The second hand reached the 12, and time was frozen.
Andraia tucked the pocketwatch back into her bodice, let the magic flow into the air and began moving. She walked through the bodies like a jungle cat stalking its prey, examining every aspect of the fray. The Slayer had her stake raised, ready to plunge it into the chest of one of the Master's most beloved. The spiky-haired white-hat had another of the Master's Faithful around the waist, ready to push her backwards onto the broken barrier. The Master himself was grinning like a Cheshire Cat. The cattle were milling about, some with makeshift stakes, and the cannon fodder were doing their best to quell the uprising of the peasants.
She sighed, and moved through the frozen bodies. Her diviniations had seen this coming. She paused beside the body of Darla, who one of the former captives had gotten with a lucky stake through the heart. She was only half-dust at this point in the timestream, and Andraia took the time to study the process.
She could save them all, or she could watch them all die. She moved lazily through the still battle, picking and choosing who would live and who would die. The Master, of course, would come out on top. The prophecies were never wrong: he would face the Slayer, and the Slayer would die.
She left the Master as he was, with blood in his eye and a killing smile on his face. She already knew how this battle would come out.
She circled the Slayer, giving her a careful assessing look. "Strong, lithe, experienced," she said, and licked her fangs. "But you will die. It is your destiny."
The other two Faithful would, of course, survive. She would see to it. She had too much fun with them both to let them go to dust and oblivion. With a flick of her fingers in Xander's direction, she freed him from the time spell. He resumed motion, backhanding the Slayer across the face before he realized what was going on. He took in the stake, the frozen Slayer, and then his gaze went to Andraia, standing off to the side.
Andraia giggled, and waggled her fingers at him. He grinned at her. "Thanks babe," he said, sliding an arm around her waist.
"Couldn't let you be dusted," she purred into his ear. Over his shoulder, she flicked her fingers at Willow, likewise freeing her from the spell. "Wouldn't be much fun without you two around."
Yellow eyes gleamed at her as Willow turned and sank teeth into the spiky-haired white-hat who had been trying to murder her. Abruptly she looked away, teeth and lips stained red. Her face reverted to its human appearance. "Bored now." Licking her lips, she sauntered to where Andraia and Xander were snuggling, and insinuated herself into the middle with no protest from the other two. Xander's other arm slid around her waist and Andraia's free hand began toying with the back of her neck. "Not fun," she commented, looking around at the suspended moment.
"Would have been less fun if you'd been killed, darling." Andraia began walking towards the Master. Attached as she was to the other two, they trailed along beside her.
Xander's face shifted as they went past the Slayer, who was now prepared to stake thin air. He snarled at the blonde. "I could have taken her."
Willow broke off of the train to run her fingers through the Slayer's hair and across her cheek. "She's all pretty," she said driftily, walking around the girl, with one finger on her cheek at all times. "So full of life." She glanced at Andraia and smiled prettily. "Can I play with her?"
Andraia moved away from Xander to wrap both arms around Willow's waist, her chin resting on the other vampire's shoulder. "I'm sorry, darling, but that's the Master's job."
"What if she wins?"
"Xander!" Willow tore her gaze from the Slayer's throat long enough to stare at him.
He shrugged, and idly reached out to caress the Slayer's cheek, sliding his hand along her jawline. "I'm just saying. I don't think Andraia can save my ass twice in one night." His thumb traced over the Slayer's cheekbone, and the killing lust both his girls loved so much lit in his eyes. "It would be so easy to snap her neck now."
"Infallible prophecy, Xander," Andraia said, stepping back from Willow with a word of discontent from the other girl. "The Master will face the Slayer, and the Slayer will die." She began her path back to the Master again. "Besides, if you kill what he's so hard up to slaughter himself... how do you think he'll view that?"
Xander grumbled, but he stepped back from the Slayer, and reached out to gently pull Willow to him. "Fine."
Andraia heard the growl in his tone and just smiled prettily at him. "Don't worry love," she purred and molded herself to their sides again. "Soon it will be our time. We'll remain Faithful... for now."
They mounted the stairs and passed the stopframe dusting of the vampire once known as Angelus. Andraia snorted, figuring the abomination had got off light in the end. Willow pouted. "Puppy's dead," she sulked. Xander nibbled on her earlobe.
"We'll get you a new puppy, pet," he promised in a low tone.
Andraia's eyes went to the spiky-haired white-hat, immobile in the instant before his death. Willow's teeth prints were still visible on the side of his neck, a shattered vein showing in the bite wound. Time as still as it was, the smaller broken veins and capillaries hadn't even begun to trickle blood from the edges of the wound yet.
Andraia smiled. "Yes darling. We will." She spun out of their arms and strode to the dying man. She brought her right wrist to her mouth, bit deep, and forced the man's jaw open. She heard it crack under the pressure of her hand, supernatural strength being what it was, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She placed her wrist at his mouth, tilting it so her blood flowed into his mouth and down his throat. Her smile grew to a grin as she drew her wrist down and moved back to the other two Faithful. She whispered an incantation to make it a little more fun, and a darkish sort of light flared in his eyes. He would be dead when he hit the floor, but he would rise again.
She offered her arm to them, and Xander bent his dark head to drink first. Her free hand came up to trace over Willow's nose and cheek. "Merry Christmas, darling," she purred, and the redhead's entire face lit up. "You have your new puppy."
Willow's face melted into her true features as Xander surfaced, licking his lips. "You're the best," she giggled, before bending to sink her teeth into Andraia's wrist.
"I know," she said smugly, and flicked the fingers of her left hand at the room in general. The battle resumed. The old puppy cried out to the Slayer as he fell to ash, and the new puppy had time for a wide-eyed "how the hell did this happen" look before he crumpled to the floor. The Slayer faltered for a second as she processed the fact that her opponent had vanished, and then her equilibrium was restored as she went into a spinning back kick that bowled Kyle head over heels. She finished up with a sure strike to his heart with her stake, and the vampire was dust.
"You know, I never liked him," Xander commented, a slow grin starting.
Andraia, Willow and Xander moved leisurely up the stairs, unbreakable as they had always been. The Master caught their eyes, and a pleased smile crossed his face. He turned to face the Slayer again and began shoving people out of the way. The Slayer went through the same motions.
The Faithful stood atop the platform, watching the carnage below. The Master and the Slayer reached each other, traded blows. For a brief moment, it seemed that the Master would fail as he reeled back from a particularly crushing side kick. They watched, impassively, as he recogvered just in time to block the descending stake and backhand her. She spun about face, and dropped to her knees. Her arms only had time to come halfway up as the Master's hands settled on either side of her head.
Neither Andraia nor Willow could help giggling happily as the icrak!/i of the Slayer's neck breaking sounded through the room.
"Told you," Andraia said softly, and giggled again.
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The Standard Disclaimer: Characters and plotlines of the TV show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" used here are copywrite to Fox, Mutant Enemy Inc and other affiliates. Used without permission. Copyright infringement obviously intended (as that is the nature of fanfiction), but no profit is being made by the author from this piece. All original characters copywrite the author.