Chapter Eleven: Protect Anya
Early the next morning, Faith and Anya decided to check on Tara and her mother. They knew Willow's loss of control had frightened the blonde witch, and they were worried about how Tara would handle it. Walking into the hospital, Faith and Anya walked into Mrs. Maclay's hospital room and gave the two women a soft smile.
"Faith? Anya?" Tara said, confused by their presence. She didn't think she'd see them again after the incident with Willow. Part of her didn't want to see them because she believed they had been playing mind games with her and telling all her secrets to the dark witch.
"Hey, Tara. Can we come in?" Faith asked, watching the blonde curiously.
Tara nodded, shifting nervously as she looked over at her mother and then back at Faith and Anya. "I-is it just y-you two?" Tara stuttered, afraid of having Willow near her right now.
"Yes, its just us. We didn't want to bring Willow because we were afraid she'd go all evil again and try to kill you this time," Anya announced, receiving a glare from Faith. "What?"
As a shiver passed through Tara, Laura Maclay reached over and gently took her daughter's hand. "Did you two need something?" Laura asked.
"Yeah. We wanted to make sure you both were alright? Willow's gotten control again, so you don't have to worry about her killing," Anya said, smiling brightly at the two women.
"Anya, shut up!" Faith snapped, turning to glare at the girl beside her.
"What?" Anya asked, confused by Faith's anger.
"We're fine. She didn't harm us," Laura informed them.
"I'm hungry. I'm going to get a snack. Would anyone else like something to eat?" Anya wondered, looking at the other three.
When all three of them shook their heads, Anya gave a bright smile and walked out of the room. Walking down the hospital corridors, Anya felt confused as she tried to find the snack machines. She knew they had to have some kind of snack machine, even if it was almost a century in the future for her. As she searched the hospital, she saw a familiar man ahead and put on a huge smile.
"Hello, can you show me where to find a snack machine?" Anya asked, hoping the familiar looking man would help her.
Anya kept her smile on her face for a few minutes longer, but it started to fade as the man kept staring at her. "Do I know you?" he said, glaring at the blonde.
"Possibly. You look very familiar. Now, can you show me where the snack machines are?" Anya repeated, starting to feel unnerved by the man before her.
"Wait...I do know you. You're Tara's friend," the man realized, his blue eyes seeming to harden.
"Yes, I am," Anya admitted, as a feeling of dread settled over her.
"I don't approve of my daughter's choice in friends. First there was that bitch that tried to strangle me, and now she has you and that brunette. I'm only going to say this once, stay away from my daughter," he warned stepping towards Anya.
"And if I don't?" Anya asked, not allowing herself to retreat from the man's towering form.
Without answering, Mr. Maclay reached out and grabbed Anya by the hair on the back of her head. "You won't like what I do to you," he threatened, looking at the demon for a few moments before releasing her.
Anya glared at him as her temper rose. Drawing back, she allowed her hand to collide with the side of his face, causing a loud bang to sound through the empty halls. Mr. Maclay, shocked by the blonde's action, took a moment to regain his composure before grabbing her by the arm and pushing her back against the wall.
"Big mistake, Girl!" he snapped, releasing one shoulder so that he could backhand her across the face. When Anya hit the ground, he brought his foot up, kicking her in the ribs.
Sitting in Laura's room, Faith frowned as she realized how long Anya had been gone. As a feeling of dread settled over her, Faith stood up and looked at the other two women in the room. "I think she got lost. I'm going to go find her," Faith said, starting to head out the door.
"I-I'll go with y-you," Tara told the slayer, before giving her mother a kiss on the forehead and following Faith out of the room and down the hall in search of Anya.
Standing by the window of her room, Willow's coal eyes stared out into the darkness. She missed Tara, both her Tara and this new Tara. She knew that she had lost any chance to get Tara to trust her, but Willow couldn't help but miss her. This Tara was so much like her Tara that Willow sometimes wondered if she went back in time.
As Willow lost herself in her thoughts of Tara, a sudden pain brought her to her knees and back to reality. Holding her ribs, Willow tried to understand what was going on. It took just a second for her to figure it out as she felt her breath leave her lungs from the intense pain shooting through her.
"Anya," Willow whispered breathlessly, as she forced herself to her feet and disappeared from the room.
Another breath-taking blow caused Anya to whimper slightly as Mr. Maclay's foot collided with Anya's unprotected side. No amount of training as a vengeance demon could prepare her for this.
"Halfrek," Anya begged, unaware of her friend's death.
Preparing for another kick from Mr. Maclay, Anya tensed up slightly, only to be surprised when nothing happened. Trying to look around, Anya caught sight of the man dangling helplessly a few feet in the air, kicking his feet as he tried to get an unseen force to release him.
Feeling her body start to lose consciousness, Anya slowly allowed the darkness to take her, relaxing as she heard a familiar voice in the distance speak to the struggling man.
A/N: Thank you Gimpy72 for all the help with this chapter and the idea for where to take the story.