Disclaimer: Underworld and the characters don't belong to me. But vampires don't belong to Underworld either.

A/N: Written for 15minuteficlets on LJ
The word was pause

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Time slows down. It's such a cliche, but that's because she's trapped in a cliche. The blade slices down and she barely feels any resistance. There's a moment of self-doubt at whether her sword has actually connected with anything solid. Had she just cut into air?

Selene soars in the air, her body perfectly balanced in her cat suit and lands on her feet. She's a panther. She and Viktor turn towards each other, and she feels it again. There's a weight in her stomach as he takes out a pair of knives, and looks to her menacingly.

But then she lifts her her sword and shows the red sticky sheen that covers it. She hasn't failed after all. A line of blood appears and divides Viktor's right eye from the rest of his body. There is a fleshy wet sound.

Pause. Rewind. Play.

The girls giggled louder as half of Viktor's face slid off again. (15min)