Tending bar wasn't as hard as it looked.
That wasn't true. It was a lot harder than it looked, but Oz seemed to have a natural flare for it. Wade watched him as she filled the salt and pepper shakers. Where Quinn had dropped glasses and let mixes spill everywhere, Oz seemed to know where a glass would go before it got there and just which way liquid was likely to spill. Which was probably why Arthur had shoved a broom in Quinn's hand and banished him from the bar.
Wade could hear Remy in the kitchen fighting with the cook.
"You know, for a dive bar this place has some decent food."
Wade jumped a mile. "Oz! Where'd you come from?! I thought you were cleaning the bar."
"Done."
"Okay, then help me fill these up before Arthur starts bellowing again. I knew there was a reason I hated waiting tables."
"And we haven't even faced the long hours on our feet or slaps to the rear. Your rear," Oz amended with a quirk of his brows.
"Don't remind me. Hey, if you want I can come over and slap your rear for you," she called as he moved across the room.
"Uh, thanks but no thanks.
Buffy studied her toy from under mascara-thick eyelashes. "It's just no fun with a vampire."
Oz turned from the kitchen sink. He walked into the living room, looking down at Buffy straddling Spike. "What do you mean?"
"You cut them and what do they do? Do they tremble in fear? Do they beg for mercy? Do they scream and buck--- well yes, they do do that, but not because they're scared." She grabbed Oz's outstretched hand and let him pull her up. "No. They're friggin' horny! Look at him."
Sneering Spike said, "Hurts so good, baby."
Buffy made a sound of disgust. "See! Why won't they play fair?" she asked Oz, pouting.
"We're evil."
Buffy landed a well placed kick to Spike's temple. "Not talking to you! Besides we're evil."
Frowning, Oz pointed out that Spike was more than a little unconscious.
"Yeah, maybe the kick was overkill. But, look, his hardon's going down."
The book lying open in front of Willow suddenly disappeared. "Hey!"
Angel closed it with a thick thump. "Give it a rest, Will. It's late. Exhausting yourself won't give us any answers."
"You don't know that."
Sighing, he said, "Yes I do. Come to bed."
Willow's fingers skittered through her hair, dull from neglect. "I-I really should stay up."
Angel crouched at her side so that he had to look up at her. "Willow…" he began softly.
"No, Angel…this is how we got into this whole mess."
He pulled her left hand into his and laced their fingers together. "And together we'll get out of it." He kissed their fingers.
Buffy watched Oz lick the wound over Spike's eye clean. It was odd watching the long vampire cradled in Oz's diminutive embrace. "How's it taste, baby?"
Oz wrinkled his nose. "Like cigarettes."
"Doesn't he know those things will kill him?"
Grinning, Wade counted out her tips on the bed of their hotel room. "Over a hundred dollars! How'd the rest of you guys do?"
Clearing his throat from the single small table in the room, Professor Arturo said, "Bouncers don't get tips, Miss Wells."
"Oh…"
"We get bribes," he said with a smile to match her own. "I'll see your hundred and raise you three."
There were calls of appreciation around the room. "Anyone else?" Wade asked speculatively. "Remy? Quinn? Oz?"
Quinn shook his head. "But I did get beer thrown on me."
"What? How?"
"Some girl was mad at her boyfriend. Go figure, he ducked."
Remy frowned. "I thought you smelled kinda funny Q-ball. And chefs don't get tips either. But the pays not half bad. How 'bout Oz?"
"Six."
"Sixty dollars?"
"Six hundred."
"Oz!" Wade shrieked, throwing herself at the small man. It was a good thing they were both sitting on the bed because she bowled him over. She punched his arm. "I can't believe it!"
Smiling despite himself he said, "Bartenders get all the love."
She climbed off him, standing on the bed. "We are made guys! Between me, Oz and the Professor we have enough money for six worlds!" Her mouth slowly dropped open as she made the calculations in her head. "Oh my-- We have over a thousand dollars!"
Oz watched the celebrations still flat on his back.
"We should have champagne!"
"We should order steak dinners, baby-girl!"
"Come now we must be reasonable--"
"Reasonable?!"
The hole that had never quite healed when he left Willow seemed to yawn beneath him as he floated suspended above. It had taken him about three months after leaving the second time to realize it wasn't just the love of his life he was saying goodbye to, but all his friends too.
He missed friends.
"So are you coming or not, Oz?"
Oz raised himself up on his elbows.
"Are you coming out with us?" Quinn repeated.
"Sure."