"No, it won't."

"Yes. It will." Giles replied, standing on the opposite side and resting a reassuring hand on the girl's should.

"*No*, it won't." She replied with a pout.

"Missa, we're all here to help you." Xander said, rolling closer on his desk chair.

"Thanks, guys, but I just want to sit here and go into denial. Thanks for trying."

Spike stepped over from the door. "Pet, he'll come back. It's not like writing is somethin' someone just leaves. You know how many times I've tried to quit smoking?"

"Once." Angel answered.

The blond glared at his sire. "No."

"Well no matter how many times you tried it didn't work." He replied, putting a hand on Melissa's knee.

"Exactly my bloody point." Spike stated, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Unless that mate of yours has willpower made of goddamn steel he'll come back." He grinned. "Unless I eat him first." Melissa narrowed her eyes at his last statement. "Okay, so I won't eat him." Grumbled the vamp.

Melissa wiped her nose and sniffled. "I wish he was just lying. I mean... my dog died. And-and he stopped writing and-and... it's just... bad!" Giles exchanged a look with Angel and the others. They all moved to one corner of the room and spoke in hushed voices, glancing back at Melissa occasionally until they all walked back. "What?" She asked cautiously.

Spike and Angel both took a hand each and let her out of the room. "Trust us, Missa." Angel said with a wide smile.

Turning a few corners down the hall they came to the lounge room while the other men went in another direction. "What's going on?" She asked, looking back and forth from each vampires.

The two of them stayed silent. "Ready!" Xander bellowed from the other end of the hall.

Spike and Angel jumped up, pulling Melissa down the hall where the other men stood in the bathroom. "What's... oh." The girl said as the men started removing her clothing. "Uh, guys..."

"Shh." Riley said, helping her into the nice, warm, bubble-Jacuzzi. "Just relax."

Melissa sighed then felt tiny waves being made. She opened an eye and saw the guys had joined her with wide smiles on their faces. "What's going on now?" She asked cautiously. 20 minutes later she'd been dried and carried into the lounge room, now being thoroughly pampered by each of the men. A knock at the door made everyone turn. "Who is it?" She called out.

"Buffy, Willow, Anya, Cordy and Faith. Can we come in?" Buffy called through the wooden door.

The list mom sighed, going to stand up until Riley pushed her back down. "Stay." He ordered softly.

Xander stood and opened the door. "What are you guys doing here?" Willow asked, holding an armful of wrapped boxes.

"Pampering. What are you doing here?" He asked back.

"Spoiling rotten." She replied as each girl set their armfuls of boxes down in front of Melissa. The teen smiled. "Hope everything gets better, Missa."

She smiled back, looking at everyone. "Thanks, guys."

Faith sat down on the couch opposite her. "Yeah, babe. What Red said. Want me to *make* that guy come back? I have ways ya know." She said with a mischievous grin and raise of her eyebrows.

"He might like that." She replied with a smirk.

"Done. Buffy, babe, let's go do some damage." She said, pulling her sister-in-slayage along behind her.

Darla walked past them into the room. "Damage where?"

"One of Missa's friends quit writing." Angel explained to his sire.

"What? Maybe I should join them." She said, licking her lips as she walked back out the door.

Anya, Cordelia and Willow were currently whispering amongst themselves. "That's rude you know." Melissa said with a tiny smile.

The girls turned, looking apologetically at the list mom. "Sorry." Willow stated.

"We have an idea." Said the cheer-leader.

"Is that a bad thing?" Xander asked the rest of the men in the room who chuckled at his question.

Cordelia shot a glare to her ex. "At least I have them, Xander." She said, then turned her attentions back to Melissa as she and the other girls whispered to the other guys.

Everyone stood, with Spike and Angel both rolling their eyes. "The things I do for you, Kitten." Spike sighed.

Oz got up as well, moving to stand on the end of the line the group had made. "One, two, three... go."

"If you love Missa and you know it, clap your hands..." Everyone clapped. "If you love her and you know it, clap your hands..." Now the entire list of members for AlternaBuffyFic started to join in clapping. "If you love her and you know it, and you really wanna show it, if you love her and you know it, clap your hands." They cheered. "And again!" Xander announced. "If you love Missa and you know it, clap your hands... if you love her and you know it clap your hands... if you love her and you know it, and you really wanna show it..." They looked expectantly at Melissa.

She sighed with a smile. "If you love me and you know it clap your hands." There was a loud round of applause coming from everyone that had ever known or heard of her.