Hello, all! This is my first attempt at sharing any sort of fanfiction, so please go easy on me. I hope you like my silly little story, or at least find some amusement. I decided to start posting in the spirit of Halloween.

Thank you and enjoy! NH

"HELP!" she cried as she threw open the front doors, "Help! Anyone, please!"

"What kind of disturbance is this, at this ungodly hour?" shouted her father as he descended the stairs, pulling on his coat, "Elizabeth? What is wrong?"

Seeing his most sensible daughter so clearly distressed was not how Mr. Bennet had hoped to begin his day. She looked frightful. Her hair was disheveled, she was pale as a sheet, and trembling. He reached for her shoulder, but she intercepted his hand and dragged him to the door. By now Hill had rounded the corner, and her sisters were peering down to stairs at the spectacle she was making.

"Quickly! Hurry! He is hurt—oh God!" she covered her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes, "I-I think he is dying. Someone, do something! Send for the doctor! Please!"

"Lizzy, my dear, calm down! What has gotten into you? Who is hurt?"

"Mr. Darcy!" she gestured out the door, where in the distance the figure of a man was visible, apparently unconscious and laying face down in the grass.

"Good God!" Bennet pushed past his daughter and made his way outside. "Mr. Darcy!" he called to the gentleman, but there was no response as he approached. Before long he was upon him, he grabbed his shoulders and began to turn him over, and he could see that the situation was as dire as Lizzy had described. Darcy's shirt collar and neck cloth were torn to tatters. He was covered in blood, the silky fabric of his waistcoat was soaked with it. All attempts to rouse him were met with failure.

Two footman and a stable boy appeared, likely sent by Hill, and Bennet called out for their assistance. The men were ordered to carry Darcy to the house. The boy pointed to the tree line, where a very distressed horse was standing on alert. The animal was breathing heavily, with nostrils flared. His eyes were bulging, with the whites of his eyes plainly visible. His ears swiveled around rapidly.

"A fine beast. Mr. Darcy's horse, I presume," said Mr. Bennet. The boy moved towards the animal, but it jumped to the side and trotted away while snorting quite wildly.

"He is too spooked to let you near him. Fetch a bucket of grain, and see if that gets his attention," Bennet suggested, as he made his way back to Longbourn.

Elizabeth stood exactly where Bennet had left her by the front door, but now she was in the arms of Jane, who was trying her best to comfort her sister. His youngest two daughters fluttered around, trying to make sense of the words muddled in Lizzy's unintelligible sobs. Mary led her father to a nearby room, where his wife and Mr. Darcy could be found.

"Oh, Mr. Bennet!" cried Mrs. Bennet, "This is horrible! We shall be remembered as the family that killed Mr. Darcy!"

Bennet turned to check on the young man. Mr. Darcy was laid out on a sofa, still unconscious. His pale complexion was not promising. His breathing was shallow, but he was still alive. "He is not dead yet."

"But he very soon shall be! Look at the poor fellow! Struck down in his prime! And he did not even have the courtesy to marry one of our girls first!"

He asked his wife if the doctor has been called for Once assured that he had indeed been sent for, Bennet settled back to the task at hand. Darcy could not be left in a sitting room. He would need privacy to be examined. Collins was already in the guest chamber, and that room was inconveniently situated regardless, when one had to consider relocating a rather tall, heavy unconscious gentleman.

Bennet exited to the hall and came upon his eldest two daughters once more. "Jane," he said, "Go and gather your belongings from your room. Take Hill, if you need her. We shall have to settle Mr. Darcy there to wait for the doctor."

Jane nodded and was off at once, leaving her sister in the care of her father. "Now Lizzy, dear girl, what happened to this young man? Did you see?"

Elizabeth nodded with an unusual meekness. "Papa," she choked, "He was...attacked."

Mr. Bennet's growing concern was interrupted as Lydia skipped by, "Lizzy! Tell him what you saw!" The younger girl erupted in laughter.

Elizabeth clenched her fists and raised her chin as she spoke, "It was a monster!"