It had been 10 days since Cordy dumped Xander. Xander sat at the table his feet up a pencil tapping while occasionally scribbling down on a pad of paper. Buffy was practicing her swordplay with Giles giving her commands. Willow had her nose buried in her geometry homework.

Oz walked in to the library. He still had at least 2 hours till sundown but he wanted to spend some time with Willow before he went all wolfy, He stood behind her and rubbed her shoulders. He didn't want to interrupt her from studying so he looked to Xander.

"What are you working on?"

"Oh it's just something silly." He pulled the pad to him a little shy about it.

"Well I love silly. Come on what is up." Xander bit his lip. Oz was his friend and if he couldn't be himself with his friends then who could he.

"Well it's the whole expressing my pain creatively. Finding an outlet. See it's not very good but I thought I would try to write some music." Willow put her book down a little shocked.

"Get out of here. You never showed any interest in music."

"Well I never really gave it a shot. It's not like I am serious about any of it. I mean it's not any good." Oz looked at him.

"Well when you are done would you mind if I looked at it."

"Oz like I said it's not very good."

"I have a trunk load of songs that I wrote that are terrible. It's kind of a requirement. You have to write 1000 bad songs to get 1 good."

Xander shrugged. "Yeah sure you can read it." As the night passed Willow took the first shift watching Oz. Just after 1:00 am Xander came in the library. Willow handed him the tranquilizer gun.

"No sleeping tonight!" Xander nodded.

"It's all good. I have to finish my homework. I didn't do it cause I knew if I had a reason I had to stay awake then it would be easier." Xander sat as the table and waited till Willow left.

He then pulled out the pad he was writing on earlier. It took four hours and some humming to go along with the howling and gnarling Oz was throwing in but just before 5 am Xander had finished his song. As the wolf left and Oz had returned he went to the cage and slid a small bag with clothes in to the cage.

He didn't say anything he just left the pad on the table for Oz to discover. He yawned and left him there. He wanted to head home and get a quick bite before he had to be back at school.

Most of the day was fairly routine. Xander had quit going out of his way to avoid Cordy. He was even now able to look at her with out his heart feeling like it was ripped out. Cordy for her part had always looked unfazed. She would smile and laugh. A part of him wondered if that was how she really felt or if that was her Queen C persona at work.

Xander sat at the table at lunch smiling and laughing with Buffy and Willow. He had gotten to a point where he didn't even think of Cordy. Oz looked around the lunchroom and made a b line over to his friends.

"Hey guys." Oz held up Xander's notepad. "Xander I read your song." Xander buried his hands in his face afraid to ask.

"Oh my God do I want to ask?"

"Xander this is really really good."

"You are a really good friend to say that."

"Xander I'm dead serious." Willow scooted over so Oz could sit down. Buffy looked at Oz.

"You really think it's good?" He nodded and looked at Xander.

"I have a suggestion I want you to consider." He handed Xander the pad of paper back. "I think you should consider playing it sometime at the bronze."

"Oz that is really nice of you but I can't really play. I mean I know a few songs but."

"Give me a few weeks and I can teach you the basics. I can have you performing this if it is something you would like."

""You would teach me?"

"Why not? It might be fun."

"Well I wouldn't mind learning to play. Even if I never decide to use it." He looked at Oz.

"When do you want to start?" Buffy made a suggestion she hoped they'd take.

"Why don't you practice while Giles is training me? It would be nice to have some music." Xander laughed at her.

"I can't promise what I am going to be offering up is music." Willow stood up putting one hand on Xander's shoulder and the other on Oz's.

"I have great faith in you Xander. I think you'll pick it up with no problem. I also have great Faith in you Oz. I think you'll make a good teacher." Oz smiled.

"So library after school."

"Wait I don't have a guitar."

"Oh well I have an extra. You can borrow it until you get your own,"

Giles was less then enthused when Buffy told him that the plan. She said she wanted her friends near by and if she had to give her time to training he needed to give up certain stipulations.

So like clock work Buffy showed up daily and a few minutes later Xander would show up with Oz. The first week the noise that came from the library sounded much like a cat being butchered. By the start of the second week Xander was starting to get a feel for it. Oz had to admit Xander was picking it up fast..

Buffy did find it hard to concentrate during that first week. Giles again tried to call it off but Buffy used the excuse that she needed to train with outside distraction cause the real world was full of distraction.

It had been 2 weeks and Xander had got through his entire song with out a single mistake. Oz smiled proud of his pupil. ""I think I'm going to call it good for a night Xander but you should keep practicing. You are almost there. A couple more lessons and you won't even need me."

"If I am any good it's because I had a good teacher." Oz smiled packing his things up and walked out of the library. Buffy walked over to the table and grabbed her bottled water. Xander tossed her the towel as she wiped herself down,.

"That sounded amazing Xander." Giles who went to the counter and sipped his tea nodded in agreement with Buffy.

"I must agree. You have come very far in such a short amount of time. You should be quite proud."

"Thanks guys. That means a whole lot." Buffy sat on the edge of the table.

"You going to perform it like Oz suggested?"

"You mean at the bronze?" She nodded and he bit his lip afraid. "I don't know. It's one thing when I am in here with you guys but." Giles started picking up the work out equipment leaving them alone.

"Xander I know it's got to be scary but I've never known you to back down to fear. I mean if you ran scared every time you were afraid I wouldn't be here right now." He groaned not happy but knew she made a point.

"This is a different kind of fear. I mean I'd be up there alone and people might laugh."

"I am your friend and that being said no matter what you decide I will support your choice but I think you should do this. I think it would help your confidence and it would be like you saw this really cool thing through from start to finish." Xander looked down at the table. He knew she was right but he didn't have to like it.

"You know you are so damn annoying when you are right." She laughed and jumped on his back piggyback style.

"So you'll do it?"

"I want to practice more and I want to get good enough that I can play with out any screw ups. Once I get that I will talk to the bronze. Maybe they'll let me open for the Dingoes."

"Awesome. Hey we'll all come."

"All?"

"Willow and Giles Angel and Me." Xander made a face hearing Angel's name.

"Great Angel. I would love for him to be there." Buffy laughed and jumped off of Xander.

"Fine no Angel."

"Oh and as an added bonus. If anyone laughs you can kill them for me."

"I'll bring my weapons."