexander Harris?" Buffy tried again, interrupting the woman on the other end.

There was a pause on the other side and, unless the Slayer missed her guess, she'd offended the woman by interrupting her. She'd apologize once she knew her friend was safe.

"I'm sorry, ma'am." Apparently Buffy was correct; the woman's tone had become much more clipped, though still professional. "I don't have anyone by that name in our offices. I highly advise calling back in a few days time. I'll be on vacation then. Goodbye."

The phone clicked. The young woman looked up at her best friend and her Watcher, her face warm with embarrassment.

"Problems?" Giles asked, a soft grin on his face.

She shot him a whimpering smile.

XXX

"Brilliant, mate," Charlie complimented Xander as he stepped down from the podium.

Xander let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, "Can you believe how high taxes are on lottery earnings?! I get less than 4 million of my 6 million."

"Considering that's free, I wouldn't complain much." Matilda smiled softly.

"Me and Matilda are muggle-born, we got a pretty good idea how much 4 million will get you," Robin said, a little twinge of jealousy in her voice.

"Sounds like you know each other," Luna said, her eyes on the white popcorn ceiling counting all the sticking out bits.

"We do," Matilda said softly, "We attended Ilvermorny together, though I was several years ahead."

"What's Ilvermorny?" Charlie asked as the five made their way out of the studio.

"The American wizarding school," Robin explained, "Our Hogwarts."

"But you're Canadian." Xander pointed out.

"Canadians have the option of attending," Matilda said, "But nevermind. You really did a great job, Xander."

"Think so?" Xander asked, a bit nervous, "I mean, I thought I came off a little bad when I talked about-"

"You were nervous, and that's fine," Robin interrupted, "That's better than fine, that's great. Chemerica'd be suspicious if you weren't."

"She's right, mate," Charlie said, "You came off like a clueless guy who came into some money and was trying to be smart, and that's exactly what we needed."

Luna giggled, "Like the twins after Harry gave them his tourney winnings."

Charlie was silent for a long moment, so long that the dreamy Ravenclaw was beginning to think she shouldn't have mentioned it. Finally Charlie let loose a soft smile and nodded, "Yeah, a bit dense, they were."

Luna turned and buried herself into Charlie's chest, wrapping her arms around the redheaded wizard. He returned the gesture and closed his eyes, remembering all the things lost to war.

XXX

Seven o'clock rolled around and the Scooby Gang found themselves gathered around the television in Giles's apartment (which he refused to acknowledge was shallow). Willow and Buffy were sitting on the couch, a plate of meats and cheeses placed on the table in front of them. They were idly chatting about classes while the news played, each casting an eye towards it for when Xander 's surprise was revealed. Oz and Giles were sitting on the floor by the TV, with the younger man enamored by the Englishman's impressive record collection.

"Ok, either I'm movin' in or I'm borrowing all your albums," the wolfman said, a small smile gracing his lips.

"Young man, this isn't even the full of my collection," Giles smiled as well as he pulled out one of his albums (Loaded by Velvet Underground), "Now this beauty is a personal favorite!"

"Wow," Oz breathed, barely able to comprehend the magnificence before him.

Willow and Buffy shared a look and broke into smiles and giggles. They turned their attention back to the TV and watched idly as it carried on.

"In national news, some lucky Californian has won the Washington State Lottery," the newsman was saying, "A young man on a summer road trip along the West Coast bought a lottery ticket on a whim and, surprise surprise, it turned out to be his lucky day!"

"'Lucky Californian,'" Willow repeated.

"You don't think?" Buffy muttered.

"18 year old Alexander Harris-

"GUYS! SHHHH!!" Willow shushed the two men furiously.

The newsman was still speaking when they turned their attention to the television.

"In what had originally been theorized to be a lost or discarded ticket, it turned out that Mr. Harris had it in his back pocket all along. The young man turned in his winning ticket a little after dark and, after confirming it was, in fact, the correct ticket the lottery commission had this press conference."

The screen shifted over to a small office with the Washingtonlottery symbol on it. Standing at a podium was a large man dressed in a suit and, to his immediate right, was a young man with brown hair they all recognized.

"Oh my God," Buffy whispered, stunned.

Each was a bit stunned to see the fellow Scooby on television and so they almost completely missed what the man was saying, but when Xander stepped forward to accept the massive check, everyone felt their hearts still.

"SIX MILLION DOLLARS?!?!?!"

"I-I'm just," Xander muttered, clearly stunned to be standing there, "I uh."

He reached for a glass of water and drank down almost all of it, earning some chuckles from the attendants.

"Thirsty," he said once he was done, earning some more laughs, "Um, ok. T-thanks, I mean, thank you to the State of Washington and it's lottery...um, folks."

"So what are you gonna do with your winnings, son?"

The young man scratched the back of his neck, a little stunned by the question.

"Well, I mean, I'm thinking a yacht, gold toilet, platinum car, maybe a tiger," he smiled, "Nah, I could do that, but honestly, I come from a poor family. It was pretty often we got the power cut off in summer, or we couldn't afford groceries. I don't want that anymore, for me or any kids I may have. So I guess first thing is setting some kinda...I dunno, bank thing, whatever it's called. Then making a few investments in companies seems smart."

"Any in particular?"

"I dunno, I'm new to all this," Xander reminded them, "So I imagine it'd be good to start by calling companies up and making appointments to check them out. Don't wanna invest in something I don't know anything about."

Giles and Willow nodded, proud to see that Xander had decided to make smart choices with his newfound wealth.

"But nah, some of this is gonna be put to fun," he assured them, "For instance, unless I miss my guess, my best friends are watching right now. Hi guys!" He waved at them, and they couldn't help but wave back. "They're the most important people in my life and I wouldn't have made it through the last three years without them. So, guys, remember that number I gave you? Give it a call in a few days and start making plans, it's all on me."

As the newsman came back on, each of the Scooby Gang sat staring at the screen in absolute shock. They were all silent for a moment, each one lost in the reality of what had happened. Then there was a soft sound, something between a chuckle and a cry. All eyes turned to the redhead, who was sitting on the couch with her head in her hands. The young wolf rose to his feet and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, who grasped him tightly as she wept. Within moments though, her cries began to change to laughter.

Oz couldn't help it. He cracked a small grin at his girlfriend's behavior, what amounted to a full-on smile for the reserved musician. Buffy sat beside them, staring at the display with a mix of shock and awe until, finally, everything caught up with her. She looked over at Giles who was busy cleaning his glasses, a look similar to her own masking his features. He looked over her way and, when their eyes met, neither could help but begin to smile.

That night, there was no patrol. Buffy called Mrs. Summers and told her the news, and they all promptly went over to her house. Dawn spent the whole night discussing where she would have her wedding with Xander, either in Egypt or Hong Kong, or perhaps the moon. He could afford it now, of course. Mrs. Summers reminded her that Xander was much too old for her. Buffy wanted to go to the Bahamas for the trip, make it a family vacation (minus Dawn). The young girl took issue with this, of course. Giles wondered if he would make an exception so he could take both a vacation to England to visit his family, then take a vacation right after so he could recover from his trip to England. Willow wanted to visit Latin America, see the ancient ruins therein or maybe visit Japan and get some of the latest technology. Oz was happy going with Willow, but he also wanted to go to France and visit the grave of Jim Morrison, one of his idles.

But Buffy, to her credit, took the time to remind everyone that while Xander was being generous that didn't mean they could do whatever they wanted with his money. They had to be better friends than that. Even so, they should enjoy themselves for the night and plan a party for when he returned.